reprinted from to-nite Magazine,
GTA CORE -
Issue 329, Sept. 9 - 22,
2004
Brian Gladstone
Trying To
Make
A
Better World
One
Song
At
a Time
You
may call him a dreamer, but Brian Gladstone’s not the only one. The
self-described ‘psychedelic pholkie’, who’s also the impresario behind the
now annual
Winterfolk February Folk festival (the
third edition takes place this Feb. 4-6 ‘05) has started up yet another new
initiative to promote local music and, hopefully, improve the mental
environment.
The
Association of Artists For A Better World is a non-profit organization
Gladstone has registered to “advocate artistic activism” by stimulating
artists’ “awareness of social, cultural and ecological issues” and
encouraging them to express their understanding through their art.
To get the ball
rolling, Gladstone has assembled a collection of songs from artists across
the country whose songs he became aware of through their applications for or
performances at Winterfolk. A compilation disc, Peace Songs For A Better
World, contains 15 original tunes and is now available for sale at
www.abetterworld.ca .
A
follow-up disc, 'Songs
For A Better Planet',
is scheduled for release in January.
Gladstone also
continues to hold a very successful weekly open stage at artist-friendly
Renaissance Café at 1938 Danforth Ave. a block west of Woodbine. He’s
bringing is some of Folk’s local superstars as weekly feature guests,
including Noah Zacharin (Sept. 9), Michael Laderoute (Sept. 16) and, coming
Sept. 30, Suzie Vinnick. In the midst of all that the gifted fingerpicker
also finds time to perform — recently he placed fourth in the
Canadian Fingerstyle
Guitar Competition.
