Luminato’s Queen Street Celebration - Saturday June 7, 2008

This one should be a classic afternoon for the memory books. An afternoon of music in Grange Park (between Dundas W & Queen W on McCaul. It's outdoors, so bring an umbrella with the current forecast holds.

Here's a backgrounder and the schedule from the press release....

Hot off the heels of last year’s wonderfully successful “Summer of Love” celebration of Toronto’s 1960’s Yorkville, Luminato directs the public’s attention to the wildly creative space, and seriously influential era in Toronto’s popular culture history – Queen Street.

This free, daylong retrospective of the essence of the Queen Street strip is part of Luminato’s free opening weekend celebrations, presented by TELUS. Through music, discussion, art and video, the day pays homage to the artistically inspired era of multi-genre music and art that foreshadowed the birth of one of the most multicultural cities in the world, Toronto.

The mid 1970’s bore witness to inspired collaborations that began as the Queen Street area, from University Avenue to Bathurst Street, was infiltrated by a horde of young artists from the Ontario College of Art (later renamed Ontario College of Art and Design). This colourful street was a lively mélange of junk stores, rag trade suppliers, cheap diners and bars. Venues like the Beverly Tavern, the Bamboo, the Rivoli, the Horseshoe, and the Cameron House are now infamous. By the early 1980’s, the area had become the catalyst for the birth of new wave, electro-pop, country-rock, roots, reggae, worldbeat and some individual fusions that still defy categorization.

Artists dared to experiment with anti-establishment political and artistic forms and created an avante garde explosion that reverberated out along the Queen Street strip and eventually, through artistic expression, beyond Canada’s borders.

“On Saturday, June 7, Luminato invites the public back to the epicentre of the Queen Street scene at Dundas and McCaul to celebrate this radical era in Toronto’s pop culture that swept the world in the 1970’s and ‘80’s – and all of the art and entertainment may be enjoyed for free! “ declares Martin Robertson, Ideas in Motion, producer of the event.


Concert Schedule

100 McCaul Street (outdoors)

1:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Johnny & the G-Rays, lead by John Macleod. The band became legendary for combining the musical styles of British Rock, Jazz, Country, and Blues. As Mr. McLeod says, “Some of that mix might be better understood today than it was then!” The B Girls join Johnny and the G-Rays. They got their start at the off-Queen Street do-it-yourself punk club, The Crash and Burn, and quickly became noted on the New York scene playing clubs like CBGB’s.

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Mary Margaret O’Hara, an artist who epitomized the Queen West scene makes an extremely rare and unique performance appearance, having spent time pursing other artistic endeavours over the last few years. An original multi-talented “Queen Streeter” (singer, songwriter, actor, visual artist), Ms. O’Hara’s original songs have been covered by Holly Cole, Cowboy Junkies, Everything But The Girl and The Walkabouts. She is also a graduate of O.C.A.

4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

The Parachute Club, featuring four original members, including Lorraine Segato and Billy Bryans. One of Canada’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful groups joins forces with several other hot players from the 80’s Queen Street scene: Juno Award-winning dub poet Lillian Allen, singer/songwriter Mojah (formerly of ‘80’s reggae band Truths and Rights), Micah Barnes and Cuban rapper and poet Telmary. To this day, “P. Club” songs such as the city’s anthem-like Rise Up, and Love and Compassion, remain staples on Canadian radio.