Heather Kitching

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In Toronto

Tuesday, February 23^rd, 8pm, at Hugh’s Room

Tickets $10 in advance, $12 at the door

Reservations:  416-531-6604

In Kingston

Februrary 24^th at The Mansion

To heck with women in rock. When was the last time you saw a woman fronting a Balkan pop ensemble?

Well, meet Briga, a Geoff Berner accompanist and Les Gitans de Sarajevo and Rembetika Hipsters alumnus who is stepping out from her sideman (er, sidewoman) status to launch her debut solo project, Diaspora.

Having already made her mark on Montreal, where she is an esteemed member of the Gypsy revival scene, she is now preparing her entry into Toronto with the launch of Diaspora February 23^rd at Hugh’s Room. Those who attend can expect an evening of entertainment that befits the cabaret-style lay-out of the venue.
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Redgy Blackout … The Like Penguins Tour 2010:

Jan 30 – Kelowna, BC – Streaming café

Feb 1 – Prince George, BC – Nancy O’s

Feb 2 – Kamloops, BC – The Commodore Cafe

Feb 3 – Golden, BC – Rockwater Grill

Feb 4 – Canmore, AB – Canmore Hotel

Feb 5 – Grand Prairie, AB – Better Than Fred’s

Feb 6 – Grand Prairie, AB – Better Than Fred’s

Feb 7 – Calgary, AB – Dickens Pub

Feb 11 – Nelson, BC – The Royal

Feb 12 – Nakusp, BC – Three Lions Pub

Feb 13 –  Fernie, BC – Bulldogs

Feb 14 – Rossland, BC – Miners Hall

Feb 19 – West Vancouver, BC – Olympic Celebration Site

It’s hard to describe the music made by Vancouver’s Redgy Blackout, but damn is it ever hooky!

Combining elements of pop, swing, reggae, jazz and who knows what else, the four-piece, whose name is derived from the lead character in the TV series “Dead Like Me,” writes ridiculously catchy songs, enhanced by the versatile and expressive vocals of Vancouver theatre performer, Scott Perrie – who most recently appeared in the North Shore production of High School Musical 2.
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 Jan 26 — Toronto (Tranzac)

Jan 29 — Halifax (In the Dead of Winter Festival)

Feb 2 — Montreal (Le Divan Orange)

Feb 4 — Kingston (The Mansion, TBC)

Feb 5 — Wakefield (The Blacksheep Inn, IDOW festival redux)

The commercially available version is at www.whitewhale.ca

             When singer-songwriter-guitarist Leah Abramson developed tendonitis in her wrist three years ago, she didn’t despair. Unable to write songs on guitar, Abramson – who, as a member of Dyad, earned a 2006 CFMA nomination for Emerging Artist of the Year – borrowed an 8-track and started recording a cappella vocal pieces under the name The Abramson Singers. 

             Now healed and playing her guitar again, Leah is preparing to release the resulting self-titled digital-only album on Toronto’s White Whale Records. She will be kicking it off with daily shows on the Via Rail train out to Toronto and then playing a handful of shows out east.

             The Abramson Singers is a mesmerizing indie-folk noir album that showcases Leah’s glorious vocals in arrangements of up to eight-part harmony. Praised in the past for her “soft focus” sound and her “rough charm that dissipates into subtle beauty,” Leah recreates that vibe on the new album with music that is at once melancholy and uplifting.     Read the rest of this entry »

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Alex Cuba launch tour

November 6 – Element Nightclub, Victoria

November 8 – The Queens Hotel, Nanaimo

November 10 – The Biltmore, Vancouver

November 12 – The Key City Theatre, Cranbrook

November 13 – Langham Theatre, Kaslo

November 14 – Local 522, Calgary

November 15 – Elk’s Lodge, Red Deer

November 17 – The Bassment, Saskatoon

November 18 – The Exchange, Regina

November 19 – The Park Theatre, Winnipeg

November 21 – Lincoln Alexander Theatre, Hamilton

November 22 – The Blind Dog, Windsor

November 26 – Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa

November 27 – L’Astral, Montreal

November 28 – Market Hall, Peterborough

More dates to be announced!

Cuban musical revolutionary Alex Cuba releases his self-titled third album October 27^th, unveiling the most extraordinary chapter yet in his transformation of Cuban music.

Having begun by stripping the music of its academic complexity to retrieve its soul, the two-time Juno-winner is now expressing the American styles that influenced him as a teen, breaking down barriers between genres like never before and creating a Cuban rock soul sound that is at once urban and retro.

The thirteen tracks are rich with references to classic funk, pop, rock, and soul, and Alex’s voice, now matured to perfection, expresses every emotional nuance the way a perfectly-brewed Cuban coffee reveals its flavours.

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House of Cards CD launch concerts

October 15th – Club Lambi, Montreal
October 28th – The Minstrel Café, Kelowna, BC
October 29th – Hermann’s Jazz Club, Victoria
October 30th – Grace Presbyterian Church, Calgary
October 31st – The Rogue Folk Club, St. James Hall, Vancouver
November 3rd – Sundre Arts Development Centre, Sundre AB
November 6th – 8th – Centennial Hall, Winnipeg MB
With the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
November 12th – Festival Place, Sherwood Park AB

Juno-winning folk artist James Keelaghan built his reputation on songs about history. On House of Cards, he delivers a killer song about the present. The album’s title track may be the first – and best – song written about our recent economic crisis, and Keelaghan sings it in a sharp-edged baritone, with brass melodies from a three piece horn section providing an air of anthemic dignity.

House of Cards (Borealis/Universal) was co-written in part with a quintet of musical heavy hitters, Keelaghan’s roommates from the writers house at last year’s Celtic Colours festival: Canadians David Francey, Rose Cousins and Dave Gunning, Scottish singer and fiddler Lori Watson and award-winning Scottish singer-songwriter Karine Polwart. It was produced by Keelaghan himself – the first self-produced album in his 11 disc repertoire.

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The Orchid Ensemble presents
Ten Thousand Miles to Kai-Feng
A musical exploration of the cultural exchange between Jews and the Chinese
Featuring
Mike Braverman of Olam
The Madrigal Singers
and percussionist Boris Sichon

October 3rd, 8pm, at the Vancouver Community College auditorium
VCC Broadway and King Edward Campus
Tickets $15 / $12 / $10 for VCC students with ID
Available at www.ticketweb.ca / 1-888-222-6608

When it comes to Chinese Western musical fusions, Vancouver is the undisputed leader. Artists from these parts have at varying times merged Chinese folk and classical music with Celtic, Brazilian, Spanish and Aboriginal music to name a few, not to mention North American folk, jazz, blues and classical sounds.

Now Vancouver’s Orchid Ensemble, already one of the pioneering acts of the cross-cultural fusion scene, is preparing a concert that will showcase its members’ most personal repertoire yet: a concert that pays tribute to the centuries-old links between Chinese and Jewish culture. It’s called Ten Thousand Miles to Kai-Feng.
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…with a little help from Vancouver Island’s Sean Sirbassa Hill

Ganga Giri in concert:
September 30th – Spirit Bar Nelson
October 2nd – The Waverly Hotel, Cumberland
October 3rd – Tofino Legion, Tofino
October 4th – Beaver Point Hall, Saltspring Island
October 6th – The Venue, Vancouver
October 7th – Sugar Nightclub, Victoria

Australian didjeridu innovator Ganga Giri (pr. GUNG-ga GEE-ree) mixes red natural elements with fat tribal beats and dirty funky bass lines to create a unique deep earth dance experience. Explosive and pulsating, at times ambient and flowing, the music is a pumping percussive multi-layered experience of complex grooves and raw, deep natural sound.

Ganga has recorded with Peter Gabriel, played prestigious festivals like WOMAD and Glastonbury, performed at the 2000 Olympics, and built a following here in B.C., where he has twice played the main stage at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.

Next month, he returns to Vancouver to perform music from his brand new album, Good Voodoo. Read the rest of this entry »

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Corinne West The Promise CD release tour:

October 2nd – Fish Creek Concerts, Calgary
October 3rd – Northern Lights Folk Club, Edmonton
October 6th – The Globe Theatre, Atlin
October 7th – Junction Arts and Music, Haines Junction, Yukon
October 8th – The Old Firehall, Whitehorse
October 9th – St. Jame’s Hall, The Rogue Folk Club, Vancouver
October 11th – 2pm – Shady Grove, Mill Bay, BC
October 11th – The Norway House, Victoria Folk Society, Victoria

“Just three records in and The Promise confirms Corinne West’s place among America’s finest singer-songwriters. Coupling a voice to die for with beautifully crafted songs that are memorable both lyrically and melodically, West has fashioned a unique identity within American music’s acoustic/roots scene.” — Colin Hall, R2, RocknReel

She’s an authentic American roots music troubadour who’s made a big impression in the UK. Now she’s teamed up with some of Canada’s top musicians for her most diverse recording yet.

Corinne West, who has been championed by iconic British Broadcasting Corporation host Bob Harris, will be touring Western Canada next month promoting her third album, The Promise, which was co-produced by Vancouver Island’s Doug Cox and recorded in Harrison, B.C. The album features a host of B.C. talents, including Cox, bluegrass mandolin picker John Reischman, horn player and violinist Daniel Lapp, jazz bassist Rene Worst and jazz vocalist and pianist Jennifer Scott. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tasa launches Alchemy

Thursday, Sept. 24 @ 9:00 pm

Lula Lounge

416 588 0307 info@lula.ca

Tickets: $15 / 20

Toronto’s Tasa is celebrating ten years as one of the country’s leading Indian world fusion ensembles by creating its most contemporary sounding fusion yet. On its brand new album, Alchemy, the group builds on its intricate Indo-jazz jam sound to create an even more sophisticated musical mélange that wouldn’t sound out of place in the Buddha Bar.

Alchemy features ethereal female vocals by new band member Samidha Joglekar (pr; sa-MEE-da JOGE-lay-ker), gorgeous violin solos by leading New York improviser Mark Feldman and occasional beats by DJ Olive, all of which gives the album a delightful world trance and chill-out feel. Co-producer (and Tasa bassist) Chris Gartner enhanced the effect by adding an assortment of electronic elements in post-production. Layered within is the band’s trademark mixture of intricate and evocative flute and sax melodies, groovy guitar and bass lines, lightening fast tabla and innovative global percussion.

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