Music News Digest: Legendary Toronto Promoter Gary Topp Celebrated In New Book 'He Hijacked My Brain'
This week: Canadian festival submission dates, Jesse Greene wins The Amy Louie Grossman`s Music Scholarship, singer-songwriter Dave Gunning fights food insecurity in schools in Nova Scotia.
An archival photo of Gary Topp (right) with Sting & The Police and his former promotion partner Gary Cormier (left).
Awards News
On Nov. 26, The Amy Louie Grossman`s Music Scholarship fundraiser and presentation took place at Grossman's Tavern in Toronto. Jesse Greene took home the $2000 bursary for blues musicians, and Jay Bleus was handed the runner up prize of $1000. The 2022 winners Five And Ten presented ALGMS matriarch Christina Louie with a framed cover of the recording they were able to produce with their scholarship assistance.
The Downchild Blues Band, Danny Marks, The Happy Pals, Frankie Foo and Jesse Greene performed at the fundraiser, Dan McKinnon handled the MC and stage manager duties and Kiddie Car Music (Kid Carson) donated the backline. Donations at the fund raiser added $2165.00 to the ALGMS fund.
Festivals News
– The 2025 edition of NXNE takes place in Toronto, June 11-15. Advance passes are now available here.
– Registrations for SXSW 2025, taking place March 7-15 in Austin, Texas are now open, and CIMA members, through WIN, get exclusive access to special early bird rates. To access this discounted rate please e-mail jenia@cimamusic.ca with the subject line “SXSW CIMA Discount” and specify the type of badge you’d like to purchase. Rates increase on January 8.
– Ottawa Blues Fest Artist Submissions are open until Dec. 6. All artists are invited to submit to play Ottawa Bluesfest in July and/or CityFolk Festival in September. The fests accept applications from established and emerging artists and encourage applications from artists without major agency representation. Apply here.
– Artist submissions for the 53rd edition of the Regina Folk Festival are now open, with a Jan. 15 deadline. The fest runs August 8-10, 2025. Apply here.
Industry news
– The fascinating and important life and career of veteran Toronto music promoter Gary Topp is has been given the lavish coffee table book treatment in the just-published He Hijacked My Brain: Gary Topp's Toronto. Written by a group of local music enthusiasts and featuring extensive interviews with key players in the Toronto arts community, it shows Topp's impactful presence on the city's music scene for the past 50 years. That was reaffirmed on Sunday with two sold-out book launches at The Red Room in the former Masonic Temple. Now The Concert Hall, the venue hosted many major concerts produced by The Garys (Topp and Gary Cormier) back in the day, and the rather secret inner sanctum of The Red Room was a fitting launch locale.
No surprise to see many notable music veterans in the room, including many who would have played at such Topp-promoted venues as The Horseshoe Tavern and The Edge. The afternoon launch included a free-spirited set by Ronley Teper & The Lipliners (a local Topp favourite), fascinating historic photo and video footage and an informative Q&A session featuring the two Garys, filmmaker Colin Brunton, Ivar Hamilton (ex-CFNY) and Jeff Silverman (Roxy Theatre). Plenty of great stories were reprised, including The Garys' recollection that a maximum of 35 people paid to see The Police over two now-legendary nights at The Horseshoe in their Toronto debut.
Notable musicians in attendance included Fred Robinson (UIC), Fergus Hambleton, Cleave Anderson (Blue Rodeo, The Sharks), Chris Houston, Steve Koch (The Viletones, Handsome Ned), David Quinton (The Mods, Dead Boys), John Borra (Change of Heart), Sam Ferrara (The Viletones, Screamin' Sam), Joel Wasson (Fifth Column), Walter Sobczak (Sturm Group) and writers Michael Hollett and Nicholas Jennings, Info on where to buy the book here.
– The 34 recipients of the 2024 Dave Gunning Zero Hunger Fund through the Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia were announced recently. This marks the first year of the fund, which was established to combat food insecurity in rural Nova Scotia schools. Over 80 applications were submitted. The schools will each receive between $1,000-$3,500 to ensure that no student has to go through the school day hungry.
Award-winning roots singer-songwriter Gunning told Saltwire that “There is so much need for help right now and it’s sad knowing that many children and their families are going hungry. Although we surpassed the original $100,000 goal the demand is greater than what the fund is currently able to offer. There is still time to make a donation before Christmas so please help if you can." Donate here.
– Round 93 of the Canadian Starmaker Fund is now open. Please send all round 93 inquiries to michellefarres@starmaker.ca. All applications must be filed online before the next deadline of February 27, 2025. The Orion Program will continue to be offered once a year and will not be available for the current round. It will next be available in 2025. Details will be announced next year.
– Canada's Music Incubator's highly regarded Artist Entrepreneur professional development program is accepting applications for the March/April session, with a Jan. 5 deadline. AE will take place in downtown Toronto and run for six weeks (March 18-April 25). Artists from all musical genres are welcome. More info here.
Artists News
– Fresh off his two recent Grammy nominations for work with The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Hamilton blues star Steve Strongman hosts and headlines his 13th annual Holiday Show on Dec. 7. Held at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre, the lineup includes hit singer-songwriter Ian Thomas and Chris Ayries. Recommended. Tickets here.
– Acclaimed roots/folk veteran Stephen Fearing is preparing for the release of his 13th album The Empathist, coming out in March 2025, and he has just delivered a new single, "Bring This Song." The Victoria-based troubadour's discography also includes 11 albums with acclaimed supertrio Blackie and the Rodeo Kings (alongside Tom Wilson and Colin Linden) and two duo releases with Andy White, as Fearing & White. That's a tally of 26, including Juno-winning solo and BARK releases. Here's the new single.
– Proof that you're never too old to pursue a musical dream is now provided by Stephen Stohn. The 76-year-old multi award-winning, Order Of Canada recipient, lawyer, television producer and University Chancellor has had a huge impact on Canadian pop culture as the executive producer of the hit TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation and Degrassi: Next Class. He wasalso the executive producer of The Juno Awards, for nearly two decades, a role that earned him 14 Canadian Screen Awards (formerly Gemini Awards).
His musical talent was shown by his composition of the DeGrassi theme song "Whatever It Takes," and he is now turning his full attention to music with a new endeavour, the GTA Rhythm Section. That group will release a debut EP, The Orange Sessions, on Wolfe Island Records, and the first advance single, “Opus 42 - Ode to Summer,” is now out. Of note: The featured vocalist,Matthew Jardine, is the son of original Beach Boys Al Jardine.
– Okavango African Orchestra is a Juno award-winning ensemble of eight African-born musicians who live in Toronto and Montreal. They play at the Redwood Theatre in Toronto on Dec. 20, with notable special guests including South African music-Lorraine Klaasen and Mis Blandine , kora virtuoso Diely Mori Tounkara, tama player Pape Ndiaye and bassist Dally Dominic. Tickets here.
– Juno and Emmy-winning Canadian jazz pianist and composer D.D. Jackson is now based in New York City, but he heads to Toronto this weekend for two concerts at The Redwood Theatre, Dec. 6 and 7, that serve as a launch for his new album,Poetry Project. He will be accompanied by guests including Juno-winning vocalists Laila Biali and Sammy Jackson and acclaimed Canadian poets, including former Poet Laureate, George Elliott Clarke, who hosts and performs on Dec. 7. Jackson plays both solo and with a full band over the two nights. Ticket info here.
