1. Jim Byrnes, Friday May 20th, 8pm, Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (3214 West 10th Avenue)
One of Canada's finest blues singers and without a doubt one of our finest raconteurs, Jim Byrnes returns to The Rogue stage with his excellent new quintet. With Simon Kendall (left, Doug & The Slugs) on keyboards and piano, Eric Reed (right) on guitars, Rob Becker on bass, and Geoff Hicks on drums, Jim will deliver the blues and so much more tomorrow evening! We hope you will come on down to the hall to revel in the experience! Tickets are on sale right here.
If you can't make it, then please consider watching the show online wherever you are. There are still some tickets available for the live concert, and we have lots of tickets for the web stream.
2. Live Music v. Watching At Home - while Covid still lurks out there.
Last week, we celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Rogue Folk Club! The concert with Diyet & The Love Soldiers was wonderful, but very few came along to see the show, and only 7 watched online. The streaming service costs us around $500 per show. We need at least 50 people to watch online just to break even. The average viewing audience has been less than 20 so far this year. Down from just over 30 for the Rogue Reloaded shows last Fall. We simply cannot afford to keep doing this without your support.
The web stream idea came about during the darkest days of the pandemic, when we decided to offer an alternative to watching the shows inside the hall with a whole bunch of strangers. Even though the vast majority are vaccinated, covid is still out there, and some folk are still being infected - some for a second time. So we continue to present our shows in the safest manner we can possibly arrange. We still check vaccine passports, and recommend the wearing of masks at all times - especially when moving around the hall to get to the bar, the merchandise table, or the washrooms.
Music is an essential part of life. We truly believe this. We want as many folk as possible to sample the unique Rogue experience. But above all, we want everyone to be safe - and considerate of others. So, if you can't make it to the hall, please support the musicians and The Rogue by watching online. Not all venues are providing this extra service, and most that do are charge way more than $10. Upwards of $25, in fact.
3. The Lonesome Town Painters, Friday May 27th, 8pm, Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (3214 West 10th Avenue)
The Lonesome Town Painters, a spirited down-home East Vancouver bluegrass quartet, are launching their third CD next Friday night - Go Out & Paint The Town. Great harmonies, hurtin' songs, love songs (unrequited and some more fortunate), and impressive picking are the hallmarks of this fine band. They put on an excellent show last year during Rogue Reload and now they are back with another excellent CD. Tickets are available here, and at the door on the night. Come on down and paint the town - musically and metaphorically please!
3. Future Concerts at the Rogue
We are busy planning our Fall Season, and we have a few Summer concerts in the mean time. Winnipeg's adorable award-winning folkies The Small Glories(above: Cara Luft and JD Edwards) will be here on Friday June 10th for our final concert of the second quarter.
We have two special concerts in July. Paul Jones (above right; ex Manfred Mann) and Dave Kelly of The Blues Band (UK) are stopping in Vancouver on July 12th, after the band plays their farewell gig at Island Musicfest in Courtenay over the July 8-10th weekend. This acoustic blues evening will feature Paul Jones' superb vocals and harmonica playing, and Dave Kelly's impressive acoustic slide guitar work. It's a unique chance to see them. Indeed, likely your ONLY chance to see them. Even if you go to Musicfest you won't see the acoustic duo, just the full-on (and rather wonderful) electric band. So don't miss this show if you love the blues, or can remember 5-4-3-2-1 and Doo Wah Diddy Diddy!
We have also added a double CD launch concert with the brilliant BC fiddler Jocelyn Pettit on July 19th. Jocelyn spent a couple of years at the Royal Academy of Scottish Music in Glasgow, graduating with honours last year. She launches her third band CD this night. She has also been touring and recording with young American cellist Ellen Gira, and the duo are launching their first CD this night as well.
Keep an eye on www.roguefolk.com to see who is coming in the Fall. Watch for Edmonton singer / songwriter fiddler Braden Gates, Saltspring's folk / acoustic rap troubadour Luke Wallace, the wonderful acoustic duo Mama's Broke (NS), and (probably) renowned BC roots music guru Roy Forbes in September. Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon returns in October, and we plan to present the return of Connie Kaldor, a debut for Americana combo Bill & The Belles, and - I hope - The Bros. Landreth. And more! November sees the return of Irish Mythen, the debut of Scots trad trio Talisk, young African-American old time fiddler / singer Jake Blount, the amazing Eilen Jewell and her fine band, the glorious voices of Madison Violet, and the debut of Crys Matthews (above photo). This woman just won Song, Album, and Performer of the Year at the International Folk Alliance Conference last evening! She is incredible! Looking further ahead, we are working on return engagements with Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, and David Franceyin January, and Dave Gunning & J. P. Cormier, and The Arrogant Worms in March! And a whole lot more, all things considered...
4. Radio Waves
Alasdair Fraser pointed out on Facebook yesterday that Sunday is World Fiddle Day, so plenty of whirling fiddles will grace the Saturday Edge On Folk (Saturday 8am to noon on www.citr.ca) I'll also have some new releases from Spain, Colombia, and Mali. Plus new songs from Barney Bentall, Abbie Gardner, Teada, Charlie Musselwhite, Mr. Sun, Kim Beggs, Abigail Lapell, Ry Cooder & Taj Mahal, Matt Andersen, Molly Tuttle, Jim Page and a whole lot more. Plus a look ahead to Saturday's show at The Bez Arts Hub in Langley, with Meg Tennant, Jeff Plankenhorn, Gary Comeau and more. That show is also streamed live if you don't live close by.
I hope you will tune me in and turn me on this and every Saturday morning on www.citr.ca
Have a great long sunny weekend, everyone! See you down The Rogue!
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