It's a busy Summer for music lovers, with several festivals around B.C. Meanwhile The Rogue is presenting a rare Summer series at St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue in Kitsilano) to spice things up even more!
AGM Date Change - now August 1st
But first off, we must announce a change of date for the Rogue's Annual General Meeting. Originally set for Saturday July 6th, a family emergency has necessitated a change to Thursday August 1st at 6pm at St. James Hall, right before the Tri Continental concert. We encourage all Rogue members to attend. Even if your membership may have lapsed you can rejoin before the meeting. More details of the AGM can be found here. Then stick around for a piece of Steve's birthday cake and a fabulous concert with Bill Bourne, Lester Quitzau andMadagascar Slim.
Support Your Local Music Series
Here at The Rogue we've had a pretty incredible run of shows dating back to the big Fundraiser we held in November of 2017. While the music has remained at premium quality right up until the present time, attendance has recently declined to a disturbing level. Our May shows in particular appeared to be a tough sell, but nevertheless there were some really good shows, especially the Nell & Jim Band with their Grateful Dead-inspired cross between bluegrass and country folk, and the outstanding fiddle playing of Colleen Searson (of the band Searson). Life goes on, and we continue to strive to keep the music flowing at The Rogue, so if you don't recognize a band from their name, or you're not sure if you'll like their music, why not check out the videos we put up on the website for each performer? Or better yet, come along with a friend or two and take a chance on us as we put the improved ventilation at the hall through its paces over the next few Summery weeks. We have some excellent concerts lined up for you, but without you they won't be half as much fun!
1. Brishen (BC) plus Zigue (PQ), Saturday July 6th, 8pm, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
Victoria's prodigiously talented guitarist / fiddler Quinn Bachand - who accompanied Ashley MacIsaac at our Fiddle Festival in February - brings his excellent gypsy jazz combo Brishen for a CD launch concert.
Opening for them will be Quebec trad duo Zigue - featuring the brilliant fiddler Claude Methe and his wife, singer / guitaristDana Whittle.
Tickets and info for this feast of gypsy jazz and mesmerizing fiddle tunes can be found here.
2. Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, Tuesday July 9th, 8pm, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
These two-time Grammy winners make their Rogue debut. Cathy and Marcy are wonderful string players and harmony singers, who combine Appalachian songs, bluegrass and swing into a joyous celebration of all things Roots! Tickets and info here.
3. Scandinavian String Alliance, Monday July 15th, 8pm, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
Another band making its only BC appearance of the year, brilliant young fiddlers and singers Maja Kjaer-Jacobsen, Anna Lindblad and Elise Wessel Hildblum - who also plays flute - hail from Denmark, Sweden and Norway respectively. Collectively known as Fru Skagerak they have two brilliant albums to their credit. They will be joined by Danish fiddler Kristian Bugge and fellow countryman Morten Alfred Hoirup on guitar and vocals. Denmark boasts the largest collection of folk ballads in Europe, so expect to hear some fabulous stories in song and the fiddle music will appeal to Celtic music fans as well as exiled Nordic folks. Tickets and info here.
4. Pied Pumkin, Monday July 29th, 8pm, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
On this evening, veteran BC performer Rick Scott will be inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame. To mark the occasion we are thrilled to be able to present a one-time only reunion of Rick's seminal folk trio Pied Pumkin (with Shari Ulrich on fiddle and vocals and Joe Mock- visiting from his home in France - on guitar and vocals). Pied Pumkin not only created the acoustic stringband / jam band phenomenon in the 1970s they also pioneered the independent recording "industry" with their infectious blend of danceable tunes and memorable songs - with lengthy extemporized "jams". Great fun! Rick Scott excels on dulcimer and vocals and his shows are always delightful!
His latest project is Roots & Grooves, with the amazing pianist Nico Rhodes, who will also perform this night. Veteran jazz singer Joani Taylor will also be inducted. She is recovering from serious illness but we hope she will be able to sing a song or two as well. There will be a few surprise guests too! To get your tickets and more info click here.
5. Tri Continental, Thursday August 1st, 8pm, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
Immediately following the Rogue AGM at 6pm, Canadian guitar trio Tri Continental bring their new CD, Dust Dance, to The Rogue. Bill Bourne (who once toured and recorded with Scotland's Tannahill Weavers and won a Juno with piper Alan MacLeod), Lester Quitzau and Madagascar Slim play everything from blues to folk and from jazzy rock to African grooves and their shows are totally compelling. Tickets and info here.
6. Sarah Jane Scouten & John Smith, Tuesday August 13th, 8pm, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
English singer John Smith makes his BC debut at The Rogue in this unique double bill of young songwriters heavily influenced by traditional music. His latest CD, Hummingbird, is a unique collection of traditional songs and one or two originals given his unique treatment. His rich voice and concise guitar work make this album one of my favourites of the year so far. He was so popular at last year's Edmonton Folk Festival that they've invited him back - which is a rare honour. He also made an excellent impression at the Folk Alliance in Montreal in February so we are delighted to be able to bring him here for his first ever BC gig.
Joining him on the bill is Sarah Jane Scouten, who was raised on Bowen Island in a household rich with Celtic music, bluegrass and trad. ballads. A fine songwriter, she now makes her home in Luxembourg and it will be a real treat to hear her back at St. James Hall with her fine trio. Tickets and info here.
7. Chris Frye & The Analog Ghosts, Thursday August 15th, 8pm, St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)
Chris Frye - lead singer and guitarist with The Bills, brings his other band, The Analog Ghosts, to The Rogue to launch their second CD - and first for over a decade - Two Sides Of Canadiana. This is a fine band with a big horn section and the new songs are very catchy and enjoyable. Tickets and info here.
Folk Festival Ticket Deals
Rogue members can still purchase advance tickets to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival (July 19-21) and the Mission Folk Music Festival (July 26-28) at a great discount! Contact us to obtain the discount code and then buy your tickets direct from the festivals.
Volunteer Social Media Assistant Wanted!
The Rogue is looking for someone who would be willing to help out the Publicist with social media. This would primarily be Instagram and Facebook posts, but there could be other avenues as well. We would like to expand our coverage in this area. In addition, this person would submit show listings to on-line sites run by the likes of the Georgia Straight and LiveVan.com. Experience with the internet in general and social media in particular is an essential. Experience with programs like PhotoShop and MovieMaker would also be a distinct asset. The ability and discipline to do these tasks unsupervised at least part of the time would be good, too. Contact Paul Norton, Rogue Publicist at publicity@roguefolk.bc.ca
Rogue finances are extremely limited right now, but if we were to find a fabulous volunteer who suddenly helps make us profitable again, we would definitely consider adding an honorarium. Right now, though, just think of all the fabulous music you'd get to hear for free, and you'd become part of a really fine team committed to bringing the very best in Roots music to the very best and most discerning folk in town!
Rogue History files
We are delighted to announce that - thanks to Cecil Sharp House - HQ of the English Folk Dance and Song Society in Regents Park, London - we have been able to complete the digital archive of Rogue Folk Reviews, dating from May 1987 to November 2013, when we ceased to print a magazine. Who knew they would have all the back issues? What an amazing archive they have! Now we have one - albeit a much more humble one - ourselves. Check it out in the history section of our website.
Call for Billets
In our efforts to bring you the finest performers we can find we often present out of town musicians who require accommodation. Hotels are very expensive at this time of year, and many musicians are happy to accept billets instead. If you have a spare room or two, please contact us and let us know. If you live close to the hall that would be perfect, but we also get requests for places to stay that are close to a ferry terminal, the airport, or a freeway / highway en route to the band's next gig.
Radio Waves
On the next two editions of The Saturday Edge On Folk - which airs every week from 8am to noon on CiTR fm 101.9 in Vancouver and is streamed online on www.citr.ca I'll focus on tributes to recently departed African music legends Mose Fan Fan from Congo, Issa Cissokho the sax player with the fabulous Orchestra Baobab, Solo Cissoko (of Ellika & Solo, and the Ale Moller Band from his adopted home of Sweden), and the sudden demise of iconic UK magazine fRoots, which appears to have wrapped things up unexpectedly with its 40th Anniversary edition. Waah! This is a disaster!! Where am I going to hear about new music now, I wonder? Penguin Eggs, I guess, but will that be enough?
I'll also feature new releases by the likes of Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Torrisi, Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby, Dervish, The Small Glories, Tinariwen, Lakou Mizik, Dwayne Dopsie, Dobet Gnahore, Hazmat Modine, Molly Tuttle, Flook, Meg Tennant, and many of the artists coming to local festivals - and of course The Rogue.
I'll broadcast the July 6th show LIVE at CiTR, but will have to pre-record the next week's show as I'll be one of the MCs at Island Musicfest in Courtenay on July 13th. The following week CiTR will broadcast from Jericho Beach Park - an annual ritual that's great fun! You can also listen to podcasts of every show - dating back well over a decade - on the CiTR website. You can check out my playlists (dating back to 2006!) on the Playlist page of the Rogue website too.
I hope you can join me in radioland! See you at The Rogue, too! |
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