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Music

T.O. Music Notes

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The Guest Bedroom tops benefit for Interval House Women’s Shelter Saturday (August 20)

Whether it comes as a self-released single like the Sonic Rendezvous Band’s anthemic City Slang or a cut on a dud film soundtrack like Alicia Keys’s Rock Wit U from John Singleton’s lame Shaft remake, you can sometimes hear world-beating promise in just one song.

Even with a tune as freakishly great as the Guest Bedroom‘s wired-up We Like Accidents, it takes more than a hooky chorus to catch on. But judging by the Guest Bedroom show at Rancho Relaxo last Wednesday, their raging ode to fateful mishaps seems to be filling dance floors locally. You can see for yourself when the Guest Bedroom play the Interval House funder at Sneaky Dee’s Saturday (August 20).

“That was actually one of the very first songs we came up with after forming last summer,” says guitar-strapped singer Sandi Falconer . “It’s great to see it’s connecting with people, and the guys in the band really get into the shouting parts, which makes it a lot of fun to play.”

One reason why We Like Accidents isn’t already an international chart smash could be the somewhat limited release strategy for the EP of the same name. This Falconer attributes to simple economics.

“We wanted to get some of our music out but didn’t have much money. So we recorded the whole four-song EP in a day and put the package together, assembling the paper sleeves on the kitchen table. We originally only made 100 numbered copies to see if we could sell them all. We did, so we had another paper-cutting party, and now there’s more.

“We’ve sent a few out to different campus radio stations, and it’s starting to chart at random stations, which means someone’s playing it. Actually, we heard our song This Is An Emergency on the radio once and, I can’t lie, there was much laughter and high-fiving going on.”

Billy Robinson, 1939-2005

It’s with heavy hearts that we must report the passing of Ottawa-based saxophonist, composer, bandleader and teacher Billy Robinson , who died of a heart attack August 11. He was 66. The Fort Worth-born tenor great, revered as much for his warm, room-filling sound as he was admired for his nurturing nature, played with Charles Mingus (1969-70) and participated in the recording of Archie Shepp’s classic Attica Blues, but his finest work was 72’s Evolution’s Blend album for the CBC’s Radio Canada International series, documented on the recent Ready Or Not (Do Right!) compilation.

Robinson was clearly in pain before his final Toronto appearance at Harbourfront’s Brigantine Room July 16, yet performed magnificently to enthusiastic cheers. Evidently, he had just completed a new album that will be released later this year. He’ll be missed.

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