Mixing art and charity

Spadina Avenue, just south of College Street, the perfect place for a palm tree.

Music is good. Charity is good as well. Seems almost natural for the two to join forces and take over the galactic empire…or help the needy in Toronto.

The El Mocambo is one of the city’s most renowned music venues. Current owner Abbas Jahangiri is also one of the organizers of a non profit charity organization called Serving Charity. Jahangiri has merged the two into a music venue that has hosted famous acts such as The Rolling Stones and U2 and a soup kitchen that feeds Toronto’s homeless.

Before it was renovated and taken over by Jahangiri, the El Mocambo was regarded as a dirty rock bar hosting acts that favoured bands with a more punk/garage rock style. Responsible for booking bands was Dan Burke, a common face around Toronto’s live music scene.

Today Yvonne Matsell, a North By Northeast music director, is in charge of booking the El Mocambo which is still bringing in artists and bands that are new to the scene and looking to make it big.

Stay tuned into Creative City as we look at how the legendary ElMo has changed over the years.