In the name of loving music

Ben Stevenson
Contributer
On Friday, Jan. 14, the latest installment of what is arguably Toronto’s most fun-filled live music series, Loving In The Name Of, hit The Great Hall, easily selling out the cavernous venue. The 100-deep line that got turned away was a sure sign that this party is on the up-and-up.

LITNO is essentially an “if you blink, you’ll miss it” showcase of some of Toronto’s best musical talent, backed up by live musicians. The formula is simple: five or six massive hit tunes of any era or genre are sung by one or more of Toronto’s most talented singers. The lead-up to the set is long; however, rather than feeling cheated, the audience is really left wanting more in the best way possible.
Past iterations of the concert have featured Sebastien Grainger (Death From Above 1979), Andre Ethier (Deadly Snakes), Matt Mur- phy (Super Friendz), Alanna Stuart (Bonjay) and many others. The most recent instalment featured Chris Murphy of Sloan showing his love for Bowie with a suitably dreamy version of “Space Oddity” and capping the night with an all hands on deck cover of “Love is All You Need.”
The emphasis of the show, however, is not merely on star power; many younger, lesser known artists get a chance to play it up as well. The show’s backing band is called The Best because, as organizer and bandleader Joseph Shabason claimed in an email to Excalibur, “we play the biggest hits of all time” and “like any good song, the night needed a hook.” In speak ing with Shabason, you get the feeling the emphasis of the party is to break down any pretence or didactic approach to the audience by celebrating songs that we all know, even if they may not be on our iPods.
The success of the party can be attributed to this one-size-fits-all musical perspective. After all, who doesn’t love “Islands In The Stream” even if they’ve only heard Mya’s interpolation of the hook on the ’90s megahit “Ghetto Supastar”? Who doesn’t feel the drama of a full live horn and string section on “Staying Alive”?
Over the last decade or so, Canadian music has gained recognition on an international level, so in the biggest city in the country one would expect the music scene to be suitably impressive and well-organized. Unfortunately, Toronto’s reputation belies that expectation.
As Shabason said, “[this] scene can come off a bit frosty at first, but I’ve found that it’s really made up of kind people who just want to play good music.”
If there is one thing that LITNO achieves perfectly, it’s this: we are treated to artists paying homage to music that we also love. In doing so, we get to feel included, as if the artist is playing us a record rather than singing it to us. It is the aim of Shabason and his co-creators Jer Finkelstein and Chris Sandes to make us feel comfortable. They are not trying to educate; they are here to entertain.
While we may not unanimously agree on the song selection, the overall effect is nostalgic and comforting. Though I am not a huge ABBA fan, the jam-band vibe and lush four-part harmonies of “SOS” was killing me that night.
To connect with a song is what matters. Feeling is more important than ideals of taste, and maybe, as the final song of the night claimed, “love is all you need.”
The next Loving in the Name Of show is scheduled to take place April 29.