Tag Archives: The Travelling Thornburys
Local Players Excited To Be Doing The Last Waltz
The latest production at Meaford Hall by Chris Scerri, a tribute to The Last Waltz scheduled for November 25th, is a bit of a departure from his previous productions. Up to this point he has put together variety shows that combined local and imported talent, built mainly around the talents of musical director Tyler Yarema and others from the Port Credit area that Chris has introduced to Meaford. This time around it will be all local talent, some of the best that our area offers, under the musical direction of keyboard player John Hume.
For each member of this tribute band, The Band and their iconic farewell concert both hold special significance.
“It was a magic moment in music history,” says Chris Scerri, “that allowed for some of the most influential modern day artists to get together for the ultimate Jam.” He adds that the DVD of the concert movie is one which, “I can watch time and time again, and continue to be inspired by both the musical talents and the show itself.”
The Last Waltz was the name Robbie Robertson gave to the farewell concert of The Band, performed on American Thanksgiving Day in 1976 at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. A film of the concert by Martin Scorcese was released in 1978 and was hailed by film critic Michael Wilmington as “the greatest rock concert movie ever made – and maybe the best rock movie, period” Time bears that out, with the influence of the movie being felt almost forty years later.
The Thursday Outlook – August 10 to 14, 2017
The Travelling Thornburys are featured this Saturday night at The Leeky Canoe in Meaford. This is a duo consisting of Jon Zaslow and Kevin Campbell. They offer up some great harmonies and tunes that range from The Beatles to The Everly Brothers. Jon as also an accomplished guitarist that has become a regular accompanist for Chris Scerri and has co-hosted many Thursday night jams with him at The Leeky.
At The Barn Coop on Saturday night, it’s a rare chance to see Culture Reject in concert. This is part of a concert series put together at The Barn by Greg Smith, in which he pairs more established artists with up-and-comers. Culture Reject, featuring Michael O’Connell and Karri North, is a band that has a unique and mesmerizing sound. Michael evolved this band out of the popular band Black Cabbage, with which he toured for several years. He now tours annually in Europe to a growing following there. The opener for this concert is Jake Feeney, a young singer-songwriter who seems much more mature than he is. Having been a songwriter since he was six or seven, Jake has a voice similar to John Maher and a beautiful style of guitar picking. This is a show well worth checking out.
Saturday’s Day-long Party at The Marsh Street Centre
The Marsh Street Centre in Clarksburg is celebrating its 90th anniversary this Saturday, June 10th with day-long activities priced for the whole community to enjoy. It begins with a pancake breakfast at 9 a.m. hosted by the Lions club and culminates in a gala party in the evening with an all-star band playing musical selections from the past nine decades.
On the patio out back in the afternoon there will be a barbeque with beer and wine and live entertainment provided by Chris Scerri accompanied by Jon Zaslow and Kevin Campbell of The Travelling Thornburys. The day will be filled with free events that range from historical displays to face painting for the kids. And the evening gala provides a real bargain with a $15 ticket to see a band that Tyler Yarema has put together to take dancers through the decades, from 1920’s early jazz, through the swing era, bebop, 50’s rock, 60’s psychedelia and up to the present. The evening is themed as a Roaring 20’s Dancehall Party, with revellers being encouraged to dress up as gangsters and flappers. The Thornbury Community Theatre will provide a trip back in time to old time radio programs and vaudeville routines between sets. Appetizers and anniversary cake are provided as part of the admission price.
The Marsh Street centre has been completely owned and operated by volunteers since they took over the building twenty years ago. It is completely supported by fund raising events like this one and anyone who has been to them knows that a Marsh Street fundraiser has the real feel of a community party. This one is going to be extra special because of the band.
It’s another event put together by Chris Scerri Presents and it includes many of the players who made the three fundraising concerts at Meaford Hall such a success (a Christmas show and two Rockin’ the Hall shows), led by the wide-ranging talent of musical director Tyler Yarema and featuring Gracie’s impressive vocal talents and the incredible guitar of John Bride. Additional contributors this time out include The Shuffle Demons’ Richard Underhill, Maple Blues Bassist of the Year winner Alec Fraser, blues saxophonist Alison Young, and jazz drummer Chris Lamont. This is much more than your average Saturday night band. These guys have played with everybody who’s anybody and they have the chops to bring a musical retrospective to life. It’s guaranteed that the joint will be jumping.
