NORTH STAGE
The Reposadists - Combine the urban, late-night cool of Chet Baker’s horn, with the swingin' upbeat and smokey vocals of ‘Ole Blue Eyes’ Frank Sinatra, plus the killer house band from Ossington Avenue's Reposado Bar, and the resulting sound cocktail is The Reposadists - one of Toronto’s hippest, jazziest quintets!
As performers of The Great American Songbook, the class and swing these refined musicians bring will ease and bop you into a buzzingly fine mood. Influences & Inspiration: Frank Sinatra, Chet Baker, Nina Simone, David Bowie & Count Basie Look for The Reposadists' new live album coming out this fall! Sandy MacFadyen on Vocals Tim Hamel on Trumpet Lee Wallace on Guitar Jon Meyer on Bass Ethan Ardelli on Drums https://www.reposadobar.ca/ Spotify |
The Rider Raiders - Are a funky four piece horn band that bring joy to the world, and are comprised of some of Toronto’s grooviest and most artfully skilled musicians!
Born in a canoe at Harbourfront in 2017, they are stalwarts of the Ossington and Queen West club scene, raising spirits with an infectious blend of groovy funk-jazz, classic rock covers and originals at Reposado Bar every Saturday night. The band features Juno Award winning alto sax player Richard Underhill, lyrical jazz trumpet player Tim Hamel, world renowned drummer phenom Great Bob Scott, and highly respected rock bassist Mike Pellarin. Get ready to get your groove on! SoundCloud |
Nelson Sobral - Hailing from Toronto’s gritty Parkdale neighbourhood, Sobral injects his Americana sound with urban blues, rock & roll grit, and northern soul, blending the storytelling of outlaw country with the swagger of blues rock, inspired by legends like The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson & Otis Redding.
Echoing the influences of songwriting giants like Hank Williams, Gram Parsons and Stevie Wonder, Sobral’s songwriting is at once personal and universal, and is rooted in a hard-won and contemporary edge. Nelson's road-hardened career includes sharing stages with David Wilcox, The Trews, and Jeff Healey. https://nelsonsobralmusic.com/ Linktree |
Lucille & Friends - R&B, SOUL & ROCK 'n' ROLL!
Currently working with some of the most well-known Canadian and international recording artists, these six in-demand musicians are some of the finest this country has on offer. They come together as Lucille & Friends for a very special OssFest engagement: Lucille (Stacey Kaniuk) ~ Vocals Facebook - X - Instagram Al 'Baby' Webster ~ Drums alwebster.com - Instagram Tom Juhas ~ Guitar & Vocals Allmusic - Instagram - Facebook Chris Banks ~ Bass BandCamp - Instagram Chis Gale ~ Sax Jazz Music Archives - Instagram Eric Boucher ~ Keyboards |
Gruvoria - Is the brainchild of guitarist Blair Purdy, a karate Sensei and incredibly rangeful musician who is inspired by the primordial legends of jazz-funk.
Covering songs written by Jeff Beck, The Meters, Mahavishnu Orchestra, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, Tom Waits, Frank Zappa, Coltrane, The Foo Fighters, along with inter stellar Original Compositions – Gruvoria’s explosive performances showcase the bands deep musical chemistry through Purdy’s combustible sonic vision. https://www.gruvoria.com |
Iliya Vee's Hypothesis - Iliya Vee is a songwriter, guitarist and performer with over 15 years of experience in the Toronto music scene.
Drawing inspiration from the sounds of Big Star, Elvis Costello, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, his musical style combines elements of country, folk, and blues rock behind thoughtful, playful, and sometimes downright tragic lyrics. The band consists of Iliya Vee on guitar and lead vocals, backed by three of Toronto's well seasoned and deeply accomplished musicians - Matthew Stamegna on keyboard, James Thomson on bass, and Mark Hundevad on drums. Soundcloud |
The Roncy Boys - Are the "Bad Boy Dandies of Piano Glam Rock"! Dangerous and fun, by turns satirical, romantic, dark and beautiful, their sound combines 70s glam, rock opera and soul across 3 EP Releases: It's Time!, The Rise and Fall of the Roncy Boys and DIE DIE BABY!
LISTEN TO their track DIE DIE BABY! Not only does it resonate with the times, but you will catch yourself whistling and singing the chorus to this wonderfully cathartic tune. CHECK OUT their most recent music video NAPOLEON. It’s compellingly creative DIY fun, masterfully put together. Upping the ante every time they hit the stage - fearless and highly engaging – their performances are one-of-a-kind, not-to-be-missed experiences, drawing inspiration from Queen, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Roxy Music, The Beatles & more! |
U.N. Jefferson - Is a 9 piece collective that fuses elements of Soul with the fundamentals of Motown and early R&B to create a sound that is both familiar and fresh.
Rooted in the vintage sounds of James Brown, The Temptations and Wilson Pickett, the band manages to keep one foot in the foundation of traditional Soul while cultivating an authentic take on a classic genre. Fronted by singer-songwriter Ajay Massey, U.N. Jefferson’s dynamic live performance delivers a high degree of energy and showmanship. The band’s infectious sound and Massey’s fervor for entertaining the crowd knows no bounds. Standing still is not an option. https://unjefferson.com/ |
Dopamine Dream - Peirson Ross is the main songwriter, guitarist and voice for the band.
Jay Crafton aka Boy Wonder (Good Brothers progeny) is a multi-instrumentalist drummer and sound engineer who pushes the boundaries in every sense of the word. His incredible versatility enables him to sing harmony while invoking the driving subtleties of Bonham, Baker and Ringo. On bass, Ben Bombier holds down the low end rhythm with Jay, and also contributes guitar arrangements. Andrew Rucklidge aka Bobbe Ruck (Wurlitzer, B3 and synths) takes a painterly approach to sound design. Together they are Dopamine Dream. https://www.dopaminedreamband.com/ |
Rudy Blair - Has been part of the entertainment industry in the capacity of Radio/Television Emcee, Host and Speaker for almost 30 years. Twenty-three of those years were with 680News as the Music Entertainment Reporter. During that time, he interviewed some of the biggest artists in music including Beyonce, Jay Z, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Lorde, Gordon Lightfoot, Tony Bennett and Tim McGraw, and covered major events such as The Grammy Awards, The Juno Awards, the Much Music Video Awards, The Canadian Screen Awards and Canada's Walk of Fame.
Rudy has been honoured with 16 Radio-Television News Directors Association National and Regional Awards, The Harry Jerome Award, and has been inducted into the Humber College Radio Broadcasting Hall Of Fame, The Vaughan Road Academy Hall of Fame, and has received an Honorary Degree from Humber College. With his new website, Rudy Blair Entertainment Media rudyblairmedia.com, he continues to promote music acts of the future, as well as cover events, chat with stars of the stage, movies, sports, politics and the every day person who has an interesting story. rudyblairmedia.com North Music Stage Crew:
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