Steve's Blog
Wednesday May 1, 2013

Hi everyone

First off, thanks for supporting our Taj Mahal show last week! It was an amazing experience and there were almost 1,000 people in the room! We are still waiting for The Chan Centre and Ticketmaster to send us some money, but we should have made a profit on the show - which is quite an achievement considering the size of the fee and the equipment and hospitality and hotel bills! The concert was superb. Shemekia Copeland - what a voice! She's quite a character, too. Taj Mahal was immense. His rhythm section (Kester Smith on drums and Larry Fulcher on bass) was just about perfect! Solid without being flashy and just the right support for Taj's voice and guitar work. Taj played a a few different guitars, banjo and piano, and treated us to some classic blues, the occasional African, Hawaiian and Caribbean flavoured song, and some of his best loved songs - notably his closing number, Lovin In My Baby's Eyes. I was the only one allowed to take photos during the show and there are some on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheEd ge19/photo and - I think - on the Rogue's Facebook page as well.

The month of May is our anniversary month, and it's now 26 years of Roguery that we are celebrating this time!

1. Foghorn Stringband, Friday May 3rd, 8pm, at St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)

Portland's Foghorn String Band stands at the top of today's vibrant old-time music revival and a fine example of what an unending revival it is. Each album finds them deeper into the tradition, more familiar with the rich resources of roots music, and more focused, but still propelled by that undercurrent of punk energy. -Art Menius, WMMT

Please disregard any recent Facebook messages you may have received about this show being cancelled. It is most definitely ON. (The confusion arose due to a previous plan to present them in a house concert. This was scrapped when we booked them, but Facebook took the House Concert cancellation notice to mean all occurrences of Foghorn Stringband in Vancouver. Very annoying of them!!)

This show will be a blast!! The Portland-based quartet play Old Time music with a vigour and love for the genre that is totally compelling and just about as authentic as you'll find anywhere this side of the Appalachians. Caleb Klauder (vocals, mandolin, guitar,) Sammy Lind (fiddle, mandolin), Reeb Willms (guitar, vocals) and Nadine Landry (bass, vocals) have just released a CD called Outshine The Sun, and with the weather being as bright as it has been these last few days, they'll have to be pretty shiny. Trust me; they are VERY shiny indeed!!

There will be a few workshops / seminars held on Saturday too. Harmony singing, fiddle, and mandolin - at least. Full details will be revealed at the concert on Friday night. www.foghornstringband.com

2. Kierah Raymond & Adam Dobres, Friday May 10th, 8pm, at St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)

On stage, 17 year old award winning performer Kiérah - doesn't dance and she doesn't sing but she sure knows how to play the fiddle! After 13 years of classical training (receiving Canada's highest mark on her RCM Performance exam) combined with 12 years of learning and performing Celtic fiddle music... Kiérah is a "fiddler extraordinaire". Inspired by the heartfelt playing of Martin Hayes, her own playing radiates the love she has for traditional (and not so traditional) Celtic music - always playing with the clear and precise intonation for which she is known. After spending last summer in Ireland, she was further inspired by the music, the musicians, the history and the kindness of the people - much of which is reflected on her new release - Stonemason's Daughter. As a prolific composer, Kiérah has published B.C.'s first book of all original fiddle tunes and features 15 of them on her new CD. www.irishmadness.com

Adam Dobres is a natural born guitarist with a sensitive ability to embody any style of music. From classical, to jazz, to Celtic, he can do it all. He has travelled all over the world with such notables as Ruth Moody, The Bills, Oliver Swain, Toni Childs, Dustin Bentall & Kendel Carson, Daniel Lapp, and Blue Rodeo. Adam is always energetic and creative in expressing his love of life and music through his guitar. Kierah and Adam, as well as multi-instrumentalist/producer Adrian Dolan really hit it off musically and created Kierah's brand new release, Stonemason's Daughter. Adam is an amazing guitarist, and did a superb job at making his guitar playing unique to each set. He feeds so well into Kierah's exceptional fiddle playing, and together they create a fantastic, full sound. Taking traditional tunes and combining them with Kierah's original tunes, they give even traditional tunes a current, modern feel. Celtic meets contemporary with this exciting duo! www.adamdobres.com

3. Eilen Jewell w/ special guests The Barn Birds, Sunday May 12th, 8pm, at St. James Hall (3214 West 10th Avenue)

It is the battered cassette jammed in the tape deck of the getaway car, the music Ida Lupino cues up on the roadhouse jukebox as she counts the till after close. This is Queen of the Minor Key by Eilen Jewell, a smart cookie with a heart of burnished gold and enough stories to keep even the rowdiest crowd hanging on her every word. Though its long shadows and dark corners make her kingdom feel intimate, her sovereign domain stretches as far as the imagination. Its denizens seek refuge in padded rooms, abandoned automobiles... and strong spirits. www.eilenjewell.com

The Barn Birds are Jonathan Byrd and Chris Kokesh, two young American troubadours. Here's what one of our favourite critics says about Jonathan Byrd: This rootsy North Carolinian may be the most buzzed-about new songwriter in folkdom. He displays John Prine's gift for stark little songs that tell big, complex stories, Guy Clark's lean melodicism, Lyle Lovett's wry mischief, and Bill Morrissey's knack for the revealing image. - Scott Alarik, Boston Globe www.jonathanbyrd.com

4. The Edge On Folk, Saturday 8am to noon, CiTR fm 101.9 and www.citr.ca

Every Saturday since June 1985 I have been presenting four hours of the best in Roots, Folk & World Music from next door, across the nation, and all around the world. Please tune in to CiTR fm 101.9 in Vancouver or www.citr.ca for live streaming. On this week's show I'll have a feature on Eilen Jewell, new music from Kierah & Adam, Michael Averill, Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem, Johnson Miller & Dermody, a feature on Richard Thompson, and a whole bunch of surprises even I don't know about yet! The phone lines are working again, so you can call in 604-822-2487, and you can also check it out on my Facebook page. Podcasts of the show are available on the CiTR website, filed under Saturday Edge.

5. AGM - Call for Board Members

The Annual General Meeting of the Rogue Folk Club will take place on Sunday June 2nd at St. James Community Square, 3214 West 10th Avenue, at 6pm. We are looking for one or two Board members. There are 10 meetings per year, and the focus is on fundraising and making sure everything runs smoothly - and all the legal i's are crossed and t's dotted! If you are interested, please email or .

6. Rogue Folk Review

The May issue of the Rogue Folk Review will be mailed out next week. If you'd prefer to download it you can find it on our website from Tuesday morning. If you currently receive it in the mail and would prefer to just download it, please send me an email. Similarly, if you currently download it and would prefer a hard copy, please let me know.

7. We are looking for an L-Shaped Workstation

We have a small office on West Broadway and the work station is very rickety. We are looking for an L-shaped desk, without a solid back, and with a few shelves and a stack of drawers. If you have one - or see one for sale at a decent price - please let me know. The cheapest I have found so far is around $350 at Staples - but at least they could deliver it.

Thanks a million! See you at The Rogue ...

Steve