For those who can’t make the concert – and we hope at least 200 of you do (since that’s the capacity of the el Mocambo Club) here’s where you can view the concert live, 8:00 pm (EDT):
Canadian-based Scottish Guitar legend, Tony McManus, will be guesting with the Toronto Police Pipe Band (the “PoPo”) at their May 21, 2011 show at the el Mocambo Club in Toronto. Last year’s sold-out show produced the band’s award-winning “Raw and Off the Floor” record and proved once again why the el Mocambo has been a home to some many legendary and historic shows: the accoustics are fantastic!
The well-mic’d guitar styling of McManus alongside the sounds of the pipe band (and a solo or two) will be sure to help make another unforgetable night of music.
The grade one Toronto Police Pipe Band will again be hosting a show at Toronto’s iconic el Mocambo club, 464 Spadina Avenue, Toronto. The Saturday, May 21, show is slated to begin at 8:00 pm.
Elvis Costello’s “Live at the El Mocambo” and the Rolling Stones’ “Love You Live” records are two of the most famous albums to be recorded off the floor of the “el Mo”. The Toronto Police Pipe Band recorded a live show at the venue last May. The recording went on to receive the pipes | drums award for 2010 “Album of the Year”.
The grade one band’s “Live at the el Mocambo: Raw and Off the Floor” project was yesterday named Recording of the Year by pipes|drums, the world’s most read piping and pipe band-related website.
Here’s a great photo of Christian Mehat, composer of Concerto Ascenseur (Elevator Concerto), taken this month while on tour in China. Christian is a member of Brittany’s Bagad St Nazaire, one of the best bagads anywhere.
“This is a great pic for a lot of reasons”, said G1 band P/S Michael Grey, “It’s got Christian mugging with the band’s latest T but, funny to me, because when I first started corresponding with Christian he would always sign his name, ‘Xian’. I asked a Breton piper I knew if he was Chinese. Christian got wind of this and laughed his ass off”.
Most would know that ‘Xian’ is only a short-form of his given name. But that’s our clever Pipe Sergeant.
You can hear Concerto Ascenseur on the band’s new CD, “Live at the el Mocambo“.
The Toronto Police Pipe Band’s new recording, “Live at the el Mocambo”, is now available for downloading from iTunes. Over the coming days other major international download sites including puretracks.com, napster.com, etc will also host the record.
The Toronto Police Pipe Band grade 3 won the day at Saturday’s (July 10) Oshawa International Festival. The band was placed first ahead of the 400 Squadron band of Downsview, Ontario and Rob Roy of Kingston, Ontario. Pipe Major Brian Urkosky and the band are showing fine form and gain solid momentum heading into the season’s final events. Onwards and upwards!
The band’s recording of their May 15, 2010 show at the el Mocambo club in Toronto is ready for sale now and officially released July 14, 2010.
New music, old music, good music; there’s something on Live at the el Mocambo for everyone. The crowd’s a big part of the production; have a listen, it’ll be like you were there on the night!
The band launched their own youtube channel today. First video up is the grade one band’s show at Georgetown games. Subscribe and you’ll get the latest news and videos from the bands shows and travels.
The kind of drone reeds a piper plays is always a topic for discussion – between pipers. Some like the traditional cane reeds, some like the more reliable synthetic inventions.
Here’s a humourous take on one piper’s passion for cane reeds – courtesy of Bryan “Huddy” Huddleston, an excellent piper in the grade one band.
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As ambassadors of both the Toronto Police Service and the City of Toronto, the
band is dedicated to playing good music well and to help bring the ancient
sounds of the pipes and drums to citizens of Toronto – and the world.
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