Tag Archives: Captains Corner
Looking Back At Meaford Live Music in 2016
This website was launched on Canada Day in 2016, and in the half year since then more than 7,500 visitors like you have made more than 12,500 visits to find out what’s going on with live music here in Meaford. In the 264 posts archived here since then you can read about our local musicians and remember summer nights of music here in town. (Try the search engine on the right).
The kickoff on Canada Day had a whole day of music arranged by Johnny Roy, with the evening to kick off the Meaford Summer Concert Series that Chris Scerri had arranged. It turned out to be a rainy day so the Market Square had to be abandoned. A stage was set up in the Rotary tent and an afternoon of evening led to a great evening concert with Tyler Yarema and his Rhythm. Following rock bands River and Rock and the Shane Coulter band, Emma Wright was the first of Meaford’s young people to participate in the summer concert series.
The rain couldn’t dampen Canada Day
Shane Cloutier Band
Beaker Granger with River and Rock
As the Summer Concert Series continued through several summer Fridays the young performers were consistently impressive. Two high school bands, The Ted Brownlow Band and Cry For Ophelia, played to enthusiastic crowds and singers Abby Woodhouse and Max Breadner took some impressive solo turns. The visiting bands that came to play at those events fell in love with Meaford and returned later in the summer to play a night at The Leeky Canoe.
Cry For Ophelia
The Ted Brownlow Band
Max Breadner with a little help from his friends, performs at the Meaford Summer Series
Open stages at various venues around town kept a steady stream of local talent before Meaford audiences. The long standing Wednesday jam at Ted’s Range Road Diner rocked on but now other times were available for fresh talent to take the stage.
Northern Country, Amanda Dorey’s New Band
This Friday at The Corner Café in Thornbury, Amanda Dorey will be showcasing her new band, Northern Country, which brings together Dave Anderson and Dan Hilts, along with drummer Dale Harbotle and The Bambalamb Kid. This caps a great year for Amanda.
With regular performances at The Leeky Canoe and hosting the open mic nights on Wednesdays at Captains Corner, Amanda Dorey has been building her audience this past year. New fans are being attracted to her distinctive country vocals, applied to some classic country tunes as well as some more contemporary songs.
Northern Country, with Amanda on guitar and vocals, will continue this blend of classic and new country with some bluegrass, blues and little bit of everything thrown into the mix. Dave Anderson and Dan Hilts bring that bluegrass feel to the band. They performed in Meaford this past summer, billing themselves as Remember When. Dan plays bass, guitar, mandolin and does some vocals and David Anderson plays guitar, 5 string banjo, mandolin and does some vocals. Joining up with Amanda Dorey will be a bonus all around.
“We are all feeling very positive and excited about this new venture,” says Amanda.
Amanda Dorey with The Bambalamb Kid
Another important element of Northern Country is the presence of percussionist The Bambalamb Kid, who has supported Amanda on several dates through the summer. He’ll be teaming up with her again on Saturday night for a show at Jazzmyn’s in Owen Sound, where she has recently become something of a regular.
A highlight of the year for Amanda was her inclusion in the Grand Ole Opry Hepworth North Show in the fall. A tribute to the old classic country held in the Music Hall of Fame Auditorium in Shallow Bay, this show was an ideal setting for Amanda’s talents. Her voice has an authenticity that works well with the classic country songs, and the show enlarged her reputation among fans of real country music.
Through the summer and fall Amanda hosted a weekly open stage at Captains Corner, on the patio until the weather grew cold and inside until just a few weeks ago. She also booked a variety of acts that gained popularity here locally and came back to play at The Leeky or again at Captains Corner.
Scott Almond plays Captains Corner on Saturday night
The final live music night for now at Captains Corner is this Saturday, hosted by Scott Almond, another authentic country voice from Meaford.
Just fifteen minutes down the road from Meaford, drop in to the Corner Café on Friday night to see what Amanda’s new band sounds like.
Larry Jensen and Pete Devlin Have A New Live Recording
Larry Jensen enjoyed the vibe the last time he played the Leeky Canoe and he’s back there tonight, with Pete Devlin, this time with a brand new recording that is not yet available anywhere else. The two of them recorded the songs live off the floor and so the album is called Live From The Shed.
Larry has achieved legendary status in Owen Sound after many years of playing music and writing songs that reflect life in our area and poetic reflections of life in general. He has worked with Pete Devlin before, whose sensitive guitar work provides an ideal aural setting for his songs. Along with poet Rob Rolph, he serves as Owen Sound’s poet laureate. In 2010 a number of local performers contributed to “Demons and Saints”, a CD compilation of his songs done in a remarkable variations of styles.
Here’s a great example of their dual guitars and Larry’s poetry, one of the songs from the new album:
If you just can’t get enough of Pete Devlin, head over to Heartwood Hall in Owen Sound tomorrow night where he and his band will be part of special night of Christmas music featuring a lot of local talents, called “Santa With Muscles”
TAKE NOTE as well that the Friday Live Music nights are still happening at Captains Corner from 6 to 9, even though Amanda Dorey’s open mic night is in hibernation mode until spring. Tomorrow night’s feature is Jayden Grahlman, always worth hearing.
Chris Scerri’s Vision For Meaford Culminates In “Rockin’ the Hall”
This Saturday night’s show at Meaford Hall is, in addition to being a celebration of The Meaford Hall & Culture Foundation’s accomplishments through the past decade, a celebration of live music in Meaford and Chris Scerri’s vision. Most of the cast is composed of people that he introduced to our town, or made our town more aware of. There is the great honkytonk piano player Tyler Yarema as musical director, the veteran soul singer Virgil Scott, Canadian Idol finalist Drew Wright, virtuoso violinist Victoria Yeh, and fast rising vocal talents Gracie and Emma Wright. And of course Chris himself.
In the past year Chris Scerri has had quite an impact on Meaford and the town has had an impact on him. This weekend’s Rockin’ The Hall show is in many ways the culmination of his efforts over the past year. The Meaford Hall & Culture Foundation puts on a show every year as a fundraiser in conjunction with their Silent Auction and this year they asked Chris to put it together for them. Their association with Chris began with their sponsorship (with others) of the Meaford Summer Concert Series which was conceived and produced by him. Like others who were involved, as sponsors, participants or audience, when they saw how that project evolved they were impressed with his organization and effort.
Like so many people in Meaford who have made big contributions to the town, Chris was inspired by his love of his new home to bring something special to it. He has always been a music lover, particularly live music, and he had a vision that would enhance tourism and night life in the town.
“The Great Canadian Songbook” rocked Meaford Hall this spring, including locals Chris Scerri and Drew McIvor
His initial effort was to suggest to several musical friends from his former home in Port Credit that they put together a special show. With talents like Tom Barlow, Johnny Max and Tyler Yarema on board, he sold them on the idea of bringing their show to the Opera House, knowing that not only would they love the venue, but the local audiences would love them. The result, called “The Great Canadian Songbook” was a rousing success, creating a memorable evening for everyone who was there and, for a few of the participants, introducing them to the beauty of Meaford, which they have come to regard as a second home.
Tuesday Nights at The Leeky (photo by Marissa Dollotallis)
Next he wanted to start an open mic night at The Leeky Canoe. The Leeky had been booking local bands for some time, rotating well-known local talents on Saturday nights. Chris saw the open mic as an opportunity to bring some new talent to the fore. He had the ingenious idea of bringing along a different co-host each week, which had the effect of creating a new vibe for each open mic night. There has been a steady stream of great accompanists at his Tuesday night jams, attracting a good audience as well as a variety of talented performers.
Carrie Stoffers at Captains Corner caught the spirit and added an open mic night to her outside patio during the summer, along with Friday night concerts.
