JUNO DECADES SERIES at the Horseshoe (370 Queen West), Saturday (March 5). $20-$25. HS, RT, SS, TM.
NOW TALKS: GREAT CANADIAN MUSIC FROM THE 00s, with BRENDAN CANNING, JUSTIN RUTLEDGE and ROYAL WOOD at the NOW Lounge (189 Church), tonight (Thursday, March 3), 7 pm. $5. nowtoronto.com/nowtalks.
Until now, the Juno Decades concerts have likely been easy to book. Musicians both young and old love an excuse to celebrate the past, and they turned up in droves to celebrate Canadian music of the 80s and 90s.
But since nostalgia requires distance, the 00s have been a harder sell. It’s admirable, then, that the organizers have managed to pack the bill with an impressive array of recent Canadian talent. Much of the credit goes to the Order of Good Cheer, the hard-partying locals who will act as house band for the evening.
“We’ve played the Horseshoe so much lately that we must be at the top of their speed dial,” laughs the Cheer’s David Tysowski, whose band also plays the ‘Shoe the night before (Friday, March 4) with Small Sins.
Between Tysowski’s day job as head of promotions at Arts & Crafts, bassist Frank Guidoccio’s legendary backyard BBQs and guitarist Chris Greenough’s past in the band Pilate, they’ve amassed a remarkable Rolodex that they’ve dusted off for the event.
Expect guest spots by members of Broken Social Scene, Zeus, the Stills, Justin Rutledge, NQ Arbuckle, Royal Wood, Sarah Slean and others.
“Our set’s going to be an epic slice of Canrock history from the 00s,” boasts Tysowski. “We’ve come up with some never-done-before collaboration ideas. It’ll be a total blast.”
Interview Clip
Though the members of The Order of Good Cheer are all involved in the music industry in some capacity, it was a shared affinity for meat that brought them together at lead singer Frank Guidoccio’s backyard jam space.
