The Sweetest Thing Fundraiser and A Pirouette or Two
It’s safe to say that Amanda and the band love The Drake. A beautiful venue and a beautiful audience made for an incredible night. High-fives and hugs to everyone who came out!
Now our top stories…
Some pretty remarkable things happen when you get Amanda in a room with Montreal burlesque queen Miss Sugarpuss and comedienne extraordinaire DeAnne Smith—remember the WAWA shows from 2007, 2008 and 2009? Classic. This time around, the three relentlessly entertaining women will be a part of The Sweetest Thing, a fundraiser for the Cedars Cancer Institute’s CANSUPPORT program which creates a support system for cancer patients through the McGill University Health Centre. Organized by Christyna Andrade, the show will also feature Colin Moore, Coco Framboise, Chris Mysterion and many more. Come out for a great cause at Studio Juste Pour Rire (2109 St-Laurent), August 14th. Doors at 6:30pm. Show at 7:30pm. Tickets are $35 and available by calling 514-246-9466.
And for something completely different…
Photo by Andree Anne Handfield
Fun Mabro Fact: Amanda has a background in dance. This woman can seriously bust a move, from jazz hands to grande plies, and even the occasional pop-and-lock. Perfectly fitting then that she has been invited to Dance 2 Danse, Toronto’s newest annual dance festival. She and the band will be the featured musical guest for the Cabaret Series “Eros, Thanatos & the Avant-Garde,” which presents work in the disciplines of dance, film and multi-media. This eccentric evening begins Wed, August 18th at 9pm at The Rivoli (332 Queen St. West) where Amanda and the band consistently cause a commotion. Ticket and festival information available here.
Joy From Osheaga Makes Its Way Down the 401
Anyone at Osheaga thinking that the Scène des Arbres would be a quiet refuge from the hordes of music lovers at the festival was in for a surprise when Amanda and the band took the stage yesterday. A modest crowd of about 30 people grew ten times bigger in less than 15 minutes. By the last song, over 300 happy faces were relishing in the infectious end of fan favorite “Don’t It Feel Good,” clapping and singing “Do what you do.” Many thanks to this fantastic audience of joyful, dancing revelers.
Check out what the Montreal Gazette had to say in their review of Amanda’s Osheaga performance!
Photo by Andree Anne Handfield
Ontario fans who weren’t able to make it out to Osheaga, have no fear. Amanda will be performing at a venue near you this week. Take your pick depending on where you hang your hat.
This Thursday, August 5th, the band will be playing in Waterloo at Maxwell’s Music House with Michael Dainjah and Paddy Townsend. Doors at 8:30pm.
Friday, August 6th, get ready to be spoiled at The Drake Hotel in Toronto: Amanda will be playing with Montreal trip-hop artist, Elsiane. Wowing crowds since they first shared the stage in November 2009, the two deliciously weave their voices together to create a cinematic feast for your ears. Says The Drake: “Confirming Montreal’s status as a musical goldmine, Elsiane and Amanda Mabro join forces for a double-header of vastly unique yet surprisingly complementary styles.” Doors at 8pm. Come see what all the fuss is about. You will get goose bumps. Don’t be alarmed. We warned you.
Amanda Mabro + Elsiane at The Drake in Toronto!
This week, Amanda Mabro plays OSHEAGA!
Photo by Andree Anne Handfield
Not all bands can successfully pull off an outdoor show, but Amanda Mabro revels in it. “Playing on an outdoor stage is truly amazing,” says Amanda. “It goes from being incredibly surreal and magical to strangely grounding and relaxing.” The 20, 000 fans who braved the stormy summer skies for the band’s two sets at this year’s Montreal International Jazz Fest would agree: an open-air Amanda Mabro show triggers delightful musical mood swings. When not mesmerized by the harmonies of Amanda and special guest, singer-songwriter Elsiane, spectators were forced to retrieve their jaws from the concrete following a hypnotizing performance by contortionist Andréane“Mimi” Leclerc. The undeniably kinetic evening prompted a frenzied dance party that left both fans and the band completely breathless.
Amanda’s upcoming outdoor show at the Osheaga Festival promises to deliver even more oomph, if that’s humanly possible. She and the band are excited to introduce audiences to some of their newest songs which are a little less cabaret, and a little more gritty rock and heart-wrenching soul. Amanda is embracing the change: “Over time I’ve realized the more visceral, high energy material resonates with me the most. My hope is for the audience to experience a wide range of emotion in the songs with a whole lot of fervor and fun throughout the set.”
Be sure to get your high-octane fix, Sunday, August 1st at 5pm on the Scène des Arbres at the Osheaga Festival!
Amanda Mabro returns to Montreal Jazz Festival’s Rio Tinto Stage June 28th!
Amanda Mabro and her band are thrilled to announce that they will be playing the 2010 Montreal International Jazz Festival: Monday, June 28th at 8pm and 10pm on the free outdoor Rio Tinto stage! Amanda is honoured to be invited back for a second time to play the world-famous festival. Her last performance at The Jazz Festival was in 2008, where she played two sets to a crowd of 15 000.
“It was a surreal experience”, says Amanda of her largest performance to date. “My face hurt from smiling at the sea of people in front of me” she continues “I remember as soon as I got off stage after the first performance, my manager pulled me to the Best Buy tent, saying that I should sign autographs. I was confused and when I saw a long line of people, I assumed they were for another performer. I was gob smacked when I was told they were lined up to see us, and when I saw them holding copies of Red Rows…I just couldn’t believe it”
This year, Amanda will be promoting her latest EP, Wine Flows, as well as a four-song teaser for her next full length album due out in February 2011. In addition, she and her awesome band will be featuring Montreal’s trip hop singer Elisane in three hauntingly beautiful songs. Their performance will feature other surprises which we will not give away just yet!
Thanks to the 2008 Montreal Jazz Festival audience for being such an awesome crowd!
Amanda Mabro feat. Elsiane playing The Drake Hotel, Friday, Aug 6
Amanda Mabro and the crew are so excited to be coming to Toronto on Friday, August 6 to play the Drake Hotel! This will be a special show, where Amanda and Elsiane will play Toronto together for the first time! Everyone in the band is very excited to return to Toronto - a city they love more and more with every visit!!
Thank you, TORONTO! Yet another great crowd!
Amanda and the team would like to thank everyone who came out on April 29! Also, a special thanks to NLX for their amazing opening set and to the good looking folk at The Rivoli!
The show featured four new songs, and judging from the audience who were up on their feet and dancing like crazy - they liked them! A special shout-out goes to the group who started the “MA-BRO! MA-BRO!” pre-encore chant. It made Amanda and the band smile all the way home.
Amanda and the team will be back to play Young & Dundas Square on Wednesday, September 22 @ 12:30pm! There are also more summer Toronto dates to come. Stay tuned!
Amanda & NLX, The Rivoli, April 29, 8pm $10 @ the door!
Amanda Mabro & NLX @ Toronto's The Rivoli, April 29!!
Amanda Mabro & NLX are playing one special night at The Rivoli: Thursday, April 29, 8pm, $10 at the door! This is a special night, not to be missed!
Amanda has not headlined a show in Toronto in almost a year, and will not be back for a few months. Fans agree; you cannot fully understand the essence of Amanda’s art until you see her live, lit up by spotlights, dominating the stage by belting extraordinary melodies and engaging audiences of all ages with her welcoming personality. On Thursday, April 29, Amanda will be unleashing much of her highly anticipated new material, as well as much-loved favorites from her recent EPs Red Rows and Wine Flows. Amanda and the band (Rick Coluccio - piano/guitar, Tim van de Ven - drums, Brigitte Dajczer - violin and Patrick Rizzetto - bass) are very excited for this night and have some tricks up their sleeves! Check out the recent interview she did with Roots Music Canada!
NLX hails from the proud tradition of BS-free northern songwriting women. She continues to carry the electronically edged dark pop sword. She may be new to you, but her keyboard/laptop toting wheels have spun hundreds of thousands of highway miles to countless gigs, big and small, always honing the craft, faithfully recreating her original works night after night, and always with the passion of a first time performance.
Amanda and NLX shared the stage this past February at the 5th annual We Are Women Artists (WAWA) Festival that Amanda produces and headlines annually. Ever since, they have been wanting to collaborate… and Thursday, April 29 their (and your!) wish will come true! Don’t miss it!
All the Team Mabro members look forward to seeing you at the show! The Rivoli is a small venue, so come early to ensure you get a good spot!
If you like what you see, join the Amanda Mabro community and be part of the conversation by becoming a Facebook Fan and following her delightful Tweets!
Photos posted! Amanda’s new video featuring Elsiane
This past weekend, Amanda and Elsiane, with the help of Producer, Bernard Duguay of Lucion Média and video artist, Tarek Gharzouzi, recent nominee of 2009 Montreal World Film Festival, and additional “Team Mabro” members shot a five-minute video story of Amanda’s new song SMOKE. Check out the photos below!
Photo by Andree Anne Handfield
Photo by Andree Anne Handfield
Photo by Andree Anne Handfield
Fate seems to have brought Amanda and Elsiane together. An unlikely stylistic pairing, both women are celebrated Montreal vocalists. Amanda’s latest set of sister EPs Red Rows/Wine Flows was touted by CBC as being a “groundbreaking piece of pop music”, while Elsiane’s latest album, Hybrid, has been celebrated across Canada and the US for its rhythmic foundation and intimate eerie vocals.
The talented singers had known of each other for years but had never officially met. Then, one special week Amanda and Elsiane were introduced by Global NTT promoter, Mike Mendell, and felt an immediate connection. “It’s rare that I meet another artist that I want to share musical ideas with, but with Elseanne, it just clicked,” said Amanda. Soon after, Amanda and Elsiane headlined a show together at Cabaret Juste Pour Rire, where the duo sung in harmony together in front of audiences for the first time. “The reaction was amazing,” said Amanda. Fans were asking when the Amanda Mabro/Elsiane album was coming out.
Those who witnessed Amanda and Elsiane sing together for the first time last year, cannot deny it: The haunting and hopeful unison of their voices is truly special.
There is no word of an album… yet. But, the SMOKE video will be ready in a matter of weeks. “The video came together to seamlessly!” said Amanda. “My team is so amazing. I feel humbled and very grateful to be working with such amazing people!”
A big thank you to Adly Mabro for contributing his beautiful frame and loaning most of the set furniture.
A special thank you to everyone who brought this video to life: Back row (l to r): Andre Anne Handfield, photography; Tim van de Ven, sound recording, amp, editing & production; Rick Coluccio, keys, production, and on-set assistance. Middle row (l to r): Adreane Leclerc “Mimi”, contortionist; Amanda Mabro, vocals, songwriting, production, amp & set design; Elsieanne Caplette, vocals; Adriana Coluccio, lighting & amp, on-set assistance. Front row (l to r): Tarek Gharzouzi, camera work, lighting, direction, post production editing; Bernard Duguay, set design, lighting, amp & on-set assistance
TORONTO on Thursday, April 29!!!
Photo by Andree Anne Hanfield
Toronto, Toronto, I’ll love ya, Toronto again and again on April 29th for a special headlining concert at THE RIVOLI. The band and I can’t wait to rock your socks off! I’ll be joined by bad ass babe NLX, who will be opening up the show. Beyond excited!
On another note, APATHY IS BORING! That’s why you need to read this interview that was recently posted to the Apathy is Boring website, I am SO proud to be part of this web blog. Seriously, it is rock solid!
Also, after lots of pressure from my team to get more active online, I finally am! It’s actually kind of a fun and easy way to connect to the wonderful lovers of art and music out there who seem to like what we’re doing. To those who have reached out to me already, along with friends and family, we are so lucky to have your support! Your positive feedback, energy and generosity keep me moving through all the challenges in this crazy business and world!
BIG LOVE!
xo Amanda
MAILING LIST
TOUR
September 22nd - YD Square
September 30th - Le Sacrilege, Qc City
Thursday, October 14th - Il Motore, Montreal
