Tag Archives: Virgil Scott
The Wolfgang Brothers In Concert at The Barn
By Bill Monahan
On Friday, March 23, The Wolfgang Brothers will be performing in a special concert at The Barn in Meaford, with opener Bill Monahan.
Brian Wakelin (a.k.a Wolfgang) and Delbert Metherel, who form the duo The Wolfgang Brothers, have evolved over the years a performance style that combines great musicianship with a dry laid-back humour, mixing their own originals with songs selected for their pleasure rather than to pander to jukebox tastes. The result is always a fun night.
The band has opened for Ronnie Hawkins, Johnny Paycheck, Doug Kershaw, and Valdy, among others.
They have been playing together since the mid-1970’s. Through all those years their groove has solidified into something unique, a special communication that shows every time they play. They’ve gone through several phases, including show bands, rock bands and jazz, settling into their own brand of “hillbilly jazz” combined with “comedy songs”.
“We were in our early twenties,” says Delbert, “We did go to high school together but we played in rival bands. It was about 1974 when we first started playing, the Wolfgang Brothers took off about ’76 I guess.
“I came back from the west coast about 1974 and played in a show band called Tucker with Virgil Scott. It was my project basically and I just lined everybody up. There were two fellows from the west coast that I had played with out there, a fellow named Mike Bush on keys and Terry Murphy on guitar.”
‘Tis The Season, Fa-la-la-la-la
It’s that time of year again when choirs raise their voices in song and Christmas specials abound. Live music takes on a special flavour this time of year. Here’s a guide to some of what’s happening around our area.
Meaford’s longstanding Women’s Choir, The Goldenaires, presents their annual Christmas concert at the Meaford United Church on Sunday afternoon. The choir is under the direction of Catherine Robertson and features special guests the Beaver Valley Concert Band, directed by Don Robertson. The show starts at 2:30 pm and admission is by donation.
Tonight at The Historic Gayety Theatre, classical guitarist and five time Juno Award winner Liona Boyd presents “A Winter Fantasy”, featuring music from her 2014 Christmas album accompanied by guitarist and vocalist Andrew Dolson. This is her third Christmas themed work. The first one, entitiled “A Guitar For Christmas”, was the first classical album to go platinum in Canada, establishing her as Canada’s “First Lady of the Classical Guitar”.
A Night To Remember At The Gayety Theatre
Review by Bill Monahan of Tyler Yarema Chuck Jackson concert Oct. 5th, 2017
With their show last night at The Gayety Theatre in Collingwood, Tyler Yarema and Chuck Jackson wanted to record a live CD that would capture the excitement of their live shows when they perform as a duo. They succeeded. The theatre was filled with fans who showered them with an outpouring of love from start to finish.
It was clearly as exciting for the performers as it was for the audience. They approached the show with the discipline required to assure that it resulted in a good recording but that didn’t stop them from pulling out all the stops to fill the room with energy.
“I’ve been performing for forty-seven years,” said Chuck, whose regular gig is as vocalist and harmonica player for the Downchild Blues Band, while taking a sip between songs, “ and this is the first time I’ve drunk water on stage.” After a pause, he added, “And the last!” He also said it’s the first time they have performed with a set list. Each of them has such a wide-ranging repertoire and they’ve been playing with each other as a duo long enough that they usually can wing it on stage, following their whims.
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.
