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TD Kitchener Bluesfest Artistic Director Claude Cloutier profiles the 2015 Bluesfest Line-Up! Yowser!

 

Claude Cloutier - The Artistic Director of TD Kitchener Blues Fest.
Claude Cloutier – The Artistic Director of TD Kitchener Blues Fest.

From August 6 to 9 Waterloo Region will be resonating with the Blues from Rock and Roll, Roots, Americana, Vintage Blues, Chicago’s West Side Blues, Rockabilly, R&B, plus Soul, Gospel, and the young players of tomorrow through the Grand River Blues Camp and The Youth Legacy Winners.
It was my great pleasure to have TD Kitchener Blues Festival Artistic Director Claude Cloutier as my special co-host as we profiled some of the incredible acts that will grace three stages during the days and heat up the local bar scene at night. Claude also premiered selected tracks from the official TD Kitchener Blues Festival 2015 “Burnin Up the Blues” Volume XIV!

Claude’s playlist – Surrender – Cheryl Lescom – 1953, Shakin House Blues – catl – from The Official KW Bluesfest XIV Compilation,  I’m Feelin’ Lucky – Poppa Chubby – I’m Feelin Lucky, Nikki Hall – I’ve Got A Man – Here’s Nikki Hall  *For Claude from Coral FM – On the Wall – David Johansen and The Harry Smiths – S/T – Rollin’ – Current Swell – KW Bluesfest XIV Compilation and Claude’s wishlist act – Jack White – Lazaretto!

I also added some of my personal faves to this list. These artists are also playing The 2015 TD Kitchener Bluesfest. Watch for them on the stages in the workshops!

Work It Out – Johanna Pavia and Souldrive – S/T – Souldrive, Lynn Jackson – Poker Face – Down in the Dust, Road Outta Hell – Big Rude Jake – Quicksand, Guardian Song – Charity Brown ( this year’s Mel Brown Blues Award recipient) – Wings of Time, Hobo Flats – Mel Brown – Chicken Fat Hot Tub Mambo – Mo Kauffey – Dig It – Right or Wrong – Soul Mission-  S/T,  Ain’t Too Pleased – 24th Street Wailers – Wicked and Ginger St. James – Boom, Boom, Room
 For the complete schedule of the TD Kitchener Bluesfest please go to http://www.kitchenerbluesfestival.com
(Please pump of the volume when you listen to this one!)

Happy 15th Anniversary! See you in the Bluesfest Aisles!  – Coral FM 

 

Glenn Buhr and The Button Factory Band wrap up the Elora Music Festival Starlight Series Sat July 25

Gleen Buhr and The Button Factory Band
Gleen Buhr and The Button Factory Band

 

Glenn Buhr, guitars/piano/vocals

Glenn Buhr has a broad and various musical life. He’s a singer/songwriter; a powerful performer his own songs, and he’s also developed a reputation as creator and performer of unique remixes of classic blues, rock and popular songs, giving them all his own peculiar compositional voice.

Recently he’s worked with Madeleine Peyroux, Ron Sexsmith, Kiran Alhuwalia and Sarah Slean as arranger, producer and composer. He won the Genie Award for best song from the film Seven Times Lucky in 2005, and he’s the winner two recent SOCAN awards for his music.

Buhr is also a composer of concert and stage music for symphony orchestra’s, ballet companies, string quartets and various chamber ensembles. He became well known in Canada in the mid-80’s when the Toronto and Montreal Symphony Orchestras first championed his work, and in the mid-90’s as front man – with conductor Bramwell Tovey – of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival. Visit glennbuhr.com.

Mike Anderson, guitar/laptop/vocals

A musical jack of all trades, Mike Anderson performs professionally as a jazz keyboardist, laptop artist, singer-songwriter, and virtuoso guitarist. Mike’s musical skills and interests range from the populism of his songwriting and improvisation (especially with his work in the indie band Blind), to the experimental, especially his celebrated performances of his own electronic compositions in various clubs in southwestern Ontario.

Victor Bateman, bass/guitar/vocals

Victor Bateman has spent the past 32 years playing music in, around, and outside of Toronto. During this time he’s had the good fortune to perform and record with many excellent musicians in a variety of styles and situations. They include country music with The Good Brothers, Sylvia Tyson and Quartette, blues with Amos Garrett and Chris Whiteley, improvisatory music with CCMC, Jean Derome, and Lori Freedman, jazz with Reg Schwager and Laura Hubert, folk music with Murray Maclauchlan, Ken Whiteley, Jackie Washington, and Eve Goldberg, pop music with Jill Barber and Big Sugar, klezmer music with the Flying Bulgars. as well as contemporary concert music and opera by Anthony Braxton, Wende Bartley and Nic Gotham.

Brandon Miguel Valdivia, drums/percussion

Brandon Miguel Valdivia is a percussionist, mbira-ist, flautist and composer. He studied composition and percussion performance at Wilfrid Laurier University and has studied West African percussion, Mbira Dzavadzimu, Javanese Gamelan and Latin American percussion. He is involved in the experimental folk band Picastro, the improv/world music/psych duo Not the Wind, Not the Flag and punk/psych/folk band Pachamama, and his solo project Mas Aya. He has appeared on releases for local and international labels such as Barnyard Records, Medusa Editions, Bug Incision Records, Healing Power Records, Alien8, Polyvinyl, Spool and Constellation Records.

He has also composed and performed music for theatre groups such as MT Space in Kitchener, IXOK’ Theatre Collective, Aluna Theatre, Clay and Paper Theatre in Toronto, and the Red Snow Collective. Brandon has performed throughout Canada, the United States, China, Europe and in Colombia.

For more info – http://www.elorafestival.ca/concert-information/2015-summer-concert-series-schedule/

Glenn Buhr was recently my special guest on Coral FM. Here is a little podcast we did regarding his latest project Glenn Buhr and The Button Factory Band! – I decided not to play Jackhammer at the end of Glenn’s chat! This piece is best experienced live!!! Excelsior – Coral FM.

 

 

 

“Under a Blue Moon” at The Blue Moon July 31

Under A Blue Moon AtThe Blue Moon (1)

JULY 31st IS A BLUE MOON!
It’s the perfect way to kick off a long weekend and to hold a fundraiser to help “Raise The Roof” At The Blue Moon!

Hosted By: Bernie Vandonk

Band Line Up And Times

Patio: 
Erick Traplin 3:00-4:00pm/Sandy MacDonald 4:30-6:00pm/Braydon Kains Band 7:30-8:00pm
The Tree Room:
Silvia Dee and The Boyfriend 6-10pm
The Cellar Room
Colin White Band 7:30-8:30pm
The Johnny Max Band 8:30-11:30pm
The Wilmot Room
Kauffey Temple 7:00-8:15pm
Jack de Keyzer 8:00-11:00pm
The Beggars Banquet 11:00-1:00am

Kids Activities

Clown, Raffles, 50/50 Draws
Garage Sale Noon-5:00pm

Tickets:  

$25 Full Access
$10 Patio & Cellar Room
Available at: The Blue Moon
Encore Records  http://www.encorerecords.ca/ 
Orange Monkey  http://www.orangemonkeymusic.com/
Guitar Corner http://www.theguitarcorner.ca/

Funk Olive Hair Studio – http://www.thefunkyolive.ca/

Contact Bernie at: 519-501-6727
www.thebluemoon.ca  or call 519-634-5421

The Blue Moon is currently running a crowd-funding campaign to help with renovations of this Historic Heritage Building. For more info about this initiative please visit www.bluemoon.ca or call 519-634-5421.

And watch for more “Raise the Roof” nights to come! – Coral FM

Rock Cut Feature: Godspeed You! Black Emperor


Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a band that is near and dear to our hearts. They are the one of the first bands that we featured on “The Electrifying Adventures of DJ Jeff E Jeff”, our Audio Comic that features great Canadian Bands. As such, when we saw their new album ‘Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress’ we knew we had to release it on the same day that we closed out The Electrifying Adventures – Canada Day!

Sit back and enjoy this soundscape! Then go and pick up this album! You will not be disappointed!

Tempus Fugitives – The Peter Ulrich Collaboration @ New York’s Webster Hall

 

Tempus Fugitives is the latest release from The Peter Ulrich Collaboration. The world premiere of Tempus Fugitives is being presented Saturday June  20 in New York in The Marlin Room at Webster Hall.
Tempus Fugitives is the latest release from The Peter Ulrich Collaboration. The world premiere of Tempus Fugitives is being presented Saturday June 20 in New York in The Marlin Room at Webster Hall.

The Peter Ulrich Collaboration – he has worked closely with City Canyons CEO Trebor Lloyd and a wide ranging group of artists including Sara Wendt, David Steele, Jen Elliott, Kingsley Sage of Anemo and Saskia Dommisse of Poets to their Beloved. 
Tempus Fugitives is the second part of the trilogy, as the Collaboration continues to evolve featuring a collective of New York’s finest performing musicians and actors, with Ulrich as the ‘linchpin” for this sophomore release.
Singer/ harpist Erin Hill is featured on album single / music video “Dark Daddy.” The album also includes also includes Shane Chapman, (“Don Juan’s Lament”), Samara Dunn, Timothy Dark, (“Mr Johnson”),  David Steele (“King of Fools”), Sunny Brooke Moriber, with Alain Rozan (“En Bleu’), Danny Cosgrove, and Dosia McKay (“Big Iron Gun”), Evi Steriou of Daemonia Nymphe (“Icarus”) I.V Webb, (“Beloved Suicide”), John Penwarden (‘Migrators” and “Zanzibar” featuring Timothy Dark, and Stephanie Linn. The first fruit of this collaboration is an album The Painted Caravan released on Market Square Records in March 2013 which has attracted positive reviews in national UK publications as diverse as Rock’n’Reel magazine and the Financial Times, as well as receiving radio airplay from Tom Robinson and Frank Skinner.
Ulrich continues to be heavily influenced by folk, world and early musics, and draws many elements of these into his distinctive style of songwriting and arranging. And this album which takes the listener on a fascinating journey through time in sound and story is no exception.

Peter Ulrich comes to New York to join the Collaboration for the world stage premiere of Tempus Fugitives to be performed on Saturday June 20 in The Marlin Room at Webster Hall NYC. The show also features Erin Hill and Euro-American folk punk cabaret duo Frenchy and The Punk.

For more info and tickets head to http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=5621155&pl=webhall&REFID=whsite

For more on Peter Ulrich, Trebor Lloyd  and City Canyons Records go to http://www.citycanyons.com/
For more on Frenchy and The Punk go to http://www.frenchyandthepunk.com/

Here is a chat with my pal Peter Ulrich via England for Coral FM.
Songs on this podcast include Tempus Fugitives trax “Dark Daddy,” “Mr. Johnson,” “Don Juan’s Lament,”and “Zanzibar”
Below is the music video for “Dark Daddy” on You Tube featuring Erin Hill.
New York here I come!!! I am going down to see the world premiere of The Peter Ulrich Collaboration’s Tempus Fugitives. – Coral FM.

 

Waylaid – One of Many Bands playing the Sound FM Live! – Locally Grown Summer Series June 13 @The Button Factory

Matt from Waylaid. JP on violin and Jeff on bass
Matt from Waylaid. JP on violin and Jeff on bass

Waylaid is a solo project by Matthew Ariaratnam. After four years of studying music at Wilfrid Laurier University, he had songs piling up in the ‘vault’ so he decided it was finally time to share them. Matthew Ariaratnam is a singer/songwriter, composer, improviser, teacher, and multi-instrumentalist studying classical guitar and composition at Wilfrid Laurier University. He has been nominated for two “Album of the Year” awards from CHRW (Western University’s Radio Station) and a Jack Richardson Award for folk/roots band. His music has been heard on CBC radio and college campuses across Canada. He is currently involved in Sweet Pieces (impromptu/electronic/loops) and his main project Waylaid. Through collaborating with chamber musicians at Wilfrid Laurier University, Matthew is crafting a selection of songs with cello, violin, guitar, bass, and drums. He is releasing a single and music video this winter. Recording with Simon Larochette (Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, Whipping Wind) at the Sugar Shack and Mastering with Andy Magoffin (Raised by Swans, Jim Guthrie, Two-Minute Miracles) at the House of Miracles.
Members: Matthew Ariaratnam–Guitars and Vocals
JP–Violin and Whistles
Jon–Cello and Whistles
Jeff–Bass and Everything
Aneeq–Drums and Percussion

I had Waylaid in the studio to chat about their music. Here’s is another group of talented classically trained musicians who play in many
other local bands including Onion House, Sweet Pieces, and several more local music projects. For more info and upcoming shows go to  http://www.waylaidmusic.com/ or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thewaylaid?fref=ts. And congrats to Matt! Next year he’s headed to Simon Fraser University In B.C. to pursue his Masters of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinery Studies. Play on!  Coral FM. 

Watch for Waylaid and member Aneeq Kals at Sound FM Live – Locally Grown Summer Series coming Sat June 13 to The Button Factory – presented by Sound FM and Coral Concerts. – Cheers Coral FM

A Christmas Coral 2014

This my 15th year of doing  A Christmas Coral….. tune in between 4 and 6 pm Christmas Eve for songs and sounds of the season ….. for when I think of Christmas this quote is always in my mind ….

Scrooge was better than his word.  He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father.  He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.  And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.  May that be truly said of us, and all of us!  And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!….. The Christmas Coral Merry Xmas

 

Sandra Bender – CEO of the Centre in the Square visits Coral FM

Sandra Bender CEO Centre in the Square
Sandra Bender CEO Centre in the Square

Sandra Bender is the CEO of Centre in the Square. I was chuffed to have her as a guest in the Sound FM studios. And we had a very wide ranging chat from recent sell out spectacular The Book of Mormon and the upcoming challenges and contraversy of presenting comedian Bill Cosby, to Sandra’s Centre Stage wish-list and the Centre audience of the future.

Sandra spoke about new programming initiatives for 2015, the Centre’s venerable children’s series, and its continuing On Stage Series which features three fine acts for the 2015 season. WE also featured music from Sandra’s personal play-list.

And kudos to Sandra for bringing “The Book of Mormon” to Centre in the Square because ….. this happened!

The Book of Mormon drew almost 15,000 people!
The Book of Mormon drew almost 15,000 people!

Out of 15,000 tickets !!! 14,437 people flocked to Centre In The Square to see the National Tour of The Book of Mormon which ran for eight performances December 9 to 14, 2014. Most performances were sold-out, with overall attendance for the one-week engagement at 97 percent. The show represents the highest attendance and financial impact from a week-long production at The Centre in over 10 years. In addition, more than 38% percent of the audience were first-time visitors to The Centre.

“We’re very pleased that The Book of Mormon was so enthusiastically received by the KW community and it was particularly exhilarating to welcome so many new visitors to The Centre,” said CEO Sandra Bender. “In the strategic plan we set some ambitious goals with respect to programming work that would raise the reputation of The Centre and attract a new audience. This record-breaking run of The Book of Mormon is a major step forward on our journey towards becoming an organization the public can rely on to present important and outstanding work of our time.”

About Centre In The Square

For more than 30 years, Centre In The Square has played a leading role in promoting the highest quality of local and international music and performing arts in southwestern Ontario. Located in Kitchener, Ontario, The Centre is dedicated to promoting performing arts that entertain, inspire, engage and create memorable experiences for the region. The venue’s main hall, a 2,047-seat state-of-the-art theatre boasts superior acoustics and is widely regarded as one the finest performance spaces in North America. Last year, The Centre welcomed nearly 200,000 visitors to a range of events including dance, comedy, musicals, theatre and music from classical to rock. A registered not-for-profit charitable organization, The Centre is governed by a 14-member board with a staff of 200 full-time and part-time employees.

Visit www.centreinthesquare.com for more information.

I have been seeing, profiling and reviewing shows at Centre in the Square since 1980. This is the third Centre CEO I have had as a guest, as I also had former Centre managers Dan Donaldson, and Jamie Grant on the radio show as well. Years back, I made Jamie Grant promise that he would one day  bring The Book of Mormon to the Centre, because I .. ahem… Believed (being such a huge South Park fan) that this show would take Broadway by storm. The rest is Broadway history, and now Centre in the Square history. It was Sandra Bender that made Mormon happen! Swwweeeeeet! –  Coral FM.

Listen here for my special in depth chat with Sandra Bender!

 

 

KW Youth Theatre Showcase – Hamlet Abridged!

Suzanne Gignoux plays Ophelia in KW Youth Theatre's Hamlet directed by Matt White.
Suzanne Gignoux plays Ophelia in KW Youth Theatre’s Hamlet directed by Matt White.

The KW Youth Theatre Showcase is happening tonight at The Registry Theatre and I recently interviewed part of the cast and crew from Hamlet directed by Matt White. My other guests included Artistic Director Cody Burns, actor Suzanne Gignoux who plays Ophelia, and Jackson Doner who plays Hamlet in this 50 minute abridged version of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy.

For more info go to http://kwyouththeatre.com/Home.php

Zounds. I can hardly wait to see this. – Coral FM

 

 

 

The Beggar’s Banquet – Mike McDonald and Glenn Pelletier – Get Yer Yah-Yahs Out!

Mike McDonald and Glenn Pelletier from Beggar's Banquet
Mike McDonald and Glenn Pelletier from Beggar’s Banquet

 

Beggars’s Banquet boy Mike “Keith Richards” McDonald, originally from out East, has been playing guitar for a long time.

In fact, Mike  plays  across North America and Europe  as John Fogerty in Bayou Boys – an acclaimed collective that honours the songbook of Credence Clearwater Revival.  Mike met Glenn “Mick Jagger” Pelletier when Glenn was doing a Sticky Fingers gig (the first incarnation of Beggar’s Banquet) in London.

But Glenn had a leg injury which prevented him from doing all out Jagger moves. Naturally Mike and his band stepped in to help Glenn “dance” by carrying him around the stage…. and the rest is Beggar’s Banquet history. This band lives The Rolling Stones songbook!

They began playing gigs around town including The Boathouse where live music impresario Kevin Doyle gave them a monthly gig. Band line up this Sat includes Don Featherstone, sax, Pat Rush, guitar (Jeff Healey, James Cotton, Johnny Winter), Cory Turnbull, bass/vocals, and Jimm Chefero, drums. Plus Glenn Pelletier, vocals, and Mike McDonald, guitar/vocals.

What a show this was. It was so cool to have Mike McDonald in the studio and Glenn Pelletier call into the station live. This is going to be an aural feast – two mega brill bands – Katmandu and Beggar’s Banquet. Best of Bob Seger and the Best of the Rolling Stones with the both band’s personal spin. And Mike is also working on a new album with Pat Rush. Watch for it sometime next year. To the boys of Katamandu and Beggar’s Banquet. Thanks for coming into the studio and making live radio so much fun – Your pal Coral FM

For details on the Wax gig go to Facebook events  https://www.facebook.com/events/521602804642902

 

Katmandu members Bob Young, Paul Breen, and Jay T. Hein play live at Sound FM

Bob Young  vocalist from Bob Seger Tribute Band Katmandu
Bob Young vocalist from Bob Seger Tribute Band Katmandu

Since 1989 vocalist Bob Young has been honoring the songs of Bob Seger with his band Katmandu.

Katmandu will be playing The Wax on Sat Nov 29th with their good pals Beggar’s Banquet who have also been showcasing the songbook of The Rolling Stones for many years.

This is going to be a great evening. For the next two weeks Coral FM is bringing in the members of both bands to do some live songs unplugged in the Sound FM studios.

Advance tickets for the show just $10!!  are available at Encore Records, Guitar Corner, Tri-City Pawn Brokers, Bobby O’Brien’s and Far Out Flicks, in Kitchener plus Thirsty’s Bar in Waterloo. Plus Ticketweb.ca

$15 at the door. This is a 19+ show.

For more details got to Facebook events page – https://www.facebook.com/events/521602804642902/

Here is my podcast with Katmandu members lead vocalist Bob Young, Paul Breen, on upright bass, and guitarist Jay T. Hein.

Rawk on! – Coral FM.

Elmira Theatre Company’s Mary Ann Kennedy chats about Menopositive The Musical

Menopositive The Musical now playing at The Elmira Theatre Company.
Menopositive The Musical now playing at The Elmira Theatre Company.

A roller coaster ride of laughter and tears, moments of reflection and genuine friendship.

The hilarious and poignant musical comedy tells the story of four 50ish women who come together to stage a review for their 35th high school reunion. What unfolds is a rolicking and riveting explosion of music, revelations and gut-splitting humour.

Four women are rehearsing a musical for their 35th high school reunion and as they rehearse, they get to know each other, for better or for worse.. in this comedy/drama about growing old … and everything that comes with it whether we like it or not. There is a different bond between women friends than there between is male friends… but men can also relate to this show as well.

This is the story of four women going through the change Marnie, Cynthia, Kate and Zsuzsu… and they decide to get involved to their utter in a musical about menopause written by Kate ….but they do it anyway. Theatre creates unusual families.

Written by J.J. McColl. Directed by Mary Ann Kennedy. Music Director Paul Warder, Menopositive the Musical features ETC Veteran Deb Deckert, with Lindsay Quinn, Tracy Biggar, and Denise Gismondi.

Music by J.J. McColl and Reuben Gurr, Menopositive The Musical is An Out to See Production Originally produced by Musical TheatreWorks and Firehall Arts Centre

Some language and mature humour. Catered by The Stone Crock dinner theatre tickets are $50.  Show only tickets are $20.

Veteran actor/choreographer/director Mary Ann Kennedy and I talked about this very funny and poignant look about four women going through The Change.  Mary Ann also met Menopositive’s creator the late J.J. McColl,  McColl’s good friend Moyra Rodger who workshopped the show with ETC.

Menopositive! The Musical runs from Nov. 14 to Nov. 29, with performances Thursday through Sunday. Tickets are available through Centre in the Square, 519-578-1570 or toll free at 1-800-265-8977. For more information or online tickets, visit www.elmiratheatre.com.

Elmira Theatre Company

Here is my lovely and amazing chat with Mary Ann  Kennedy featuring some of her favorite songs from Elmira Theatre Company’s latest production Menopositive the Musical on Coral FM.  I have been to these shows and ETC continues to do a stellar job. Mary Ann and I also chat about the ETC’s 2015 Season.  Break legs! – Coral FM.

 

 

 

Award Winning Composer and Audax founder Kat Gimon on Coral FM.

Kat Gimon
Award Winning Composer, Improvisor, Soprano – Kat Gimon

Come out to the second student Student Composers’ Concert of the year and enjoy a wide array of new music by students in Laurier Music‘s contemporary music program.

Admission is free! A reception will follow the concert (including fresh pretzels and apple cider).

A special thanks to our sponsor Grainharvest Breadhouse Inc. for making the reception possible.

Works by:
~ Dylann Miller
~ Jeffrey Fleming
~ David Klassen
~ James Reesor
~ Stephanie Orlando
~ Mike Borkovic
~ Melanie Bakos Lang
~ Maria Kouznetsova
~ Andrew Hewitt
~ Stephen Schooley
~ Justin Sullivan

 

Kat was a guest on my show recently.  Part two of the Student Composer’s Series is happening Wed Nov 19.  Admission is free!

Kat is also the innovator of nine voice all female live improvised music collective Audax.

for more Go to Kat’s Facebook events page. https://www.facebook.com/events/389151831209956/

And here is the link to the Nightlife story that I wrote about Kat for The Waterloo Region Record.  Good luck to all the composers!  – Coral FM.

http://www.therecord.com/whatson-story/4894116-going-boldly-into-an-all-female-world-of-song/

Composer, Improvisor, Soprano Kat Gimon and Audax
Composer, Improvisor, Soprano Kat Gimon and Audax

 

Al and Jillian from The Royal Streets – New Streets Songs Unplugged!

Royal Streets Sat Nov 15

I was thrilled to have Jillian Dowding and Al Friolet from The Royal Streets back in the Sound FM studios.  The Royal Streets have new music and a new band member.  For more info –https://www.facebook.com/events/1491363877755023/ or check out  http://www.theroyalstreets.com/

Jillian and Al actually premiered some new material which The Royal Streets will be singing this Sat Nov 15. And I got a Kings and Queen CD. I forgot to get it autographed! – Doh… next time.  – Coral FM

Jillian Dowding and Al Friolet at Sound FM
Jillian Dowding and Al Friolet at Sound FM

 

Lost and Found’s Boiler Room Suite – Radicial Hospitality meets Revelant Theatre for Thought

Kathleen Sheehy as Agnes and George Joyce as Sprugg
Kathleen Sheehy as Aggie Rose and George Joyce as Sprugg in Rex Deverell’s Boiler Room Suite

“Ah, they will say of us – how brave, how adventuresome – to launch off on a brand new voyage of discovery at a time when most would have given up…” — Sprugg

Aggie Rose,  a former actress, and Sprugg, a failed poet, are two elderly tramps who climb into the boiler room of an abandoned hotel on the Prairies to seek refuge from winter and from the world.  Together in the shelter of their “suite,” they deflate the pompous and powerful, acting out their fantasies as they try to bring “a little warmth, a little human kindness to each other’s lives” until the outside world interrupts their reverie with the arrival of a mysterious stranger.

Canadian Playwright Rex Deverell’s Boiler Room Suite  won the 1977 Canadian  Authors Association Award for Drama.

Directed by Richard Quesnel, Boiler Room Suite features three stage veterans, Kathleen Sheehy, Alan K. Sapp, and George Joyce making his Lost and Found Theatre debut.

Boiler Room Suite is running through November 5-15 @ Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre. On Nov 8,  playwright Rex Deverell is in attendance for a Q and A after the show.

Sunday Nov 9 – @ 2pm – Gael Gilbert from Supportive Housing of Waterloo and Christine Stevanus from House of Friendship will be in attendance for Q and A after the show.

For more information go http://www.lostandfoundtheatre.com/

In a candid chat, on location at Imbibe in downtown Kitchener, I spoke with Lost and Found producer/ actor Christy Ziss about Boiler Room Suite, the concept of Radical Hospitality, and the continuing passion of Lost and Found’s mandate to present theatre that resonates long after the curtain call…  (As I live in Kitchener’s downtown core,  I look forward to seeing this show for many reasons …. Coral)

 

 

 

 

Evil Dead The Musical – Chatting with Actor Andrew Di Rosa in The Splatter Zone!

Far right - Actor Andrew Di Rosa who plays Jake in the Evil Dead: The Musical
Far left – Actor Andrew Di Rosa who plays Jake in the Evil Dead: The Musical

Andrew is the only Canadian actor in this production!

ANDREW DI ROSA  is thrilled to join the company of Evil Dead – The Musical!  Andrew hails from Toronto, Ontario, where he graduated from the University of Toronto and Sheridan College Specialized Bachelor of Arts Joint Program. Andrew’s past performances include Danny Zuko in Grease, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Laurie in Little Women, the Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz and most recently the title role in Shrek: The Musical.  He also stars in the feature film “Fragile Minds” which is slated for release next summer.

Created by George Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris and Bond, Evil Dead – The Musical is a home-grown success story. The original production, based on Sam Raimi‘s Evil Dead film franchise, opened at Toronto’s Tranzac Club in 2003 and has been covering audiences in blood ever since. Playing to sold out audiences around the world, Evil Dead – The Musical is a proven critic and fan favourite. Starvox introduced Evil Dead – The Musical to Philadelphia in 2013 before heading back to Toronto for a limited run that was repeatedly extended after sold-out success. The current North American tour includes stops in Toronto and Hamilton, with stateside stops in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.
Not to be missed is the infamous “Splatter Zone”. Better than a 3D movie, audience members sitting in this designated area (the first 4 rows of the centre orchestra) get doused in fake blood, incorporating fun real-life effects for the ultimate Evil Dead experience. In addition to bloody seats, the show’s bloody jokes and bloody tunes (“All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons”, “What the F@#k Was That”) keep audiences laughing out loud, and screaming for more.  The North American tour, produced by Starvox in association with original producer Jeffrey Latimer Entertainment, features a brand new touring cast: Julie Baird, Demi Zaino, Callie Johnson, David Sajewich, Creg Sclavi, Ryan McBride, Andrew Di Rosa, and Ryan Czerwonko.

On sale now, tickets range in price from $39.95 to $79.95 and are available online at ticketfly.com or by phone at1.888.732.1682.

Evil Dead The Musical is playing at The Randolph Theatre ( formerly Bathhurst Theatre) to Nov 9!

Andrew and I chat about Evil Dead The Musical and his fave horror flicks! OOOH Scary! – Coral FM.


Actor Andrew Di Rosa
 

They’re BAAACK and Hungry for More! – Zombie Love is Lovelier The Second Time Around

Jeinnfier Cornish, Lisa MacNeil, and Trevor Smith- Diggins star in Dine Her at The Harmony Lunch
Jennifer Cornish, Lisa MacNeil, and Trevor Smith- Diggins star in Dine Her at The Harmony Lunch

Dine Her returns for a Limited Halloween Engagement at The Harmony Lunch. Coral FM welcomes actors Joyce Domingo and Jennifer Cornish, plus a special on location chat with Dine Her creator Bruce Hunter.

Since it opened way back in 1930, the legendary Harmony Lunch restaurant in Waterloo has survived the Great Depression, a global war and a growing fast-food chain frenzy. This summer, the iconic eatery takes on show business for ten performances of DINE HER, a romantic comedy with a meal  and a zombie apocalypse on the side. 

Written and directed by veteran Second City comedian Bruce Hunter, DINE HER offers  a frighteningly funny twist on the traditional dinner theatre concept. The 60-minute show premiered last year in Toronto earning rave reviews from critics and audience alike.

“Diner theatre is similar to dinner theatre, only it’s faster, cheaper and you still get a belly full of  laughs,” says Hunter, who performed in the original show. “It’s more like casual, comfort food, up close and personal in a cozy old diner, and then the show starts and all hell breaks loose.”

Winner of two Gemini awards and two Canadian Comedy Awards, Hunter has been featured in dozens of TV shows and films, including Atomic Betty, Kid’s CBC, Degrassi, Good Will Hunting, Mean Girls and Puppets Who Kill. Hunter’s company, RealSpace Theatre, expands the performance space beyond the stage to explore how audiences and performers interact with their environment to create a unique theatre experience.

DINE HER was written specifically for diners just like Harmony Lunch. “Not only is it a local landmark with a long, rich history,” says Hunter, “it also offers the perfect setting for this particular style of in-your‐lap comedy.”

DINE HER is co-produced in Waterloo with PrACTical TheACTrics and stars prominent local actors Jennifer Cornish, Trevor Smith Diggins, and Lisa MacNeil.  The show continues at The Harmony Lunch to Oct 31 for a limited Halloween engagement!

It includes a themed menu with three meal options for $40. 00.  Dinner at 7:00 pm. Showtime 8:00 pm. Tickets available online at 

http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/dine-her-tickets-11318314383

Visit facebook.com/dineher or phone 519-804-2133 for information and group sales.  Or Follow them on Twitter@zombiedineher

Recommended for mature audiences.

It was so fun to chat with Dine Her actors Jennifer Cornish and Joyce Domingo plus show creator Bruce Hunter on location @ The Harmony Lunch for this very special Coral FM Podcast.

Writer/Acvtor Bruce Hunter cretaor of Dine Her!
Writer/Actor and Second City Veteran Bruce Hunter Creator of Dine Her!

Dine Her creator RealSpace Theatre’s Bruce Hunter

Jennifer Cornish and Joyce Domingo plus featuring selections from the Dine Her Show soundtrack.

 

Night/Shift Festival Director Eric Rumble speaks about Downtown Kitchener’s Most Excellent Nocturnal Adventure!

 

Apparitions. Hidden Stories in Public Space. John Macdonald Architect and MT Space
Apparitions. Hidden Stories in Public Space. John Macdonald Architect and MT Space

NIGHT\SHIFT 2014 is downtown Kitchener’s second annual nuit blanche-style festival of art, culture and nocturnal adventure.

NIGHT\SHIFT attractions are spread throughout various indoor and outdoor locations in downtown Kitchener, based around a central event hub on Duke Street (closed between Frederick and Queen), and spreading out in both directions along Queen both North and South (as well as into the two downtown laneways – Halls and Goudies).
NIGHT\SHIFT is a project of locally-produced environmental magazine with Alternatives Journal and involvement from local artists, businesses and other community builders.

In addition to publishing a national magazine, A\J is a registered charity engaged in environmental education and community-building activities. Envisioning a better future is a central goal at A\J, and exploring or reimagining the built spaces around us is integral to achieving that goal.

I spoke to NIGHT/SHIFT’s Artistic Director Eric Rumble who discussed the difference between this year’s and last year’s event. This year NIGHT/SHIFT is offering 40 different events and Eric also spoke about the highlights. Don’t miss this one of a kind nocturnal adventure!

Night/Shift  Jack-O-Lantern Flash Mob!
Night/Shift Jack-O-Lantern Flash Mob!

For more info, maps, lineups, and places to Sup and Sip – go to www.nightshiftwr.ca. Check NS out on twitter and Facebook as well.

Here is my chat with Eric Rumble from Night/Shift. See ya on the Night/Shift!  – Coral FM.

Tamara Neill of Idea Exchange and Michael Gabriel’s Strings Attached.

 

Michael Gabriel's String Attached
Michael Gabriel’s String Attached

Idea Exchange (formerly the Cambridge libraries) is a very successful Art + Design initiative which has flourished in the city of Cambridge.

Tamara Neill, of Idea Exchange speaks about how this innovative re-branding has fosters relationships with other arts organizations in Waterloo Region, and beyond, in visual arts, cultural activities for all ages, film and music.

LA based singer/songwriter Michael Gabriel is a great example of Idea Exchange’s mandate.

He contacted them from his home base in LA regarding his traveling orchestral series “Strings Attached.”

Thanks to Idea Exchange who provided the facilities, (and also hosted these events) Michael was able to conduct a youth song writing workshop, and “Strings Attached” preview concert with cellist Trina Nadeau. He also worked with St. Benedict’s High School choral ensemble and Cambridge based adult choir The Hoot.

On Friday October 17 Michael Gabriel’s “Strings Attached” will be performed at Cambridge Arts Centre featuring these two choirs, and his mini-orchestra which includes core members Trina Nadeau, cello, and Sandy Ludwig, piano, in addition to Karen Spithoff, violin, and newest member Joy Schuster who on viola.

Or more info and tickets. Partial proceeds will go the Cambridge Shelter Corporation. http://www.cambridgesheltercorp.ca/

For Strings Attached tickets  www.cambridgecommunityplayers.com

For more about Idea Exchange  http://ideaexchange.org/

For more about Michael Gabriel  www.michaelgabrielmusic.com

Here is my chat with Tamara Neill from Idea Exchange featuring the music of Michael Gabriel including “Bye Bye So Long” (with choir accompaniment), “Penelope Rose”, and radio single “Angel Wings.” –

I think this will be  very special night for the community – Coral FM

 

The Comic Book Battle


DJ Plan B, Gary Cain and DJ Adrock battle out great tracks based on various different comic books. If you missed the Gary Cain band interview make sure to check that out as well. And if you are into Comic books and Music….there is nothing better than “The Electrifying Adventures of DJ Jeff E Jeff”

A Very AuBenseiter Thanksgiving – More Murder Mystery at The Blue Moon

The Usual Suspects will be joining thr audience for Thanksgiving Dinner. Ya!
The Usual Suspects will be joining thr audience for Thanksgiving Dinner. Ya!

Rita AuBenseiter aka the Lovely and Talented Theresa Noon is back with her cast of the usual suspects! in A Very AuBenseiter Thanksgiving.

Nan is growing older and has summoned the entire AuBenseiter clan for an important Thanksgiving Dinner. When this misfit extended family gets together for a meal, they’re sure to serve up a menu of hilarity, hijinks and Nan’s special Murder Pie. Be part of the family and enjoy a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner.  Invite your family and friends.

Mystery Dinner and Show: $54.00 (inc. tax and grats)

When: September 27th & October 4,11,&12th, 2014

Guests Arrive: Starting at 6:30pm

*October 12th is a matinee performance at 12:30pm

Still tickets available for this Saturday’s Murder Mystery Dinner: A Very AuBenseiter Thanksgiving. Bring your dysfunctional family to have a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner in a very untraditional way with this dysfunctional family!

http://www.thebluemoon.ca/oktober-murder-mystery.php

Also at The Blue Moon…. Flannwood Mac! Friday November 7, 2014 Doors Open at: 6:30pm, Music at: 8:00pm. Tickets:$15.00 advance, $20.00 door. Reserve for Dinner to get Premium Seating

Flannwood Mac at The Blue Moon in November!

Flannwood Mac at The Blue Moon in November!

I have seen Flannwood Mac …. and they honour Fleetwood Mac beautifully.

Eric Charles – Always In for the Ride

 

Eric Charles of the Eric Charles Band visits the Sound FM Studios
Eric Charles of the Eric Charles Band visits the Sound FM Studios

Eric Charles is a Canadian Singer/Songwriter and former front man for successful indie band, the Road Poets: a hardworking roots rock act with a devoted following. This seasoned and passionate live performer has stayed true to his indie pop rocker pedigree with his new full length solo studio album, Another Trip. Studded with catchy melodies, ear pleasing rock n’ rock hooks and artful lyrics that repay a close listen. Charles credits some of the following musical influences: Neil Young, Cold Play, The Killers, Radiohead, The Tragically Hip, Son Volt, Oasis, Sloan, Gin Blossoms, City & Colour, Jim Cuddy, Death Cab for Cutie, 55-40, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, U2, The Jayhawks, REM, Crosby, Stills & Nash and America.

The Eric Charles Band was recently chosen to compete at Kitchener’s Big Music Fest and over the summer Eric and his band’s guitarist / vocalist Nick Maldonado went on a Radio Station Road Trip throughout parts of Ontario and Quebec in support of Another Trip remix – In for The Ride.  The single was produced by Gavin Brown (Billy Talent, Big Sugar, Tragically Hip and Sarah Harmer to name a few!) Gavin Brown recently received the prestigious Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award. So Eric and the band were super excited to go down to Toronto’s Noble Studios to work with Brown on the In for the Ride rock remix. And the radio stations have embraced In for the Ride, which is now receiving mainstream airplay.

As the last stop of his radio station tour, Eric Charles returned to Sound FM as my very special guest. We had a wide ranging chat from the first time he picked up a guitar, to Eric’s latest big news.  The band just finished playing a highly successful concert at Kitchener’s Eidelweiss Tavern, with musical guests Jessie Treneer, and Henry Taylor. And now The Eric Charles Band has been invited to perform at Toronto’s legendary live concert venue The Horseshoe Tavern this Tuesday night Sept 30! For more on Eric go to http://eric-charles.com/ and here is the link to the piece I wrote for Waterloo Region Record’s Nightlife. http://www.therecord.com/whatson-story/4626653-big-music-fest-s-shot-at-the-big-time/  

You heard it here first. I think Eric is another musician destined for the Toppermost of the Poppermost! – Coral FM.

Listen here for my chat with Eric Charles of The Eric Charles Band. The interview also features select tracks from Another Trip, and Eric’s In for the Ride remix, plus a live acoustic performance in the studio.