A 2018 Concert To Honour The 10th Anniversary of Elizabeth Shepherd's Parkdale and The Launch of Corby's Orbit

 

On July 13, 2008, Elizabeth Shepherd released her second album, Parkdale. After creating an international hipster smash in jazz and dance circles with her first album, Start To Move, the transplanted Montréaler settled into a basement apartment in Parkdale, and began work on a new LP, a musical love letter to the neighbourhood that provided her with a new set of responses to her humanistic musical aspirations.

Parkdale was a work that expanded the spectrum of Canadian jazz, by skewing towards a more breezy and cosmopolitan lyricism while embracing exotic time signatures, hip hop syncopation. To celebrate this pivotal conception at a distance of ten years, a concert featuring the music of Parkdale and the brightest talents of the community came together on Sunday, the 15th of July, 2018, at the ballroom in the Gladstone Hotel to re-sing, to re-imagine, to re-invent the most specifically Toronto music of Elizabeth Shepherd's career.

One of the performers, Denielle Bassels said: “Parkdale" is a beautiful homage to a part of town that I am so familiar with. Hearing Elizabeth Shepherd struck me in a whole new way. Never since Nina Simone have I seen a woman in Jazz so masterful in their compositions. Her rhythms and harmonies are complex without feeling contrived and her compositions are all at once intelligent, raw, and transparent. Her voice is ethereal yet approachable, she speaks to you. For me, I hear that it is alright to be vulnerable and masterful at once. She brings a whole new light to being a female in jazz today."

Performers:

Band:

Nick McLean - Keyboards, Musical Director

Brownman Ali - Trumpet

Scott Kemp - Original Parkdale bassist

Colin Kingsmore - Original Parkdale drummer

Singers:

Red Whyte & Tollar

Chloé Watkinson

The Memberz Reggae Band

Raha Javanfar

Collette Savard and The SavantEs

Valeria Matzner

Jessica Stuart

Denielle Bassels

Jocelyn Barth

Memberz Hit The Road To Make A Hit Video For King's Highway

On a fine August Saturday morning, big wheels started to turn for Toronto's rising Neo Roots band The Memberz as we set out to make a video for our soon to be released single, King's Highway. In one day.

Brampton was our first stop, for a departure shot of the band leaving for a gig from a suburban headquarters as well-wishers sent them off in royal style.

A drone was launched. Makeup was applied. White rum and cokes were cooling in the shade. At 11:57, Roscoe asked "Is it still too early for a drink?". Around.seventeen takes later, we had loaded and unloaded the truck seventeen times, driven up and down the street ten times and gotten the neighbours totally buzzed. In three different ways. Droned, stoned and adrenalized.


Then it was time to head for Little Jamaica, in the soul of downtown T.O. Even though Rastafest was happening at Downsview Park, Eglinton West was crammed with people. We had to line up for curry goat and coco bread take-out at Randy's We then proceeded to the newly-crowned Reggae Lane to find some wasp-free shade then to load out for the next scene.

Some hard-core reggae devotees had shown up at the new mural to skank and wave with us as Mavriq sang his lyrics to the circling drone. Dons and Donnas of the community relaxed and looked on as Memberz and friends played ball and danced til our foot tun blue. Entrepreneur Julion King came along late and loaded us up with Reggae Lane Couture to wear in the next act, at a rehearsal space on Dufferin.

Here we ran through the tune as we always do before a big show, and prepped for the final concert footage.

Out front, we rushed through a cheering crowd arriving at the show. (As we always do). That's got to make you feel good. Then, in a realistically hot and cramped club setting, we played out the song fifteen times as lighters sparked  and cameras waved and cups were drained.


We watched some of the scenes back and it's obvious even now that the director and his crew have set a new high bar for Canadian reggae videos. Stay tuned for the news of a single/ video launch in late fall of 2015.

King's Highway. New from The Memberz ~ Reggae Toronto Evolution Continues.

Vibulous new track with Mavriq's lyrics galore. 

A spatial delivery from The Memberz 

~ first single released yesterday ~ 

King's Highway 

~ Neo Roots gone 'pon the attack.

Kings Highway ~ lyrics by Mavriq Be strong - you got to be strong ~ Got King's work in Armageddeon Chorus – Said I was riding on the King's Highway I said I moved to the Midnight train, because freedom was calling, yes she was calling. Verse 1 – The whole thing go down inna the street, down in a di club pure vibes a gwaan and tune a beat. The band na hold a meds tru the vibes a gwaan sweet, the bar a gwaan well juice a drink and food a eat. Woman a grin off dem teeth and man a skank to the beat, all of a sudden the place was tense under heat. When I took a look, police a fly down the street, when mi took a look ratty a fly down the street. Chorus – Said I was riding on the Kings Highway, and then moved to the Mid night train, because freedom was calling, yes she was calling, this morning. Verse 2 – But I guess that’s how the system stays, just give love a chance ghetto youth never stray. What is the wicked man dem promote? Your honor let me tell you how they draped us and punched us in our mouth. In the courthouse I see the heathen dem a gloat, but I can see clearly they are scouts. Asking them, did they find any weed? They said no we smelled the smoke. Alright Mr Wallace you’re a joke. Set the youths free before we sue the court house, set the youths free before the news touches the road. I said you have violated my human rights so many times, now we’re gonna take it to you straight down the line. Bridge – I said I’ve got to live my life, cause I don’t care what the world wanna say, no I don’t care what the world wanna say. I said I’ve got to do what’s right, See I don’t care what the world wanna say, see I don’t care. Chorus – Cause I was riding on the King's Highway, and then moved to the Midnight train, because freedom was calling, yes she was calling Bridge – I said you’ve got to live your life, cause I don’t care what the world wanna say, no I don’t care what the world wanna say. I said you've got to do what’s right, See I don’t care what the world wanna say, I really don’t care. Chorus – Said I was riding on the kings Highway I said I moved to the midnight train, because freedom was calling, yes she was calling

The Memberz Explode With Reggae At The Cadillac Lounge Toronto

"Confused World" edited version featuring Mavriq

The Memberz live at Lula Lounge