Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Vincent Price's unlikely Canadian connection

How celebrated screen villain Vincent Price wound up doing Hilarious House of Frightenstein in Hamilton isn't really a mystery. 

By the end of the 60s, Vincent Price found his phone ringing less frequently with big screen offers. The calls for the veteran actor to play the lead villain – even for no-budget drive-in chillers – had all but dried up for the St. Louis-born thespian with his 60th birthday looming. 

It probably had less to do with age than his frequent television appearances. At the time doing series television was still considered taboo by many in the film business – an open admission that you were past your sell-by date in Hollywood. It didn't appear to be any concern to Vincent. He was grateful for the work and seemed to delight in applying his skills to unexpected situations for whatever comic or dramatic role came his way. 

For all his macabre on-screen menace, Price had a highly evolved sense of humour and never took himself too seriously. Whether it was spoofing his charming psychopath persona for laughs on the comedy/variety shows of Jack Benny, Danny Kaye, Jimmy Stewart,  Red Skelton and Lucille Ball or popping up in guest spots on F-Troop, Daniel Boone, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, The Man From Uncle, Mod Squad, Love American Style and famously as the clever "Egghead" matching wits with the caped crusader on Batman. He was down for whatever. 

So when Hamilton, Ontario's CHCH-TV came looking for someone to recite a few lines of creepy poetry and help set the proper tone for a kooky kids show called The Hilarious House of Frighenstein, Vincent Price knew he was right man for the job. He'd made a career out of finding the perfect balance between horror and humour. And being a lifelong Edgar Alan Poe devotee, the opportunity to bring to life the mystery and menace inherent in Poe's timeless verse like "The Raven" for a youthful audience in Canada was too perfect for Price to pass up. 

Of course, he nailed the shows intro and outro sequences as well as the segment links with a mischievous grin as only Price could. According to those present, Price was the consummate team player, ready and willing to do whatever was required for the shot. He shared some stories and fellow actors and had some laughs with CHCH-TV's impressive crew and happily posed for photos with anyone who wanted a memento. 

As the shoot was wrapping, there came news of an imminent snow storm. In a flash, Price vanished leaving everyone to think he'd raced to the airport to get catch the first flight home. Instead, our man returned an hour later carrying a two-four from the nearby Brewer's Retail and proceeded to hand out stubbies to get the party started in proper Canuck fashion. 

What many people didn't know at the time was that Price had a long history with Canadians, particularly those from Southern Ontario. As a child, the St. Louis, Missouri-born aspiring thespian had spent his summers in the Windsor-Essex town of Amerhurstburg, Ontario where his maternal grandmother owned a two-story house on the banks of the Detroit River. And part of the reason for taking the job in Hamilton was that it provided a rare chance to return the site of his beloved VinMar Lodge, the place of some of his most-cherished childhood memories. 

Perhaps Vincent's daughter Victoria Price will be able to shed some light on what VinMar Lodge and Amhurstburg, Ontario meant to her father and family at tonight's screening of the documentary Vincent Price: What Keeps Us Alive at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. She'll be in attendance for the post-screening Q&A. Find out more about the film on The Perlich Post right here. 

Watch a short documentary about Hilarious House of Frightenstein followed by a discussion of the Price family's time in Amerhurstburg below. 






Remembering Celia Cruz on her birthday

Raising a glass to Cuban legend Celia Cruz – born Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso – with a few stellar live clips. 








Maggie's Wake preview new "Lifelines" album @ Hugh's Room, Oct 25

Maggie's Wake, led byTara Dunphy (of The Rizdales) & Lindsay Schindler, unveil "Lifelines" at Hugh's Room Sunday night at 8 pm. 


Maggies Wake 
Live at Hugh's Room (296 Broadview)
Sunday, October 25
Doors at 7pm, show at 8pm 
$30+ in advance, $37+ at the door
Get tickets right here.

Just having wowed the crowd at Ireland’s premier music industry showcase and UK’s Strada Music signing, London, Ontario's Celtic roots ensemble Maggie’s Wake are back on home soil with a much anticipated CD Release of Lifelines at Toronto’s premier folk/roots destination Hugh’s Room on Sunday, October 25 at 8:00pm.

The forthcoming album is a perfect blend of Canadian folk and Celtic tradition with roots swagger – expect heartfelt story-songs, driving jigs ‘n’ reels, bold whistles, double fiddle, flashes of country twang and global twists, not to mention soaring harmonies that are pure joy, start to finish.

The acclaimed quartet came together in late 2022 and quickly took their home province of Ontario by storm — selling out dates on their very first "Spirit of the Season" holiday tour. Since then, they've showcased at major music conferences across Canada, the US and UK, have whirlwind 2026 & 2027 tours on the books, won the 2025 CFMA for 'New Artist of the Year' for their debut, self-titled CD, launched a Holiday EP, were just signed by UK’s Strada Music International, and of course, are launching Lifelines here at Hugh’s Room … not bad for a band just a few years in!

Their work is 100% original, penned by Tara Dunphy and Lindsay Schindler, backed by powerhouses Andrew Kosty on bass and Kenneth Palmer on guitar.

Their first single, Bridget O’Brien, won the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Songwriting Award. After their NERFA showcase, they were told that if Maggie’s Wake was a soup, it would be a hearty bowl of everyone’s favourite folk styles finished with a dash of Loretta Lynn and a pinch of Nick Lowe. Doesn’t that sound delicious?!



About “Lifelines”
During a visit to a Portland gallery, a painting of a hand with deeply etched lifelines in the palm stopped the band in its tracks. The defining image endured and sparked an album celebrating the constellation of lifelines – from the emotional, creative, to the physical – that shape, connect, and sustain us.

 Across 14 original, new songs, Lifelines brings together some of this country’s finest folk musicians and production talent, creating a recording that honours Maggie’s Wake’s traditional Celtic and Canadian roots while pushing their sound and musical storytelling ever forward. Joining the band are celebrated singer-songwriter and multiple JUNO Award winner David Francey, renowned percussionist Cheryl Prashker, and guests Blair Heddle, Dean Harrison, and Larry Smith. Legendary Canadian producer, engineer, and musician Paul Mills returns to the studio to produce and mix the recording alongside engineer/mixer Adam Plant.

 The album represents an exciting next chapter for Maggie’s Wake, building on the band’s multiple award-winning debut and expanding their musical footprint and evolving sound. Check out "Last First Kiss" below.

Recent Highlights:
•  2026 Your Roots Are Showing Official Showcase Artists – Belfast Ireland
•  2025 Canadian Folk Music Award - New Artist of the Year
•  2025 Forest City London Music Award - World Music Group of the Year
•  2025 Folk Music Ontario Official Showcase Artists (Ottawa ON)
•  2025 Folk Alliance Region Midwest - Official Showcase Artists (Lisle IL)
•  2024 Official Showcase Artists - Folk Alliance International conference (Kansas City MO)
•  2024 Official Showcase Artists - North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance conference (Portland ME)
•  2024 North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance Songwriting Award
•  2023 Forest City London Music Award - Folk/Roots Group of the Year
 




Teodros Makkonen's rare cassette-only Ethio jazz gem gets 2LP reissue

Teodros Makonnen's rare 80s Ethiopian release Teodros Makonnen with His Organ taps the potential of synths and drum machines.  

Here's the scoop...

Ethiopian music company Muzikawi presents the first reissue of Teodros Makonnen’s Teodros Makonnen With His Organ (ቴዎድሮስ መኮንን ከኦርጋኑ ጋር).

Originally released on cassette only, this recording exudes a mystique that surpasses even some of the most obscure Ethiopian recordings of the day. Teodros was one of the first musicians in Ethiopia to explore the possibilities that the advancement of drum machines, synthesizers and electric organs in the 1980s would open up.

A pioneering single-take home recording in Ethiopia, it recasts traditional songs in a wholly electronic and dreamlike style. A true cornerstone in the early digital sound of Ethiopian music. Order now on vinyl 2LP in gatefold sleeve from Mr. Bongo right here. 





Teodros Makkonen with His Organ

Some recordings herald the future in ways that are impossible to see in real time. Teodros Makonnen With His Organ (ቴዎድሮስ መኮንን ከኦርጋኑ ጋር), by the artist Teodros Makonnen, also known as Teddy Mak, is one of those. Today, electronic sounds, synthesizers, and digital production are taken for granted in Ethiopian music, but in the early 1980s, they were novelties that polarized opinion. Even to this day, the story of Teodros Makonnen’s legacy has never been properly told. He played a decisive role in defining the sound of the digital era of Ethiopian music that emerged in the 1980s and beyond, both as a keyboard player and as a producer, songwriter, performer, and sound designer.


Ethiopian music was at a crossroads in the early 1980s. Much like music in the rest of the world, technology and automation heralded either a quantum leap in musical development or the annihilation of musicianship, depending on who you’d ask. The changes were incremental nonetheless, but with the benefit of hindsight one can clearly see that the changes meant different things in different contexts. Drum machines and electric organs came to replace many hotel bands because, all of a sudden, one musician could control drums, melody, and accompaniment. Teodros was one of the first musicians in Ethiopia to explore the possibilities this opened up.

Teodros’ father, Captain Makonnen Beri, was a chief pilot at Ethiopian Airlines and a music enthusiast at that. This would prove important to his development, as Makonnen brought back a piano from Germany, which would lead to the first steps in Teodros’ long musical career. Captain Makonnen’s work as Head of Flight Operations and as a pilot exposed him to the wider world that was far from commonplace for most Ethiopians. In a house where music captivated the whole family, the piano gave Teodros’ talent an outlet. Not only was a piano at home rare in Ethiopian households, his father also brought an Indian teacher to their home to teach Teodros and his brother, Captain Samuel Makonnen, music theory (solfeggio or ear training) and piano. Teodros and his youngest brother, the late great Dereje, a member of both the legendary Ibex Band and the Ethiopian reggae group Dallol, took up music from that point onward, with Teodros beginning to develop his proficiency at the age of eight. His father encouraged him to practice tirelessly at home, and Teodros later received musical schooling at the German School in Addis Ababa.



His obvious talent led to studies and formal education at the Yared School of Music, followed by continued studies in American jazz at Northern Virginia Community College in Virginia. Teodros cut his teeth professionally in his mid-teens, not only as a keyboardist, but also as an arranger for the Wabi Shebelle and Dahlak bands in the 1970s. He mastered electronic sequencing early, rising to prominence through the midnight recording sessions held during the military curfew. The pressures imposed by the curfew required precise and disciplined recordings, and Teodros delivered just that. This, in turn, led to collaborations with iconic artists such as Mulatu Astatke, Aster Aweke, Menelik Wossenachew, Tilahun Gessesse, Mahmoud Ahmed, and Alemayehu Eshete.



In those days, he sat in as a keyboardist with the Dahlak Band when Dawit Yifru took a hiatus to study in Russia, and also with the Ethiostar Band. He secured a residency at the Wabi Shebelle Hotel with the Shebele Band, together with Zelalem Tadese (drums), later succeeded by Elias Bekele, Mulugeta Hailu (bass), Teferi ‘Bibisha’ Mengesha (guitar), Kumelachew G/Selassie (trumpet), and Teshome Deneke (saxophone). A friendly competition developed between the bands associated with the Ras Hotel (the Ibex Band), Ghion Hotel (the Dahlak Band), and Wabi Shebelle Hotel (the Shebele Band). The music scene at Wabi Shebelle saw teenagers commanding the spotlight in an industry otherwise dominated by musicians of an older generation.



At the Wabi Shebelle Hotel, Teodros met a diplomat from Saudi Arabia and later visited him at his home in Addis Ababa, a meeting that had unexpected musical consequences. The man owned a Yamaha double-deck keyboard. That evening, they recorded Teodros Makonnen With His Organ (ቴዎድሮስ መኮንን ከኦርጋኑ ጋር) in one take. This recording, a cornerstone in the early digital sound of Ethiopian music, came about almost by chance, simply because Teodros got the opportunity. Traditional Ethiopian songs were cast in a wholly electronic style.



Once freed from backing duties, Teodros’ keyboards could explore dreamlike soundscapes that took Ethiopian music in new directions. Even though the cassette contained well-known Ethiopian songs, they were given highly original arrangements, performed on an electric organ with drum machine backing and rhythm patterns that left the listener with suggestive, lingering sounds. “Libesh Kabashen” (also known as “Anchi Bale Game”) and “Odu Gol Golesa” wrap you in the very stuff that dreams are made of.



Originally released on cassette only, this recording exudes a mystique that surpasses even some of the most obscure Ethiopian recordings of the day. It remained more or less unknown outside of Ethiopia until now. Some of the tracks, like “Addis Fikir,” are permeated with an almost naive buoyancy, free-floating sounds that lost contact with the ground the moment they were conceived. Others, like “Meche New Hageren Yemayew” and “Lelitu Alnega Alegn,” carry a moodier, quirkier timbre, with pulsating rhythms in the background. Yet even the darker pieces contain an unmistakable wave, something essentially Ethiopian. If most recordings of Teodros’s contemporaries at the time were teeming with atmosphere, his songs seem instead at home in the stratosphere, almost ethereal. Some of the music here could be filed under “lullabies,” were it not for the recurring, almost brooding feeling that engulfs the listener on the aforementioned tracks. You could easily be forgiven for drifting into a blissful haze as the music washes over you.


Up to the advent of electronic music production, Ethiopia was totally dominated by big bands on the one hand, and small groups on the other. The former were tied to large institutions such as the military, the latter emerged from the entertainment industry, in hotel bars and nightclubs. These groups were commercially driven, and bands ultimately had to foster a mercenary approach to employment, albeit not to the passion for music. In the light of this, Teodros’ musical legacy can be seen in two ways. On the one hand, he is a key player in Ethiopian music from the 1970s onwards, leaving an indelible mark through hundreds of compositions and arrangements, including soundtracks for numerous documentary films and advertisements for different companies. On the other hand, the way he and others employed electronics brought Ethiopian music onto a fork in the road.

The replacement of traditional instruments with electronic equipment was seen as impending doom by some. Others, like Teodros, saw new avenues for performance, production, and creativity. Just as later producers like Abegasu Shiota of Admas, Teodros was a trailblazer who opened paths that it took Ethiopian music as a whole more than a decade to rush into. The hotel scene had already been pushed toward electronic music by financial necessity and cost-cutting. Today’s revived global interest in Ethiopian music from the seventies and eighties, alongside a broader resurgence, has changed the reasons for using digital means of music production. They have become tools for musical dreaming. This is where the dreaming began. 

Listen to "Odu Gol Golesa" ("ኦዱ ጎል ጎሌሳ") and "Libesh Kabashen" ("ልበሽ ካባሽን") below. 





Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Ian Blurton's Future Now launch "Imperial Filth" @ St. Anne's, Saturday

Ian Blurton's Future Now are joined at St. Anne's by Ace of Wands, Tonnerre & Lego Money. Hear two songs from Imperial Filth below.





Get tickets for Ian Blurton's Future Now album release show at St. Anne's (651 Dufferin) on Saturday right here. 


R.I.P. Tom Daniel, Hot rod and model designer

Sadly, legendary hot rod and model designer Tom Daniel – behind the iconic Red Baron – has passed away, weeks before his 90th birthday.






Tim Stegall chats with Lydia Lunch about his new book "Anarchy In The Studio"

Austin-based journalist/musician Tim "Napalm" Stegall just put out a massive 500+ page book about his 145 fave punk records.

Here's the scoop...

The veteran punk journalist and resident Austin chronicler Tim Stegall returns to the Lydian Spin with a new book in tow. Anarchy in the Studio: Punk Music 1970-1979 (Ruffian Books) is a, five-hundred-page love letter to the genre's formative decade, told twelve inches at a time. Tim, who has been documenting punk and the underground since 1985, moves beyond the usual CBGB and Sex Pistols myth making to map the sweeping, messy cross-pollination of the era through more than a hundred and forty essential records. Lydia aptly notes that Tim is both a “master archivist” and a “fanboy fanatic.”

Listen to Episode 360 of The Lydian Spin with guest Tim Stegall here. 

Check out Tim "Napalm" Stegall's substack right here. 



Whaddya mean you don't know Rerai Na Korat (เรไร ณ โคราช)

Check out Rerai Na Korat's "Khat Khlaen Namman," a rippin' response to Soreng Santi's Thai Luk Thung classic "Namman Phaeng" aka "Expensive Gasoline."




Monday, October 19, 2026

Salin, DJ John Kong @ The Garrison, Monday

Thai-born, Montreal-based drummer Salin Cheewapansri brings the molam funk of her Juno-nominated Rammana album to The Garrison. Get tix here.







Gillian Welch & David Rawlings with Paul Kowert salute Grateful Dead on KEXP

Watch David Rawlings & Gillian Welch knock out four Grateful Dead faves with Punch Brothers' bassist Paul Kowert. 


Sunday, October 18, 2026

Singer/songwriter Fergus Hambleton joins Steve Briggs @ The Artful Dodger, Sunday

Fergus Hambleton (Sattalites, Moonfood) sits in with Steve Briggs & crew at the Artful Dodger (10 Isabella) today at 4 -7 pm.










LINKS
It's Psychedelic Baby Fergus Hambleton interview
Listen to "Waiting For The Moon" by Moonfood cut with Bob & Dan Lanois in 1977 right here.


That time Frankie Lee Sims cut two songs in NYC, 1960

In 1960, Frankie Lee Sims cut "Goin' To The River" & "Frankie Lee Boogie" for Bobby Robinson's Fire label that were shelved. Listen here. 




Saturday, October 17, 2026

Remembering R&B belter Sugar Pie DeSanto on her birthday

Raising a glass to Sugar Pie DeSanto with a short documentary and a few performances and recordings worth checking. 







R.I.P. Sam Ferrara of The Viletones, The Ugly and Screamin' Sam

Sadly, Toronto musician and metal sculptor Sam Ferrara – equally skilled with a slinky, grater or singin' saw – has passed away far too soon.










B-Side Wins Again: Kit & The Outlaws

Kit Massengill and the Outlaws outta Dallas cut the snotty garage punk classic "Don't Tread On Me" for Black Knight in 1966.


Friday, October 16, 2026

Bill Kirchen's Honky Tonk Holiday Show @ The Horseshoe, Dec. 2

Telecaster master Bill Kirchen brings his swingin' Honky Tonk Holiday Show to Toronto on Wednesday, December 2. Tickets now on sale! 

Here's the scoop...

Forget the Nutcracker. For a real taste of seasonal cheer, nothing says joy to the world like Bill Kirchen singing "Daddy's Drinkin' Up Our Christmas."  Featured is a sleigh-full of rarely heard holiday numbers from the blues, rock 'n' roll and honky tonk bags: "Silent Surfin' Night," "Truckin' Trees for Christmas," "Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy" and many more. But be ye not afraid, there'll be so much more than holiday songs of questionable taste; you can count on a truckload of dieselbilly classics to take the edge off the holiday fuss. Bill will be touring with his all-star Texas band The Silent Knights (Jack Saunders on bass and Rick Richards on drums).

Advance tickets for Bill Kirchen's Honky Tonk Holiday Show at the Horseshoe Tavern on Wednesday, December 2 are $27.36 ($19.50 plus $7.86 fees and taxes). Get 'em right here. Watch Bill perform a couple of heart-warming holiday faves below. 




Thursday, October 15, 2026

Vincent Price: What Keeps Us Alive screens @ Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, Oct 21

Matthew Miele's much-anticipated Vincent Price doc gets a Toronto screening on October 21 with daughter Victoria Price present.

Here's the scoop...

This fully authorized documentary reveals far more than the man behind Hollywood’s master of the macabre. Through rare archival materials and intimate interviews with Price’s children, Victoria Price and V.B. Price, alongside cultural icons and admirers including John Waters, Tim Burton, Patton Oswalt, Hank Azaria, Bill Hader, Cassandra Peterson, and Alice Cooper, the film uncovers the remarkable life behind one of the most recognizable voices and faces in popular culture.

The documentary traces a life of elegant contradictions: a classically trained actor who redefined screen villainy with charm and intelligence; an erudite art collector, educator, and gourmand who moved effortlessly between high culture and low-budget horror; and, perhaps most surprisingly, a warm and generous mentor figure whose influence extended far beyond the screen. Through his films, television appearances, cookbooks, lectures, and iconic voice work, Price became an unlikely cultural touchstone for multiple generations.

At its emotional centre is the story of Price’s evolving identity, shaped by the turbulence of Hollywood politics, the complexities of family, and a lifelong fascination with the psychology of villains. In later years, Price spoke of villainy not as evil, but as a mirror—an opportunity for audiences to confront their fears, hypocrisies, and hidden desires. The film explores how he transformed from a sophisticated screen antagonist into a beloved ambassador for curiosity, creativity, and individuality.

More than a portrait of a horror legend, this is the story of an artist who defied categorization. Through the reflections of family members, filmmakers, comedians, musicians, and cultural commentators, the documentary examines why Vincent Price continues to resonate decades after his death. What emerges is a richly human portrait of a man whose legacy endures not merely in screams and shadows, but in the intelligence, generosity, wit, and warmth that defined the man behind the mask. 

Victoria Price shared the documentary trailer here. 

Join Victoria Price for a special post-screening Q&A at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 pm. 

Advance tickets for Vincent Price: What Keeps Us Alive are available here. 

Watch the Vincent Price A&E Biography followed by a few of his television appearances and interviews below. 












Halloween Beach Party w/ Night Chill, Fuzz Vultures @ Guelph's Jimmy Jazz, Oct 17

Night Chill & Fuzz Vultures kick off the spooky season with the Halloween Beach Party at Jimmy Jazz in Guelph on Saturday. Check out their new 7"!



Get a copy of Night Chill's creepy cool new single "Return Of The Sorcerer" b/w "Coffin Bee" right here. 





Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Midweek Mixdown: Iranian Nuggets

Here's a brilliant 13-track collection of pre-revolutionary Persian rock 'n' roll swingers feat. Abbas Mehrpouya & Googoosh. Check it out while you can!

Here's the scoop...

Various - Iranian Nuggets ( Pre-Revolutionary Persian Rock N Roll) 60's 70's Iranian Pop Garage, Psychedelic Funk Music Album Compilation LP

A brilliant entry point into pre-Islamic Iranian rock’n’roll, pop, garage and psychedelia from the 1960s and 70s. These were the golden years of modern Persian music, when Western sounds met traditional Iranian styles and sparked something soulful, distinctive and full of feeling.

This set brings together 13 pure, unaltered tracks, moving from big names to obscure and mysterious gems. It also includes notes on the artists, making it an easy one to get lost in and return to.

Akenaton Records, 2026


Various Artists – Iranian Nuggets 

Side A

• A1: Mehrpouya – Twist, Dokthare Shab

• A2: Bijan – Baroon Omad

• A3: The Rebels – It's Alright

• A4: The Golden Ring – Uncle Chainmaker

• A5: Tak Khal Ha – Play with Fire

• A6: The Littles – Fatemah Sultan

• A7: Zangoleah – Wish Map

Side B

• B1: Fereshteh – Shahre Khali

• B2: Shahram Shabpareh – Woman

• B3: Googoosh – Kaj Kola Khan

• B4: Kourosh Yaghmaei – Ghad Boland

• B5: Betti – Khooneh Khaleh

• B6: Mahasti – Do Ta Cheshmoon




Davy Love announces his final Blowup set @ The Garrison, Dec 19

DJ Davy Love will be spinning his final Blowup set at the Garrison on Dec. 19th but the popular T.O. party will go on with out him. 

Writes Davy Love... 

After more than half my life with it as a main part of my life... I am finally 'retiring' and leaving behind  the little club, BLOWUP which I launched way back in the mid 90s.... up at The Red Raven on Dupont street... 32 years ago!  

Blowup on Sat Dec 19th at The Garrison... Will be the last Blowup that I will be involved in organizing, promoting or attending... A lot of things have changed for me in the past few years and I am not physically able nor do I have time and energies to properly promote and host the party like it should be done... and its high time for another younger generation to maybe breathe some fresh air into it... and take it on to other areas with other ideas.

Over the years Ive met some of the best (and a probably a couple of the worst 🤣) people at Blowup and made incredible lifelong friendships with people i love and respect and call some my best friends... forever  I met so many of YOU there...

I even got an amazing daughter (turning 21 next week!!) as a direct result of Blowup... 🤣🤣  That little indie dance club changed my life and made it so much better and so much deeper.  

I thank each and every one of you who came out to dance and laugh and to all the DJs, bands, club promoters and club owners I've been fortunate enough to work with all these years.   

Maybe one day I'll get AI to write me a book or screenplay and tell some of the absolutely Craaaaaazy stories from behind the Blowup curtain... I think a few people would love to read that... I also think a few people would NOT want to read that too... bahaha🤣🤣🤣  So many stories.

Damn it's sad to actually do this and it hasn't been an easy decision at all but I KNOW this is the time for me to pass the torch and walk away with head held high and know forever i was part of a good thing.

If you're free on Dec 19 and you want to shake your boots or high five me... or maybe even smack me (please don't smack me) for being the plague of degeneration Blowup brought to many mid 90s yutes... PLEASE COME !   

I'll post an advance ticket link in the coming weeks but for now... and as always (especially this year) if you want to come out and dance and laugh and have a great night but are broke... i am more than fine with putting you on a guestlist..no questions asked no guilt and completely privately.... its a party and you're invited too money or no money 😘 Just send me a DM if you need.

Now.... just gaze in awe of this year's incredibly beautiful poster designed by our wickedly talented friend and long-time Blowup early club goer... Mr. Jaan Kittask  Esq.


Adds DJ Darrell Joseph: 

"32 and counting. This will be our fearless leader Davy Love’s last BlowUp! The party will continue however, so don’t despair! But please do come and join us for this trip down Modery lane, Britpop boulevard, and Ska, Soul and Shoegaze Street. Get kitted up. Find somewhere to park your Vespa and get ready to tear up the dance floor like it’s 1966 or 1996. Ticket information to follow soon. Save the date and shine your shoes!"

CAN's performance at Roman Théâtre Antique issued as Live in Arles 1975

CAN's legendary Arles performance from 1975 has finally be given a proper double-LP release by Mute. Check it out! 

Here's the scoop...
LIVE IN ARLES 1975 is the seventh album in the acclaimed live series from German experimental rock pioneers CAN, overseen by founding member Irmin Schmidt and released on Mute.

Widely regarded as one of their finest performances, even by the band members themselves, this concert took place at the Roman Théâtre Antique in Arles. The lineup consisted of the core four members: Schmidt, Michael Karoli, Jaki Liebezeit and Holger Czukay. The band played as part of a festival that included other artists such as Nico and Kevin Ayers.

The recording was unearthed from the Spoon Records vaults, after long only existing through the stories of those who were there. To celebrate its first release, it feels only fitting that the sleeve notes include first-hand accounts from people who attended the show.

As with the rest of the series, this release captures the unique nature of CAN’s onstage improvisations. Every show was different, and these recordings offer a fresh look at a band whose creative process never truly finished. 

Have a listen to Live in Arles, 1975 below. Get a copy on vinyl via Bandcamp right here. 


Vincent Neil Emerson, Teddy & The Rough Riders @ The Horseshoe, Oct 18

Texas honky tonk rising star Vincent Neil Emerson and crew roll into the Horseshoe Sunday. Check the clips! 






Advance tickets for Vincent Neil Emerson's Toronto show at the Horseshoe on Sunday are $30. Get 'em right here. 


Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Remembering Pharoah Sanders on his birthday

Raising a glass to the amazing Pharoah Sanders aka "Little Rock" on his birthday with a couple of typically stellar recordings. 



William Shatner & Brad Paisley chat about their new recording project and more

After Shatner & Paisley explained how Love & Other Mysteries was made, they performed "Masks" on Jimmy Kimmel Live.








Whaddya mean you don't know Thanh Lan

Check out the vintage Vietnamese swinger "Hoai Thu" by Thanh Lan, an ode to autumn in her beloved Da Lat hometown. 


Monday, October 12, 2026

New collection of Sister Rosetta Tharpe gospel recordings issued by Bear Family

Bear Family's new Sister Rosetta Tharpe collection "Rock Me" focuses on her uptempo numbers featuring her superb guitar work. 

Sister Rosetta Tharpe 

Rock Me - The Revelation Series (CD)

1-CD (Digipak) with 36-page booklet, 29 tracks. 

Total playing time approx. 74 minutes

        • A compilation of lesser-known greats framed by the hits you all cherish
        • All songs feature her ferocious guitar playing supporting the title “Godmother of Rock and Roll”
        • Extensive liner notes by Roland Heinrich Rumtreiber and a provocative foreword by Saskia Holling
        • Sensitive sound restoration from the best sources
        • Highly diversified collection featuring several styles (including duets with Red Foley and Marie Knight)

Following the well-received Bear Family Records® vinyl reissue of the Savoy classic Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Precious Memories, BAF18055, our team offers a CD jam-packed with rocking, soul-shaking gospel music: Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Rock Me. The compilation focuses on up-tempo numbers featuring Rosetta’s fierce guitar acrobatics, and on the variety of musical styles she delivered with ease and authority from the 1940s to the 1960s.

You know the old media-made competition of the Beatles and the Stones: Sister Rosetta Tharpe experienced the same thing with Mahalia Jackson. Whereas Jackson was very traditional and angelic, Broadway raised Tharpe trailblazed her way through the conservative 1950s by employing every style the popular music of the day offered.

Included in this set are songs backed by country guitar legend Grady Martin, a duet with crossover country crooner Red Foley, and a duet with her long-time partner and protégé Marie Knight. Madame Knight is also featured with her rhumba version of “Calvary,” backed by Sister Rosetta on guitar. You have outright Pentecostal stomps such as “On My Way Now (Got On My Travelin’ Shoes),” alongside the calypso of “Let’s Be Happy” (complete with a faux Caribbean accent). Also included are her hits, “This Train,” “That’s All,” “Rock Me,” and “Didn’t It Rain.” The outstanding “Strange Things Happening Every Day” was one of Carl Perkins’ all-time favorites and heavily influenced his picking. The song had a lasting impact on all the aspiring young dudes like Presley, Cash, and Jerry Lee.

Trailing over all tracks included is Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s ferocious guitar - equally powerful as the trumpets that brought down the walls of Jericho. Whether she played a National Triolian at John Hammond’s legendary show From Spirituals to Swing at Carnegie Hall in 1938, or a distorted Gibson Les Paul during her 1960 tour of Europe, her passionate delivery produced one of the wildest guitar sounds of the era. And yes, her powerful, soul-cleansing voice lifts you up throughout the 74 Minutes of Heavenly Joy on BCD17665 Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Rock Me.

The release includes liner notes from Roland Heinrich Rumtreiber and a foreword by Scottish musician and book author Saskia Holling.