From the UK pavement comes...

    Saturday brought us United Kingdom artist, now residing in Victoria, BC, Kid on the Pavement to the Streaming Cafe.  From the moment Chris Llyod ( Kid on the Pavement being his stage alter ego) pulled up to the cafe in a 70's brown Camaro, it was quite clear there's a retro feel about him.  This retro approach not only resided in KOTP's personal style but also came through strong in his music. Much like his influences, Neil Young and Simon & Garfunkel, his strong melodies and guitar work communicated well the reflective and sometimes dark stories he had to tell.

    Kid on the pavement is relatively new to the Canadian scene but look to hear great things from him in the future.  His debut album is being wrapped up and will be coming soon. Until then have a listen to a live clip "Paris Rain", one of my favorites, from the show. Enjoy!
Michael



Check out more music from this show @ http://www.streamingcafe.net

Rocket Boy!

  I had been looking forward to Pat LePoidevin performing at the Streaming Cafe for some time now. It isn't very often that I listen to an artist's album and have to stop what I am doing, take a step back and say "WOW"!
 
  Pat's new album "Moon Wolves" has a strong animal theme in which he draws from his childhood, having been raised in rural BC and his love for children's story books.  His uniques subject matter and original sounding voice, mixed with a large presence of baritone ukulele invited me into his music from the first song. This strong presence carries through this entire album. I strongly suggest you getting it, you won't be disappointed!
  
  Much like his album, his live performance did not let me down. His genuine personality come across strong, as did his raw talent! I expect to see great things from Pat in the future.

Enjoy "Rocket Boy",  a song about his childhood time he spent with his father, shooting off toy rockets into the sky.

thanks for tuning in!

Michael

A New Generation of Canadian Independent Folk

 Catherine MacLellan and The Olympic Symphonium performed an amazing show to a packed audience at the Streaming Cafe this last Saturday. The two week tour took these two acts to the west coast, had been an idea of theirs for some time and we were privileged to be part of it!

   The Olympic Symphonium's multi-instrumental abilities and precise harmonies reminded me of why I love Canadian music so much.  They have a honest, rustic/roots sound that seems to connect to the next generation of folk lovers. The concept for this band was a quiet escape from their accustomed high-energy rock/pop projects - to focus more on the subtle, gentler side of music - a concept definitely achieved!

   CBC radio staple Catherine MacLellan, gave us an intimate solo performance as well as being backed by her travel mates OS that added a cool new dynamic.  Catherine's live performance felt approachable and drew me in from her first note.  She has a keen ability to communicate her song ideas through sweet melodies reminiscent of Emmy Lou Harris.  Now having seen her live I fully understand why she was awarded "Solo Artist of the Year" at the "2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards".

Check out a couple songs from the night below...

Thanks for tuning into Streaming Cafe!

Michael

It’s always a pleasant surprise when an artist’s live performance exceeds their already great studio recordings.  This was definitely the case for me with Miss Emily Brown, who played to a full audience at Streaming Cafe this last Saturday.   Her new album “In Technicolor” was written based on her  grandmother’s World War II diary and this marrying of song and storytelling came through strong.

I’ve posted a song below, "The Diary Of Amy", one of my favorites from the night.

If you’d like to see more songs from Miss Emily Brown’s performance go to http://www.streamingcafe.net/archive.php.

Until next time,

Michael

Global Citizen Kelowna- Music Fest

This last weekend Streaming Cafe was host for 'Global Citizen Music Fest'.  We had an amazing lineup of artists and were introduced to 4 charities that are making a real difference in the world. Kevin Kane from the Canadian iconic band 'Grapes Of Wrath' started off the evening with a  favorite of mine,  "Last To Know".  One of the memorable moments of the evening was Greg Sczebel's performance of Leonard Cohen's classic song "Hallelujah".
 Have a listen to both songs below... enjoy!

Michael