The past two months have been a busy time, and I would like to thank those of you who came out to the last month's shows in Montreal, Kingston, Hull, Toronto and New York, for making the last few weeks such a joy. Also, thank you to those of you who wrote in support and encouragement following our appearance on CBC's Bandwidth and our feature on the Vinyl Cafe.

Upcoming shows:

TONIGHT - Toronto, ON: Wednesday, April 25th @ Trane Studio - this will be an unplugged duo (inspired by Lord Superior and Brother Valentino's recent Toronto appearance...see below for comments on this).

Toronto, ON: Thursday, May 10th @ Lula Lounge (co-bill with Phil Lafreniere and Steven Patterson of People Project)

Greenbank, ON, May 12th @ Greenbank Folk Club

Castro Valley, California, May 26th @ International Soul Jazz Festival -- this event has been postponed until later this summer.

Recent Articles and Reviews:

Toronto Star

Eye Weekly

Ottawa Citizen

Origivation

Caribbean Beat

The Record:

Independence (2007) is available across Canada through Festival Distribution. Please visit your nearest store to pick up the CD or place an order. The CD can also be ordered online at CD Baby www.cdbaby.com/kobotown or downloaded through Calabash Music www.calabashmusic.com/kobotown.

The Workshop:

My weekly workshop on calypso (part of the Worlds of Music Toronto series) is wrapping up. I could not have had a more enthusiastic and inspiring group of participants and this was certainly reflected in the wonderful calypsoes they composed and performed. Worlds of Music is planning to offer the workshop again in the Fall, so please check their site if you may be interested in attending: www.worldsofmusic.ca.

News and Musings:

About 3 weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a pre-screening of the film Calypso Dreams, due for release this August. For anyone interested in calypso, Trinidadian history, or perhaps even anyone hoping to witness a rare intersection between political committment and good humour, this film is a must see. Moving between hilltop jam sessions and rumshop limes, this film captures some of history's greatest calypsonians at their most personal, and the use of Rudder, Valentino and Chalkdust(themselves legendary kaisonians) to comment on the birth and growth of the art only enhances the intimacy of the audience's encounter. Following the film, the Lord Superior and Brother Valentino, treated us to a rare unplugged performance and their songs (now classics) were met with roaring laughter and shouts of agreement. It was a most fitting end to the evening.