Tag Archives: Bored of Education
BYOV Dance Party In Kimberley
By Bill Monahan
The monthly Bring Your Own Vinyl Night at The Red Door has become so successful that it is moving this month to Kimberley Hall and turning the listening party into a dance party.
Initiated last year by Tom Thwaits, keyboard player for Bored of Education, the idea of BYOV is that people bring in their favourite records. They introduce the track they want to play and Tom spins it on the turntable.
For this dance party, Tom has enlisted the help of Mike Reid from Kolapore Gardens.
Because of the change of venue, the normally free event will entail a $5 cover charge to help cover the cost of the hall rental. And because it is not a licenced venue, Tom is suggesting that people can bring their own bottle, as well as contribute and share in a potluck approach to snacks.
The chance to pull out the vinyl to share has found an appreciative audience that’s a mix of baby boomers and young music lovers who have become hooked on vinyl. It results in a very eclectic mix of music as fans bring up their favourites, covering every conceivable genre. Each time Tom prepares a list of trivia questions about music, with prizes for the winners. The evening becomes as much about the stories as the music as each person tells their own story behind the vinyl they are presenting.
As the popularity of BYOV has been growing continually, Tom has arranged for advance ticket sales, available exclusively at the Kimberley General Store. He’s suggesting buying your tickets in advance to be sure to get in.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how eclectic we can get with this one,” says Tom, “Got a good two-step, a great line-dance, do you have any clogs, tapshoes or roller skates you can bring out? Does anyone know how to polka, waltz or ballroom dance? Who’s got the killer slow-jam that’ll have everyone on the dance floor pairing off?”
Kimberley Hall is located at 235309 Grey Rd 13 in the little hamlet of Kimberley, south of Meaford. Doors open at 8 on Saturday, Feb. 24th, with a $5 cover charge. Bring your favourite dance tune on vinyl.
Some of the Special Guests at The Last Waltz
Meaford’s version of The Last Waltz, slated for Meaford Hall on Sat, Nov. 25th, is fast approaching a sellout, as promoter Chris Scerri is announcing some of the special guests that will fill out the bill.
The Band itself will be well represented by local rock stars but one of the great aspects of the original performance was that it included a wide variety of influential artists from the time, and these will also be reproduced by local artists. Two of the artists just announced to represent some of these friends of The Band are Fran Bouwman and Tom Thwaits.
Tom Thwaits is well known as keyboard and accordion player for Bored of Education. He’s recently added a sideline with a Bring Your Own Vinyl night the third Saturday of every month. This popular gathering at The Red Door encourages people to bring along their favourite vinyl records, introduce them to the audience, and Tom spins them on his turntable. For him The Last Waltz was not only a document of an era but an inspiration to the generations of musicians who have followed.
“The Last Waltz is, for me, the epitome of a particular time and place in the history of North American music,” he says, “so many disparate threads coalesced for one night in 1978, thankfully captured on film by none other than Martin Scorsese, that for generations to come it will serve as a starting point for hungry ears to understand a bygone era.”
Fran Bouwman has been making waves locally performing as Frannie Wisp, accompanying herself on washboard. As the Frannie Wisp persona she explores, with her own humorous take on it, the trials of being a single middle-aged woman, part monologue, part songs. Her frank approach to some taboo subjects adds spice to her act. Fran is also an accomplished sculptor whose works are as thought-provoking in their own way as is her washboard act. For The Last Waltz, she’ll be taking on a new persona as one of the stars featured in the movie.
“I first heard about The Last Waltz when I worked in the criminal ward at the Queen Street Mental Health Centre, now known as CAMH,” she says, “Robert, who had been in and out of the Don Jail since he was a teen talked incessantly about The Band. It was The Band that got him through his most difficult times. He begged for me to take him to Sam the Record Man to buy The Last Waltz album. I agreed to sneak him off the property. Although he had been wheelchair bound for months, he stood up, threw his cigarette to the curb and stepped onto the Queen Street streetcar. Although we got caught for our petty crime, he said it was one of the best days of his life. So that’s how I was introduced to The Last Waltz. An incredible album with an incredible memory.”
If you review the list of performers included in The Last Waltz movie you’ll see that there are many other roles to fill. Chris says they are lined up and rehearsals are “amazing”, but he will wait to feed us the details in the coming weeks.
The Thursday Outlook – Aug. 24 to 28, 2017
Terrace Thursdays finishes up this summer’s series tonight with Brian Miessner and Melinda Camplin. This series offers a unique opportunity to enjoy an evening on the terrace being entertained by the best of our local talents, and fed by the best of our restauranteurs. For tonight’s meal, Red Hot Catering offers up Moroccan spice rubbed chicken while Melinda helps Brian create a musical serving that is bound to include a fair seasoning of The Beatles given that Brian toured in the original Beatles cover band, Liverpool, before going on to make hits as Aerial. Brian also plays bass with Bored of Education. He has promised to give to each diner tonight a copy of his latest EP, “Windows and Walls”
Another exciting Friday in Market Square is lined up as the Meaford Summer Concert Series comes to an end for another year. The headliner for this concert is pop songwriter Tom Barlow who has a special connection with Meaford live music through Chris Scerri. Chris got his start as a singer at Tom’s weekly open stage in Port Credit and many of the great talents that he has brought to Meaford in the past year are people he discovered at Tom’s Monday night jam. Needless to say, Chris has also discovered a lot of talent here locally at the many open stages that music fans are blessed with here, and he has formed a band called Horseshoes and Hand Grenades which features some of the best musicians to be found around Georgian Bay. They will be opening for Tom Barlow, and carrying on at The Leeky Canoe later in the evening. Opening for program outside will be the impressive young singer-songwriter Greg Smith.
The Thursday Outlook – July 20 to 23, 2017
It’s a lively weekend in Meaford with some great music on offer.
The second show in the Meaford Summer Concert Series is going to be an exciting one with Higher Funktion bringing a high energy collection of soul and funk tunes to get you jumping, full of great horn riffs and chunky rhythms. Opening for them, Ragwax is offering a taste of his unique take on hot club jazz, swing and even be-bop, which he’ll extend later in the evening across the street at The Leeky Canoe.
The youth performer on the bill is Sophie Wensley, who will be accompanied by Jayden Grahlman on guitar. Chris Scerri discovered her beautiful voice one night at an open stage at Heartwood Hall and immediately asked her to be part of this series. Sophie’s parents have Gio and Fran’s Italian Eatery across the street at 78 Sykes Street (the window says “Butcher Shop”), an ideal spot for dinner before the show at the Market Square. This new restaurant has been creating a buzz with their delicious locally sources food and exceptionally friendly service, so far scorring 100% with every Trip Advisor review.
