Toshi Reagon

Tkts.available at the McPherson Box Office and its outlets (250-386-6121 or online at www.rmts.bc.ca)Lyle's Place or the VJS office (Suite J-727 Johnson St. or 250-388-4423)

Usually, dropping out of college isn’t such a smart idea, but when Toshi Reagon did it, it was because the genre-bending singer had been asked to be the opening act on Lenny Kravitz’s first world tour. She graduated from that with first class honours, and never looked back. Since then, this electrifying performer has shared stages with artists such as Vernon Reid, Chaka Khan, Pete Seeger, and Ani DiFranco. When Elvis Costello first caught an earful, he immediately asked her and her band, BIGLovely, to back him up on his appearance on David Letterman. Toshi is the daughter of Bernice Johnson Reagon, the founder of the legendary a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, and growing up she got a unique lesson in the power of music and the need for political consciousness. Whether she’s dishing out funkified R&B, blues, urban beats or a folkie lament, Toshi connects with her audience and leaves them begging for more. Robert “Chicken” Burke drums, Fred Cash Jr. bass, Adam Widoff electric guitar
“Her live performances shower retro funk, urban blues, and folk on the audience with evangelical fervour. To hear her is to believe.”–The New Yorker