Corby's Orbit

Corby's Orbit
Listening in All the High Places illustration by John Kricfalusi

Thursday, February 28, 2013

If You Were Thinking One Day You Might Tune In To Corby's Orbit...


There will be tentacles of pure tenderness and gravity waves of shocking intimacy, distilled from solar winds and full throttle auroras distilled from the throats and fingers of  past and future song masters. Music for realsies. Phone interview with Ambre McLean at 6:00 supporting her tour with avatrice Tara Holloway which brings them to the Tranzac on Saturday from 7:30-9:30 along with the ever-ardent Abigail Lapell.
Listen out!

Monday, February 25, 2013

My Folk Alliance Dalliance


                                        Mandolin Orange Jam : "Steam-Powered Aereoplane" by John Hartford

  Reports are still arriving, and they will continue to do so throughout the convoluted consequences, but consensus places the 25th Folk Alliance Conference / Festival / Flash Jam at the zenith of recent life-magnifying musical events.

                                                                                   Stella, Greta and Sunniva of Baskery

   Greta from Baskery, in one of her bemused between-song mockologues, boiled it all down: “You don’t want to get involved with it, and you really don’t like it, then you find out some things, and you start to like it and it becomes the Overlook Hotel and you never want to leave.” From behind her doghouse, her sister Stella commented, “That’s too much talking”.

                                                                                           The Hot Club Of Cowtown

  Talking created the landscape upon which the music gestured and posed and walked its walk. Much of it was peremptory. DJ Bob Weiser’s lanyard button was to the point: “I Don’t Remember Your Name Either”. But unlikely flashpoints of hot discussion broke through the schmooze: nostalgic reveries at the photo retrospective, political analysis in the equipment secure room, effects pedal gossip while standing on black spaghetti tangles backstage at the Churchill showcase. As the conversationalists listened and loosened, platitudes and attitudes dissolved and hilarity became a priority, with artists deconstructing MC introductions, and random hallway encounters turning into boffo hey-rubes.

                                                                          Star & Micey

“Serendipity” as CKCU’s loosey-goosey MC Chris White divined, was the operating system.  You were as likely to walk in upon the stark , dramatic blues of The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer, as the riotous dance party staged by the back-flipping, chair-climbing Star & Micey, the hallowed hush of The Stray Birds or  the satirically lyrical logic of Gurf Morlix, Dry Bones or JIM <Effin'> KWESKIN.

                                                     Chic Gamine in the Manitoba Room

For five days, the Delta Chelsea featured room upon room adorned with immaculate degrees of talent, character, costume, camaraderie, extravagance, affection, and community, revealed in chance tableaux. Bedrooms at midnight could contain a quartet serenading a single listener, or a jammed throng spilling out into the pulsating corridor. Saturday night’s three-storey stairwell jam evolved as naturally as a crystal.

And just as naturally, it all got in taxis, vaporized, disappeared; in the Sunday silence, flyer-strewn hallways were once again clear, and hundreds of folks were rekindling the fires through pictures and fresh cyber-cortex connections, sorting through 4-inch stacks of CD's, trying to play a new song on a well-worn guitar, and prepping for the next gig, all the while astounding themselves with impossible memories.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Playlist for show of Friday, 22 February, 2013


Guests:  Andru Branch & Brian ‘Bassi’ Atkinson, Tannis Slimmon & Lewis Melville, Andrew Marlin, Emily Frantz & Josh Oliver.

 ( brought to you by the good graces of the Folk Alliance International = FAI & Mod May Promotions and also by the Audio Outreach Division of the Canadian Space Program )

5-7 p.m. online http://www.radioregent.com/ and at tunein.ca .  Canadians in Asterisk’d RED.

5:15  The Gladdenings
King Britt feat. Mr. Lif & Tanja Dixon ~ They Call Me Mister Tibbs / Main Title ~ Cinematic
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band ~ The DT’s Or The Devil ~ @ FAI this weekend
*CCAU / Cris Cuddy Acoustic Unit ~ Tom Cat Blues ~ Live For Today @ La Revoluçion Saturday


5:30  Root Branch and Stem / Come Again
*Andru Branch & Halfway Tree feat. Brian Atkinson ~ Gonna Be Free ~ @ El Mocambo tonight and @ FAI Saturday 6:45
Delroy Wilson feat. Brian Atkinson ~ Better Must Come ~ Dub Plate Special
Interview ~ Andru Branch & Brian Atkinson
*Andru Branch & Halfway Tree feat. Brian Atkinson ~ Faithful Woman
Alton Ellis feat. Brian Atkinson ~ You Made Me So Very Happy

6:00   Ms. T. Slimmon and the Blue Horizon
*Tannis Slimmon ~ Sekou ~ In & Out Of Harmony @ FAI  / Interview with Tannis & Lewis Melville / Are You Ready (live) / Hey Hosanna (live)

6:20  Infinite Revelations
Karine Polwart ~ Better Things ~ Threshold  @ FAI
*Jessica Stuart ~ Here Comes The Rain Again ~ Two Sides To Every Story @ FAI
Fraser Anderson ~ If Anyone Had Told You ~ Little Glass Box @ FAI
Toronto Music Listings Extrapolated over Alexis Baro’s Footprints  (@ The Old Mill Home Smith Bar Saturday)


6:40  Orange You Glad?
Mandolin Orange ~ Next To Nothing ~ Hard-Hearted Stranger/ Interview / Haste Make (live) / Hey Adam (live) / One More Down (live) ~ @ FAI





Thursday, February 21, 2013

Stars Of Folk Alliance In Orbit


   Toronto is currently hosting the world's largest aggregate of folk artists, and their managers, and their publicists, set in a turmoil of chronic habituĂ©es, burgeoning upstarts, the folk dentist, conjugal label-mates, a few sock-footed accountants, pillow pals new and old, classic folky coquettes of immaculate grace, some very styley coyotes,  ominous fedora and denim connoisseurs and squadrons of accompanistas. Above, the glamourous Sam, a volunteer, will gladly hang a lanyard on you, demonstrate an essential C fingering, and send you smiling into the folkstorm.



     It is Folk Alliance Week at the downtown Delta Chelsea Hotel 'til the tiny shiny hours of Sunday morning.and some of the most talented delegates have new Orbit-worthy material that I will be putting into sonic spin this Friday. Many are familiars of the show, such as Karyn Ellis, Joanna Chapman-Smith, Treasa Levasseur, Willow Rutherford, Jaron Freeman Fox, Graydon James, and Jessica Stuart (above).




Live in the studio we should be pleased to welcome the noble diplomats of East-Coast Reggae, award -winning Andru Branch with the legendary Brian Atkinson (above) and Half-Way Tree. 



   Also, around 6:00, Tannis Slimmon on the meniscus of a new release, brimful of intriguing tunes, called In And Out Of Harmony, will contribute a live song or two to the program.



Last minute adds, North Carolina's  Mandolin Orange, will cap the show at 6:30 with sinuous harmonies and intricate string cascades.  

Be very aware that this conference is not to be missed. 

*With respects espéciale to Joelle May

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Juno Nominations That Make Sense


BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Cold Specks Arts & Crafts*Universal
Elisapie Pheromone*Fontana North
Grimes Arbutus*F>A>B
Kira Isabella Sony
The Weeknd Republic*Universal
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Afie Jurvanen Brushfire*Universal
“Be My Witness”, “Caught Me Thinkin”, “Lost in the Light” BARCHORDS – Bahamas
Arkells Universal
“Michigan Left”, “On Paper”, “Whistleblower" MICHIGAN LEFT – Arkells
Hannah Georgas Dine Alone*Universal | Publisher: Hannah Georgas
“Enemies”, “Robotic” – co-songwriter Ryan Guldemond, “Somebody” – HANNAH GEORGAS – Hannah Georgas
Kathleen Edwards MapleMusic*Universal | Publisher: Potty Mouth Production/Peer International Ltd (Canada)
“A Soft Place to Land”– co-songwriter John Roderick, “Chameleon/Comedian”, “Change the Sheets” VOYAGEUR – Kathleen Edwards
Leonard Cohen Columbia*Sony | Publisher: Old Ideas LLC
“Amen”, “Going Home”– co-songwriter Patrick Leonard, “Show Me the Place” – co-songwriter Patrick Leonard OLD IDEAS – Leonard Cohen

ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO
Annabelle Chvostek Borealis*eOne
Rise
Corb Lund New West*Universal
Cabin Fever
Old Man Luedecke True North*eOne
Tender Is The Night
Rose Cousins Outside
We Have Made A Spark
Amelia Curran Six Shooter*Warner
Spectators

WORLD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS) (PRESENTED IN HONOUR OF BILLY BRYANS)
Alex Cuba Caracol*Universal
Ruido en el Sistema
Danny Michel Six Shooter*Warner
Black Birds Are Dancing Over Me
Lorraine Klaasen Justin Time*Universal
Tribute to Miriam Makeba
The Souljazz Orchestra Strut*F>A>B
Solidarity
Jaffa Road Independent
Where The Light Gets In

The Jam Sweetens The Night-This Friday


Saturday, February 16, 2013

Dawn Penn's No No No - Japanese Disco Version - Headphones a Must


Playlist for show of Friday, 15 February 2013



Host Paul Corby
Guests:  Zak Sutton and Devon Richardson of Jane’s Party
 ( brought to you by African Artists: Kenya Danby, Pablo Burkina-Faso,  and Salvador Mali )

5-7 p.m. online http://www.radioregent.com/ and at tunein.ca .  Canadians in Asterisk’d RED.


5:00  Continental  Content : African Heritage Month!
Amadou & Mariam feat. Toumani Diabate~ ChĂ©rie ~ Folila (WB)
Hedzoleh Soundz ~ Kaa Ie Oya (Hurry Down) ~ Hedzoleh (Sound Way)
Oliver Mtukudzi ~ Wake Up ~ The Tuku Years (Putumayo)
*Drumhand ~ Hourglass ~ Cheer On The Sun @ Gerrard Art Space Sturday, 23 March



5:20 Frissons Bleues
*Elizabeth Shepherd ~ When You Are Near ~ @ Paintbox, tonight
Jesse Dee ~ Sweet Tooth / From The Start

~ On My Mind / In My Heart opening solo @ The Horseshoe, Monday 4 March for The James Hunter Six



5:40  Winter Folk XI-tement
*Maria Dunn ~ I Cannot Tell You ~ @ Winterfolk Saturday @ 10:00 and Sunday, hosting Songs for Peace and Social Justice @ 7:00
*Jenny Whitely ~ Needle In A Haystack ~ oops… not @ Winterfolk
* Margaret Stowe & MSTQ ~ Shady Grove < World Premiere>~ @ Winterfolk Sunday, @ 6:00
* Chris Cuddy ~ $2 Song ~ @ Winterfolk Saturday @ 10:00

6:00  Party Favours
 *Jane’s Party ~ Alleyways / Interview with Zak & Devon / Reds And Blues (live) / Meet Me Half Way (live)

6:20  The Once And Future T’ing
Andru Branch & Halfway Tree ~ Keep On Trying ~ @ El Mocambo, Friday, 22 February
Delroy Wilson remixed by Prince Jammy 1978 ~ I’m Still Waiting ~ Dub Plate Style
Milton Nascimento ~ Amor Amigo ~ Caçador de Mim 1981
Papo Angorica ~ Canto a Shango ~ Cuban Drumming @ The Painted Lady, 6 p.m. Sunday

6:40   Uproarity Is A Priority
*Cold Dead Hands ~ Spaced Out ~ CD Release @ Rancho Relaxo tonight
Green Day ~ Espionage ~ Shenanigans

6:45  Closing Remarkables
Toronto Music Listings garnished over a bed of Duke Ellington’s “Paris Blues” remixed by The Real Tuesday Weld
Zachary Richard ~ Sib Vous Voulez Revenir ~ Pre-release
*Rachelle van Zanten ~ I Fight For Life
Lucky Petersen ~ Real Music


Friday, February 8, 2013

Playlist for Corby’s Orbit show of Friday, 8 February, 2013





Host : Paul Corby

Guests:  Jaron Freeman-Fox and Chloe Charles
 (brought to you by Hyperventilating in Hyperspace, Hustle and Muscle, and The Lush Hour)
5-7 p.m. online http://www.radioregent.com/ and at tunein.ca .  Canadians in Asterisk’d RED.
(Heavy Snow made me a half hour late today)

5:30  The Black Disciple
Lui Lepke ~ Tribute To Bob Marley ~ The Land Of Look Behind
Bob Marley ( 6 February 1945- 11 May 1983 ) ~ Don’t Rock My Boat (STUHR remix) ~Roots Rock Remixed
    Bob’s Birthday Party Saturday @ Lee’s Palace with House Of David Gang and @ Jubilee Hall, Sudbury with The Memberz

5:45    Trunkadelic Pachyderms
*Elephant Stone ~ Setting Sun ~ Elephant Stone
*Sienna Dahlen ~ Words ~@ The Mascot for A Month Of Sundays This Sunday 2:00-5:00
*Jane’s Party ~ Til You Got Yours ~ Til You Got Yours EP ~ @ The Drake Underground Thursday, 21 February
*Thomas D’Arcy ~ I Wake Up Every Day ~ @ The Horseshoe Saturday



6:00  Leader Of The Opposition
*Jaron Freeman-Fox & The Opposite Of Everything ~ Pyrite Pirate / Interview /Back To The Boonies @ Lula Lounge this Sunday / CD release
Transam ~ Div Inei  Nva Sion ~ Liberation

6:30  Q  And A  Post-Game Foreplay
*Chloe Charles ~ Soldier / God Is A Toad / Interview @ The Revival Wednesday, 13 February for Break The Balance CD release

6:45  This Byrd Has Flown
Donald Byrd  (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) ~ The Black Disciple / Chant (with Toronto music drifts worth catching this week insinuated over top) / Elijah ~ A New Perspective
Kirk Franklin & Donnie McLurkin ~ Oooh Child ~ @ Hershey Center Saturday with The King’s Men










Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Breath-taking artistry of Chloe Charles and The Opposite of Everything in The Orbital Pavilion this Friday at 6:30


On Wed. Feb 13th, 2013, Chloe Charles'  Break the Balance will be released at one special venue

The Revival here in Toronto.

Opening up the night is Chloe's good friend Dr. Draw so don't come late!

Chloe says, "We are selling advance tickets for a discounted price so if you plan on attending grab them now. And if you are a starving artist, hit me up and maybe we can make a deal. I want your face!"
Advance tickets $15. $20 at the door. Show starts at 8:00 pm, doors at 7:00pm.
https://guestlistapp.com/events/142446

www.chloecharles.com


Also at 5:30 The Opposite Of Everything's Jaron Freeman Fox, playing and talking about his new CD:


Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Playlist for show of Friday, 1 February 2013



Host: Paul Corby
African Heritage Month Begins Today
(brought to you by Provok-o-fiev, Hectored Villa-Locos and Rimouski Korsakov)
5-7 p.m. online http://www.radioregent.com/ and at tunein.ca .  Canadians in Asterisk’d RED.
 Videos athttp://www.youtube.com/user/CorbysOrbit?feature=mhee

5:00  Grow Your Heritage Out Long
*House Of David Gang ~ Reggae Warrior ~ Bob Marley Birthday Celebration @The El Mocambo Saturday, 9 February
Lekan Babalola ~ Kabioye ~ Mark De Clive Lowe remix ~Songs Of Icon
Baaba Maal ~ Missing You ~ Falaay Falaan Remix
Afrissippi ~ Ngappe Kam ~Fulani Journey
Chiwoniso ~ Nguva Ye Kufara ~ Rebel Woman
*Kabakuwo ~ Nadoua ~ Malangtin


5:30  Positron Colliders
Santigold ~ Girls ~ Girls Soundtrack
Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX ~ I Love It ~ Girls Soundtrack
Accolade ~ The Traveler ~ Festivalia
The Andrews Sisters ~ I’ll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time ~ (Patty Andrews~ Respect ~ February 16, 1918 – January 30, 2013)
*The Good Lovelies ~ Duvet Love ~ Live At Revolution
*Corin Raymond & The Sundowners, feat. Treasa Levasseur ~ Little Bird ~ Paper Nickels
*The Blue Warblers ~ Little Birdie ~ Pretty Good

6:00  The Most GawdAwesomest Set Played On The Radio This Year So Far Just Sayin’
*Michael Blake ~ Cybermonk ~ Michael Blake’s Variety Hour @ The Imperial tonight and @ The Rex Saturday 3:30-6:30
*K.C. Roberts & The Live Revolution ~ Vibes & Gravy @ The El Mocambo tonight
*Joni Nehrita ~ I’m Taking A Chance ~ @ Harlem Saturday, 7:30
(Illustration by Luigi Serafini)


Gary Clark Jr. ~ Next Door Neighbour Blues ~ Black and Blu
*Nancy Dutra ~ Ride That Train @The Dominion on Queen, Sunday 3:30
*Aidan Knight ~ Figure III ~ @The Virgin Mobile Mod Club tonight
*Annabelle Chvostek ~ Foxtail ~ @The Mascot Sunday 2:30 for A Month Of Sundays

6:30  Tim Buck Tunes
Ali Farka Touré ~ Kadi Kadi (Ali Farka Touré) / Mani (Radio Mali) / Diaraby (Besieged sdtrk)
Live Toronto Music Pronto Prompts, read over Michael Blake’s The Searchers
Guem ~ Le Serpent

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Once In A Month Of Sundays...A January Music Fest


Amy Campbell (centre) and friends - photo: Alice MacLachlan

What with abstinence resolutions still freshly in mind, Christmas bills arriving daily and those recent temperatures of mass destruction, a Toronto venue seeking a January audience for an event of musical significance, is as rare as…well…what is that idiom again…?.
Nonetheless, A Month Of Sundays, at The Mascot on Toronto’s Queen Street West, is managing to draw together the faithful many for an ongoing all-star mini-festival of original song, curated by Amy Campbell and starring a galaxy of the best and brightest local song-crafters, including Annabelle ChvostekEvalyn Parry, and Nancy Dutra, amongst a dozen others.
“So much talent winters in Toronto,” Amy explains, “We’re all in this cold city together, and out at the festivals in the summer we always say the same thing – we ought to play a gig together sometime. So these are people I have always wanted to make music with.”
In the tradition of Canadian song, winter months provide an inspiring time for writing and reflection as creative minds go into hyper-flourish. “Songwriters have so much new coming, so even if you’ve heard them before you won’t have heard any of this.”
Amy is now able to spend time doing what she enjoys most – writing new songs, learning her guests’ tunes, and sharing them with interested listeners and the other members of her core trio. “It’s meant to have the spontaneity of a playground. There’s a freedom in the program to allow impromptu collaboration and introducing new songs and interpretations of older material and covers. You’ll still hear your favourite songs, but we’re also creating a platform for the artist to explore new avenues of creativity.”
Bass player Carlie Howell took advantage of this last week when she suddenly owned the show with a song called Higher You Climb. (You can hear it here with other samples)
“We’re focusing on the joy of making music,” says Amy, ”but I’m also consciously community building, making an effort to create connections and unite different audiences. So far we’ve had a complete range of ages, and friends and family have a chance to come together while we draw in the locals and passersby. As it grows, we’ll be able to come out from under the radar, but for now we’re staying busy, experimenting and truly being ourselves onstage.”
And if the last few weeks are any indication of the musical joy and camaraderie this community can produce, it’s only a matter of time until a second run of concerts is organized. A Month Of Sundays, with a proposed admission fee of $10 / $5 for students, artists and unwaged, continues at The Mascot, 1267 Queen West on the south east corner of Elm Grove, just west of the Dufferin bridge, every Sunday from 2:00-5:00 until February 17th. reblogged from http://www.rootsmusic.ca/