Steve's Blog
Thursday May 10, 2012

Hi everyone

Today (May 10th) is actually the 25th anniversary of the very first Rogue Folk Club concert at The Savoy in Gastown, when our House Band was Stephen Fearing, and the guests were Under The Moss and The Little Mountain Band.

This weekend we have two concerts: Jayme Stone's Room Of Wonders (May 11th) and The Silver Jubilee Concert on Saturday (which is Sold Out), and next week we present the return of Fred Eaglesmith (also Sold Out).

Tomorrow's concert has plenty of tickets available, and it promises to be an enthralling and hugely entertaining evening of dance music from all around the world played by a superb Canadian band.

1. Jayme Stone's Room Of Wonders, Friday May 11th, 8pm, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)

The music is as spirited as its creator. It's hard to imagine a room large enough to contain the talent that went into its making, or the varied sounds it surveys. GEORGIA STRAIGHT

The thing that elevates the two-time Juno-winner into the musical stratosphere inhabited by Béla Fleck is not so much technical prowess on the banjo, which is self-evident, but virtuosity placed in the service of artistic vision. - GUELPH MERCURY

Jayme Stone has been called The Yo-Yo Ma of the Banjo (Globe & Mail.) He has two JUNO Awards, the latest for the CD Room Of Wonders, which will be showcased tomorrow night with his superb band (Jayme on banjo, Kevin Turcotte on trumpet, Andrew Downing on cello, and Nick Fraser on drums.) The CD also featured Casey Driessen on fiddle, and Jayme has previously worked with such luminaries as kora master Mansa Sissoko and nyckelharpa diva Sandra Wong, so there might even be the occasional guest performer on stage tomorrow night to further embellish the music.

The material on Room Of Wonders includes Bulgarian dance music (Ruchenitsas and Horos), Irish Reels, Brazilian rhythms, Italian wedding music, Norwegian polkas, a Bach allemande, a Tunisian-inspired waltz, an old time / bluegrass breakdown, and a stately Swedish Polska!

Check out these You Tube videos for a glimpse of what to expect tomorrow night; we promise you an incredible evening of music! www.jaymestone.com/videos

If you have eclectic tastes and appreciate stunning musicianship then this concert is definitely for you. We also think that Rogues tend to be musically adventurous and inquisitive types, so this concert is right up your street, so to speak!

If you weren't able to get tickets for Saturday night - or even if you were - we urge you to come out on Friday and be a part of the 25th anniversary celebrations at The Rogue. We'll have new t-shirts for sale, and all sorts of prizes and such.

2. The Edge On Folk, Saturday 8am to noon, CiTR fm 101.9 and www.citr.ca

This week I'll feature music from the first 25 years of The Rogue, with some vintage recordings, one or two live exclusives, and a celebration of the greatest music in the world - folk and roots music, much of it Canadian, that we feature at The Rogue all year round. For a quarter of a century - and counting! There will also be classic recordings by centenarians Robert Johnson, Woody Guthrie and Bill Monroe, and a cut or two from Bob Dylan's first LP (maybe even a 1962 Beatles song. Who knows?)

Please join me for this unique celebration of musical milestones.

3. Rogue Folk Club Annual General Meeting, 6pm, Small Common Room, downstairs at the back, St. James Hall, 3214 West 10th Avenue

All members are encouraged to attend as we present the Annual Report for 2011 and ask you to elect the slate of 5 Board members (half the board is elected each year for a two year term.) If you're coming to the concert, come early and join us. If you haven't got a ticket come to the AGM anyway. We need your support to show our funders the depth and loyalty of our core support. (We might even have a ticket or two for the show as a door prize for members who don't yet have one ....)

4. Rogue Silver Jubilee Concert w/ C.R. Avery, Jim Byrnes, Steve Dawson Band and The Sojourners, Saturday May 12th, 8pm, St. James Hall

This will be an incredible evening of musical tributes to some of the most influential people in contemporary music history: Robert Johnson (Delta Blues), Woody Guthrie (Folk Song), Bill Monroe (Bluegrass), Bob Dylan (THE best songwriter ever), The Beatles (the most fab and influential pop band ever), and The Rogue (Vancouver's most eclectic music series - since 1987!)

We'll have Birthday Cake! Door Prizes! New and Vintage T-Shirts! etc.

This show is sold out. There will not be a stand-by line. If you don't have a ticket you will not get in. Sorry.

If you made a phone or email reservation for a ticket or Parcel O'Rogues, just make sure you come early. Doors open at 7pm, and show time is 8pm.

We hope to record the show on video and audio because we believe that something as special as this should not be allowed to pass silently into history.

Full details of all our shows can be found on our concert calendar.

Have a great Silvery weekend!
Steve