Here’s 2019 at Artword Artbar in review. Thanks to all the wonderful performers and audiences. The performers represented in this video are not, by any means, all! There were nights when I was just too busy to take photos.
Music, Music-bluegrass, Music-Blues, Music-cabaret, Music-Classical, Music-country, Music-folk, Music-funk, Music-Improvisors, Music-Jazz, Music-Latin, Music-pop-etc., Music-rock, Music-roots, Music-singer/songwriter, Music-Soul/R&B, Music-World, News, Theatre
Friday September 27, 2019, at 8 pm, Regular $15, students $10. To reserve tickets and seating, call 905-543-8512
or Book online 
Guess who is kicking off our 10th Anniversary Celebration concert series? Emily Kemp, jazz, funk and pop singer, set up her first concert at Artword Artbar on September 11, 2010 (we opened in Sept 2009). And she and the fellas have been playing together ever since. The original five – The Emily Kemp Quintet – will be playing this celebration concert: Emily Kemp (vocals), Tom Altobelli (bass),Chris Bruder (keys), Scott McIntosh (guitar), Jordan Snider (drums), members of the band now known as The Beelays. They will be playing jazz, some originals and their own take on some pop covers.
Event, Music, Music-funk, Music-Jazz, Music-pop-etc., Music-rock
Friday September 13, 2019, at 9:15 pm, tip jar. Supercrawl Weekend. An Artbar favourite, Beg To Differ Quartet, are back with a special late concert.
Tim Ninehouse on keyboards, vocals; Doug Sikma on guitar; Steve Foster on drums and new member Ryan Ethier on bass. Unique renditions of blues, jazz and funk songs, drawing from a large musical repertoire from early blues roots to jazzified contemporary songs. http://reverbnation.com/begtodiffertrio
Event, James North events, Music, Music-Blues, Music-funk, Music-Jazz, Music-rock
Saturday April 13, 2019, at 8 pm, $15. Call 905-543-8512, or
Book online
Surefire Sweat‘s debut appearance at Artword Artbar features the group’s inventive blend of jazz, funk and worldly rhythms. Players are: Dave Chan percussion, vocals; Larry Graves drums, vocals; Elena Kapeleris tenor sax, vocals; Paul MacDougall guitar, vocals; Liam Smith bass, vocals.
The music, composed by Juno-nominated drummer Larry Graves, is original, drawing on an amalgam of funk, jazz, brass-band, blues and Afrobeat. Inventive arrangements act as a vehicle for the all-star cast of musicians to engage listeners through improvisational explorations and danceable arrangements. Some new music will be explored as well as repertoire from the band’s up-coming release (supported by The Canada Council for Arts and The Ontario Arts Council). surefiresweat.com
Event, Music, Music-Blues, Music-funk, Music-Jazz, Music-World
Friday April 5, 2019, at 8 pm, $10. The Koopa Troop band play classic video-game music: Wilson McLeish / Luigi (guitar),Tom Altobelli /Mario (bass), Tyler Goertzen /Link (drums), Chris Bruder /Toad (piano). [Fifth member Chelsea McBride is not available for this concert.]
Koopa Troop brings the nostalgic sounds of video games to life in a quirky ensemble. Donning their Nintendo-themed costumes, these Toronto jazz musicians embrace their inner nerd and become a live, musical nostalgia machine. Koopa Troop aims to induce flashbacks as they cover all the classic video game soundtracks from Mario to Megaman. Bringing the best video game composers to the forefront, Koopa Troop’s jazz, rock, funk, and swing-infused arrangements bring the epic pixelated melodies of the past into the real world.
Event, Music, Music-funk, Music-Jazz
Friday March 8, 2019, at 8 pm, $15. A double bill of jazz and funk.
Beelays: Jazz Quartet, with Jordan Snider on drums, Tom Altobelli on bass, Chris Bruder on piano and Scott McIntosh on guitar, is a stripped down instrumental edition of Hamilton’s hard-hitting funk rock band The Beelays. The quartet formed ten years ago while studying music at Mohawk College. The quartet features compositions written by all members of the group that fuse elements of improvisation with the energy of live music to make a unique performance every time.
Nosey Neighbour, with Juno-nominated guitarist & bandleader Paul MacDougall, George Ouellette on bass and Costa Chatzis on drums, is a group based in Brantford, born from a shared love of jazz, fusion and funk. Nosey Neighbour‘s style fuses catchy heads and adept improvisation much like John Scofield, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Miles Davis.
Event, Music, Music-funk, Music-Jazz