Being For The Benefit of Mr. Jensen

Aaron Jensen, artistic director of Sing! Toronto Vocal Arts Festival, held a benefit for the 2nd year of the festival at Lula Lounge. The Dundas St. W venue was thus filled with vocal geeks Monday night. In addition to the performances, there were also a raffle and a silent auction.

Retrocity amped up the energy performing I Feel For You, Synchronicity II, and Easy Lover in full 80s regalia. Suba Sankaran and Dylan Bell from that band also wowed as Freeplay Duo with layered vocal tracks on Sankofa, a Speak Softly Love/Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano/ Hit The Road Jack mash-up, Michael Jackson's Butterflies, and Owl City's Fireflies. Aaron Jensen, also of Retrocity, humorously led the crowd in a call-and-response involving increasingly hard imitations of musical instruments. Both Gavin Hope (The Nylons) and Michael Burgess showed off their powerful and nuanced voice on God Bless The Child and Anthem (Chess) respectively.

The rest of the night's entertainers included: Rob Missen (Come All You Bold Canadians) in winking honour of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, Patti Jannetta (Gin House Blues), Stacey Kay (People Get Ready), a capella group Countermeasure (Pure Imagination, Signed Sealed Delivered, D'Angelo's Spanish Joint) and Cadence (Hit That Jive Jack, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Just A Gigolo).