Latest news with #MillStreetBrewery
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blue Rodeo celebrates 40 years with packed hometown show in Toronto's Distillery District
From 5 Days in May to 40 years in 2025: Blue Rodeo took to Trinity Street Stage in Toronto's Distillery District for a free acoustic set Monday afternoon, celebrating four decades of music. It may have been 4 p.m. on a weekday, but it didn't stop a large crowd from packing in front of the stage by Mill Street Brewery and belting along to a set of classic Canadiana in the band's hometown. Blue Rodeo was formed 40 years ago by Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, who met in high school in Toronto, and led Monday's concert along with Jimmy Bowskill and Colin Cripps. The group would rise from a Queen Street bar band to a part of Canada's cultural fabric. Craig Hamilton said he took the train in from Long Branch to catch the anniversary show. "The sound of Jim Cuddy's voice, can't miss that," he said. Hamilton said he was thrilled the band led off with his favourite song, 5 Days in May, which he said contains his favourite lyric from any Canadian songwriter. "When he sings, 'Rain on the windshield headed south' — every time I hear that line it just conjures up all these images, and I just love that song," he said. "They've been bringing us fantastic music for many, many years." Hamilton was one of many people in the crowd enjoying a specially crafted beer put out in honour of the band's milestone, which he said was a perfect complement to the sun and music. "Everybody loves Mill Street, and who doesn't love Blue Rodeo, so to bring the two of them together … it's fantastic." MPP Chris Glover, who represents Spadina-Fort York, was also on hand for the show. "It was fantastic. How often do you get to see Blue Rodeo, especially on their 40th anniversary, and in this setting in the Distillery? It's just a beautiful setting," he said. "This is what makes Toronto so much fun to be in in the summertime." It's a setting Blue Rodeo knows well. The band got its start in Toronto, playing its first show in 1985 at the Rivoli, according to its official website. It had been selling out shows in the city for months before the release of its first album, Outskirts, in 1987. But it took off when the music video of its lead single Try, already a popular staple at its concerts, was put on heavy rotation at years later, the band released its most commercially successful album ever, 5 Days in July, and never looked back. Blue Rodeo was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in September 2009 — the fifth band to receive the honour. This year, the group was the subject of a documentary called Lost Together, available on CBC Gem, and got its own Canada Post stamp. It kick off its official, country-wide 40th anniversary tour this fall.
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Blue Rodeo celebrates 40 years with packed hometown show in Toronto's Distillery District
Social Sharing From 5 Days in May to 40 years in 2025: Blue Rodeo took to Trinity Street Stage in Toronto's Distillery District for a free acoustic set Monday afternoon, celebrating four decades of music. It may have been 4 p.m. on a weekday, but it didn't stop a large crowd from packing in front of the stage by Mill Street Brewery and belting along to a set of classic Canadiana in the band's hometown. Blue Rodeo was formed 40 years ago by Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, who met in high school in Toronto, and led Monday's concert along with Jimmy Bowskill and Colin Cripps. The group would rise from a Queen Street bar band to a part of Canada's cultural fabric. Craig Hamilton said he took the train in from Long Branch to catch the anniversary show. "The sound of Jim Cuddy's voice, can't miss that," he said. Hamilton said he was thrilled the band led off with his favourite song, 5 Days in May, which he said contains his favourite lyric from any Canadian songwriter. "When he sings, 'Rain on the windshield headed south' — every time I hear that line it just conjures up all these images, and I just love that song," he said. "They've been bringing us fantastic music for many, many years." Hamilton was one of many people in the crowd enjoying a specially crafted beer put out in honour of the band's milestone, which he said was a perfect complement to the sun and music. "Everybody loves Mill Street, and who doesn't love Blue Rodeo, so to bring the two of them together … it's fantastic." MPP Chris Glover, who represents Spadina-Fort York, was also on hand for the show. "It was fantastic. How often do you get to see Blue Rodeo, especially on their 40th anniversary, and in this setting in the Distillery? It's just a beautiful setting," he said. "This is what makes Toronto so much fun to be in in the summertime." It's a setting Blue Rodeo knows well. The band got its start in Toronto, playing its first show in 1985 at the Rivoli, according to its official website. It had been selling out shows in the city for months before the release of its first album, Outskirts, in 1987. But it took off when the music video of its lead single Try, already a popular staple at its concerts, was put on heavy rotation at MuchMusic. WATCH | 40 years of Blue Rodeo examined in new documentary: Blue Rodeo: Lost Together | Trailer | Watch now on CBC Gem 6 months ago For the first time, Blue Rodeo tells the story of their incredible 40-year journey. A brand new documentary, now streaming on CBC Gem and the CBC Docs YouTube channel. Six years later, the band released its most commercially successful album ever, 5 Days in July, and never looked back. Blue Rodeo was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in September 2009 — the fifth band to receive the honour. This year, the group was the subject of a documentary called Lost Together, available on CBC Gem, and got its own Canada Post stamp. It kick off its official, country-wide 40th anniversary tour this fall.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Blue Rodeo plays free acoustic set for Toronto fans at The Distillery
The iconic Canadian rock band Blue Rodeo celebrated 40 years in music with a free concert for fans in Toronto's Distillery District. Hundreds of people packed the Distillery Historic District late Monday afternoon to hear an acoustic performance by one of Canada's most iconic bands. To celebrate 40 years of Blue Rodeo, Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor performed a free set on the Trinity Street Stage. Speaking with CP24's Beatrice Vaisman, Blue Rodeo frontman Cuddy said the fans are the reason behind the band's longevity. 'The reason that Blue Rodeo has lasted so long is because of the people,' he said. 'We work hard to do good shows and to go where everybody lives, but it's because the audiences in Canada are loyal, so we're lucky.' Cuddy also pointed to the band's 'humbleness' as another reason why they've been able to be successful for four decades. 'We started with pretty humble aspirations. We just wanted to be good musicians and we have extraordinary musicians in the band,' he said. 'Greg and I just naturally sing well together and we work hard pushing each other to write better songs. You just have to try to be as good as you can.' Monday's event also celebrated the debut of a limited-edition Blue Rodeo 40th Anniversary Lager in collaboration with Mill Street Brewery - one of the first tenants of the district. Fans were invited to write a special message to the band on a commemorative wall as well.
CBC
28-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
From Mill Street to Simcoe Street: Labatt shifts Toronto brewery's production to London
The label may say Mill Street Brewery, but soon the beer inside will be London-made. Labatt is moving the majority of the Mill Street Brewery's production out of Toronto, a two-hour drive to the company's main London brewery at Simcoe and Richmond streets, the Labatt Breweries of Canada confirmed Thursday. It's a major change for the brand, which has brewed in Toronto since its founding in 2002. It comes as a 10-year lease on Mill Street's North York facility expires with no plans to renew. Substantial increases to industrial lease rates are to blame, said Labatt spokesperson Hannah Love in a statement. Labatt purchased Mill Street in 2015. The move impacts 39 workers, who will be considered for open positions elsewhere in the company, Love said, adding no London jobs are impacted. Increased production in London is set to begin in April. "The majority will be produced in London, however, we will continue to brew in our brew pub in Toronto as well as other facilities in our brewing network in the GTA," she said. Asked if any Mill Street offerings would be impacted, she said it would continue to produce at the same volume, including small batch beers. Nearly 40 jobs impacted "We're sad about the news for the families and the folks that have lost their jobs," said David Bridger, president of SEIU Local 2, which represents unionized workers at the Labatt plant and other Canadian breweries. He said rumours of the move have swirled for weeks. "We know what our folks can do in the London brewery, they produce a quality product, so we expect the quality will remain the same. But it's bittersweet news," he said. The London brewery is Labatt's largest and oldest. Founded in 1847 by John Kinder Labatt, it makes roughly 40 per cent of the beer the company sells in Canada. That includes more than 50 brands owned by its Belgium-based parent, AB InBev, including Budweiser, Busch, Lowenbrau, Michelob Ultra, and Rolling Rock. The drinks giant has invested millions into the facility in recent years, including more than $26 million in 2023 to grow its capacity. The plant is already acquainted with Mill Street Organic, brewing some since 2016 in support of the Toronto plant, said Bridger. "They'll be able to take it on. It will mean increased work in the London plant, I don't know what that translates into as far as whether that means jobs ... but it's not an insubstantial amount of liquid." Steve Abrams, one of Mill Street's co-founders, said it was a "sad day" hearing about the news. Abrams left Mill Street in 2021 and later launched Harmon's, a non-alcoholic craft brewery. "I got kind of reflective thinking of 20-plus years ago," he said. "We built that place by hand." Mill Street began as a brew pub in Toronto's Distillery Historic District. It soon outgrew the space and moved to a larger facility in Scarborough in 2006, before moving again to North York in 2015. "I get it from a business perspective, but all those people that got laid off, it breaks my heart," Abrams said. "I'm sure they're doing everything they can to ... keep them." He added that with talented brewers, great beer can be replicated and made anywhere. "I'm sure we're still in good hands. I say we, I mean the legacy, not me." It's a tough time in Canada's craft beer industry, which has seen breweries close or acquired amid a tough economy and changing consumer preferences, said Jason Foster, an Alberta-based beer expert. People are drinking less or favouring ready-to-drink options, as inflationary pressures are also pushing consumers toward cheaper beer, and hitting brewer balance books. The number of Canadian breweries exploded during a 2010s craft beer boom, jumping from 210 in 2010 to nearly 1,200 in 2020, Beer Canada says. As drinkers turned to craft beer, larger breweries spent millions acquiring smaller ones, a trend Foster says is now in reverse. Both AB InBev and Molson Coors have sold off a dozen craft beer brands in recent years. Some major players have entered the ready-to-drink space, Labatt among them. It makes the American Vintage, Mike's, and Palm Bay brands in London.
