C.R. Avery
For those in Toronto Saturday, September 18th you got to check out C.R. Avery (www.cravery.com) at the Cameron House. This guy defies all categorization, persevering as a sort of musical jack of all trades in an industry and world that’s becoming increasingly fixated on specialization. But what’s really remarkable is not so much C.R.’s mesmerizing beat boxing, sincere poetry, or inventive arrangements – it’s his groundedness in the everyday, a sort of Guthriesque sense of the pulse of the world. If he can blow Tom Waits’ mind he can blow yours too. Check out Flowered Dress Sundown from his appearance on Zed TV…
Big Joe Williams
“Sandwiched in between the two sets (of a 1965 concert in Greenwich Village), perhaps as an afterthought, was the bluesman Big Joe Williams (not to be confused with the jazz and rhythm and blues singer Joe Williams who sang with Count Basie). He looked terrible. He had a big bulbous aneuristic protrusion bulging out of his forehead. He was equipped with a beat up old acoustic guitar which I think had nine strings and sundry homemade attachments and a wire hanger contraption around his neck fashioned to hold a kazoo while keeping his hands free to play the guitar. Needless to say, he was a big letdown after the folk rockers. My date and I exchanged pained looks in empathy for what was being done this Delta blues man who was ruefully out of place. After three or four songs the unseen announcer came on the p. a. system and said, “Lets have a big hand for Big Joe Williams, ladies and gentlemen; thank you, Big Joe”. But Big Joe wasn’t finished. He hadn’t given up on the audience, and he ignored the announcer. He continued his set and after each song the announcer came over the p. a. and tried to politely but firmly get Big Joe off the stage. Big Joe was having none of it, and he continued his set with his nine-string acoustic and his kazoo. Long about the sixth or seventh song he got into his groove and started to wail with raggedy slide guitar riffs, powerful voice, as well as intense percussion on the guitar and its various accoutrements. By the end of the set he had that audience of jaded ’60s rockers on their feet cheering and applauding vociferously. Our initial pity for him was replaced by wondrous respect. He knew he had it in him to move that audience, and he knew that thousands of watts and hundreds of decibels do not change one iota the basic power of a song.”
~ Miller, Marc. “Big Joe Blues,” Unsung Heroes of the Blues
Nash the Slash
People who think Owen Pallett’s a crazy-ass violinist have obviously never heard of this amazingly inventive Canadian genuis of an enigma of a man. In Leon Redbone style, Nash the Slash has revealed very little about himself over the years, sometimes identifying himself, for example, as Nashville Thebodiah Slasher. He would appear on stage in his classic tux and bandaged face and tear it up way more than the other Slash ever has – and all on instruments like the electric violin or mandolin! If you haven’t, you absolutely need to check this out…
Dinner is Ruined
This is another amazing avant garde Canadian rock band most people have probably never heard but need to check out. Formed by the legendary Dale Morningstar (yes, the producer of Thrush Hermit’s swan song Clayton Park), Dave Clark and Dr. Johnny Pee – these guys know as well as Sonic Youth how to flex the rock noise muscle. Mr. Rising Sun once even graced the stage of Toronto’s famous Massey Hall with DIR…to play the stationary bicycle! If only we could still see these guys play… Ha – but you can! Currently they’re touring with Gord Downie as the Country of Miracles – joined by the brilliant artists Julie Doiron (formerly of Eric’s Trip) and the Skydiggers’ guitarist, Josh Finlayson.