Tony McManus

Tony McManus Live in the Green Sanderson Hall at Hugh's Room, 296 Broadview Avenue with special guest John McMillan

Show at 8pm, Doors at 7pm
$40+ in advance, $47+ at the door

Conjuring a unique but universal language from that most ubiquitous of instruments, the acoustic guitar, Tony McManus has both extended and transcended the parameters of contemporary Celtic music. Ranked by peers and predecessors alike alongside the guitar world’s all-time greats, his fiendishly dexterous, dazzlingly original playing draws on traditions from the entire Celtic diaspora – Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias, Cape Breton, and Quebec – along with still further-ranging flavours, such as jazz and east European music. Long applauded for his uncanny ability to transpose the delicate, complex ornamentation characteristic of traditional bagpipe or fiddle tunes – even the phrasing of a Gaelic song – onto his own six strings, McManus is increasingly being acknowledged also as a pioneering figure in bridging the realms of Celtic music and other guitar genres.

John McMillan is an award-winning solo acoustic guitarist and composer best known for his atmospheric, instrumental music. Listening to John play live is like watching someone paint with sound. John’s subtle and thoughtful style can paint experiences and emotion in a very creative fashion, slipping in and out of different concepts and ideas as he draws you into pictorial landscapes and simply hands them to you. He weaves intricate emotions, shifting moods, and even subtle shades of colour into song structures that feel deceptively simple, achieving a remarkable sense of effortlessness. John achieves wide tonal variety in his work, due in part to his use of a variety of instruments, including Harp, Tenor and Baritone guitars, mandolin, dobro and Spanish laud. Thursday October 8.

296 Broadview is not yet a fully wheelchair accessible venue, with stairs between all levels. Our goal is to fix that, and we need your support to do so - please consider making a donation towards our goals to make HRL the best listening room in Toronto!