Three Concerts! New Cameras! New Lights!

We have three virtual concerts for you this month, and we are very excited about them! We are also super-thrilled to be utilizing brand new lights and an amazing new camera setup at the Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (aka The Square) for two of these shows. We have teamed up with local production company Hubcast Media to spruce up the venue and The Square has added a very fast fibre optic wired cable set up so we can transmit these shows from three "robotic" cameras down to the Hubcast Studios in Surrey and they will mix the video feed into the live stream for y'all to watch from the comfort of your own homes! We are also grateful to Canadian Heritage for a small, supplemental grant we received to help us present some live shows.

So, two of the concerts will feature local bands who will perform live on the Rogue stage, and the other show comes to us from the east coast:

1. THE EARLY SPIRIT TRIO, Friday, March 12 - 7:00pm PST - $10

Early Spirit plays this Friday March 12th at 7pm (the show was originally planned for March 6th, but we had to reschedule due to the rather unusual situation of the VYSO hosting shows this past weekend. Besides, two of the new cameras only arrived late last week, and the new lights are set to be installed today).

The band features Gabriel Dubreuil on fiddle, Ben Kelly on hand percussion, and Jay Knutson on guitars and vocals. Gabe is one of BC's most outstanding fiddle players and composers; Jay is a founder member of Spirit of the West, and Ben is a member of The Paperboys - and also the son of Geoffrey Kelly, who - along with the late, lamented John Mann - started SOTW all those years ago. Hence the band's name. They incorporate a few songs from the old SOTW repertoire alongside new compositions and original fiddle tunes. We hosted the CD launch of their debut CD - Unrelated - a couple of years ago, and they have a new CD coming out later this year. We can't wait to hear their new material! Tickets and more information can be found here 

2. DAVE GUNNING & JP CORMIER, Saturday, March 13th - 7:00pm PST, Tickets - $20

We also have a special concert coming to you from Nova Scotia this Saturday March 13th at 7pm with two outstanding singer songwriters - Dave Gunning and J.P. Cormier - teaming up to present songs from their recent CD, Two, and material from their impressive back catalogue as well as some new songs. Canada has a very strong songwriting tradition and these two are amongst the very best. Dave reminded me when I last saw him that he first came to Vancouver as the bass player in J.P.'s band at The Rogue in the late 90s! He's been back a few times in his own right since then, of course. We had booked him for a show last April, which of course had to be postponed, so we are thrilled to be able to bring him here (sort of) this week! J.P. is a masterful player of anything with strings, and is especially renowned for his amazing guitar picking. For tickets and more information click here.

3. THE HAZMATICS, Saturday, March 20th - 2:00pm PST, Tickets - $15

We also have a new Celtic / pop quartet called The Hazmatics on Saturday March 20th at 2pm (the early start is to encourage fans of the band members to tune in live from Europe and the east coast!) The band features the mercurial talents of Cam Wilson(above) of Van Django, The Wahs, Joe Trio and Mad Pudding on fiddle; Finn Manniche of Van Django on bass; Dave Gibbons, who starred in the Rogue's White Album 50th Anniversary Celebration a couple of years ago on guitar and vocals; and Allen Dionne from Mad Pudding and lots of other local Celtic bands on drums. Tickets and more information can be found here.

4. Radio Waves

Today is International Women's Day, and this month is International Women's Month. On my weekly radio show, The Saturday Edge On Folk, it's pretty much International Women's Day every week! This month I'm including an extended feature on several female singers who have inspired me with their music over the past 36 years of presenting this show. Last Saturday I featured Scottish singer Karen Matheson of Capercaillie fame. She just released her 4th solo CD, Still Time, on Compass Records, and I played a few songs from that fine album as well as some songs from her earlier albums and a couple of Capercaillie songs as well. Over the next few weeks I will feature Eliza Carthy, Rhiannon Giddens, Rachel Davis (Coig), and Eilen Jewell. I think! There will also be a St. Patick's Day feature or two with the big day sandwiched between the next two Saturdays. Tune in every Saturday from 8am to noon on www.citr.ca to find out who's on! 

FUN FACT: Did you know you can view all the playlists and listen to podcasts of all the shows - or as much of them as you like - dating back over 20 years here. Playlists are also archived on the Rogue website. 

This show has kept me motivated and inspired throughout the lockdown. I hope you enjoy it too!