Yonge Street: Toronto Rock & Roll Stories

[DevO]

Wish my bunny ears brought in Bravo so I could watch this!

http://www.yongestreet.tv/

http://www.bravo.ca/events/yongestreet/

WORLD PREMIERE: MARCH 21, 22 and 23 at 10et/7pt

YONGE STREET - Toronto Rock & Roll Stories tells the untold tales of those first steps, with performers revealing, in their own words, their struggles trying to make the scene on Yonge Street, from Rock & Roll's dodgy beginnings in the late 1950s through to 1975, when strip clubs took over Yonge Street and dropped the curtain on this most exciting era of the city's musical and social history.

Full of colourful anecdotes and previously unseen and unheard archival material, the 3 x 1 hour series features illuminating, entertaining reminiscences by many of the musicians and performers who were there when it all went down. We share in the stories related by Robbie Robertson (The Band), Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins, Cathy Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Sylvia Fricker (Tyson), John Kay (Steppenwolf), David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat and Tears), Daniel Lanois, Skip Prokup (Lighthouse).

The series captures all the flavour, excitement, and energy of the period when "the Devil's music" stormed white bread Toronto, and Yonge Street became the essential destination for musicians, singers and music fans not only in Toronto but across Canada and beyond. YONGE STREET - Toronto Rock & Roll Stories is a love story about a street, a city, and the Toronto sound - a sound that predates the 1957 night Elvis stormed Maple Leaf Gardens. The stories of YONGE STREET - Toronto Rock & Roll are still reverberating and ricocheting around the world.

[phishtaper]

this looks really cool. thnx for the heads up!

[Kanada Kev]

Thanks for posting this. I totally look forward to watching this. Love these kinds of docs when they are done well.

I wonder if this has anything to do with great prof Rob Bowman. I would have asked him last night when I spoke with him at the Levon Helm show. A friend who I was with at the preshow talk sent me a link to this Bowman lecture that is all about the history of rock in Toronto. Love it.

[DevO]

No problem dudes. Looks like it is a well put together doc, Bruce McDonald no less.

Kev, check this out too if you haven't seen it:

http://torontoist.com/2011/01/historicist_the_hawk_nests_in_toronto.php

Who did the pre-show talk at the Levon show, and what was it on? (Was it Rob Bowman?) And how was Levon!??!

[Kanada Kev]

Thanks for the link. I'll try to watch those vids today sometime.

The pre-show talk at Levon was with Rob Bowman. He spoke primarily about how amazing the music from Levon's "revival" was on Dirt Farmer. Played plenty of samples of it and explained how it was a true return to his roots, family, community, etc. As always, too brief and left wanting more.

I got an email from BWM the day of the show. He had gotten in the night before and raved about it. I trust his opinion and went knowing it was going to be a treat (i'll email you today BWM ... sorry for not replying). Lucinda and her band opened with a wonderful set that went for a good 70mins! I'd really like to catch her in an even smaller venue. She's got that smokey bar, heavy drinkin' kind a vibe Levon and his band were a joy to watch. Levon's voice was understandably rough and he didn't use it much. I was glad for this as I found it a bit difficult hearing him with such reduced range and quality of voice. HOwever, what he did sing was overcome with his tenacity and heart coming through the performance. Larry Campbell and the rest of the players were all in top form. LOVED having the horn section. Ever heard a tuba take a verse in a song??? Wild.

Highlight of the night? Had to be Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams and Amy Helm singing Attics of my Life. The BEST version of this song I think I have ever heard. It needs to be heard this way. Haunting beautiful voices and a clean minimal guitar created an incredible and moving version of a classic Dead song.

[Northern Wish]

The first episode airs tonight!