A couple of shows were added upon our return from Italy. A bit short notice, but we know you will enjoy them!! We are delighted to be able to team up with the Harrison Festival Of The Arts to present two bands who will also appear at the festival over the weekend.
1. Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards, Friday July 6th, 8pm at St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
Laura Cortese has performed at the Rogue a few times over the years. This young fiddler, singer and songwriter cut her teeth in the fertile grounds of the music scene in Boston. She first studied fiddle at Alasdair Fraser's Valley Of The Moon fiddle camp in Northern California before delving more deeply into more varied music at the prestigious Berklee College in Boston. Playing with artists as diverse as Band Of Horses and Pete Seegerembellished her traditional roots with a plethora of influences, and she has released several CDs of traditional music and her own compositions.
Her most recent appearance here was a double bill with BC alternative roots band Fish & Bird. She debuted her new quartet that night, and has since recorded three albums - Into The Dark, All In Always, and this year's California Calling - which has just been issued by Alison Brown's Nashville label, Compass Records (the leading Indie Folk / Roots label in America these days.) The all-female string quartet The Dance Cards is extremely versatile and their music is joyous, infectious and exhilarating (although they can also get reflective and poignant at times.)
We really hope you'll come inside to escape the forecast of rain and enjoy the sounds of fiddle, cello and voices filling those lovely rafters at St. James Hall. Tickets will be available at the door and are also on sale at Tapestry Music, Highlife Records, and on our website.
2. The Step Crew, Monday July 9th, 8pm at St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
This unique Celtic combo comprises three current members of The Chieftains touring company: Ottawa Valley step dancers and fiddlers Nathan and Jon Pilatzke, and the amazing Irish dancer Cara Butler - the younger sister of the original Riverdancer Jean Butler. Vancouver's Rob Becker plays bass, and there are other band members on guitar, keyboards and percussion - as well as several more dancers specializing in Irish and Canadian step dancing as well as tap dancing. They also feature the lovely Gaelic singer Maeve MacKinnon from Scotland. We saw them two years ago at the Edmonton Folk Festival and were absolutely blown away! They are returning to Edmonton next month, but this will be their first appearance in Vancouver. We promise you a spectacular evening of music, song and especially dance!
Again, tickets will be available at the door and they are also on sale at Tapestry Music, Highlife Records, and on our website.
3. Martin Simpson, Thursday July 12th, 8pm at St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
Arguably the finest acoustic guitarist in the U.K., and certainly one of the very best players you'll find ANYWHERE, Martin Simpson makes a welcome return to The Rogue en route to Island Musicfest in Courtenay. His latest CD, Trails & Tribulations, continues an ever-evolving and increasingly impressive catalogue of albums showcasing his mastery of traditional music from both sides of the Atlantic.
Martin grew up in England, first absorbing the Blues and Folk records in his older brother's collection and then embarking on a solo career opening for bigger names at folk clubs all over the country. He later teamed up with the amazing trad singer June Tabor and they released a series of superb albums in the 1970s and 1980s before Martin moved to the States. There he made several instrumental albums on Shanachie Records - exquisite renderings of trad ballads, where he built in all the power of the words and the sentiment expressed - without vocals! He also made an instrumental album of gospel tunes, but his mastery of the blues really came to the fore as he continued his sojourn from upstate New York to Santa Cruz and then New Orleans. Yet he continued to record traditional songs as well as contemporary classics like Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and Ann Lister'ssuperb Icarus.
He returned to England a few years ago, where he married Roy Bailey's daughter Kit and they now live in Sheffield with their young daughter Molly. If anything he has become even more prolific in his recorded output - and even more impressive on guitar, banjo, and voice. His renditions of songs like Fair Annie, Lord Gregory, Spoonful, Heartbreak Hotel, Reynardine, and Masters Of War are as powerful as any you'll hear. His own songs like Never Any Good, Ridgeway, and Maps are equally memorable.
If you love traditional music, blues, guitar, Dylan, banjo, Celtic music - or all of the above - you can't go wrong with a Martin Simpson concert! Don't miss this rare chance to hear him in town.
Tickets and information can be found here.
4. Rogue Folk Club Annual General Meeting Reminder, Thursday July 12th, 6pm at St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
Immediately prior to Martin's concert, The Rogue will hold its Annual General Meeting. If you are a current member, or would like to renew, please come down early to St. James and participate in this vital meeting which is needed to ensure The Rogue's continued existence and compliance with legal requirements for non-profit Societies. More info on the AGM can be found here.
5. RogueFEST, Sunday July 29th, noon - 6pm at Chain & Forge Stage, Granville Island
Plans for our first ever free festival of roots music are unfolding daily, and we are delighted to showcase four local bands: Sue Malcolm's Slow Pitch Jam (bluegrass), The Rocket Revellers (rockabilly), Viper Central (rockin' Old Time songs and tunes), and Van Django (gypsy jazz).
There will be a beer garden and a food truck or two. The event is sponsored by CMHC and Granville Island, and runs from noon to 6pm under the Granville Bridge near the entrance to Granville Island. It will be a lot of fun! Hope to see you there! Click here for details
6. Coming In The Fall!
We have a really exciting program lined up for the Fall Season, including the following:
Sept 8 - Winsome Kind (BC)
Sept 16 - Craig Cardiff (ON) and Raine Hamilton (MB)
Sept 19 - Mike Farris Band (TN)
Sept 23 - Brishen (BC)
Sept 29 - Fortunate Ones (Nfld)
Oct 6 - Guy Davis (NY) & Fabrizio Poggi (Italy)
Oct 9 - We Banjo 3 (Eire)
Oct 10 - Claire Lynch Band (TN)
Oct 13 - The Fretless (ON / SK / USA)
Oct 19 - The East Pointers (PEI)
Oct 21 - Matthew Byrne (Nfld)
Oct 25 - Irish Mythen (PEI)
Nov 2 - The Once (Nfld)
Nov 9 - Early Spirit (BC)
Nov 16 - The Small Glories (MB)
and this very exciting new addition
Nov 22 - 50th Anniversary of the Release of The Beatles White Album, with an all-star lineup!
All these shows will be at St. James Hall. Details are being added to our website on a daily basis, so visit often!
7. Vancouver Folk Festival July 13 - 15
You can still pick up your prepaid discount VFMF tickets at the next two Rogue shows at St. James. If you don't collect them on these evenings we will email you a ticket with a barcode on it. Bring this to the festival gate.
Come to see us at The Rogue Tent in the Festival Community Village. We'll have concert information, some archival materials from 31 years of Roguery in Vancouver, and plenty of interactive stuff. Maybe some jamming? Who knows?
I will be hosting The Saturday Edge On Folk from the CiTR broadcast tent at Jericho Beach on Saturday July 14th from 8am to noon, and will be joined by CiTR alumnus Linda Bull, who is visiting Vancouver for a few days en route to Australia. We will have some musical guests. Lots of them, I think! Come and say Hi, or just tune in to CiTR live (and listen to the podcast later)
8. Mission Folk Festival July 20 -22
Rogues can still purchase deeply discounted tickets to this wonderful festival! Check out the special deal on our website.
There are some great performers this year, including James Keelaghan, David Francey, Pharis & Jason Romero, The Small Glories, Viper Central, and many more.
9. Radio Waves
On this week's edition of The Saturday Edge On Folk I'll feature many of the performers from the Vancouver and Mission Folk Festival line ups this month, as well as new releases from the likes of The Once, Michael McGoldrick, Blowzabella, Kara Grainger, Dafne Kritharas, Angelique Kidjo, Imarhan, Kittel & co., Rory Block, Ram 7, Fatoumata Diawara etc. I'll also feature music by The Step Crew and Martin Simpson. And lots more!
I hope you can tune me in and turn me on! Saturday 8am to noon on CiTR fm 101.9 in Vancouver and www.citr.ca anywhere, any time, everywhere. (Podcasts are an amazing thing!) |
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