Poppy Seed and The Love Explosion has been on the Toronto music scene since the early 1990s. Featuring songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Steven Bromstein, along with a changing assortment of collaborators - the current lineup includes Mitch Perkins on drums, James Strachan on keys and guitar, and James Ansara on bass - Poppy Seed recently released its latest single and video “Look At You,” and will now embark on a two-week US tour before returning to the studio to continue work on a follow-up to its epic 2014 album, Beyond The Seventh Sun.
Other players making appearances on Beyond The Seventh Sun include Mike Armstrong (of King Cobb Steelie), Chris Brown (formerly of The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir), Dominic Whelan (of The Mahones), and Gene Hughes (of Telejet.) The album was produced by Peter Lesperance of Harem Scarem and Liverpool’s Mark Winer.
While most of Poppy Seed’s attention has been paid to the creation of Beyond The Seventh Sun over the past ten years, the group has also taken time out to perform live with a revolving cast of characters, including Canadian luminaries Glenn Milchem of Blue Rodeo (who also appears on Beyond The Seventh Sun) and Eddie Kalwa of The Rain Parade, at festivals such as Kensington Rocks and others.
In addition to his work in the studio and on stage, Bromstein has also made a name for himself behind the scenes. In 1994 he began the now-legendary “Sedated Sundays” residency at El Mocambo Tavern, featuring everything that wasn’t fitting into the grunge sound that was ruling the clubs at the time. Running 16 mm films as features before and during performances created an addictive atmosphere where no one knew exactly what was going to happen.
Bromstein also pioneered the multi-band tribute night at this time, putting on evenings paying homage to The Velvet Underground, The Smiths, The Pixies, The Cure, Joy Division, New Order, and many more.
“My memory get hazy here,” Bromstein jokes. “At the time these happenings were rare and well-attended by the entire scene. This was long before other people jumped in and started doing these types of nights.” For now, Bromstein is back in front of audiences, where he’ll take the well-honed sound of Poppy Seed and The Love Explosion to the US throughout November.
Doors 9:30 | Music 10. 21 and up.