Thursday 24 December 2020

Book ~ "Any Night of the Week: A D.I.Y. History of Toronto Music, 1957-2001" (2020) Jonny Dovercourt

From Goodreads ~ The story of how Toronto became a music mecca. 

From Yonge Street to Yorkville to Queen West to College, the neighbourhoods that housed Toronto's music scenes. Featuring Syrinx, Rough Trade, Martha and the Muffins, Fifth Column, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Rheostatics, Ghetto Concept, LAL, Broken Social Scene, and more!

For many years after I moved to Toronto in 1987, I went to lots of bars to hear live music ... not so much any more.  Since this book covered those years, I thought I'd check it out.

The author talks about many groups that played in Toronto ... some I knew, some I'd never heard of.  I found myself saying, "I remember them!" and then going to find them on Spotify and then following them there to listen to another time.  He covers many genres of music (folk, blues, rock, pop, rap, punk, etc.).  I've been to many of the bars he spoke of like Albert's Hall, Grossman's, the El Mocambo, the Horseshoe, the Opera House, the Diamond, etc.

The author wrote with knowledge and passion.  There are bits of interviews with some of the singers and groups along with pictures.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

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