The Canadian Tenors
CD Release Concert
June 4th - 7:30 pm
Royal Theatre - 805 Broughton St., Victoria
Phone 250-386-6121
June 24th - 7:30 pm
Central Heights Church - 1661 McCallum Rd., Abbotsford
Phone 604-859-1801
June 25th - 7:30 pm
The Port Theatre - 125 Front Street, Nanaimo
Phone 250-754-8550
The Canadian Tenors are a national treasure. Talented singers Craig Ashton, Leon Leontaridis, and Joey Niceforo are charming and entertaining; these tenors are in the business of winning audiences with their contemporary, upbeat vision. In their solo careers they have delighted audiences across North America and Europe; united, their exhilarating, classically trained voices unleash a glorious sound that breaks down musical barriers, draws together diverse cultures, and celebrates a repertoire of lyrical sweetness and dramatic strength. Whether wearing tuxedos or outfitted in sleek black, The Canadian Tenors are not stuffed shirts. These young men bring a different attitude to the vast selection of genres that they take to the stage.
The trio's new CD has captured the spirit, warmth, and excitement of their live concerts, and offers transcendent readings from opera tradition, as well as sensuous pop tunes and remarkable renditions of traditional Canadian folk music. Their version of Song For The Mira features the singers' rich vocal harmonies and lush, 36 piece orchestral backing to conjure up a moving tale of loss and longing. Their version of Granada is even more dramatic, and Craig Ashton's entrancing, buttery reading of Puccini's famous aria, Nessun Dorma is an understated delight. Tenor Leon Leontaridis makes your hair stand on end with his rendition of You Raise Me Up.
Many new fans are drawn to their inspired live shows, and live performances are the essence of the Canadian Tenors' populist art. "This CD will appeal to a wide number of people," explains the Canadian Tenors' visionary producer, Jill Ann Siemens. "I felt Canada needed its own triumvirate of beautiful, powerful voices."
Country singer Reba McIntyre has asked the group to perform with her in 2006 at Vancouver's beautiful Chan Centre and join her on an upcoming recording.
One fan commented, "God has blessed these guys with incredible voices and they should continue to bless others with that gift."
Check out The Canadian Tenors Website:www.canadiantenors.com
BANDS WANTED
To perform in Nanaimo (150 seats) Victoria (300 seats) and Vancouver (175 seats) on weekends.
We provide you with posters (in and out of house), handbills, web support, lights and accommodations (if qualified).
You earn door revenues ($3 - $5 cover charge) + opportunity for repeat engagements.
Please send bio info to gwen@cambiehostels.com (250 382 7161) for Victoria,
to vickie@cambiehostels.com (250 754 5323) for Nanaimo
and to melanie@malones.bc.ca (604 684 9977) for Vancouver.
Celtic Chaos
Chaos In The Kitchen
This is an extraordinary collection of traditional Irish Jigs, Scottish Reels and French Canadian tunes. With Irish Flute, Accordion, Fiddle, Cello, Guitar and the Bodhran the CD is covered well instrumentally.
Les Lapins, "Aaaa c'est fort en tabrouette ca". Roughly translated, I loved this tune. This is a real kitchen party complete with the clacking sound of the spoons, Appropriately, this song sounds like it was recorded in the kitchen. The ambient sound of the kitchen is captured very well on "les cuillere" (the spoons) track. The song features one of the stars of this group, and there are many on this CD, the young cellist Emma Beaton. Her energetic performance on Les Lapins is a highlight of the album.
On the next track, Gaelic Air, the guitar playing of Jayne Lapper punctuates the lamenting sounds of the fiddle and cello so beautifully.
Micro Studios in Parksville, B.C. recorded the acoustic instruments wonderfully, capturing all the nuances and fidelity of these fine instruments and performances.
Mairi's Wedding Set is a lively medley of dance songs that is guaranteed to get people up dancing.
Raglan Road features the stunning vocal performance by Thea Stavroff. Hopefully we will get to hear more of her singing in the next Celtic Chaos CD.
This is a beautiful album of songs and I highly recommend you purchase it.
All proceeds of the sales go to the BC Cancer Foundation Vancouver Island.
Check out the Celtic Chaos website for more information on their music and tour schedule at: www.celticchaos.ca.
Email: jbeaton@shaw.ca
David Gogo "Win A Trip For 2 To Ottawa Bluesfest"
David Gogo "Win A Trip For 2 To Ottawa Bluesfest" contest
that will see two winners flown to Ottawa July 9-13, with accommodations
provided, along with dinner a local restaurants all four night, VIP passes
to the festival to see David perform with ZZ Top on July 12, a back stage
meet and greet as well as personally autographed copies of "Vibe" and
commemorative festival T-Shirts.
For full details, check out www.davidgogo.org/contest/index.html
Let's Fix CANCON!
This is an important time for Canadian independent recording artists.
After months of consultations with the CRTC, Canadian Heritage, radio broadcasters and independent artists, a campaign has been launched to fix CANCON. A proposal is already circulating in Ottawa and is being very warmly received. We are on the verge of making some of the most important changes to CANCON since the seventies.
As a Canadian musician, you must visit: www.letsfixcancon.ca
Read it, understand it and pass it along to your fellow musicians, family, friends, fans, co-workers, and anyone you think may help the cause. We need Canadians to understand our vision for achieving healthy Canadian music and radio industries.
 The Canadian Independent Recording Artists' Association (CIRAA) will now serve as the official lobbying group for Canada's unsigned artists. The association will not only raise public awareness, but will advocate change and reform at all levels of government and industry to benefit the needs of its members. There are no membership fees.
Please visit www.ciraa.ca today.
CIRAA was created specifically for musicians like you, and we would appreciate any feedback you may have.
SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A SONG?
by Jane Eamon 2005
"Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you".
~St. Bartholomew
I wanted to write this month's column on a topic we've been discussing a lot of late, the reason why the muse, inspiration, what have you, shows up at the most inconvenient times and places to tempt you with a song. How many of you have been in bed, almost asleep and the perfect tune with perfect words appears? You hum it over and over in your head, certain you'll remember it. What happens...you guessed it…it's gone by morning. Or you have that one inspirational line that is so right on but you've nothing to write it down with. You're sure you'll remember it….guess what, it's gone in a moment. It's so terribly frustrating and so wonderful all at the same time. At least it keeps coming back to you.
I ran across this great article about "Heeding the Muse" http://www.jimlesses.com/Songwriting/Courting_The_Muse.htm…. and I've included some of it here. It's so true.
"Songs have come to me while I've been driving; standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes; on the toilet; and even while I've been in bed asleep. Of this last location, I have yet to perfect the skill of writing while sleeping. Alas, this has resulted in my losing several songs because I refused to wake up and write them down. I thought I would remember them and write them down in the morning, but by the time I was ready to commit words to paper, the songs had moved on - probably to someone else!
The lesson here is to seize the moment, and put yourself through the discomfort of lost sleep, or whatever else you happen to be engaged in at the time, to at least get the initial ideas and themes on paper while they are still fresh in your mind. Clearly I still have a few things left to learn."
I'm reminded of a time I woke up from an afternoon nap with all the chords and words to a love song for Gordie. In my dream, a famous songwriter taught me the chords at his kitchen table and gave me the words to sing. I remember getting my guitar and literally playing the song cold exactly as it was in my dream. It was amazing. That hasn't happened since but I keep hoping it will. You just have to keep open to the possibility.
My advice? Keep a journal or tape recorder by your bed, in your bag, in your desk, car…. anywhere you are. Take the time, write things down…. make an effort to stop what you're doing and focus on the muse. It will reward you. I guarantee it!! And remember to feed the muse, stimulate her with live music, travel, books, plays, opera, good conversation, food, wine...good friends.
Until next month, keep writing!!!
Jane Eamon is a prolific songwriter/performer in the Okanagan Valley. Winner of several awards for writing, she is currently planning a mini-tour of BC and Alberta. Check out her website at www.janeandgord.com.
Other articles by Jane Eamon: www.cvnet.net/cosmic/midnightmuse.html
So you're interested in the craft of songwriting?
Check out the Humber Songwriting Workshop @: creativeandperformingarts.humber.ca
Bluegrass & Mountain Gospel
June 4th - Bluegrass & Mountain Gospel (Fundraising event)
7 - 9 PM at the Gardiner Hall, 2071 Granite St., Oak Bay
Featuring: Country Dave Ryerson and Friends, Outlaw Social, Lost Connection and The Ecclestons.
Tickets $15.00 Presented by Quality Time Promotions Inc.
www.bluegrassgospel.ca
Bella Canto
MUSICAL CONCERT BREAKS
CULTURAL BARRIERS
June 9, 2005, 8:00 pm
Cowichan Theatre, Duncan
Adult $20 Student and Cowichan Folk Guild Members $15 at Box Office
(April 27, 2005) -- Take MimosA , a hot, young, loud and wild flamenco-rock group out of LA; mix it with the music of Farzad, an accomplished classical Persian violinist who has topped the charts in Jazz and World Music; stir in Monique "La Fiera", a passionate and poetic flamenco dancer with a Hungarian ancestry, add a pinch of a Buddhist percussionist with a dash of Ecuadorian on keys; throw in an Emmy, a gold record, a platinum, and a double platinum. Put it in the Cowichan Theatre on June 9th and turn the temperature to hot!
Designed to illustrate the principle of "oneness of humankind", Bella Canto is a traveling musical tour bringing independent artists from diverse genres, religions and cultures together. Unlike most tours where independent acts travel together yet play separately, Bella Canto musicians support each other musically on stage thereby bringing together styles and instruments that are rarely heard in unison. It is the goal of Bella Canto to have audiences experience "unity in diversity" for themselves. "I have never performed with a group where the entire focus is on the group and not on the individual. We live in a world of the 'me' and here is the most diverse group where everyone sits at the same height. There is no leader, there is no hierarchy of culture…its just music," says one Bella Canto musician.
In maintaining its motivating principle of promoting the true oneness of humankind, Bella Canto's concerts are promoted in collaboration with non-profit organizations.
In this case the Cowichan Folk Guild and the Cowichan Intercultural Society, who are pleased to be working together in collaboration with Bella Canto as both these organizations support the themes of "unity in diversity" and the "oneness of humankind" Every Bella Canto concert becomes a benefit concert for these non-profit entities.
Please join us for a positive blending of diverse musical styles based on a positive message and supporting worthy organizations. Tickets are available at the Cowichan Centre Box Office and you can charge by phone at 250-748-7529.
Bella Canto is also calling for a photography competition! All photographs must be taken with the theme of unity in diversity and anyone can submit a photograph electronically to Chris Kruger at kruger.c@gmail.com. Please contact him with any questions regarding the details of the competition. The best photographs, chosen by a panel, will then be displayed on the screen during the actual concert with the name of the photographer. Cash prizes will also be awarded to the best photographs selected by a panel of judges.
Website: www.bellacantoproductions.com
ICA FOLK FESTIVAL
Victoria’s Inter-Cultural Arts Festival Returns
Featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo, k-os, Aqueduct, Silk Road Acrobats, Kawa
Brass Band and chefs James Barber and Bill Jones.
VICTORIA, BC, May 18, 2005—Voted Best Festival, Best Outdoor Event and Most
Anticipated Annual Event or Festival in recent years, the 32nd annual ICA
FolkFest returns July 1 to 10 with more than 200 performances on four
outdoor stages.
According to Artistic Producer, Tracy Summers, FolkFest “knows no
boundaries. We are pushing traditional definitions of what a folk festival
is in order to fully explore artistic expression through music, dance,
theatre, circus, film and culinary arts”.
On the MainStage, performers tap the roots of global music, playing
everything from Zydeco to hip hop, from South African Isicathamiya
(Is-Cot-A-Me-Ya) to American sacred steel guitar. The licensed Bayou Bar
features popular nightclub acts with musical genres ranging from indie rock
to acoustic pop and funk.
Advance 10-day festival passes are available for $10 (May 18 to June 30) at
Thrifty Foods, A & B Sound, Lyle’s Place and the McPherson. From July 1 to
10, attendees can purchase 10-day festival passes ($13) or one-day festival
passes ($5) on site at Centennial Square and the Inner Harbour. Admission is
free for children under six.
In addition, FolkFest is initiating free lunch hour admission from 11:30am
to 2:30pm (Monday, July 4 to Friday, July 8).
WCMA and Rendezvous Folk form alliance
The 3rd annual Western Canadian Music Awards in Vancouver, BC October 20-23, 2005 will feature a partnership with Folk Alliance Canada (FAC)** and its 3rd annual Rendezvous Folk event.
Each year, Rendezvous Folk runs simultaneously with a regional ‘host partner’ at a different location across Canada. To date, FAC has forged extremely successful partnerships including WCMA predecessor Prairie Music Week (Winnipeg), Canada Council’s Exposed Roots (Montréal) and with Nova Scotia Music Week (Sydney).
Rendezvous Folk consists of folk-oriented (juried) showcases from across the nation that are supplemented by workshops and seminars oriented to artist development. Used by FAC as a member education and recruitment tool, past performance suggests this format will increase conference registration at WCMA by up to two hundred.
Riding on the conference infrastructure of the WCMA host organization, Rendezvous Folk makes its partnership contribution through covering some of the seminar presenter costs and by adding its own mix of international buyer delegates.
This year the event is linked to WCMA in Vancouver and then it will move on to Canadian Country Music Week in 2006 in Calgary.
* Western Canadian Music Awards is an award show, festival and conference celebrating Western Canadian musical talent of all genres, produced by the Western Canadian Music Alliance and alliance of the Western Canadian music industry associations Music BC, Music Yukon, ARIA, MARIA and SRIA.
Ken'z Guitarz
Ken McLennan has completed seven guitars to date, working in a shed beside his home. He uses yellow cedar and maple burls for the body of his guitars, doing the bulk of the carving with power tools. Dental tools are used for much of the finishing work, such as the eyes in Guy-tar or the fingernails on The Hand.
"Ele," pictured on this months cover, is a bass guitar with the pickup system imbedded in the wood underneath the strings. The pickups are covered by a very thin layer of wood not to detract from the elephant face of the guitar. Ken explained that if the musician preferred the pickups could be exposed and made to be more adjustable. The two black eyes are the volume and tone controls for the guitar. He originally wanted to call the guitar the "Elecaster" but thought he might avoid any legal confrontation with Fender guitars.
While he admits he's more artist than luthier, so far the feedback from musician friends has been positive. "Most guitar players are surprised that the intonation is correct." Said McLennan. "To do that the frets have to be within a 2,000th of an inch and the bridge has to be really accurate."
McLennan won the Herbert Seigner award at the Victoria art show last year.
Guitar players can order a custom guitar and specify the wood, pickup and placement.
If you're looking for a unique instrument that will set you off from the pack, you might consider checking out one of these guitars. You can try out one of Ken'z guitars at Alloy Music in Langford. Phone: 1-877-308-6800 Email: postmaster@alloymusic.ca Webpage: www.alloymusic.ca
Ken McLennan is located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Check out Ken'z Guitarz at: www.mczeek.com
Email: ken@mczeek.com
Brentwood Jazz Choir Swings into Minstrels
Recently returned from a highly successful Alberta / Banff tour that included performances at the acclaimed Canadian Rocky Mountain Festival in Banff, the Brentwood College Jazz Choir will be swinging at Minstrels Jazz Club in Cobble Hill from 7:00 pm to 9pm this Sunday evening June 05th.
The members of this energetic, dynamic and exceptional group are the cream of the Brentwood College School vocal ensemble program. They are directed by Brentwood’s Head of Music; John Williams and backed by talented jazz combo musicians: Phil Newns and Thomas Kinzel on piano and organ, Kelby MacNayr on percussion, and award-winning Brentwood student guitarist Mitch Sato.
This promises to be a wonderful jazz event with Brentwood vocalists in peak form and will feature Brentwood’s finest soloists with John Williams on piano. Two of these students have been accepted for further music studies to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
Call 743-1450 for more information or check www.minstrelsmusic.ca Sunday June 05th is an evening not to be missed at Minstrels Jazz Club; doors open at 6:45.
The Sharp Edge
By Tracey Page
The troops begin to file in. Harry's lugging his guitar cases; Niel Golden assembles his tablas and mats on the floor while engineer Wynn Gogol patches cables, angles mics and gets ready for an intense day of recording. While this hubbub takes place in a renovated garage, the serenity of the location naturally calms all who enter. The sunny studio on Saltspring Island is ready for yet another Harry Manx recording, his sixth in five years. Jordy Sharp, Manx's long-time producer and studio owner, is at the helm planning the day's session. There is little time to waste as Manx's relentless touring schedule has him away for months at a time.
These two weeks were booked months ago as Manx found himself with a number of new songs that he was determined to put down, determined to continue making a record a year. He won't say whether he'll ever work with another producer again, but the nearly overnight success that has followed since Manx released his debut CD Dog My Cat back in 2001 has him sticking to what works: he writes the songs, Sharp controls the sound.
Sharp and Manx met up more than 25 years ago, playing in a Rock & Roll band together that toured university and college campuses across Ontario. Manx left soon after to live and play music in Europe, then Japan, Brazil and namely India where he began his love affair with Indian music. Sharp stayed on in Ontario, playing in a bluegrass band and successfully running restaurants for many years. He then migrated to Saltspring Island in 1997 and less than a year later opened Acoustic Planet Music, a quaint music shop amid an even quainter strip of shops on the islands main town of Ganges.
In 1999, Manx returned to Canada and found that the quirky island held particular allure. It's only natural that he would one day walk into Acoustic Planet Music.
"This guy walked into the store, looked over at me and said hi Jordy. It was Harry but I didn't recognize him at first," Sharp says.
"He sat down and picked up a guitar, played one note with the slide and the tone, well, it's like some people just have it."
"I said to him right then, 'we've got to do a record'. He just slid into that one note, it's amazing really."
The pair quickly whipped up Dog My Cat-Manx likes to brag that they made that record in eleven hours-and less than a year later recorded Wise and Otherwise which was nominated for a Juno Award, a first for both Manx and Sharp.
Read more here: The Sharp Edge
To contact Jordy: jordy@dogmycatrecords.ca.
Visit Dog My Cat Records website: www.dogmycatrecords.ca
Marc Atkinson Trio III- CD Release Party
The Belfry Arts Centre - 1291 Gladstone Avenue
June 17, 2005 @ 8pm Open Seating
Tix $15 in Adv by phone 385 6815 ($18 at the door)
The Marc Atkinson Trio is an acoustic guitar-driven group from Victoria, BC. Made up of some of Canada's best JUNO nominated musicians, this virtuoso group’s success has been leaping forward in the past few years. Acoustic Guitar Magazine voted the Trio’s recent CD, The Marc Atkinson Trio II, one of the top 5 five CDs released in North America. This CD was also nominated for Best Jazz Album by the 2003 Western Canadian Music Awards. The Trio will be celebrating the release of their long-awaited third album, The Marc Atkinson Trio III, on June 17, 2005.
A live performance by the Marc Atkinson Trio is melodically captivating, sensually charged and technically awe-inspiring. The Trio is an instrumental band, warmly welcomed by folk, jazz and classical audiences alike. The group receives standing ovations from the North American Folk Alliance Conference to the acclaimed Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, and plays at many other major folk and jazz festivals and concert halls across North America.
Marc Atkinson, a multi-instrumentalist/composer/arranger/producer, is one of Canada’s most talented musicians. His hummable original compositions, found on the self-titled CDs “I”, “II” and now “III” take acoustic guitar to a refreshing new level. The tunes have a ferocious but elegant guitar style, infused with a catchy blend of influences ranging from folk to jazz to classical to world beat, while still maintaining the laid back humour and casual ‘good time feel’ of Canada’s West Coast. Atkinson’s picking has been described as flawless, surprise-filled and sizzling. Marc Atkinson Trio albums are favorites on CBC, Village 900am, and various jazz stations across North America.
The Marc Atkinson Trio III pushes the boundaries of this instrumental group even further than the previous albums. A technically demanding and melodically inspiring 50 minutes of music, the CD includes 10 Marc Atkinson original compositions and two impressive rearrangements of classic standards. The compositions glide seamlessly from unusual beauty to raucous rhythm and swinging classics in the making. If you are a lover of the guitar, instrumental music or just plain music you will love this new recording. The disc will be released through Pacific Music/ Warner Music Canada on June 14th 2005.
Marc Atkinson is backed by Joey Smith on bass and Chris Frye on rhythm guitar. Perhaps what is most unusual about this group is that Marc and Chris are also the founding members of a completely different band. The Bills play spirited and eclectic roots/folk music. Their last two CDs were nominated for JUNO awards and their second CD won the best folk/roots album at the Western Canadian Music Awards.
For interviews or more information please contact katrina@pacificmusic.net 598 1997
Website by: Guy Langlois - Webmeister/Publisher Cosmic Debris, 610 Lambert Ave, Nanaimo, BC, V9R 3N8
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