Tiny Bill Cody 
Who: Tiny Bill Cody
What: A new and fascinating twist on the urban cowboy
Where: Hamilton, ON
To Contact: 245 Park St. North #1, Hamilton, ON L8L 1L9 (905) 525-5276, , www.tinybillcody.com.

At first, I didn't know what to make of this guy. Tiny Bill Cody? Cowboy songs? Is it some kind of post-modern folk music? Is it performance art? In a word, yes. Tiny Bill Cody is the alter-ego of Hamilton, ON singer-songwriter Tor Lukasik-Foss, whose Stranger We Have No Leader CD, released earlier this year, is the follow-up to 1995's self-titled debut. Recorded using almost no overdubs and very little post-production, the disc's power lies in its rich ideas and its bare-bones performances. "I had been playing with the cowboy image, and I thought it was a good metaphor," Lukasik-Foss explains, "this idea of thinking about your city as a ghost town, and then thinking about ways to animate it [with] these clichés of cowboys and heroes." To that aim, the opening track "Ride" is a galloping, sardonic call-to-arms to cure all urban dysfunction, spurred by Cody's frantically folk-ish acoustic guitar. "Gene Autry's Mission Statement" contains the lyrics "Is it naive to try to jam hope into today's dark and cynical zeitgeist/Do pure words from an honest heart really stop anyone anymore and make them think twice?" intoned over a "Happy Trails"-type acoustic guitar plucking. I ask you, when was the last time you heard a cowboy song using the word 'zeitgeist'? Intelligent and artful observations of the contemporary urban experience dressed up as cowboy folk songs. Wow. But it begs the question: Is this town big enough for Tiny Bill Cody? Pardner, I certainly hope so.

Mary Simon 
Who: Mary Simon
What: "Organic urban pop"
Where: Toronto, ON
To Contact: P.O. Box 183, Station B, Toronto, ON M5T 2W1 (905) 510-0099, , www.marysimon.com.

Mary Simon started out singing in Saskatchewan in a college band called Jackets Like These, before returning to Toronto to launch her solo career. Her debut CD, Before I Fall, is a promising beginning indeed. Often drawing comparisons to the likes of Lisa Loeb and Natalie Merchant, Simon's singing is sweet and confident, vulnerable and vibrant, with a style and a delivery that sounds effortless and charming. And the quality of her songwriting suggests that she won't be kept off the charts for long. The exquisitely lovely "Turn Me" is a particularly strong track, with the kind of breezy chorus that will play through your head over and over. "I try to be honest and vulnerable," Simon says of her approach to songwriting. "I think my best songs are the ones where I'm brutally honest with my emotions. I think that's really important in songwriting, for people to really gravitate towards your music and your lyrics." The gravitating has begun. "Turn Me" placed second in Toronto radio station Mix 99.9's 2001 annual songwriting contest, while the lead-off track, "Tempted", was one of 10 finalists in the ASCAP Foundation's Lilith Fair Songwriting Contest, which drew more than 2,000 entries from the USA and Canada. She was the only Canadian finalist. She's also made appearances on Canada A.M. and Open Mike With Mike Bullard. Hopefully this is only the beginning. Before I Fall is a tantalizing debut from a rising talent.

Beyond The Pale 
Who: Beyond The Pale
What: Klezmer music with a modern edge
Where: Toronto, ON
To Contact: 645-B Mt. Pleasant Rd. #2, Toronto, ON M4S 2M9 (416) 482-2699, FAX (416) 482-3107, , www.beyondthepale.net.

Beyond The Pale is a musical collective that specializes in klezmer music, the traditional folk music most commonly associated with eastern European Jews, but which also crosses paths with Ukrainian, Romanian, Balkan and gypsy folk music. The Toronto-based ensemble was founded in 1998 by Eric Stein (mandolin, tsimbl) and includes Anne Lindsay (violin), Sasha Luminsky (accordion), Martin van de Ven (clarinets) and Bret Higgins (bass). Their debut CD, Routes, produced by Danny Greenspoon, is a rich musical experience, which, like a lot of great music from around the world, can touch your soul with its plaintive melodies, while at the same time enticing you to kick off your shoes and dance your burdens away. Sporting original compositions and a fresh take on traditional tunes, the group's approach is also informed by a deep appreciation and feel for North American music. "We're kind of mixing in influences here the same way they did in Europe a hundred years ago," explains Stein. "I grew up listening to rock and reggae and bluegrass and all sorts of things, and those influences can't help coming out." You might say they're extending the traditions of klezmer in a decidedly contemporary way. Check out cross-cultural splicings like the reggae-ish "ChasenJah", (ever wonder what Bob Marley would have sounded like had he been born in Eastern Europe?) and the funky "Gyration". Born of tradition but living in the here and now, Beyond The Pale gives Routes music a whole new meaning.

Credit: Jim Kelly is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

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