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Bluebird North Toronto All-Star Concert
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Marc Jordan
Ann Vriend
Dan Hill
Melanie Doane
Jane Siberry
Suzie McNeil
and host Blair Packham
Did you ever want to know the story behind the song? Bluebird North provides the perfect opportunity for you to hear about the inspiration, the writing process, even some of the music business stories behind some fantastic songs, more than a few of which might be very familiar to you. A long-running event in Toronto and in communities across the country, Bluebird North (BBN) is presented by the Songwriters Association of Canada and is named for Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe, which has featured stripped-down performances by accomplished songwriters for decades. This will be our Koerner Hall debut, and we are excited about an evening in such a beautiful hall. As is usual with the series, I have assembled the evening’s performers and am confident that—as usual—the result will be spontaneous, humorous, and exciting.
Marc Jordan, one of the founders of the original Bluebird North Toronto shows in 1995 and co-writer of hit songs for Josh Groban, Rod Stewart, Cher, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, and Diana Ross, will join the quirky and smart Ann Vriend, who will have just returned from tours of Australia and Europe, as well as her home province ofAlberta.
Joining Marc and Ann will be the amazingly intimate, warm, and funny Dan Hill, who—among many other accomplishments—wrote and sang the hits "Sometimes When We Touch", "Can't We Try," as well as hits for Celine Dion, 98 Degrees, and the Backstreet Boys. No doubt singing a few songs from her brand-new release Emerald City will be the excellent Melanie Doane, singer/songwriter/fiddler and ukelele-ist. Melanie has enjoyed seven Top 40 successes with her rootsy-pop music, and it is always a delight to be in the same room with her. Added to this already stellar line-up are Jane Siberry and Susie McNeil. Get your ticket now!!
--Blair Packham
Tickets are $40/$30/$20 from the Weston Family Box Office
TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning
Phone: 416.408.0208
About the Performers
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Dan Hill's70's mega-hit "Sometimes When We Touch", co-written with legendary songwriter Barry Mann, has been covered by the likes of Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Rodney Crowell, Roseanne Cash and many more. In the same way that "Sometimes When We Touch" had turbo-charged his performing career, Celine's Dion's magnificent version of "Seduces Me" galvanized his songwriting career. From 1997 on, he concentrated on songwriting for other vocalists. Dan Hill has not only become a prolific songwriter, but he has also written "I Am My Father's Son" (a memoir of love and forgiveness) published in Canada by Harper Collins. Dan's newest musical offering,Intimate, is a deeply personal collection of 15 songs.
From her beginnings in the early 1980s as a guitar and piano-based folk artist in the coffee houses and clubs of Toronto through her many musical incarnations, Jane Siberry has established herself as a uniquely gifted singer and composer. More than twenty years after her first musical release, Jane Siberry has become renowned both for her hauntingly beautiful music and for her strength as a creative, innovative artist. With eleven major recordings, three poem books, her own independent label, and the acclaim of fans and peers alike, Siberry continues to redefine and challenge herself as one of contemporary music's most original creative voices.
Twelve albums into a career, a recording artist could be forgiven for taking it easy and sticking to a comfortable and well-trodden creative path. Not so for Canadian songwriting icon Marc Jordan. Constantly testing himself and exploring new musical terrain, he digs deep on his latest offering, Crucifix In Dreamland. Along his fascinating career journey, Marc Jordan has earned a peer respect equaled by very few singer-songwriters. A partial list of artists who have covered Marc's material include: Joe Cocker ("Take Me Home"), Rod Stewart ("Rhythm Of My Heart"), Olivia Newton-John ("Instrument Of Peace"), Bette Midler ("The Perfect Kiss"), Diana Ross ("Pieces Of Ice"), and Bonnie Raitt ("Deep Water").
"There's no place like home" sings Juno Award winning singer-songwriter Melanie Doane on "Ruby Slippers", the opening track from her new album The Emerald City. While a Wizard of Oz theme is apparent, Melanie isn't channeling her inner Dorothy on this fresh set of pop-rock gems. "The Emerald City is an image we all know," says Doane. "It means different things to different people, but ultimately it's the only image I know of that embodies disenchantment and hope at the same time. It's the shattering of something you believe in, but somehow optimism remains. That's where I'm coming from with these songs."
Ann Vriend's (pronounced Vreend) vulnerable yet exquisite voice is often the first thing that turns heads. It has been described as an enchanting cross between Dolly Parton and a young Aretha Franklin, while her story-like but often enigmatic lyrics reveal her lauded literary depth, influenced by writers such as Leonard Cohen and Paul Simon. Vriend is about to release her next studio album entitled Love & Other Messes. A retro soul/Americana album, the work contains 12 powerful songs, many of which are already popular at Vriend's live shows.
Suzie McNeil is a seasoned performer who was first introduced to the world stage as the last woman standing in the 2005 CBS hit reality series Rockstar:INXS which topped TV ratings in US, Australia, Europe, the Philippines and Canada. She co-wrote her latest single, "Drama Queen" with Josh Ramsay (Marianas Trench), who also produced the track. "Drama Queen: is the first single off of Suzie's much anticipated upcoming CD to be released this spring through her new label 604 Records distributed by Universal Music.
Host Blair Packham first gained notoriety in the 80's as a singer-songwriter fronting The Jitters ("Last of the Red Hot Fools", "Til the Fever Breaks") - Blair is currently writing and recording his third full-length CD, as well as co-hosting 'In The Studio with Bob Reid and Blair Packham' on Newstalk 1010.
Bluebird North is based on Nashville's famed Bluebird Café, which opened in 1982. The venue is well known for helping launch the careers of Garth Brooks, Ashley Cleveland and Pam Tillis. Bluebird North is endorsed by the Bluebird Café in Nashville.
Venue:Koerner Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto
273 Bloor Street West
Toronto
Ontario
M5S 1W2