Tag Archives: The Leeky Canoe
The Thursday Update – Oct. 12 to 16, 2017
Two new open stages are starting up in our area this weekend. On Saturday afternoon, Amanda Dorey will be hosting an open stage at the Riverside Community Centre, and at Bridges Tavern in Thornbury, Josh Fletcher will be hosting an open stage on Friday starting at 8 pm. These additions mean that aspiring performers and fans of the surprising grab bag that an open stage can be now have the opportunity to enjoy one every night of the week except Saturday and Monday.
In chronological order, the open stages nearby are The Barn Coop on Sunday at noon; Heartwood’s bi-monthly open mic Tuesday at 8; The granddaddy of all open jams at Ted’s Range Road Diner, and Bruce Wine Bar with Drew McIvor both on Wednesdays at 8; Chris Scerri at The Leeky Canoe Thursdays at nine; also on Thursdays, Dave Russell at The Corner Café and Craig Smith at CROW; Friday afternoon, at the Bleeding Carrot, Kelly Babcock hosts the open stage, and now on Friday evening there is Josh at Bridges and on Saturday afternoon Amanda at Riverside. That adds up to a lot of free entertainment that mixes the best musicians in the area with undiscovered talents.
The Thursday Outlook – Oct. 5 to 9, 2017
Fraser Melvin will be playing at The Leeky Canoe on Saturday. If you were lucky enough to catch the performance from Jenie Thai as part of the Summer Concert Series this year, you saw Fraser as part of her crack band. He is a busy and talented blues guitarist, arranger and singer who, in addition to playing with Jenie Thai, has two other bands that he calls his own: The Fraser Melvin Band, a quartet that countrifies Jimi Hendrix tunes and plays funk versions of Dylan; and The Melvin-Colacino Band, an 8-piece outfit with a horn section that plays Funk and R & B. He will be on his own at The Leeky but, if you saw his solo turn during Jenie Thai’s set, you already know that’s something to see.
If you want to make an evening of Meaford live music on Saturday, you can catch Owen Sound duo Anyway Susan, featuring Kevin Ross and Mark Moloney, from 7 to 10 at The Red Door, and then walk up the street to enjoy Fraser Melvin.
Tonight is the big show at The Gayety Theatre in Collingwood, where Tyler Yarema and Chuck Jackson will be recording a live CD. It’s a full night with a reception beforehand that will feature Jenie Thai and a second set (after the live recording of the duo) that will be a jam with musical friends that include the evening’s Master of Ceremonies, Virgil Scott.
Whitehorse-based singer-songwriter Kim Beggs will be at Heartwood tonight. This is a stop on a long winter tour that will take her across Canada in support of her new album, “Said Little Sparrow”. New Canadian Music calls her “one of the most respected artists on the Canadian roots scene,” adding “Beggs’ eloquent songs or her strong, supple voice that occasionally suggests Lucinda Williams”. For this date she will be supported by Corin Raymond, JUNO-nominated Toronto singer-songwriter whose songs have been covered by, among others, The Good Lovelies, The Strumbellas, and The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer. The Globe and Mail has said, “Corin Raymond is a storyteller who by the end of the night you’ll have known your whole life.” This double bill is a must-see for fans of Roots/Americana music.
The Thursday Outlook – Sept 7 to 11, 2017
The Red Door Pub in Meaford is the place to be on Friday night when John Brownlow will be previewing and selling advance copies (at a discount) of his new double CD called “The Summertime”. He’s planning an official release party soon with a full band but on Friday he’ll be sharing the evening with a couple of our area’s coolest young performers, Greg Smith and Max Breadner.
“Iris” – 5 song EP from Greg Smith
Greg Smith’s EP “Lily” was produced by John at his Epping Studio. “He’s a really unique songwriter,” John says, “He’s got an old head on young shoulders.” Greg Smith writes songs that, taken collectively, tell a long form story and he delivers them with a complex rhythmic guitar and dramatic vocals. The Red Door will be an ideal setting to be able to follow the tale he weaves.
Max Breadner has impressed local audiences since he was quite young and now that he is a teenager he is getting around more to open stages and is writing his own songs. He is part of the upcoming youth talent wave in Meaford that includes performers like Emma Wright and John’s son Ted who has his own Ted Brownlow Band. This small room is also a perfect setting for Max’s talents.
John Brownlow is highly regarded by local musicians not only for his writing and producing skills but for a series of videos he created called The Epping Sessions.
Rob Elder, the subject of one of those videos will be playing this Saturday at Massie Hall, another great little venue to be able to really enjoy the music. It took just a single Sunday afternoon for Rob to create a multi-track recording of a song for his Epping Session, playing every instrument. On Saturday night at Massie Hall he promises to bring “smooth acoustic ballads about girls and things, to his ‘jump out of your seats and dance’ multi-layered, live-looping.”
The Thursday Outlook – Aug. 31 to Sep. 4, 2017
A few outdoor music shows remain on the Labour Day weekend that marks the end of the summer season. On Sunday evening The Friends of The Meaford Library will feature Dixieland from Collingwood’s Regal Jazz Band beside the river in the Rotary Pavilion. Up in the Blue Mountain Village the Coca-Cola stage has Alysha Brilla and The Brilltones on Friday night and Chris Scerri’s last Sunday night show with the Summit band for this season.
Alysha Brilla, at 8 Friday on the Coca-Cola stage in Blue Mountain Village, is a performer whose music is interwoven within her personal tapestry of creativity. She is a multi-racial child of the Indian diaspora, born in Mississauga. As a Canadian daughter of an Indo-Tanzanian immigrant father and a European-Canadian mother, Alysha has grown up with a unique view of the Canadian cultural kaleidoscope. In addition to her music, she is an arts educator; TEDx speaker, YWCA mentor, and a general activist along the lines of cultural diversity, gender equality and inclusivity. These themes that are reflected in alluring worldbeat songs.
