I was expecting a better crowd for an outstanding by Toronto based musician Sean Ashby at the Mocha Cabana, Thursday, Aug. 12.
After all, he’s an established Canadian talent who spent 12 years touring with Sarah 
McLachlan, a couple years with Ginger (featuring former members of the Grapes of Wrath), the Wild Strawberries and even toured with industrial acts Delerium, featuring members of Skinny Puppy, and he has had songs placed in movies and television, fronted his own indie rock band Jack Tripper. In addition, he has just released his fine sophomore CD “24 Hours of Daylight.”
“I’m not used to playing coffee houses. I’m running out of mellow stuff to play,” Ashby told the handful of people braving the pouring rain, after finishing a tender version of Steve Earle‘s My Old Friend The Blues.” The song featured Ashby playing lap steel guitar as well as acoustic guitar. He also threw in a Dwight Yoakam cover and then donned a beautiful green Gretsch for a subdued but incendiary version of surf classic Mirsirlou which included a few bars of the James Bond theme. The band sang some superb background vocals as well.
“I’m not used to playing this quietly,” he joked to the audience before alternating through six different guitars including a beautiful Weissenborn, on which he played some sick blues slide before playing several tracks off his new CD including “Leone Western,” “Sweet Tuesday,“ “Centre Line,” and then ended on a quieter note with the mournfully steel guitar powered “3 Sides.”
