Canadian music journalist Nicholas Jennings will once again lead a series of walking tours this summer to discover the rich music history of Toronto’s Yonge Street beginning as early as the 1950’s. From Ronnie Hawkins at Le Coq D’Or Tavern to Glenn Gould at the Eaton Auditorium, Yonge St.’s musical roots played a crucial role in the evolution of the city and helped launch the careers of some of the biggest names is rock and roll.
This year, the cost of the tour will be generously covered by the businesses in the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Associationand you can reserve your spot now via Heritage Toronto’s website. Tours will run through September, with the next tour taking place June 17, 2015 at 6:30 PM, wrapping up around 8 PM.
The tours also fall in line with the launch of Downtown Yonge’s Music Strategy, which finds the DYBIA working closely with Heritage Toronto to honour the music history of the legendary strip. While paying homage to the street’s past, the music strategy also looks to the future with the development of a music incubator in partnership with Coalition Music, as well as live performances like Play The Parks which 4479 is proud to be a partner of.
The Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games has revealed the lineup for PANAMANIA, a 35 day arts and culture festival taking place July 10 – August 15. PANAMANIA presented by CIBC will feature a free set of concerts in Nathan Phillips Square, bringing to Toronto some of music’s biggest international touring acts including The Flaming Lips, The Roots, Janelle Monáe and Sergio Mendes. Canadian acts scheduled to play the festival include Death From Above 1979, BadBadNotGood, Chromeo, Joel Plaskett, Bobby Bazini and 2014 Polaris Prize-winning artist Tanya Tagaq.
The full list for PANAMANIA live @ Nathan Phillips Square is now available on the Pan Am website. The full list of performers at the CIBC Pan Am Park at Exhibiton Place has also been released, featuring Canadian-certified Gold/Platinum artists Colin James, Lights, USS, Jully Black & more.
Last week, the Pan Am Path Art Relay smartphone app was also made available to the public which combines art and sport to guide you through art installations across Toronto’s unique natural pathways. The app features 4 streaming music stations featuring artists from across the GTA.
The free Pan Am Path Art Relay app is now available for download on the iTunes and Android stores.
Earlier today, Indie88 revealed the initial lineup for 3rd annual Toronto Urban Roots Festival. This year, TURF will take place September 18-20 at Fort York. The lineup includes Wilco, Edward Sharpe& The Magnetic Zeros, Of Monsters & Men, The Avett Brothers, Cake, TURF-alumni Neko Case, Built To Spill and Conor Oberst’s recently reunited Desaparecidos! On top of the stellar lineup, festival organizers have also vowed to focus on Toronto acts opening up each stage on each day of the festival.
Early-bird passes for the 3-day festival will go on sale April 23 @ 12 PM for the price of $150.
Since it’s inaugural edition in 2013, TURF (and various festivals and cultural events like it) has helped raise the profile of the historic Fort York for a new and wider demographic and contribute to the revitalization of the area.
“The fact that Fort York has come along and made their space available is a godsend,” said Jeff Cohen, TURF founder and owner Collective Concerts, following the 2014 festival. “Not only does it bring millions of dollars of tourism money, it makes the city fun and sexy and not boring. That’s what a major city does.”
On Saturday April 25, 2015 at 2 PM, Wavelength Music will be hosting a free and all ages Toronto Music City Town Hall Meeting at The Garrison (1197 Dundas St. W).
Moderating the open floor discussion will be Shaun Bowring, owner of The Garrison music venue. Feature participants include Wavelength’s Jonathan Bunce, The Music Gallery‘s David Dacks, Harbourfront Centre‘s Sergio Elmir, BlogTO‘s Aubrey Jax, and NXNE‘s Cheryl Macive. City of Toronto Music Sector Development Officer Mike Tanner will also be in attendance.
The meeting continues discussions began at the “The Toronto Music Moment” Wavelength Music Festival Panels in 2014 and 2015, focusing on the expectations and the Toronto music office and the category of “Toronto music” as a whole.
The audio of the 2015 “Toronto Music Moment” meeting can be streamed below via Exclaim!
Make sure to RSVP to the Facebook event to keep up to date on all of the latest information regarding the meeting. We hope to see you there!
The 2015 edition of Canadian international documentary film festival Hot Docs will take place April 23 – May 3 at Toronto’s Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, with five of the 17 films announced being music-focused. Mavis!, the bipoic of gospel pioneer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples directed by Canadian Jessica Edwards, will make its Canadian debut following its world premiere at SXSW. Canadian Michael Mabbott will also premiere his documentary Music Lessons about the teachers and children at Sistema Toronto
The full list and opening-night film will be revealed next week on March 17 at which point single tickets can be purchased.. In the meantime, you can read about and watch the trailers for each music documentary announced so far:
AROUND THE WORLD IN 50 CONCERTS
D: Heddy Honigmann | Netherlands | 2014 | 94 min | Canadian Premiere
In celebration of their 125th anniversary, Netherlands’ prestigious Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performed 50 concerts on six continents. Award-winning documentary veteran Heddy Honigmann follows the orchestra as they perform around the world and discuss their passion for the music.
KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK
D: Brett Morgen | USA | 2015 | 132 min | Canadian Premiere
Montage Of Heck is the first fully authorized biopic of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Over eight years in the making, the film will feature interviews with his former bandmates, exclusive home movies and stunning animations. “I just wanted to give Frances a few more hours with her dad,” said director Brett Morgen during the film’s world premiere at Sundance. You might want to bring your tissues for this one.
MAVIS!
D: Jessica Edwards | Canada, USA | 2015 | 85 min | International Premiere
Canadian director Jessica Edwards explores the life of music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and The Staple Singers through six decades of songs and stories from Bonnie Raitt, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Bob Dylan and many more.
MUSIC LESSONS
D: Michael Mabbott | Canada | 2015 | 20 min | World Premiere
Canadian Michael Mabbott’s documentary goes behind the scenes of the inspiring children and music teachers at Sistema Toronto. The film shows how how this international movement employs ensemble-based music to build community, confidence and a next generation of talent. The film will be followed by a live performance by the Sistema Toronto Yorkwoods Orchestra and a special in-conversation.
WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?
D: Liz Garbus | USA | 2014 | 102 min | Canadian Premiere
Director Liz Garbus explores the life and career of the “High Priestess of Soul” Nina Simone, the chart-topping classically trained musical genius who played a significant role in the Civil Rights movement a midst her rise to stardom. The film tells the story of the beloved artist through never-before-heard tapes, rare archival footage and interviews with Simone’s close friends and family.
