Location: The London Music Club (470 Colborne St.)

Cost: $5 Cover (Per Person) Oh, and if you slam you get in FREE!

Feature Poet: CR Avery

The 2009 CFSW Spoken Word Poet of Honour, C.R. Avery began playing music professionally at the age of 17. Fifteen albums and seven operas later smoke stack lightening is the eternal horizon.   In the past four years, Avery has played almost every major Canadian folk festival.   He has performed extensively throughout North America and Europe as a beat-box poet, punk piano player and outlaw harmonica player of hip-hop with his rock & roll band the Boomchasers or fronting the indescribable Legal Tender String Quartet.

C.R. has also paid his rent as a sideman for such acts as Po’ Girl, Tons of Fun University, Sage Francis, and Tom Waits.   He received accolades as a songwriter in 2007 when Los Angeles-based songstress Jolie Holland, formerly of the Be Good Tanyas, covered his song “Crazy Dreams” for her album Springtime Can Kill You released by Anti-Records.   Songwriters and poets have been stealing his best lines for years, which has never bothered Avery.   His well is deep and unearthly.
He is never afraid to experiment. Early 2010 will see the premier of Eric Mandelbaum’s film Uncertain Terms, filmed on location in New York City, in which Avery co-stars.
What it all comes down to is his live act.   CBC radio described it best by saying, “when he hits the stage, look out.” His signature beat-box harmonica had Tom Waits growling, “he’s blowin’ my mind.”

More about CR Avery Here>

* Outlaw Hip-Hop Harmonica Player * Beatbox Poet * Punk Piano Player * String Quartet Raconteur * Rock & Roll Matador * Playwright

September 2010 Feature Poet:

Whether performing to thousands at the Royal Albert Hall or the lucky few who made it inside the packed past capacity speakeasy, C.R. Avery is a unique, raw and dynamic performer. His genius lies in many genres – blues, hip-hop, spoken word and rock & roll. He is a one-man band, but one for this generation; with the rare ability to sing poetic verse while beatboxing simultaneously while pounding the piano and adding harmonica like a plot twist. A multi-talented front man for his Legal Tender String Quartet; a crazed lead singer/harp player for his rock & roll group The BoomChasers; a lyrical dynamo & the musical backbone of the spoken word trio Tons of Fun University.

From musical beginnings in his late teens, C.R. Avery has recorded over fifteen albums as well as writing & directing six hip-hop operas, which were mounted and performed from New York’s Bowery to L.A.’s South Central. He has toured throughout Canada, the USA and Europe, and garnered the attention of music peers the likes of Tom Waits (“…he’s blowin’ my mind”); blues harp trail blazer Charlie Musselwhite (“…no one plays harmonica like him… no one…”); and folk legend Utah Phillips (“…raw talent”).

His incredible live performances have been described as Bob Dylan in the body of Iggy Pop; colliding with Little Walter, the Beastie Boys and Allen Ginsberg. Every show is all or nothing and his fearless approach to all genres of music both on stage and in the studio proves the longevity of this talented, astonishing creator has so much more to come.

Catch CR Avery at The September 17th Slam

The London Poetry Slam Finals took place this past April as part of the Ontario Spoken Word Festival. Two Action Packed Day of Feature Artists, Workshops and Youth Slamming were finished off with the London Poetry Slam Finals. The finals were all captured on video to be shared with all.

We will be posting our videos of our 2010 Finalists in upcoming weeks, counting down to our slam winner.

This week we give you Steff Armstrong.

This and all 2010 Finals videos were produced in kind by Sunny Day Jazz Productions.

We will be posting our videos of our 2010 Finalists in upcoming weeks, counting down to our slam winner.

This week we give you Amy Sorensen.

This and all 2010 Finals videos were produced in kind by Sunny Day Jazz Productions.