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Bill Bourne and Madagascar Slim - A Brief Biography

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With 12 Juno Award Nominations and 6 Juno Award Wins between the two, and a deep 10 year friendship that seems to keep on growing, together Bill and Slim are a highly creative professional force that loves to rock out as much as they love to paint beautiful musical pictures with their free and fluid interpretations of songs.

The blues has a prominent position in the music of Bill and Slim, but their musical influences stretch from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and similarities in their music have been acknowledged from such diverse regions as Madagascar, Africa, Mongolia, Spain, Nashville, Piedmont, The Caribean, New York and Canada, to name a very few.

It was a February night in 1997 that Slim and Bill first met back stage at Toronto's stalwart Bamboo Club. Slim joined Bill that evening for an impromptu jam on 2 show-stopping songs. They went on to perform for 7 years with the Juno Award winning combo, Tri-Continental, that included their good friend Lester Quitzau.

Bill Bourne & Madagascar Slim join forces in a new recording.

Together, Bill and Slim are creating a new recording that includes the mystical strains of Malagasy Salegy in 'Sangisangi' through to the Steve Earl-esque 'Blue Eyed Moggie', which features Bill playing the Ektar and Slim's uncontested screaming blues rock guitar style. The spooky 'Spike Island Raga' features Bill on electric slide and scat vocal, while Slim's beautiful nylon string guitar touch floats effortlessly around the recording; an example is the hair-raising nylon guitar in the Malagasy song 'Fankahalana'.

These 2 artists are road tested and proven pros that consistently deliver the goods, connecting with the deep ground of highly creative world-class musical expression. Together they are a highly entertaining and powerful musical force.

Slim and Bill's new recording is scheduled for release in the fall of 2008.

Joining Slim and Bill on the road will be veteran Toronto drummer Michelle Josef (Ember Swift, The Good Brothers, David Wilcox, Prairie Oyster, Sharon Lois and Bram, Edmonton Folk Festival House Drummer for 20 years etc.)

Later this year, Jasmine (Jas) Ohlhauser will be joining Bill, Slim and Michelle. An accomplished dancer and performer, Jas will play bass, sing and dance. At 25 Jas brings a potent world class presence to the band

To hear mp3s of 'Fankahalana' and 'Blue Eyed Moggie', 2 songs from Bill and Slim's new CD, please go to: MySpace

For touring and booking information please contact Acoustic Avenue