The Queen West Strip. With no particular plan and a CMW wristband on my arm, I decided to hit the Queen St. strip and catch whichever acts were playing.  +++++++++++++++++ My first stop was the Rex at 6:30 PM. Kevin Quain was doing a solo piano/vocal set of jazz standards. I had seen Kevin years before in an amalgam known as The Mad Bastards who I quite liked. They played original material in a sort of Tom Waits style. Highly entertaining. Last night however it was Summertime, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, etc. Although well played in a choppy swing feel, Kevin had trouble getting the attention of the beer-swilling students from OCA and RAC.  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ After a quick sushi dinner during which I had couldn’t help but over-hear the many details of the many sexual adventures loudly proffered by a group of six twenty-ish women of various orientations, I made my way down to the Rivoli to see Jade McNelis. Jade had received some advance hype about her gig from one of the local weeklies, so I was surprised to see that her set was somewhat sparsely attended (although it was still early – just after 9). Burgundy stockings poured into white high heels showcasing an epic pair of long legs. As it turns out, she too played a solo keyboard/vocal set. Her instrument of choice was a Nord Electro, which for the most part sounded like a classic Wurlitzer electric piano. Nice voice though unremarkable, piano chops fair, uninspired melodies, meandering songs with no choruses. Not sure what the hype was about. Unless it was for the stockings. +++++++ Next stop was the venerable, and packed, Horseshoe. I had come to see The Junction which is a group that a friend of mine recorded, but the docket of acts was running late, so I caught a bit of an unfortunately-named band called Attack In Black. They consisted of two guitars bass and drums with two, possibly three, of the players singing.  Good energy, and the over-all sound of the band was okay if somewhat unoriginal.  They, like Jade, don’t seem to value the concept of writing songs that have choruses.    +++++++++++++++++++++ The fragrance of primo pot was in the icy air as I walked the couple of blocks to the Cameron House.  I like the Cameron. It is certainly an intimate setting, as I can’t imagine that the room holds even as many as fifty people. I should mention too that each of the afore-mentioned clubs have their charms. The Rex is laid back and probably the best jazz club in the city. The Rivoli has a smallish but open feeling room with good acoustics. The Horseshoe has history and is a cool hangout, although often overly loud. And the Cameron has a Bohemian type of vibe. Last night at the Cameron a group from Edmonton called AA Sound System played a set. From the name I was expecting something leaning toward hip-hop, funk, or dance music, but this trio played roots-rock with a hint of country. In the intimate setting one could easily focus on the rich lyric imagery in their songs. They were the highlight of my evening.