100 Bands
Last week I went to the Horseshoe to see Teddy Thompson open for Rhett Miller.
I went because I was smitten with Teddy Thompson's voice. He sings a sweet song on the soundtrack for that gay cowboy movie filmed in Alberta . He also does a duet with Rufus Wainwright on the soundtrack too.
That's an interesting bit of trivia because Thompson is the son of legendary British folk singers, Richard and Linda Thompson. And Rufus, well, we all know his pedigree. It's cool in that, “hey look at those offspring go!” kind of way.
So – it was a voice that drew me to the Horseshoe.
I've long been enamored with the human voice. Is there really anything more exquisite than a singer with that thing - you know, that indescribable timbre that makes your spine tingle? All my life, I've sought moments of that sort of beauty – nagging talented friends and acquaintances to sing for me. It's my drug of choice.
Toronto has provided ample opportunity to get some good voice – soul-filled, heart-wrenchingly good singing. (You know you are in a vocal nirvana when Ron Sexsmith takes the same streetcar and Justin Rutledge serves your beer.) And, fortunate for those on a limited budget, most of this happens at pass-the-hat gigs at some of the city's more interesting venues.
One of the best places to hear great singing was at the now-defunct Melody Ranch, held for over 20 years in a few different locations, that was holding court at the Brunswick House in the Annex when I first came to town. There you would trip into the dark and dingy bar (pre-renovations) on a Saturday afternoon and be treated to some of Toronto's best musicians – including an awesome back-up band that could bend and twist its way into perfection for whomever stepped up to the microphone. There I was treated to many spine-tingling moments highlighted by Helen Stewart's covers of Patsy Cline and a rendition of the Tammy Wynette tune “Almost Persuaded” that made me cry on more than one occasion.
It was at Melody Ranch that I first heard Terra Hazleton sing. The honey-voiced Hazleton made her first appearance one blustery November afternoon, and I do declare, there was an enormous intake of breath in the room. Have you heard this young woman sing?
She is currently performing in a group called the Hogtown Syncopators who have a regular Wednesday night gig at Graffiti's in Kensington. (They are also playing at Gate 403 on Roncesvalles, Saturday, April 8.)
Though I've yet to catch one of their gigs, the group is made up of some damn fine musicians whom I've heard in various permutations and combinations in the typical Toronto fashion of band rosters. And I would assert that a lead singer is only as good as the band backing her up.
That was the problem with Teddy Thompson.
Here is this young man with an amazing voice. But, unfortunately, I found that they (assuming that he and his band were the masters of the direction they took) were trying too hard to sound “produced” and the performance lacked any sort of subtlety or rawness that would allow you to really experience the beauty of his instrument.
I wonder if that is what happens when you move away from the more intimate venues and take off on the road? The spontaneity of the pass-the-hat is gone and the singer is left to dress things up a bit in order to give people more bang for their buck.
Maybe he'll get it sorted out. There was one song he performed that was not on his new release but an EP that he and a band mate did – it was simple and sweet. Exactly what I was hoping for the entire evening.
No matter, I will continue looking for the spine-tingling moments. And if you are too – make sure you look for Hazleton and Helen Stewart. As well as other Toronto crooners, Greg Hobbs, Justin Rutledge and John Borra, to name but a few of the legion.
And don't shy away from venues like The Cameron House, Gate 403 or Graffiti's that always feature great evenings of music. You never know what sort of beauty will happen.