The Jam (Last Friday) March 2013

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The attendance was massive and the crowd's vibe was pumping. We had the community's involvement as always and eager to check in on who's going to be the new surprise guest performers in the line up. You never know which discovery of new talent you are going to see each and every month, and find yourself asking:  "why haven't I heard of these great talents?"

We kicked off the event with the "Flash Mob" dance crew from the YLTP and Access Alliance. The spectators gave them a warmhearted applause for the captivating, poppin performance. The Focus House Band followed through once again with some of their originals and some, covers... Always the community's regular favorite.

This party also delivered some spoken word artistry from Marcus Lomboy, sending inspiration for young poets out there in the community to continue their passion for wordplay wizardry. He seeks to educate and inspire youth while spreading a message of creativity and catharsis. He has been a member of the 2010-2011 BAM! Toronto Youth Slam Team, featured at Urban Legends and BAM! The Toronto Youth Slam, competed in provincial and national events such as the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word's inaugural youth showcase in 2011, and won Toronto's first youth team slam, the UNITY Charity Free Your Voice Slam with The Messengers.

After this performance, Abstract Random electrified the crowd with their phat funky beats and triphop techno techniques and unique vocal chorus and special effects. They finished the show off with some Ragga DanceHall vibe, blended with some triphop/ambient vibe. Also notable works by Abstract Random: Ontario Arts Council -‘Popular Music Grant’ recipients. {2011} Toronto Independent Music Awards - Nominee ‘Best Electronic’ {2012} 88 Days of Fortune music and multimedia collective members.

At last! We couldn't have picked an amazing closer - Signe Miranda who had mesmerized and hypnotized us with her beautiful, charismatic soft voice. As I had suggested, Signe had a hint of the acclaimed singer "Emiliana Torrini" hidden underneath those vocal cords, but when asked who her influences were and replied: “Blue Rodeo”.

That’s it for this month’s JAM event! Until next time.

Jerry Zabarte

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