Well, it's been a really amazing Summer, and it's kind of difficult to gear myself up for the resumption of our fabulous concert series at The Rogue. But just looking at this schedule I can't help but be extremely excited! I hope you are too!
1. ROGUE FALL SEASON!
After a summer break, the Rogue Folk Club comes roaring back with dozens of concerts planned, featuring some of the best roots music artists Canada and the world has to offer. These exceptional artists were hand-picked by our award-winning Artistic Director and Founder Steve Edge. All shows will occur in the beautiful historic Mel Lehan Hall at St. James Square in Kitsilano. The events will almost all be streamed as well. We continue to keep our ticket prices as low as we can. There are discounts for members, seniors, students and more. Listed below are the shows for the first two months. Please follow the concert links below for more information - and to buy your tickets: we can't do this without you!! (Paul Norton, Publicity / Marketing)
SEPTEMBER
[Album Release]
A celebration of ‘Persephone’, an album of country, soul, and pop, with a nine-piece show band. Colleen is an incredible singer. This is Colleen's first album in nine years, during which time she has battled - and overcome - some scary demons. The new album recounts some of her experiences since that wonderful concert at The Rogue back in 2014 with Steve Dawson, Jim Byrnes, and co. Here are a couple of photos I took from one of her performances on The Rogue stage at Shorefest with her rocking blues band No Sinner, and at that 2014 show at The Rogue. Some of you may recall her appearance with Tom Russell a few years back, when she joined him on his anthemic song Blue Wing. She really is a tremendous singer. The closest I have heard to Janis Joplin, but I think she has more range and her songwriting has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. This will be an amazing concert! With a top-notch nine-piece band backing her up.
 
14 - WINTER WILSON (England)
This UK duo blends superb originals, stunning harmonies and musicianship with hilarious humour. We love it when we hear a new band with a great sound and something deep and meaningful to say. Kip Winter and Dave Wilson have been stalwarts of the UK folk scene for a few years, but they are coming to BC for the first time and we are delighted to be able to present them in concert in Vancouver for the first time. They come highly recommended by renowned UK radio DJ Mike Harding, by Vin Garbutt's widow, Pat, and by Vancouver's Tim Readman - amongst others. We hope you will take a chance on hearing them at The Rogue.
23 - BRANDON ISAAK
[Album Release]
Entertaining and award-winning Nanaimo-based bluesman rips it up with his band the Saints of Swing (Chris Nordquist - drums; Mike Kalanj - keyboards; and Pat Darcus - bass).
24 - TALISK (Scotland)
They rank highly among the most in-demand folk-based groups to emerge from Scotland in the last decade.
29 - LUKE WALLACE +
THE PAIRS [Album Release]
Luke Wallace’s music addresses today’s environmental challenges. The Pairs bring soaring sister harmonies from three distinct singer-songwriters.
30 - OLIVER SWAIN’S
‘LEGACY OF LIGHTFOOT’
An exceptional lineup of acclaimed BC musicians will journey through the heart and soul of Gordon Lightfoot’s iconic discography. (Photo I took of Oliver at Shorefest a few years ago)
OCTOBER
08 - GUY DAVIS (USA)
“He’s out of New York, and he’s America’s greatest link to the blues right now.”- The Windsor Star.
19 - MADS HANSENS KAPEL
(Denmark)
A danceable Danish sound driven by energy, cheek and a well-developed, humorous fingerspitzengefühl.
20 - THE FUGITIVES
[Album Release]
“Conjures up a sound that’s like the missing link between Leonard Cohen and the Pogues.” - Georgia Straight
26 - JUAN MARTIN (Spain)
An innovative performer who was twice voted the top flamenco guitarist by ‘Guitar Player’ magazine.
27 - GOOD LOVELIES
[Album Release]
“Close harmonies, reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters (albeit with the mischievous slant of the Roches)” - The Montreal Gazette.
AND LOTS MORE TO COME IN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER!
Including Connie Kaldor, Rum Ragged, Jane Mortifee, Mad Pudding reunion, John Wort Hannam & T. Buckley, Chris Ronald and Van Django’s Cool Yule. (Subject to change - please visit our web site.)
2. Summer Highlights
What a whirlwind of events!! Looking back at the month of June, we had incredible Rogue concerts with Elise Boeur & Adam Iredale-Gray and Golden Shoals, Danny Michel, and Karan Casey Trio (above). Then we took off for a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest and a few days in Prague. We jetted back to host two more amazing concerts: Seamus Egan Project, and Sarah Jane Scouten & Suzie Ungerleider. Then it was a fabulous weekend at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, a truly memorable Rogue concert with Twin Flames, followed by another great weekend at the Mission Folk Music Festival.
A couple of outstanding fireworks nights later it was time for me to welcome my big brother, Dave, and his wife Linda for a brief visit from New Zealand. They came for my (big) birthday, and we had a grand session of trad tunes at our Co-op and then witnessed the zany, Beatles-inspired version of As You Like It at Bard on the Beach. We spent a few days with them in Roberts Creek, where Margaret's brother Ian took us out for a brief sail around Half Moon Bay. Then Dave & Linda took off for the U.K. and Margaret & I drove to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. We took a few days to get there and back. It was another wonderful festival! We managed to dodge the fires and smoke and made it back to town in time to host Caravan World Rhythms' concert with the Lara Wong Flamenco Project.
All this fun had to end some time, and at the end of the month I found myself undergoing some rather unpleasant oral surgery. Well, the anticipation was worse than the surgery, and the aftermath is a little awkward, too, but I'm on the mend now!!
I've recorded some of these memorable occasions on my FlickR Gallery, in case you're interested. (Here I am at Edmonton with two of my favourite singers - Sona Jobarteh, and Cathy Jordan)
3. Radio Waves
Another of my faves, Molly Tuttle, again at Edmonton.
Throughout this time I've been recording my weekly radio show, The Saturday Edge On Folk which airs every Saturday from 8am to noon on www.citr.ca I want to thank Jasper and Ciara and all the other good folks at CiTR for making sure the show made it to air every week. The Jericho Beach 4.5 hour live special was pretty exhilarating - especially my extended conversation with Calexico's Joey Burns in the final hour! Each edition of the show is archived for later listening (see hyperlink above).
On this week's show I will feature the music of Vancouver's Colleen Rennison, and N.E. England's folk duo Winter Wilson, plus some new music from Four Men & A Dog, Geordie singer Frankie Archer (above), former Solas fiddler Winifred Horan's brilliant new band Reverie Road (below), a new trad album from Martin Simpson, more Geordie sounds from Kathryn Tickell's new CD, new albums from Good Lovelies, Brandon Isaak, Sultans of String, Jason Wilson, Rhiannon Giddens, The Pairs, Jeff Plankenhorn, Allison Russell, and Cathy Jordan's new Irish trio Plúirín Na mBan. Plus whatever else commands my attention!!
I hope you will be able to tune me in and turn me on again this - and every - Saturday morning. I love presenting my favourite sounds on the radio - as antiquated and quaint as that may sound!
|
