Rory Gallagher Packs Colonial
Rory Gallagher leveled a rare white blues
blitz on Toronto's Colonial Tavern- March 15 through the 24th, which
pulled capacity and standing room only audiences. The former Taste
member is rather unique with this creaming "electrified" blues - which
probably turns off most of the blues purists.
Gallagher however, can mix the "up
front" blues with the "down yonder" type, simply by switching to
acoustic guitar and a soft, wailing mouth harp. His audiences were the
under twenty five variety, but not necessarily the college or
university type, an indication of Toronto's broadening tastes. Although
Gallagher was front and centre and the power that turned his group on,
bassman Gerry McAvoy , drummer Rod De'Ath and Lou Martin on keyboards
were all key players in Gallagher's blues drama.
The young Irish group were given a
promotional hand while in Toronto by Polydor's artist relations rep,
Lori Bruner. She's managed to pack the press section with a variety of
daily and colleges/university writers as well as those radio AM and FM
programmers who dig the progressive blues scene. The label's publicity
and press rep, Bill Horan, flew into Toronto from Montreal with Bill
Mann of the Gazette and members of the on-air staff of CHOM-FM.
Both Bruner and Horan presented Gallagher with a cake designed in the
form of his latest album release, Blueprint.
Polydor's Lori Bruner and Bill Horan present Rory Gallagher with album
cake during Colonial (Toronto) engagement where he pulled capacity
houses. CHOM's Angus McKay on left
Prior to setting out on his U.S. tour, Gallagher played two dates in
Newfoundland and will cap his tour with an engagement at The Whiskey in
Los Angeles, April 10.
A
brief review of 'Blueprint' from the same publication's New Album
Product section.
BLUEPRINT
Rory Gallagher Polydor 2383 189-Q
Irish blues (?) built on a
solid and driving rock foundation are the key to this album by former
Taste member, Rory Gallagher. Group gets it together in a big way on
"Walk on Hot Coals" and "Race the Breeze". Definitely an act to keep an
eye, and ear, on.
From
the April 7, 1973 issue of RPM The Programmers WEEKLY
reformatted by roryfan
340
added 10/29/06
