Tomorrow, Tuesday May 8th, another Geeks and Guitars event will take place at The Press Club (850 Dundas Street West), a lovely little bar on Dundas Street West, a bit east of Trinity Bellwoods Park:
It’s their weekly open mic jam night; Mark Kuznicki gave it a name by which we TorCamp people refer to it. They provide a decent drum kit and amplification for guitar, bass and vocals. There’s a house band that does a handful of numbers, and the free-for-all format allows for either solo performances or group jams.
You know it’s a good jam night when not one but two accordionists show up.
Here are some excerpts from Martini Boys’ (a trusted reviewer of Accordion City drinkeries) review of The Press Club:
Credit co-owners Shawn Merritt and Natalie Robinson with recognizing a singular opportunity when it came their way and seizing it. They have graced the Dundas West Strip with a hidden gem that will soon be discovered especially since they’ve opened it up on a street that is still a local secret.
Having the opportunity to chat Shawn up it turns out that he did a stint as a columnist in Vietnam but makes it clear that PC isn’t some dry “book club”. His main intention was to eventually offer rare liquors that he’d import from Vietnam: snake flavoured booze, rare flower spiked liquids that one can’t find in your regular bar-around-town. The atmosphere, being more European bar than English pub makes it easy to sidle up next to your neighbour and actually have a conversation, as suggested by the large corner bench that pulls the whole place together.
…
“The Press Club”, being the newest addition to an area that isn’t yet sullied by overpriced drinks, obnoxious doormen and dress codes in effect will surely succeed in due time. It has just opened after all, the art work that the owners plan to display has yet to make it on the walls, the rare liquors that Sean intends to import have yet to make it across the border, but once the little wrinkles are ironed out, The Press Club will attract more of a Dorothy Parker type than, say, an “Alfie” type.
The jam night doesn’t really get going until about 9:30 or 10ish; I plan to show up avec accordion around then.
Jammin’ with James on accordion at the Press Club a couple of weeks ago.
