Steve's Blog
Thursday October 18, 2012

Hi everyone

1. Request for Transportation Assistance - part one

We have Oysterband in town tomorrow night, and need to rent a bunch of equipment for the show, specifically a drum kit and three amplifiers. I can't squeeze all that into my small car, so I am hoping that there is someone out there who could help me pick it up from Long & McQuade on Terminal Avenue, and deliver it to St. James Hall tomorrow afternoon. Around 2pm. Of course it has to be returned to L&M on Saturday as well. If you can help please .

2. Richard Thompson Roadtrip

Margaret & I just returned from a short road trip to see Richard Thompson on Saltspring and in Victoria. What an incredible performer he is! He was on Saltspring to visit his cousin, who owns Sacred Mountain Lavender Farm, and played to a packed Fulford Hall on Monday. Incredibly, they fed most of the audience with a choice of two delicious main courses (vegetable lasagne and chicken marbella) with salad and garlic bread for $15. Served on real plates with real cutlery, too. Then there were homemade desserts for $5 as well. Richard played 18 songs in his set plus two 2-song encores, covering material from Fairport (Meet On The Ledge, Genesis Hall) to his 70s and 80s back-catalogue (Down Where The Drunkards Roll, The Sun Never Shines On The Poor, She Twists The Knife Again, Valerie, Al Bowlly's In Heaven) to 90s classics (1952 Vincent Black Lightning, Beeswing, I Feel So Good) and more recent songs like Crawl Back, Walking The Long Miles Home, Johnny's Far Away, Sunset Song, and three songs from a new album set for release next February. The next night he played the Alix Goolden Hall in Victoria, repeating 12 of those songs, but he only played 20 in total, with excellent renditions of When The Spell Is Broken, Ghosts In The Wind, Who Knows Where The Time Goes, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, and Tear-Stained Letter getting a rare solo outing in BC, followed by encores of Beeswing, One Door Opens and Dimming Of The Day. Fantastic! There were also amazing opening sets by young fiddler / singer Wesley Hardisty (Saltspring) and C.R. Avery (Victoria) That family connection for Richard bodes well for our chances of seeing him in these parts more often in future.

3. Oysterband, Friday October 19th 8pm, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)

Tickets are going fast for this rare visit by Anglo-Celtic folk-rockers Oysterband, so make sure you book yours now before they are all gone. Oysterband won BBC's Album Of The Year for their second collaboration with June Tabor, Ragged Kingdom. Alas, she won't be with them on this tour, but they have the wonderful voice of John Jones and the exemplary instrumental skills of Alan Prosser (guitars,) Ian Telfer (fiddle), Chopper (cello, bass) and Dil Davies (drums) and have released dozens of brilliant albums down the years. Since they never tour in the USA we expect a lot of visitors from south of the border, and have taken ticket orders from as far afield as Philadelphia, Utah, and Southern California (not to mention Canadian cities St. John's and Winnipeg!) So get there early. www.oysterband.co.uk (and don't forget to download their free App from the iTunes Music Store!)

4. Dala, Sunday October 21st, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)

Sublime harmonies and increasingly mature songwriting are trademarks of this wonderful duo of young Ontario songwriters: Sheila Carrabine and Amanda Walther. Their latest CD, Best Day, is their strongest to date and they were a big hit at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival last summer. Come along and be thoroughly charmed and enthralled! www.dalagirls.com

5. Request for Transportation Assistance - part 2

We need someone to drive Debashish Bhattacharya and his brother and daughter from the East End (near The Cultch) to St. James Hall at around 5pm next Thursday October 25th, and then return them to their billets after the show. Again, please email me if you can help.

6. Rogue Octoberfest!

Next week we have Indian slide guitar wizard Debashish Bhattacharya with his brother Subashis on tablas and his daughter Anandi on vocals (Thursday 25th) Then it's Canadian songwriting legends James Keelaghan (Friday 26th) and Old Man Luedecke (with special guests Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart, Saturday 27th). The Saturday show is also the closest Saturday to Halloween, so many of you might be going to parties - before or after the show. We will have prizes for Best Costumes, so dress up for a great night out at The Rogue!

Full details of all our shows can be found on our concert calendar where you can also buy tickets, visit the artists' websites, and watch them in action on selected You Tube videos.

7. The Edge On Folk, Saturday October 20th 8am to noon and Folk Oasis on Wednesday October 24th 8-10pm, CiTR 101.9fm and www.citr.ca

Please join me on Saturday for an extended listen to the Mark Knopfler double CD Privateering, some great new music from Holly Near, Calexico, Dala, Staff Benda Bilili, Iris Dement, Rupa & the April Fishes, Alex Cuba, Karine Polwart, and some classic oldies from Andy Roberts, plus tunes from Debashish, Keelaghan, Lunasa, and more. Also I'm filling in for Val Cormier on Folk Oasis next Wednesday, and Old Man Luedecke will be my guest. I know CiTR has had some trouble with the live computer feed lately, but all should be fine now. These shows will be streamed live on www.citr.ca and podcasts will be available later.