On The Beat

Beaches fun

BEACHES JAZZ: It was yet another successful year for this Toronto institution. Free concerts by fine musicians in a lovely setting - what could go wrong? Only the weather, and it co-operated nicely. It was simply perfect for the Saturday proceedings that On The Beat caught. Just missed promising young blues singer ROXANNE POTVIN, but the sunny vibe of NICHOLAS BRANCKER & THE BARBADOS ALL-STARS was a treat. They're from Barbados and mix gentle reggae, soca and ska rhythms in with easy-listening jazz. They should delete the wimpy version of "No Woman No Cry" though. Next up were local r'n b faves JACKSOUL. Good to see them get some mainstream airplay for their new material, as, led by smooth-voiced singer HAYDAIN NEALE, they do old school soul just about as well as anyone around these days. Former FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS guitarist KID RAMOS closed out the day in spirited fashion. It must be tempting to sit on hard-won laurels, but it would be nice to see Beaches Jazz somehow find the budget to book one more high-profile star each day to kick the event up a notch artistically.

BY DIVINE RIGHT: Just in from the Maritimes, these local indie rock heroes played a semi-surprise gig as part of the Horseshoe's New Music Nights. It was a surprise to see them appear as a four-piece, for guitarist BRIAN BORCHERDT was absent (temporarily). Still, little was lacking from their sound as they ripped through tracks from their new CD, Sweet Confusion. They really are a great band live, with energetic mainman JOSE CONTRERAS superbly backed by guitarists DYLAN HUDECKI and COLLEEN HIXENBAUGH. Thanks to super-catchy riffs and Jose and Dylan's infectious cheerleading, the crowd was soon cheering and yelling along to the new songs. Rock 'n roll fun, indeed. Also on the bill were HOPEFUL MONSTER, the project of former BDR member, the now Nova Scotia-based J. BALL. He was accompanied by Oshawa alt-country band CUFF THE DUKE, and their sound moved from orchestral pop to roots-rock. A cover of a TOWNES VAN ZANDT song was a set highlight.

HOWIE BECK: The reclusive local songsmith emerged into a bright media spotlight when he launched his brilliant new eponymous disc at The Rivoli. The saturation coverage and rave reviews are well-deserved. In a short but convincing media set, Howie's new songs took solid shape. The self-effacing Beck is certainly no showman, but the subtle melodic strength of his material is all he needs.

DVDs: The sales of music CDs continues to slump, but the market for music DVDs is much healthier. One company with a well-deserved reputation for quality releases is EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT, and their new series features some of the legendary names of rock. JOE COCKER fans will want to check out the leather-lunged veteran's new live DVD, Across From Midnight Tour. Filmed in Berlin, it captures Joe in top form on 17 of his greatest tracks. Another singer associated with the Woodstock Festival, JONI MITCHELL, has just put out Painting With Words And Music. It is taken from a recent intimate performance on the Warners Lot in L.A., and Joni delivers 19 tracks, ranging from classics "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock" to more musically adventurous material. This DVD was produced for Eagle Rock by Toronto company INSIGHT (the team behind the Juno telecast). A bonus discography and filmography is included. Other new releases include classic concerts from JOHN LEE HOOKER, CAT STEVENS, THE BEACH BOYS, and JOHNNY CASH, who performs inside the Tennessee State Penitentiary.

NEW RELEASES: Two fine Toronto bands, PILATE and STIRLING, are heavily influenced by current British rock. You can now add the name of New Brunswick's IN-FLIGHT SAFETY to that list. They've just released an EP, Vacation Land, on Universal, and it shows enough potential to create hopes for more soon. There is no shortage of LUCIANO PAVAROTTI collections out there, but a new one (released this week) deserves investigation. The Best Of is part of the excellent (and budget-priced) Universal 20th Century Masters series.

UPCOMING: The highlight of the summer for most punk rock fans is the annual WARPED TOUR. The travelling punkfest checks into Molson Park in Barrie on August 14, and the strong lineup includes genre godfathers BAD RELIGION, BOUNCING SOULS, GUTTERMOUTH, LARS FREDRIKSEN AND THE BASTARDS, and FROM FIRST TO LAST. Word is that hiphop act ATMOSPHERE are doing real well. That ain't easy on this tour, given that the punks at Warped pelted EMINEM with garbage a while back!

Publication Date: 2004-08-08
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4253