Music News Digest, Feb. 11, 2019

By Kerry Doole

Republic Live will bring The Rolling Stones in to Burl’s Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte, ON, on Saturday June 29 for ‘Canada Rocks with The Rolling Stones.’  Burl’s Creek will be the final stop on the North American leg of the No Filter tour and the only Canadian show for The Stones. Tix on sale Feb. 15 via Ticketmaster.

– Last week, Terra Lightfoot led the all-female The Longest Road Show tour on a five-city Ontaro tour that was by all accounts a serious success. The Hamilton rocker corralled pals Lindi Ortega and Begonia for all dates, adding local artists at each stop. FYI caught the Hamilton show at a near sold-out New Visions United Church, and was suitably impressed. Joining the three headliners to play short but very sweet sets were local heroines Lori Yates and Rita Chiarelli, and rising Indigenous artist Lacey Hill. Clearly thrilled to be on home turf, Lightfoot often added guitar accompaniment, while the house band of Anna Ruddick, Michelle Josef, and Kelsey McNulty performed admirably. The revue-style format is a winning one, and chances of future dates outside Ontario are reportedly very strong.

– Toronto rapper Lil Berete is starting to blow up internationally, but he's getting little love at home. Last week on Instagram, he shared photos of a cease and desist letter his mother received from the Toronto Community Housing Corporation warning him that filming his music videos on TCHC property may get his family evicted, as proper consent had not been obtained.

The Regent Park housing project is a recurring backdrop for Berete’s videos, including "Southside, Northside," "Migraines," "No Makeup" and "Real," all of which are mentioned in the letter. Some of these clips have attracted over 1 million views. Days after sharing the letter, Lil Berete released a new music video for "Go N Get It," featuring UK rapper Loski. Shot n Iceland, it  has already gained 636K YouTube views. Source: NOW

– Spotify is releasing an eight part podcast about The Clash, called Stay Free: The Story of The Clash. It will be narrated by Chuck D of Public Enemy and comes out  on Feb. 28. Here is the trailer. Source: Punknews.com

– Lee Harvey Osmond (aka Tom Wilson and friends) released a new album, Mohawk, on Jan. 25, and played a release show at The Mule Spinner in Hamilton, Wilson's beloved hometown, on Saturday night. The capacity crowd (including hockey legend Doug Gilmour) was treated to a thoroughly entertaining show, one mixing LHO tunes with such favourites from the catalogue of Blackie and The Rodeo Kings (Wilson's other band) as "Lean On Your Peers" and "Leave This House," spoken word excerpts from Wilson's memoir, Beautiful Scars, and a moving homage to Gord Downie. The charismatic frontman was accompanied superbly by a band comprising Ray Farrugia (Junkhouse), Johnny Dymond (BARK), Jesse O'Brien, and Aaron Goldstein (City and Colour), and his recollections of life in The Hammer went over well.  A superb show.

– Long one of Canada's premier folk fests, Mariposa has announced more lineup additions for this year's edition, set for Orilllia, ON, July 4-8. They include Hawksley Workman, Christine Lavin, and Jennfer Castle.

– Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham recently underwent emergency open heart surgery, but his  future musical career is now in doubt. According to a statement from Buckingham’s representatives, the “life-saving procedure… was successful in its purpose.” However, the procedure “caused vocal cord damage, the permanency of which is unclear.” All previously scheduled shows have been put on pause as he recuperates. Buckingham's recent ouster from the supergroup has been acrimonious. Source:Consequence Of Sound

– Spirit Of The West fans would be well advised to check out Vancouver folk outfit Early Spirit. Its members include Jay Knutson, a former member of SOTW, and Ben Kelly, son of that band's Geoffrey Kelly, plus violinist Gabriel Dubreuil and bassist Will Chernoff. The group recently released an album, Unrelated, and it features two tunes written by Knutson, Geoffrey Kelly, and John Mann. Album guests include Natalie MacMaster, Michelle Campagne (Hart-Rouge), and producer Leonard Podolak (The Duhks). A Home Routes tour of Manitoba is well under way.

– Canadian rock 'n roll legend Art Bergmann has now signed withPorterhouse Records, a move that is expected to give his catalogue extra exposure in the US. Other artists on the Hollywood-based label include Urge Overkill, Gun Club, and Circle Jerks.

– Manitoba Music and the National Art Centre have teamed up with facilitator and curator Ila Barker to present a 10-session music-based workshop series for youth ages 13 25 called #AIRsessions. Launched on Feb. 7, the free sessions happen twice monthly on Thursday nights 6 - 9 p.m. at the Indigenous Family Centre (470 Selkirk Avenue). Barker, a Winnipeg-based singer/songwriter, acts as the primary mentor alongside a different local guest mentoring artist every session. Upcoming guest mentors include Don Amero, Joanne Pollock, and JC Campbell. Manitoba Music's partnership is through the Indigenous Music Development Program (IMDP).

– Music Ontario is presenting three nights of artst showcases at FAI in Montreal this week. Those serenading in Room 509, Feb. 14-16, include Moscow Apartment, Tom Wilson, Kaa Kater, April Verch, Reuben and The Dark, Lynne Hanson, Melane Brulee, and Zachary Lucky. Full lineup here

RiP

Izzy Young, whose Greenwich Village shop, the Folklore Center, was the beating heart of the midcentury folk music revival died on Feb. 4 at his home in Stockholm. He was 90.

Established in 1957, the Folklore Center was nominally a music store, selling records, books, instruments, sheet music and fan magazines, like Sing Out!, Caravan and Gardyloo.

In actual practice, the center was also equal parts hiring hall, recital space, nerve center for gossip, and forum for continuing debate on the all-consuming subject of folk music, which thanks in no small part to Mr. Young was enjoying wide, renewed attention.

“I began hanging out at the Folklore Center, the citadel of Americana folk music,” Mr. Dylan wrote in his memoir “Chronicles: Volume One” (2004), recalling his arrival in New York in 1961.

Until he closed the shop in 1973 to move to Stockholm and start a similar center, Mr. Young reigned supreme as a handicapper, impresario (he organized hundreds of concerts throughout the city, including Mr. Dylan’s first formal appearance, at the Carnegie Hall complex); and an evangelist for folk. Other artists boosted by Young included Joni Mitchell, Dave Von Ronk, And Peter, Paul and Mary.

He was also a writer, with a regular column in Sing Out!, a broadcaster, and an activist. Source: NYT