Steve's Blog
Rogue Faves James Keelaghan & Jez Lowe, plus Get back Unplagged this weekend!
Thursday November 12, 2026

1. James Keelaghan & Jez Lowe, Friday November 13th, 8pm, at Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (3214 West 10th Avenue)

Calgary-born singer songwriter James Keelaghan returns for his 26th Rogue show tomorrow night, joining his good friend Jez Lowe from Co. Durham, England, for Jez' 12th Rogue show. The duo will be making their 4th appearance together on our stage! They are coming to the end of a huge cross-Canada tour, and are in Vernon tonight (12th), Comox on Saturday and Courtenay on the 15th. So, a Rogue gig on Friday 13th, eh? Anyone superstitious? Don't worry; Sadie will be there to protect us! :-)

James first graced our series way back in 1987 with his trio, making him a long-standing Canadian folk stalwart and one of our "originals". "Throughout a career that now spans almost four decades, the Juno and Canadian Folk Music Award winner has created a repertoire of incalculable importance – a unique body of work, either inspired by or drawn from the folk tradition. Ten solo albums flush with enduring lyrical relevance.” - Bandcamp

Jez has performed here solo and with his band The Bad Pennies, dating back to 1995. Award-winning songwriter, novelist, and one of the busiest and most admired performers on the UK folk scene, Jez Lowe is celebrating forty five years as a touring singer, songwriter and musician. You may have heard his songs on albums by Fairport Convention, The Dubliners, The Unthanks, The Young Uns, The Tannahill Weavers, Liam Clancy, Cherish The Ladies, and many more. Jez has just released his fifteenth album of original songs entitled “Oubliette” and it’s already being heralded as a classic by folk radio presenters, reviewers and, most importantly, listeners all over the world. In his spare time he has written five acclaimed novels!

For more information on this concert, which is almost sold out, click here 

To purchase in-person tickets, click here 

Or if you can't make it to the show, you don't have to miss out altogether. You can Watch At Home - any time - by clicking here 



2. Get Back Unplugged, Sunday November 15th, 8pm, at Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (3214 West 10th Avenue)

 

We are delighted to present Get Back Unplugged - our fourth annual celebration of late-era Beatles songs, reimagined by six Vancouver musicians and singers from the worlds of Celtic, Jazz, Blues and Rock Music. The all-star band features blues singer L J Mounteney, as well as the mercurial violinist Cameron Wilson (Van Django, Joe Trio, Mad Pudding etc.), English-born singer / guitarist Dave Gibbons (Graham Parker band, etc.), singer / guitarist Andy Hillhouse (Mad Pudding, the McDades), versatile bassist Brent Gubbels (Van Django), and singer / drummer / accordionist Allen Dionne (Mad Pudding). They do not just cover the songs, they reimagine them in their own blend of uniquely distinct styles, making this show not just for Beatles fans, but anyone who delights in the the creative genius of top-notch musicians breathing new life into some of the best loved songs of the past five or six decades.

For more information on this concert, click here 

To purchase in-person tickets, click here 

Or if you can't make it to the show, you don't have to miss out altogether. You can Watch At Home - any time - by clicking here 



3. Help keep the Rogue alive! Raffle 5050 runs to Tuesday December 8th, 2026

The Rogue Folk Club would not survive if we didn't hold two 5050 Raffles annually. Let that sink in. The maximum revenue we could accumulate each time is $20,000 in 5050 sales. The highest we have raised to date is just over $12,000. Of this we give 50% to the winner, 10% to the BC government, and around 4% to the credit card clearance house.

The vast majority of our income comes from ticket sales. Thank you!! Our Federal and Provincial grants cover less than 15% of our annual revenue. They come in over the late spring / summer months. Cash flow between September and May can be more than a wee bit scary! Hence our reliance on these 5050 Raffles.

With this in mind, we are asking you to support for our latest 5050 Raffle, which runs until December 8th. 

Click here to purchase your tickets  

• 3 TICKETS FOR $5
• 20 TICKETS FOR $10
• 50 TICKETS FOR $20
• 100 TICKETS FOR $30



4. Radio Waves



On this week's edition of The Saturday Edge On Folk (8am to noon on www.citr.ca and 101.9fm in Vancouver) I'll have new music from the likes of Irish trad band Beoga (who famously left Ed Sheeran's tour earlier this year to protest the removal of American rapper Macklemore for his pro-Palestinian stance), bluegrass diva Lindsay Lou, Irish blues singer Muireann Bradley, Canadian blues singers Angel Forrest and Jake Soberlak, former Vancouverite and renowned Grammy-winning singer Allison Russell (seen above with Margaret and I at last Monday's fabulous sold out concert at The Chan), Senegal's Orchestra Baobab, Co. Clare accordionist Jack Talty, Scottish trad quintet Breabach, Canadian Celtic quintet Maggie's Wake, and more music uncovered from the pages of the latest Songlines magazine. And much more besides.

I hope you will tune me in and turn me on this and every Saturday morning (positive feedback is always welcome; just drop me an email on [email protected])