Hot Vibes at the Corner Cafe
More than the burgers are sizzling at The Corner Café. Tonight it is Dave Russell with his weekly open mic and tomorrow night the latest coming together of local talents, calling themselves K.E.G. Stand.
When the Corner Café and Grille opened on the corner of Highway 26 and Bruce Street this past April, it was conceived as a place where people could meet and enjoy a community spirit.
Locals signed the sub-floor during renovations as a symbol of the venue’s goal to become a community hub
The building was purchased and renovated by Randy Litchfield and local restauranteur Adam Politeski was brought in to manage it, with the emphasis on good food and a welcoming atmosphere. What better way to create a community than with live music?
Facilitating this trend, busy and talented musician David J. Russell came on board to host a weekly open mic on Thursdays. The magic of an open mic is that it attracts talented musicians from around the area to come out and meet an audience and it attracts music fans to come and see what’s new as well as to enjoy again their favourite performers. It then becomes the seed of a new branch of the local music scene. The secret of a successful open mic is a welcoming atmosphere, which was the intent of this venue from the start, and an amiable host.
Dave Russell – have guitar, will travel
Dave Russell is not only amiable but he is an outstanding guitar player and singer (he is also a great songwriter although he puts little emphasis on that aspect of his talent). Every musician and music fan in the area knows and admires Dave who is one of the busiest players around. He plays all over the area, often several times a week and often in support of non-profit events. When he is not performing solo he is fronting his band The Rockafellers. In addition to his open mic at The Corner Café, he is one of the rotating hosts at The Barn Cooperative (formerly on Sundays, now on Saturdays) open mic in Meaford, and also co-hosts with Chris Scerri about once a month at his open mic at The Leeky Canoe. He has a warm way of encouraging the talent in others and is always willing to lend his guitar playing to enhance another’s performance when asked. He is one of those performers that you could watch every night of the week and never tire of it.
The Thursday night open stage starts at 9 tonight and runs “until whenever”.
Jayden Grahlman, Jaret Koop and Rob Elder
Tomorrow night, three of the area’s most inspiring talents come together in a combination they are calling K.E.G. Stand. That stands for Jaret Koop, Rob Elder and Jayden Grahlman. Jaret Koop, who everybody knows from Long & McQuade, and who has played at The Leeky Canoe, is on bass. Rob Elder, who headlined one of the Meaford Summer Concert Series this year, is on drums. And front man on guitar is Jayden Grahlman, extremely talented guitar player, singer and songwriter. A wicked combination!
K.E.G. Stand will be performing from nine to midnight on Friday, October 21st.
Leave a Reply