The Slice was sold out as a post art gallery opening crowd surged in just in time to hear a late starting set by Danny Michel, March 5.
 Michel, though wasn’t pleased with the sound, showed  considerable skill on the guitar and sang pretty melodies, which had the murmuring crowd hypnotized.

He sang a lot like Paul Simon, which was a perfect match for James Murdoch and friends who were playing  all of Paul Simon’s Graceland album.

But Michel was who a lot of people came to see as he grinned throughout his set, told jokes and stories and played much of his latest CD “Sunset Sea,” and crowd favourites like “Feather, Fur and Fin.”

He looped rhythm guitar and played some noisy, bluesy licks over it  in the middle of his show which also included a few bars of the James Bond theme.  Other highlights included “Wish Willy” from “Sunset Sea,” and “Tennessee Tobacco.”

He joked that this wasn't his show and said he wished he would be asked to join the Paul Simon Graceland tribute.

 It was the last show after a solid year of touring and Michel gave it all he had, he didn’t appear put out by the few chattering in the audience, as most of them sat watching quietly. He had been all over  Germany and Holland. The audience  at the Slice enjoyed him so much that they called him back for an encore.

 James Murdoch and friends were up next to deliver what they promised — almost note for note perfect renditions of Paul Simon’s 1986 “Graceland,” record, beginning with the title track which had the crowd up and dancing.

 The 10 piece group featured  a horn section, a drummer, a drummer /percussionist, two guitars including Murdoch and  a bassist, who combined gorgeous vocal  harmonies with exotic South African rhythms.

 Their vocal harmonies were spot on as exhibited during a couple a cappella moments including “Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes,” and a touching rendition of “Homeless,” which Murdoch prefaced by pondering if “a group of white guys from Edmonton” could pull it off. They welcomed Michel back to stage to help perform “That Was Your Mother.”

 The upbeat fretless bass laid down the exotic feel for the show and the horns, when they could hear them, kept  things upbeat and fun.

 They didn’t do badly for a band which had only been doing the Graceland tribute for three gigs. Plus all of their shows doing it have been sold out.