Divine Brown

Went to see Toronto singer Divine Brown do an acoustic showcase at Ginger 62 last night (blurry flick above and below). Was feeling kinda agitated at the start of her set (the show was way late and my girlfriends wanted to get the funk out of there), but from the first notes of "Shook Me (All Night Long)," Divine had me. Good lord can that woman sing! Her voice is so striking and her stage presence is rock solid. By the time she dropped "Old Skool Love," the house was in fawning-fan mode. My friends too.

Just got back from interviewing Ms. Brown. I have to say that it's always a treat to interview female artists. No diss on the guys, but in my work life I am surrounded by men 99% of the time (male promoters, male label reps, male artists, male reporters, male tour managers...you get the drift), so sitting down with another woman is always a nice change. And Divine is no average woman. She has personality for miles. I feel like this is gonna be a big year for her. Her self-titled debut drops today.



After the show, I did what I always do after shows. Me and my friend Jacquie headed to this 24 hour vegetarian spot called The Naam. Part of why we go there is because everyone else goes to DV8 for post-show grub, and sometimes it's nice to not have to make small talk in the middle of the night.

During daytime hours you couldn't pay me to go to the Naam. It basically serves as Kitsilano's last vestige of funkiness for the free-love folks who once dominated the neighborhood. Home to all manner of smoked-out, barefoot bongo drummers, naturopathic healers/coffee-shop philosophers, and zen environmental activists/yogis. I grew up around all that (unfortunately), so I have a bit of an aversion to that whole scene. But after midnight, the crowd in the Naam is so bizarre that it manages to transcend even the normal bounds of hippie-dom. It's just strange enough to thoroughly entertain me and Jac. Plus, this fantastic guy named Michael works the night shift (flick below with Jac) and he gives us the scoop on the regulars. And you really cannot beat the Naam's sesame fries with miso gravy.