An excellent early 8pm show tonight, Toronto music lovers, and just round the bend from Value Village! Rootsfolkpunk feedbackist Vanessa's Entire Heart is opening for Friendly Rich and the Lollipop People tonight at the newish location of Somewhere There (228 Sterling Road unit #112), the beatnik crash pad venue that refuses to die. It looks just like the sort of show you might like to attend, if you are the sort of person who likes to attend shows. The venue alone is disarming because a pwyc ethic open mind / open programming venue is such an openended question against the wallpaper of the old fashioned bar model that it really makes shows stand out from the ordinary. It's a shame that Friendly Rich couldn't complete his March residency at recently deceased Korova Milk Bar but he has landed in a much more interesting place at Somewhere There.

After Wavelength 516's lovely visit to the old Buddist temple at 918 Bathurst (where I finally got to witness the Deeep!), I have been bigging-up the whole idea of off-venue shows, on one hand they're harder to run, but on the other hand they're so much easier to run, if you follow. (Next to Kurt Swinghammer, The Deeep are the best smelling act in the city by the way.)

Places like Somewhere There are the living descendants of the energy that came out of the speakeasies and salons of the days before the good old days, always worthy of support, and you can contribute to their continued well being by voting with your feet and getting involved with the community, everybody wins.

I am guessing that even if you don't love this bill immediately you will warm to it, and will grow to love it after a few minutes. It has all the ingredients for a show that will stand out in your memory against the backdrop of a forest of other shows, a one-of-a-kind kind of show, an intriguing mix of elements. Then again it might just be a show, sometimes a show is just a show and that is just fine.

Oh and be warned: Feedback is an instrument and a weapon so earplugs might diminish some of the blue notes in Vanessa's songs but in a little venue you might want to bring along a pair of orangies. Alternating between rainshower rainbows and sheet lightening dental drills, Vanessa's Entire Heart is just the sort of palette whetting that lovably unapologetic antagonist Bertholt Brecht laurel-rester-rearranging chronically unretiring bone shaker Friendly Rich, and his note perfect troubadours the Lollipop People, require. Perfect mix of contradictory flavours like 100 year old balsamic vinegar over strawberries and ice cream. Details below.

- Doc

Tuesday, March 22nd 2011

FRIENDLY RICH & THE LOLLIPOP PEOPLE

>>>>>>>>>www.myspace.com/friendlyrich

VANESSA'S ENTIRE HEART

>>>>>>>>>www.myspace.com/vanessahanson

@ Somewhere There (227 Sterling Rd #112)

 8PM Doors, 8:30PM Bands

$5/PWYC, All Ages

SPRING!!!