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2020.2.1 Elage Diouf live at Alliance Francaise, Toronto

Elage Diouf at Alliance Francaise Saturday February 1 2020 Batuki Music Society and Alliance Francaise bring some terrific African talent, artists often little known outside their community, to our community of music fans downtown. Elage Diouf started playing as a kid, with his brother. He hid this predilection from his parents initially, but the pair became known as purveyors of music in Diouf’s native Senegal. He toured Europe before arriving in Montreal on a limited engagement that turned into a new life in Canada. His first solo album “Askil” is the Wolof word for “welcome” or “enter.” Singing in Wolof and French, with the occasional smattering of English, Diouf has become an accomplished singer – songwriter and percussionist.   Tonight, with some expert help imported from Montreal, Diouf played two well received sets. His live sound is raw and immediate, despite the smooth production on his released songs. The drummer let Diouf meander on his hand drum
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2019.12.13 White Cowbell Oklahoma, Aciidz, The Tall Boys - X-mess at Lee's Palace

White Cowbell Oklahoma, 16 th Annual X-Mess Bash at Lee’s Palace, Friday December 13, 2019. What can one say about these jokers… nobody’s trying to re-invent the wheel here. Least of all, a Wheel of Fire. Between the chaos of their live shows and their adherence to tried and true rock sounds from south London to the southern states, White Cowbell promises a loud, crunchy night out. Their annual X-mess bash always brings at least a couple of other bands to their stage. The Tall Boys kicked off tonight’s yuletide fare with what sounded like dozens of DRI-length songs. “I Hate Unicorns,” “Racist on the Bus” and vamps of “Freebird” and “25 or 6 to 4” let the early crowd know this thrash band liked their classic rock, too. They had at least one discernable Santa song before set ended with a Bad Brains style run through of Bob Marley’s “Iron Lion Zion.” Aciidz followed with a quick set of grungy sounds including a well-received cover of “I’ll Just Keep Dancing on
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2019.11.21 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame gala at the Phoenix, Toronto

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame concert, Phoenix Theatre, Toronto A gala concert to kick start the festive season was a great way to celebrate this year’s batch of songs being celebrated by the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The mostly seated crowd enjoyed two sets of speeches and songs from a variety of Canadian performers. The first set featured a few local boomer classics; “Opportunity” by Mandala, and “I Would Be The One” from the short-lived band Kensington Market. A Foot In Coldwater and Klaatu were also recognized. Maestro Fresh Wes played a couple songs, one during each set. “Let Your Backbone Slide” was the inducted song, and Maestro followed it later on with “Stick to Your Vision.” Lorraine Segato led a reunited Parachute Club through “Rise Up.” In an rousing speech, Segato recalled the progressive alliance of music makers and fans of all stripes and backgrounds who made Parachute Club a cultural force for a period in Toronto. She also sang
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