Steve's Blog
Saturday June 25, 2011

Hi everyone

Big week coming up at the Jazz festival, and we have a couple of Special Offers for you!

1. Alison Brown Quartet, Monday June 27th, 8pm at Capilano Performing Arts Theatre

The queen of the bluegrass and jazz banjo returns for only her second local gig in recent memory. She's an amazing musician and the band is spectacular, featuring the wonderful pianist John R Burr. Their music is extremely eclectic and enjoyable, so don't pass up this rare chance to see them in concert. What's more, we can offer you a great deal: Two-For-One (or half price, if you're not a "two"). For more information on the band, visit www.alisonbrown.net

Just come to the Cap Box Office, which opens at 7pm on Monday, and bring your membership card or this email, and claim your half price tickets. This offer is ONLY available at the door - and it conveniently avoids the necessity of dealing with Ticketmaster, too!

2. Savoy Family Cajun Band and The Foggy Hogtown Boys, Thursday, June 30th 8pm at Capilano Performing Arts Theatre

Celebrated accordionist and accordion-maker Marc Savoy, his wife Ann (guitar & vocals), and their sons Joel (fiddle) and Wilson (piano) make up one of Louisiana's finest Cajun bands. Their latest CD, Turn Loose But Don't Let Go, attests to this. More info: www.savoyfamilycajunband.com

The Foggy Hogtown Boys are one of Canada's very best Bluegrass bands, with a strong penchant for Honky Tonk music as well. The quintet features some amazing players, including John Showman (fiddle), Chris Coole (guitar) and Andrew Collins (mandolin) - some of the nation's most celebrated and in-demand acoustic musicians and teachers. More info: www.foggyhogtownboys.com

It's a fabulous double-bill, and we are also able to offer the same Two For One deal on this show! Once again, come to the Cap Box Office, which opens at 7pm on Thursday, and bring your membership card or this email, and claim your half price tickets. This offer is ONLY available at the door.

3. Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Show, Wednesday June 29th, 8pm at CPAT

Jim Byrnes, Steve Dawson & Band, The Sojourners, Del Rey will reprise the amazing concert that first took place here in February 2010. While you're there, make sure to pick up the fabulous DVD of those 2010 concerts.

At all THREE shows we will have a Rogue Sales Table and a Raffle for CDs. You can still buy advance tickets for the Mission Folk Music Festival from us at a discount from the regular price, as well as tickets for The Outside Track (CBC Studio 700, July 29th) and Vasen (St. James Hall, Sept 2nd).

Please take advantage of these excellent offers and support The Rogue by buying raffle tickets. We don't have many shows this Summer, so this is a vital source of income for us to stay afloat.

4. HST Referendum

There are many confusing ads going back and forth about the HST and the referendum. Please consider this: We have to collect and remit tax on ALL our revenue. Most performers are not registered for GST or HST. This creates a considerable negative impact on The Rogue's finances. When GST was introduced at 7% it really hurt us. When it was reduced to 5% it was still a drain on our meagre resources. When HST came in this increased the burden on us from 5% to 12% - a huge increase, which has also coincided with the loss of Provincial Gaming Revenue. (So, not only do we receive less government funding, we are now being asked to do even more work as unpaid tax collectors!) Increasing our ticket prices doesn't help all that much, as we have to remit even more tax, and a few people probably decided our prices are too high. Even if the HST comes down to 10% - in two years or whenever - we are going to suffer. So, if you care about The Rogue - or indeed ANY performing arts organization, please vote Yes to get rid of the HST.