Sugar Brown Trio @ The Bell & Beacon, Sunday

It's blues night at the Bell & Beacon in Parkdale Sunday with Sugar Brown, Nichol Robertson & Galen Pelley at 8pm to 10pm. 

Nic & The Narcs, Shredded Beef @ The Cameron House, April 11

Nic & The Narcs will be launching their new recording in a special double release matinee show with Shredded Beef at The Cameron House on April 11 at 4 pm. 

From Nic & The Narcs HQ...

"ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID OR WHAT CAUSE OUR NEW SINGLE DROPPED TODAY LIKE CHARGES AGAINST CROOKED COPS LOL BUT SERIOUSLY, ITS CALLED "NOBODY MOVE" AND ITS NOT ABOUT TORONTO AUDIENCES, IT'S ABOUT FUCKIN' ROBBING SHIT AND WE ARE PUTTING THE FULL ALBUM OUT APRIL 3. RELEASE SHOW AT THE CAMERON HOUSE ON APRIL 11."

Watch the Nic & The Narcs' videos for "Nobody Move" and "Crimewave" along with a live performance at the Horseshoe Tavern from 2024. 

Happy Birthday Mike Belitsky!

Celebrate the 60th birthday of drummer deluxe Mike Belitsky with Country Flash at the Bell & Beacon tonight at 9:30 pm. 

Friendly Rich sings Nihilist Spasm Band, Martian Crisis Unit @ Tranzac Club, Tuesday

Friendly Rich sings from the Nihilist Spasm Band songbook accompanied by Nichol Robertson after a set by Martian Crisis Unit. 

Sugar Brown w/ Nichol Robertson & Andrew McCarthy @ The Cameron, Saturday

Sugar Brown will be playing songs from Toronto Bound with Nichol Robertson and Andrew McCarthy from 8 pm to 10 pm. 

Lily Frost shares "Nightbird–Lilith" in advance of Castro's show, Nov 16

Lily Frost will be performing her new single "Nightbird-Lilith" at Castro's Lounge on Sunday at 8 pm. 

Here's the press release...

Toronto chanteuse, songwriter, performer, producer, and radio host Lily Frost is bringing myth to music with the release of her new single "NIGHTBIRD-LILITH" (via KMG Distribution) today (Friday, November 14th).

She'll be performing the song, along with originals and vintage covers accompanied by her Right-Hand Men at Castro's Lounge (2116 Queen St East) on Sunday, November 16th at 8:00 pm, The song will be out on all major platforms. Watch the video followed by the audio clip below. 

The scrappy pagan feel of "NIGHTBIRD-Lilith" rides on an acoustic guitar riff and hand drum and is produced to bring elements of Celtic mystique through harp, accordion, percussion, and Lily's stark vocals. Frost honours the glory and ubiquity of the feminine divine: whether siren, demon, goddess, or nightbird, who "lives within you" and offers "refuge in the night." The subject matter is unintentionally timely, with the recent release of a documentary about Sarah McLachlan's feminine-positive Lilith Fair festival of the 1990s.

Lily Frost has earned her place in Canada's music scene elite, moving deftly from jazz to Latin to pop to balladry, with the ease and fluidity of an expert vocalist (check out her version of "Bang Bang" accompanied by guitar slinger deluxe Nichol Robertson right here). Constantly evolving as an artist, Frost had this to say about the new single: "'Nightbird-Lilith' was born out of a year of deep study. After spending a year immersed in the history of pre-Christian goddesses from pagan Celtic and Greco-Roman traditions, I found myself deeply drawn to the exploration of the feminine divine. I wanted to resurrect the myth of Lilith - now a feminist icon (who refused to lie beneath Adam), and the woman who came before Eve - and bring her voice to life in this song." 

One For The Weekend: Gordon Heavyfoot

Check out the video for Gordon Heavyfoot's update of "The Way I Feel"... and see 'em live near you!

Friendly Rich & Nichol Robertson recast Gordon Lightfoot's folk faves as doom anthems

Friendly Rich & Nichol Robertson are behind the clever cover concept Gordon Heavyfoot – their s/t 6-track EP is out today!  

GORDON HEAVYFOOT

Get a copy of the Gordon Heavyfoot 6-song EP via Bandcamp right here. Listen to a few tracks below. Check for upcoming tour dates near you – including a Halloween show in Toronto at Handlebar on October 31 – in the Links section below where you'll also find a link to a feature on the Doomed & Stoned site.

  

LINKS
Gordon Heavyfoot on tour (see dates below)

Doomed & Stoned Gordon Heavyfoot offers gnarly sludge take on the 70s folk icon

Catch Gordon Heavyfoot at Handlebar (159 Augusta) on Halloween with Rat Sabbath opening at 8 pm.

Nichol Robertson's Mimico Moonlighters @ Reposado, Thursday

Sean Dean & Mike Belitsky join Nichol Robertson for a night of Mimico Moonlighters exotica splendour at Reposado from 9 pm on. 

Celebrate Canada Day with Friendly Rich's salute to The Nihilist Spasm Band

Friendly Rich pays tribute to fellow Canuck outsiders London, Ontario's Nihilist Spasm Band on his new album out today!

Industry Tactics podcast with Friendly Rich & Nihilist Spasm 

The new episode of Industry Tactics podcast focuses on today's release of FRIENDLY RICH SINGS THE NIHILIST SPASM BAND. It features interviews with members of London, Ontario's legendaryNihilist Spasm Band, John Boyle, Aya Ohnishi and John Clement along with members of Friendly Rich's New Orleans noise band Nichol Robertson, Michael Ward-Bergeman and Klaas Hübner.  Listen via Soundcloud right here. 

Preview tracks from the album Friendly Rich Sings The Nihilist Spasm Band and get a copy via Bandcamp right here. Watch a Friendly Rich clip below. 

Don't miss Toronto's Country Flash @ The Cameron House, Wednesday

Guitarist Nichol Robertson is joined by Kelly Sloan, Vivienne Wilder & Mike Belitsky in Country Flash getting down from 6-8 pm.

West Of Jane album release @ The Cameron House, Friday

Cleave Anderson, Nichol Robertson and Mike Boguski play songs from their swingin' new West Of Jane CD on Friday at 8 pm.  

LINKS

Watch West Of Jane in action at the Cameron House on April 18th right here and here courtesy of Rob Sweeney's smart phone. 

R.I.P. Toronto singer/drummer Teddy Hawkins of Thelonious Hank, Hulagoons

Sadly, Toronto singer/drummer Teddy Hawkins of Thelonious Hank & The Hulagoons has passed away. He'll be greatly missed. 

Writes Lori Yates...

RIP Teddy Hawkins

 I’m absolutely gutted to tell you that our pal , great guy, friend,singer and drummer, Teddy passed away unexpectedly this morning from a heart attack.

I started playing with Ted in 2012 in the Nashville Rejects and I always loved him.❤️❤️❤️

He’s going to leave a huge hole in our community…gonna miss him like crazy.

Writes Scotty Campbell...

Here’s a little bit of Teddy Hawkins wisdom/wit. I need a little smile…and that’s only right considering how funny he could be. I promised I’d never tell this one until he wasn’t around to give me shit.

In the years before he became a busy, older musician…He was running “El Cheapo movers” which was just a couple of trucks and a van in those days.  I was a shipper at an electronics factory in Oakville, and we talked 2-3 times a day. 

While he was in My Band “The Wardenaires,”  it was always understood that if he ever got “The big break” he’d be free to go after it.  He was such a fine musician but he was a little older, and I guess the chances of fate throwing him a bone seemed unlikely.

One day he calls me up and he’s really excited.  “Scotty! ….fuck man, you’ll never believe this! Jim Cuddy’s been asking around about me, he wants to get in touch! He’s asked about 3-4 people  now! Maybe Glenn’s leaving the band!  Jeezus! Do you have any of their records? I said yeah, but it’d be quicker if he just grabbed his own…so of course he did, and for the next few days…everytime he calls me I can hear Blue Rodeo  in the background. 

He’s learned all their harmonies etc.  He ran El-Cheapo off his phone in those days, and had missed a couple of calls from Cuddy.  He’s really excited, so I let him go. I’d hate to lose him…but he deserved a break I thought. 

A week or so passes, and we’d chased each other around the cellular world, but I hadn’t heard anything further.  Finally he calls me one Friday…after a little chit-chat I say “Hey…did Cuddy ever find you?” He says “Oh yeah…sorry, yea he found me…He wanted me to move a couch.”   I said “Oh…Ouch! Sorry Hawk!” he laughs and says “Yeah, but it’s funnier this way.”  

“True” I replied.” So…that became our Code-phrase for disappointment.  

Once he actually swung a date with a girl he had a crush on. Women weren’t his strong suit. The day after the date, I asked him how it went. He laughed out loud and darkly replied “Jim Cuddy’s couch.”

Writes Sonya Côté...

Teddy Hawkins, sweet, salty humour, sexy low rumble singing, he tolerated my thank you kisses on stage, and begging for an extra smoke with grace, shared outside on break before we all got annoyingly healthy and modern! 

We shared the funniest stories, when I was lucky to spend time with him, at Lula Lounge usually, for the yearly Patsy Show. Even years prior, he and Scotty Campbell were introduced to me through our manager from Sony, all of us still hopeful for success, singing out guts out wherever we could.

First Big Rude Jake, then Bradley Harder, and now Teddy.  My cherished world of old school rabble rousing thought challenging gentlemen musicians seems much dimmer and smaller without them. 

I’m so sorry Teddy. And so sorry our last duet was … our last duet. 💔

 

LINKS

Billboard Obituary: Teddy Hawkins, veteran Toronto roots musician and raconteur by Kerry Doole

The Teddy Hawkins memorial show is slated for Smoke Show BBQ on May 10 – line-up will be announced soon. Reserve here.

Happy Birthday Nichol Robertson!

Raising a glass to Toronto guitar slinger Nichol Robertson with a few Layrite Boys performances you may have missed.

The Hulagoons twang up a storm @ The Bell & Beacon, Wednesday

Burke Carroll (left) and Nichol Robertson (far right) demonstrate their impressive string bending technique starting at 8 pm. 

Nic & The Narcs open for D.O.A. @ The Horseshoe, Saturday

Nichol Robertson and crew – who definitely aren't cops – open for D.O.A. at The 'Shoe tonight along with the Filthy Radicals. 

Nichol Robertson and his sons play on Royal York, Saturday

The Robinson'Sons will be busking at 394 Royal York from 12 to 2 pm, then Nichol & his rhythm section hit the Cameron at 8 pm. 

Jim Lauderdale, Nichol Robertson @ The Horseshoe, Wednesday

Singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale makes a rare Toronto appearance at The Horseshoe tonight. Get tickets here. 

Watch the video for "Crimewave" by Nic and the Narcs

Guitarist Nichol Robertson writes "This is a song we wrote about summer and crime and condos." Stream it here. Check the clip. 

T.O. guitar slinger Nichol Robertson releases Mimico Moonlight LP @ The Cameron, Friday

Nichol Robertson is joined by The Sadies' Mike Belitsky & Sean Dean on "Mimico Moonlight" – check the title tune.  Photo: Laura Proctor

Here's the scoop...

Nichol Robertson is a Canadian roots music guitarist, born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.  Equally at home melting faces with his high octane guitar onslaught as he is gently picking Hawaiian tunes for background ambience at the local bar, Nichol Robertson is a sonic painter with an ear for Bob Ross-esque aural landscapes. From twangy melodies echoing The Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet to B-bender shredding reminiscent of the late Clarence White, his six-string technique is very impressive. 

Robertson's first solo album was the critically acclaimed “Stranger Things” released back in 2011, long before that show. His latest opus “Mimico Moonlight” – recorded with his Honkytonk Boogaloo band cohorts, drummer Mike Belitsky  & bassist Sean Dean of The Sadies – is out Friday (May 17th). While 13 years between releases might seem a bit long, Robertson has spent that time working on countless projects including but not limited to The Layrite Boys, The Hulagoons, Thelonious Hank, Nic & the Narcs, Robertson & Kerr and Snowbird when he isn't accompanying rising country stars or recording viral videos with his family band, The Robinson'sons. 

Get a copy of Nichol Robertson's Mimico Moonlight album on vinyl right here. 

Nichol is launching the vinyl version of his Mimico Moonight album in the back room of The Cameron House on Friday (May 17) at 7:30 pm surrounded by the oil paintings of the multi-talented Sean Dean. Check out a performance of the title track from "Mimico Moonlight" below.