B-side Wins Again: Bob Dorough

Check the funky rip through The Temptations' Runaway Child, Running Wild sung by Bob Dorough.

Shovels & Rope @ Danforth Music Hall, Monday

Here are three good reasons why you shouldn't miss Shovels & Rope opening for Jason Isbell on Monday.

The Dirty Nil vs. Fugazi

The Dirty Nil may rip into Fugazi's "Provisional" during tonight's Higher Power release party at The Horseshoe.  

Sacrifice @ The Opera House, Saturday

Here's Sacrifice playing songs from their first two LPs at Zeizer's in Saint John, NB way back in 1987.

Happy Birthday Fats Domino!

Celebrating the 88th birthday of New Orleans great Antoine "Fats" Domino with three Imperial label gems.

Watch Andrew Bird perform Left-Handed Kisses with Fiona Apple

"Left-Handed Kisses" is off Andrew Bird's forthcoming Are You Serious? album due April 1.

Peter Hook guests on new Limiñanas album Malamore due April 15

Check out the fab French duo's new video for "Garden Of Love" w/ Peter Hook after the album trailer. 

Happy Birthday John Doe!

Watch John perform a few X songs with Mike McCready after an Acoustic Guitar session.

Watch Mavis Staples on Late Night with Stephen Colbert

Mavis discusses her Staple Singers past and performs Take Us Back from her Livin' On A High Note album. 

The Brothers Grimsby opens March 11

Watch The Brothers Grimsby trailer followed by Nobby's interview with BBC Radio 1.

Roots of spiritual jazz: Eddie Bert Sextet

Here's the Eddie Bert Sextet's entrancing 1955 version of Alec Wilder's Moon and Sand written in 1941. 

Pakistani music doc "Song Of Lahore" opens at Bloor Cinema March 4

Song Of Lahore screens at the Bloor Cinema through to March 10. For tickets and times check the Hot Docs site.

With its ancient palaces and stately gardens, the Lahore of Pakistan's 1947 independence was a haven and a muse for musicians, artists, and poets. The city came alive to the beat of a tabla drum; with a musical culture passed down over centuries and a thriving film industry, opportunities were great for the legion of musicians that called Lahore home.

Today, this vision of Lahore exists only in myth. Islamization, ethnic divisions, war and corruption have torn apart the cultural fabric of Pakistan, and the sounds of the tabla no longer drift through the old city's bazaar.

In 2004, Izzat Majeed founded Sachal Studios to create a space for traditional music in a nation that had rejected its musical roots. After convincing a number of master musicians to pick up their instruments again and join the Sachal Studios Orchestra and the offshoot Sachal Jazz Ensemble, they quietly released some classical and folk albums. But it is an experimental album fusing jazz and South Asian instruments that brings Sachal Studios worldwide acclaim. Their rendition of Dave Brubeck's Take Five becomes a sensation, and Wynton Marsalis invites them to New York to perform with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. After a groundbreaking week of rehearsals fusing the orchestras from Lahore and New York, the musicians take to the stage for a remarkable concert.



Despite their rising international acclaim, Sachal Studios remains virtually unknown in Pakistan. The ensemble is faced with a daunting task; to reclaim and reinvigorate an art that has lost its space in Pakistan’s narrowing cultural sphere.

With their engaging feature-length documentary Song of Lahore, Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (2010's Pakistan's Taliban Generation, 2012's Saving Face) along with co-director Andy Schocken put the work Izzat Majeed's innovative project in a larger historical context while suggesting that music – if it's allowed to work it's magic – can play a significant role as a healing force for positive social change. Song of Lahore opens at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema on Friday, March 4 and screens through to Thursday, March 10. Watch the trailer below.

Happy Birthday Ernie K-Doe

New Orleans great Ernie K-Doe dispenses fashion advice in third person to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Creole Carnival w/ Emeline Michel, Casuarina, Kobo Town @ Winter Garden Theatre, Tuesday

Here's Abdias Laguerre's video for Emeline Michel's "Timoun" off her Quintessence album.      Photo: Eléonore Coyette

LINKS
Tickets Creole Carnival
Emeline Michel site
globalFest site

Sroeng Santi vs. Black Sabbath

Since Sabbath is playing Hamilton's First Ontario Centre tonight, here's Sroeng Santi's version of Iron Man. 

Corb Lund @ Winter Garden Theatre, Saturday

Corb Lund will be playing tunes from his Things That Can't Be Undone album along with these faves.

LINKS
Site http://corblund.com/
Label New West Records

Hip Hop Karaoke w/ Del The Funky Homosapien @ Revival, tonight

Don't miss mic-ripper Del throw down with Abdominal and More Or Les tonight at Revival. 

Exeter's garage punk kings U.I.C. to reunite for Mike Star salute in Oshawa April 2

Here's a 17-minute clip of U.I.C. at the El Mocambo on December 18, 1993. Leafs beat the Kings 4-1 that night. 

B-Side wins again: Alemayehu Eshete

Check out Alemayehu Eshete's soulfully funky Kenoru Lebitcha sampled by Oh No for The Pain off Ethiopium. 

Happy Birthday Klaus Weiss

Remembering drumming dynamo Klaus Weiss on his day with a couple of his classic joints.

Watch John Doe's new video for Get On Board

John Doe's The Westerner co-produced by Howe Gelb is out April 29 on Cool Rock Records.

JD also has a new book on the LA punk scene.

Listen to the sample sources for Kanye West's The Life Of Pablo

Nina Simone, Googoosh, Section 25, Junie Morrison, Arthur Russell & Father's Children all make an appearance.

Paul McCartney & Beck denied access to Grammys after-party

It's one thing to win 21 Grammys and quite another to get into Tyga's VIP soiree at Argyle.

Lou Doillon @ The Drake Hotel, Wednesday

The much-anticipated T.O. debut of actress/model turned singer/songwriter Lou Doillon is now sold out.

Kelly Haigh updates Charley Pride's 1974 hit "We Could"

Here's Kelly Haigh's lovely version of "We Could" penned by Felice Bryant as a birthday gift for partner Boudleaux.

Happy Birthday Nathan Davis!

Celebrating the birthday of saxophonist/flautist Nathan Davis with a couple of stellar performances.

Tex Perkins vs. Steve Young

You'd think Steve Young has a lock on Rock Salt & Nails but Tex Perkins turns in a fine duet with Rachel Tidd.

T.O.'s Soul Motivators release funk instros, play The Horseshoe February 20

Check out The Soul Motivators' Free To Believe (instrumentals) album below. 

Happy Birthday Yamantaka Eye!

Here's the Boredoms in NYC which I saw with Shawn Scallen who took the above photo.

Ty Segall turns up the crazy for Colbert appearance

Ty Segall with pals Mikal Cronin and King Tuff made good use of face paint and treats leftover from Halloween. 

Happy Birthday Grant McLennan

Remembering my old pal Grant on his day with a 1987 performance of his finest song, Cattle and Cane. 

One For The Weekend: Mac & Party

Here's some harmonium-backed Kenyan jazz heat from the early 60s to get your weekend started right.

Tribute To Lemmy w/ Ian Blurton & friends @ The Silver Dollar, Thursday

Here's a Lemmy documentary to get you up to speed for Thursday night's multi-band salute at the Silver Dollar.

Happy Birthday Okay Temiz!

Celebrating the 77th birthday of the Turkish percussion master with a couple of typically virtuosic performances.

Timmy's Organism launches 2016 tour with Heartless Heathen video

Timmy's Organism kicks off their Audio Social Dissent tour at the Ace of Cups in Columbus, OH tonight.

Audio Social Dissent Tour Dates

2/10 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups*
2/11 Nashville, TN - The End*
2/12 Atlanta, GA - The Earl*
2/13 Orlando, FL - The Social*
2/14 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder*
2/16 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506*
2/17 Washington, DC - DC9*
2/18 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's*
2/19 New York, NY - Cake Shop*
2/20 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade*
2/21 Allston, MA - Great Scott*
2/23 Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class Lounge^
2/24 Detroit, MI - Marble Bar^
2/25 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle^
2/26 Milwaukee, WI - The Cactus Club^
2/27 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry^
2/28 Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge^
3/01 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge^
3/02 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge^
3/04 Seattle, WA - Barboza^
3/05 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios^
3/07 San Francisco, CA - The Independent^
3/09 Bakersfield, CA - Babylon BKFD^
3/10 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo^
3/11 Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room^
3/12 San Diego, CA - The Hideout^
3/13 Phoenix, AZ - The Rebel Lounge^
3/17 Austin, TX – SXSW
* - dates with Regression 696
^ - dates with Wolf Eyes

Chris McGregor's early recording with 17-piece big band finally reissued

Check out the track "Switch" from Jazzman Records limited-edition reissue of Jazz – The African Sound below.

Jazz – The African Sound, Chris McGregor's one off album with the Castle Lager Big Band, is an overlooked jazz classic, and a true holy grail for collectors of jazz and world-jazz. A cornerstone of South Africa's illustrious jazz history, it has been out of print since before the end of apartheid. Never before released outside of the country, this painstakingly restored reissue is the long-delayed first chance to hear Chris McGregor's debut recording as leader. As well as fully restored audio, the package features unpublished photographs by Basil Breakey and new sleeve notes by author Francis Gooding.

Ten years before the Brotherhood of Breath blew the cobwebs out of British jazz, Chris McGregor had already recorded as leader with a big band comprised of South Africa's leading jazz lights. Put together in 1963, the Castle Lager Big Band was a multi-racial group, a risky endeavour in apartheid South Africa. Modernist in outlook, and dedicated to showcasing South African composers, the 17-piece band featured a galaxy of South African jazz stars, including Dudu Pukwana, Mongezi Feza, and Kippie Moeketsi.

Though the band lasted only a few weeks and played a just a handful of shows, they made it into the studio to record. The result was Jazz - The African Sound, a unique masterpiece of afro-Ellingtonia that the band hoped would put South African jazz on the international map. But history intervened, and their jazz message to the world never arrived. Until now that is, and more than fifty years after it was first recorded, Jazz – The African Sound is finally back in print in a limited edition of 500 copies on Jazzman Records.

Dylan LeBlanc @ The Drake Hotel, tonight

 Dylan's new album Cautionary Tale is out on Single Lock Records run by Alabama Shakes' Ben Tanner.

Whaddya mean you don't know D.B. Shrier?

A proper reissue of Philly saxophonist D.B. Shrier's Emerges album from 1967 seems way overdue. 

Happy Birthday MC Abdominal!

Cheers to Toronto's dopest rhyme ripper – with his own sign in Kensington Market – MC Abdominal on his day. 

Woody Guthrie vs. The Carter Family

Woody's This Land Is Your Land seems to echo the Carter Family's earlier recording When The World's On Fire. 

Watch Howlin' Wolf live in Washington, DC 1970

Here's the great Howlin' Wolf at Howard University's Cramton Auditorium on November 6, 1970. 

Out Demons, Out! @ Embassy Bar, Saturday

DJs Christian Hamilton (Dementia 13) & Blood Ceremony's Sean Kennedy spin heavy prog and dark psych all night.

Watch Placebo live in Temse, Belgium 1972

Here's a rare performance clip of Marc Moulin's jazz-rock crew from the Tienerklanken television program.

Watch The Lyres perform Don't Give It Up Now @ Irving Plaza, 1984

Here's Jeff Conolly with Rick Coraccio, Paul Murphy and Dan McCormack at WLIR's Beach Party. 

Tami Neilson brings Dynamite! to the Burdock Thursday and the Dakota Tavern Friday

Now a star in her adopted home of New Zealand, Canuck Tami Neilson is primed to blow up in North America. 

LINKS
site: http://www.tamineilson.com/
label: http://outside-music.com/label/artist/tami-neilson/
ticket info: Burdock; Dakota Tavern: sold out

Happy Birthday Dennis Brown!

Remembering the reggae great with a Herman Chin-Loy produced classic from 1973.