Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Saturday night, I dropped by The Cameron House to see up-and-coming country singer Whitney Rose (also signed to Cameron House Records). I saw her in an acoustic set opening for Ben Caplan at The Rivoli. This was a chance to see her with a full band.

Rose is diminutive, slender and quite stunning with classical features and dark wavy hair. With backing band Jane's Party, they played two sets of varied country music starting off with Chivalry Is Dead. For someone so young, she does seem to like writing hurtin' songs for her debut album (At The Do-Si-Do, You Only Love Me In The Summertime). Though usually even keeled, Rose does let loose some good pipes on more rocking/bluesy numbers. Being an East coast girl from P.E.I., she also sang songs about life there.

Her covers ran the gamut from Hank Williams' Jambalaya (On The Bayou), Jeannie C. Riley's Harper Valley P.T.A., to Willie Nelson's Good-Hearted Woman. With a full sound, it was obvious that her heart lay at the intersection between country and 50s pop, as evidenced by new number Old School Soul. With both looks and talent, here's hoping she'll go far in her career.

Dive Right In

After a Saturday morning yoga class, attended by a Canadian celebrity, I was off to grab some brunch. Being in the Ossington and Dundas area, I stopped off at The Lakeview Diner. When I first moved to Toronto, this eatery had become a has-been: sad 70s furnishing, perpertually empty. A few years ago, with a change in ownership, the serendipity of the night-life explosion in the area, it acquired hipster-cred and is now packing them in. Oddly enough, the decor hasn't change.

The menu has changed a bit. Still primarily your basic breakfast eat, it tries to offer better quality ingredients like organic eggs. I ordered The Standard ($9.50): 2 eggs over-easy, maple sausage, and rye bread. The eggs were competently done but could be more golden. I liked the slight sweetness of the sausage. The soft home fries, cut like potato chips, were easy to roll up to dip in the ketchup. Finish it off with some greens and fruit and you have your average brunch: better than some, but not compelling enough that you'd go out of your way to eat here.

Square Dancing

Friday night, I stopped off at Yonge-Dundas to see Lindi Ortega. This up-and-coming country singer had recently left Toronto to make a name for herself in Nashville. Backed by a 3-piece band, she regaled a crowd of fans and curious onlookers over the next 80 min or so.

Drawing on a majority of songs from her sophomore album, there were songs of love lost and found (The Day You Die, Don't Wanna Hear It). She seemed particular drawn to images of damnation (Demons Don't Get Me Down, Heaven Has No Vacancy). James Robertson (formerly of New Country Rehab), brought the fast fingers on rockabilly numbers and whammy chords on bluesy tunes (Little Red Boots). She did wear those signature boots (also the title of her first release), along with a curve-hugging black dress.

Whether old songs (I'm Not Elvis Presley) or new ones (Waiting For My Luck To Change), it was old-school country. Along with a quaver in her voice, there were definite echoes of Dolly Parton in her performance. But Ortega also delighted in letting her voice loose in "testifying" blues number including a cover of I Never Loved A Man (Aretha Franklin) Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) (Nancy Sinatra), and Folsome Prison Blues (Johnny Cash). With a promise of a hug with every album purchase, a line-up of about 30 waited for her by the merch table after the show.

Font Of Fun

I don't usually go to bars in Little Italy but I dropped by Wild Indigo Thursday for some "good old-fashioned fun". Started by Elliott Loran (Ride The Cyclone) as a get-together for friends to sing and jam, Swinging Wingding has become big and popular enough to take place in a more public venue.

The 2.0 edition found musical theatre nerds and other entertainer types went up to the mic and did their thing. It was primarily singing whether it was original songs or classic standards. A few were well-prepared and professional, while most others treated as a lark to try something fun with friends. Of course, numerous sing-a-longs were encouraged (and had enthusiastic participation). There were a variety of other acts including a comic and 2 puppet troupes. One did an amusing sketch about a man, his "invisible" puppet friends, and his increasingly bemused room-mate. The other were "news reporter" who interviewed the talent. Both were funnier than the puppet slam I attended at 3030 Dundas.

It was also a cheap show, presumably because most were of the "starving artist" ilk. There was no cover, the bar had bourbon sours for $6, and a toonie got you 5 raffle tickets with over $300 worth of prizes.