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1. Olivia Barrett & Jocelyn Pettit, Friday September 6th, 8pm, at Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (3214 West 10th Avenue)
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We launch our Fall Season with two of Western Canada's most impressive young fiddlers / composers.
Jocelyn Pettit is no stranger to The Rogue, having performed for us many times in recent years. Her most recent - and most excellent - show was a CD launch last Summer with cellist Ellen Gira. The duo will launch their next CD at The Rogue next June. They recorded it in Newfoundland earlier this year, and we saw them receive their Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Album of The Year in St. John's. This time, Jocelyn will be joined by guitarist Adam Dobres and multi-instrumentalist Erik Musseau. Jocelyn was born and raised in Squamish, and graduated with a Master of Music degree from the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow. She is a brilliant fiddler and singer and step dancer and her engaging stage presence and versatile musicianship has seen her join such bands as The Chieftainsand Carlos Nunez on stage in recent years.
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Olivia Barrett was raised on Saltspring Island and now lives in Victoria. She has just this month released her debut CD, Elsewhere. Summoning a wave of modern nostalgia, Olivia’s masterful fiddle playing flows seamlessly between the old and the new, breathing life into traditional tunes through the rhythms of contemporary folk. Elegant, playful, and precise, her music is defined by her gift for crafting new melodies from the threads of the traditions of Ireland, Scotland, and Scandinavia. Elsewhereis reviewed in the latest issue of Irish Music Magazine. I like this quote from editor / reviewer Sean Laffey: "The music here relates to the western fringes of Ireland and Scotland in ten tracks of exceptionally fluid and accomplished fiddling. Olivia with the assistance of guitarist Adam Dobres ... has made a significant mark on Celtic fiddle music. Some of the titles were new to me, so I initially honed in on Junior Crehan’s as my litmus test and she’s nailed it: accent, tone and tempo, all on the money."
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Adam Dobres is a brilliant guitarist / composer / accompanist from Pender Island. He tours and records with fiddler extraordinaire Pierre Schryer and those two were David Francey's backing band here a couple of years back. Adam made his Rogue debut back in 2007 with a band called Outlaw Social, alongside the likes of Pharis Romero, Oliver Swain, Kendel Carson, and Adrian Dolan. (Still one of my favourite Rogue shows ever!)
He will accompany both fiddlers and probably play a tune or two from his two excellent solo CDs as well.
On this date we had originally booked the Swedish trio Northern Resonance, but since then, Sweden has elected a government which does not support the Arts, and they were unable to secure funding for their tour. We are delighted to fill the date with the ringing strings of two of BC's very best fiddlers. We hope you will come out to support them.
Click here for tickets and information.
Urgent Request: Incidentally, the local appearance of pop superstar Pinkfor the next couple of nights has led to a scarcity of hotel rooms, and the price of any remaining rooms has doubled. We are desperately trying to find a place for Adam to stay tomorrow night. If you have space for this exceptional travelling musician we would really appreciate it. Please let me know. It would save us over $350 and you will receive complimentary tickets for this show (or if you have already bought tickets, for a future show of your choice.)
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2. Kristina Olsen and The Faux Paws, Thursday September 12th, 8pm, at Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (3214 West 10th Avenue)
We have another exceptional double bill for you next week! Kristina performed recently at the East Van GoGos concert in May. The Faux Paws will make their Rogue debut. It will be an eclectic and magical evening of splendid acoustic music and song!
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The Faux Paws hail from south of the border. No fan, industry expert, nor member of the band can seem to sum up this band’s sound in any kind of marketable way. They continue to remain a singularly unique outfit in the acoustic music community, always on the fringes, always memorable and with an increasing number of die-hard fans who feel like they’ve uncovered a secret. (I saw them at the Folk Alliance in Kansas City last year, and was mightily impressed with their instrumental dexterity and sense of fun!)
From raging fiddle tunes, to saxophone solos and unrequited love songs, the music of The Faux Paws would be hard to pin down with standard genre descriptions. The trio’s contagious groove, and feel-good melting pot folk music has been honed over ten years of playing together, and is the sound of three close friends (two of which happen to be brothers), who feel a musical kinship that transcends any stylistic limitations. Andrew (guitar) and Noah (fiddle) Van Nostrand grew up playing Contra Dance music in their mother's band, Great Bear, in NY state. They met Chris Miller (of The Revelers) at a music camp and the chemistry was there right from the start.
“[The Faux Paws] have the special sauce” – Jerry Douglas
A Faux Paws live show is an explosive roller coaster ride that brings the audience along. Virtuosity on the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and saxophone, sure, but also vulnerability, personal lyrics, tight 3-part brother harmonies, playful interplay, intricately arranged details and soaring improvisations. With the considerable success and praise the band has seen since coming out of the pandemic the Paws decided to add long-time friend and collaborator Zoe Guigueno (Fish & Bird, Della Mae) to their touring outfit on upright bass. Zoe only deepens the group’s already massive sound while freeing each member up for more creative expression on their various instruments.
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Kristina Olsen was born in San Francisco and raised in Haight-Ashbury during the 1960s. She won the "New Folk" contest at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas in 1985. She is one of the most entertaining and compelling performers on the international acoustic circuit. A superb multi-instrumentalist (acoustic guitar, steel-body slide guitar, saxophone, concertina, banjo, mandolin and piano) as well as an award-winning songwriter with a big bluesy voice, Kristina has audiences around the world coming back for more. Her mix of powerful songs ranging from sassy bottleneck blues to lilting ballads to swing jazz to raunch and roll (as well as her hilarious storytelling) makes for a diverse and satisfying musical experience, on stage, on disc and in book. She has released a total of 14 albums.
“Olsen is an eclectic artist worthy of much more acclaim.”
— Los Angeles Times
“Strong songs and guitar playing, great singing and intimate stories... after hearing it I’m in love with the lady.”
— Acoustic Musician
We would love it if these musicians would get together at the end of the night to find some exhilarating common ground! Even if they don't, you are in for a delectable musical treat!
Click here for tickets and information.
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3. David Francey & Terra Spencer, Thursday September 19th, 8pm, at Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (3214 West 10th Avenue)
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This show is almost sold out, so don't delay in securing your tickets! Big thanks to Art Price - one of our past Volunteer Coordinators - for sponsoring this concert. Click here to secure your tickets
We have some incredible concerts lined up for this Fall. Please support your local "folk club" in any way you can. We know that times are hard, but in hard times, there is no better way to forget about worries and your morning blues than to share some fine down home acoustic music with a room full of like-minded friends!
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4. Tim Readman CD Listening Party, Saturday September 7th, 7:30pm, at Notional Space (1523 East Pender St., between Clark & Commercial)
Here is an interesting idea! Tim won’t be performing live. He will be playing the actual Songs from his new CD, Eighth & Eight, from beginning to end. This will be your first chance to hear it in its entirety on the day of its release into the world! "I want you to hear the whole thing rather than me just playing acoustic versions of the songs. At a later date I might do a live show performing the songs."
Visit www.timreadman.com for tickets and information
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5. Tony Montague presents Billy Waters - a Powerpoint presentation, Friday September 20th, 7pm, at Spartacus Books (1983 Commercial Drive)
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Billy Waters [c1776-1823] was a Black New Yorker who joined the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars, rose to petty-officer status, and had a leg amputated after a fall from the rigging. He went to London where he lived in the booming metropolis’s worst slum, and supported a small family by busking on the streets and in lowlife public houses – fiddling, singing, and dancing - using his wooden leg for “peculiar antics”.
Waters became famous, but was destroyed by the unwanted attention. He was an important cultural pioneer, one of the very first popular African-American performers that we know anything about. Folksong collectors Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins recorded his signature song “Polly Will You Marry Me?” from octogenarian Sid Hemphill in 1959 in Mississippi.
Veteran Rogue and former Georgia Straight music writer Tony Montague has spent years researching Waters’ life, times, and heritage and put together an hour-long Powerpoint, with images and audio-clips, will be presented at Spartacus Books, 1983 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, on Friday, September 20 at 7 pm. There is no charge, but space is limited.
‘Billy Waters: In Search of a Black London Legend’ was first shown at the British Library in May. “That was really the best presentation I have been to in a long while.” Gary Crosby OBE, bassist and founder of the legendary Jazz Warriors.
Inspired by Tony's research, Martin Simpson wrote and recorded a song about Billy on his new CD, Skydancers
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6. La Musica del Flamenco, Sunday September 15th, 8pm, at Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (3214 West 10th Avenue)
Acclaimed musical guests Jose Tomás (guitar) and Jose Valencia (voice), after their performances with Compañía Marco Flores, play a traditional flamenco music concert in an intimate setting.
This is not a Rogue show. Please go here for Tickets and information.
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I have an especially eclectic edition of The Saturday Edge On Folk for you this weekend! I'm starting with some music inspired by the pages of Songlines magazine with stops in Jamaica, Yunnan, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Vancouver, Montreal, Smithers, Denmark, Holland, Finland and Sweden. Then some new blues music and Canadian indigenous sounds, a bit of bluegrass, and a feature on The Faux Paws and Kristina Olsen. Some Francophone music, a nod to the wartime UK band leader Al Bowlly, a rare vintage track from The McGarrigles, and a big Celtic flourish at the end.
I hope you will join me, this and every Saturday, 8am to 12 noon on www.citr.ca and 101.9fm in Vancouver.
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