Steve's Blog
The State Of The Rogue
Thursday September 12, 2024

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1. REMINDER: There's a Fabulous Concert of eclectic acoustic music TONIGHT at The Rogue

Bluesy singer songwriter Kristina Olsen will be joined by Vancouver gypsy jazz guitar legend Michael Dunn, and - we hope - Brian Samuels on cello. Kristina plays resonator guitars and a "Picasso" guitar made for her by her good friend Michael Dunn. She also plays concertina and piano and tells stories and weaves them into her songs of personal exploration and universal humour. Since she spends 6 months per year in Vancouver and winters in California we consider her half-Canadian! She is one exceptionally entertaining performer!

 

She will be followed by The Faux Paws. They were set to open our 2024 concert season in January, but the brothers Andrew and Noah Van Nostrand lost their mother in January and were unavoidably detained at her funeral. They play fiddle and guitar and were raised in their late mother's Contra Dance band, Great Bear. I saw them showcase at the Folk Alliance International last year in Kansas City and was mightily impressed. They are brilliant musicians and singers, and play with a huge sense of fun! The third member of the band is none other than Washington State's saxophonist and banjo wizard Chris Miller, who has played here several times with the wonderful Swamp Pop Cajun Band The Revelers. Chris teamed up with The Fretless' Trent Freeman to perform at that opening concert in January, and they played a superb and fascinating set of new and old-time roots music. 

 

There are still tickets available here and streaming tickets here. It will be a stunning concert, I assure you!

 

2. David Francey & Terra Spencer, Thursday September 19th, is SOLD OUT. 

We're sorry if you missed out. However, we will stream the concert LIVE, so you don't have to be excluded altogether. You can purchase streaming tickets right here.

 

Big thanks to Art Price for sponsoring this concert. It's a great way to support The Rogue and to treat your friends to the very best concert experience!

 

3. The State of The Rogue

The Vancouver Sun today published their Fall Entertainment Guide, and there were exactly zero Rogue shows listed. This is disappointing, of course, but not altogether surprising. The Rogue has been flying under the radar for almost four decades now, but we would not have survived for many weeks let alone years unless there was something very special about our shows. 

 

Trends may come and go, bands may soar into the higher echelons of the music biz, or peter out altogether, but so many performers have cut their teeth at The Rogue down the years. We strive to bring you new and exciting music, and are extremely proud of our record. Of one thing you can be certain: a Rogue show will always showcase supreme musicianship, exemplary sound, and the maximum audience comfort and experience we can muster. Our performers are either new to the market or introducing new and innovative music, with solid roots in one or more musical traditions. In short, we urge you to come to The Rogue as often as you possibly can, bring your friends, and let's share this amazing music in the city's best venue for acoustic music!

 

If there is a downside to our continuing longevity it is that more and more people - be they performers or other presenters, or even community groups wanting to stage a special event - the venue becomes harder for us to book. We have had to change our MO to book further ahead than ever before, and sometimes we need to double-up acts to accommodate all the performers we feel have something special to offer to you, our loyal supporters. Sometimes we find it so hard to find an open date that coincides with touring schedules that we end up with more than one concert in a week, and nothing the following week. The music is the most important thing! We are so thrilled about the concerts we present that we offer a 100% guarantee that if you don't feel a concert lives up to our billing, we will give you a credit to a future show.

 

3. Radio Waves

One way to hear the performers we have coming up, and to hear the latest releases by bands we just cannot possibly present ourselves, or other music I want to share with you, is to tune in to The Saturday Edge On Folk every Saturday from 8am to 12 noon on www.citr.ca and 101.9fm in Vancouver. Last week there was a weird technical glitch which prevented my show from airing on time. It did run a little later in the day, though. Podcasts of all the shows are available on www.citr.ca 

 

On this week's show I'll have new music by The Fretless(coming to The York Theatre in a few weeks), Blue Moon Marquee, Kym Gouchie, Jontavious Willis, Shemekia Copeland, Guy Davis, Afro Celtic Sound System, Nuala Kennedy, Colin James, Terra Spencer, Bassekou Kouyate, Don Ross, Jule Malischke, Tim Readman, and Maja Kjaer Jacobsen. I'll also feaure the music of the Kronos Quartet (coming to The Chan Centre next month) and a whole lot more besides. I hope you will join me!