Rating: NNNNN
Jarvis gets the love
Checked out legendary house vocalist Arnold Jarvis Friday night at Roxy Blu for the latest instalment of Voices , which focuses on vocalists in house music. He rocked the joint along with New York’s Jon Cutler and Miami’s Louis Beneditti , both fine DJs who haven’t appeared here often. Cutler played first in the main room and did a fine job warming up the crowd. He’s got good technique and avoids self-indulgent showing off. Beneditti followed, concentrating on dropping brand new and unreleased material. But most were there for Jarvis, so there was a visible jump in energy when he stepped onto the little makeshift stage.
Though an engaging performer, he seemed a bit overwhelmed by the love he got from the crowd. The best response of the night was for Life Goes On, with which a good percentage of the audience sang along.
Peroxide packed
Hadn’t been to Peroxide for a while, so I stopped by the monthly electro and new wave party on Saturday. Club 56 still gets packed like a can of sardines, these days more with students than art scenesters.
The club itself actually looks a bit cleaner than it used to, but the sound system is still pretty rough and not totally functional. The night has a good energy that has sustained itself for a while now, so maybe the electro revival isn’t over yet.
Late Night action
Swallow Lounge has started hosting a late-night party every Friday featuring Alvaro G , Kevin “Jazzy” J and weekly guests. Some of us had assumed some after-hours alcohol would be available, but this is a legal late-night event, so juice, water and pop are all you’ll get. This week was the first edition of Late Night Drama . It’s still too early to tell if Toronto is willing to support this kind of all-night party, but it’s always good to have another option for post-last-call action.
Garage 416 turns five
Garage 416 celebrated five years of soulful house Saturday night at Funhaus (formerly Zen Lounge), featuring an electric performance by Robert Owens . I was a bit surprised when the flyers announced Garage 416 had decided to use this venue, but once inside I understood. The club’s the right size for their crowd and better set up than most dance clubs for live performances, with a decent sound system.
It still looks raw and unfinished, but that vibe actually suits this kind of event. It remains to be seen if Funhaus will continue to function as a rental venue or settle back into the alternative/goth vibe Zen Lounge was known for.
benjamin.boles@sympatico.ca
