The Artesia Coffee House starts a new season this Friday, Oct. 28, at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in Sechelt. New duos take to the coffee house stage with artist/musician Anna Green on piano/vocals and Ken Dun, guitar and vocals, with folk-oriented acoustic music. Next up will be Citizen Jane with songwriter/guitarist Reenie Perkovic and violist/ fiddler Lea Kirstein, with dynamic chamber folk-pop tunes. Poet Ross Harry will read a short set followed by two musicians well known on the Coast and now performing together, Charlotte Wrinch, singer/songwriter/guitar, joined by Budge Schachte on guitar. Doors open at 7 with show time at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. Enjoy treats by Trish, a slideshow of past musicians and the new art exhibit in the Doris Crowston Gallery.
Blues Halloween
The fabulous Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne will be rocking the Pender Harbour Community Hall on Saturday, Oct. 29, for the eighth annual Halloween Howl presented by the Pender Harbour Blues Festival. Doors at 8 p.m.; music at 8:30. It’s a costume and dance extravaganza. This is a popular dance for the music-loving Penderites, so buy your ticket soon. Tickets are available at www.phblues.ca or at Java Docks in Madeira Park and Strait Music in Sechelt.
All Hallow’s dance
Calling all ghouls and ghoulettes: Playback is featured at a Halloween dance party at the Gibsons Legion #109 on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. Dress up and win prizes. Rock out with 1960s and ’70s tunes. Members $5; guests $10.
Divas show
On Oct. 29, Vegas comes to the Coast with Bonnie Kilroe’s show, Divas: Vegas Meets Vaudeville. It’s an engaging and hilarious two-hour musical comedy celebrity impersonation show with tributes to over 20 divas from Cher to Lady Gaga, and it’s at the Sechelt Legion. Tickets are $25. Showtime is at 8; doors open at 7 p.m. Call 604-885-2526 for more. In February this year, Kilroe attended the Las Vegas Reel Award and won best comedy as well as most unique act. She was also honoured in Florida at the Sunburst Convention of Celebrity Impersonators. Dress up as your favourite diva and enjoy.
Halloween
Join the Halloween party at Gramma’s Pub in Gibsons with DJ music, food and drink specials and costume prizes on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Modern Terror at the Little Legion
Local punk rockers Modern Terror and Vancouver Island’s Street Sweeper play the Roberts Creek Legion #219 on Oct. 29 at 9 p.m. This will be Modern Terror’s first hometown show in a while so it’s guaranteed to be fun fueled. It is also guitarist Jeff Doran’s 40th birthday so the boys will be ready to party. Check them out before they play two sold out shows at The Commodore with NOFX in November. Tickets are at the door: members $8; guests with members $10.
Museum hosts ghosts
Driftwood Players and the Sunshine Coast Museum are teaming up for another haunted Hallow’s Eve with three spooky tours of Gibsons on Monday, Oct. 31.
Ghosts and ghouls will try to save the Town of Gibsons from the evil Dolores Bumbridge, who has robbed the grave of the town’s founder. Join a spunky 11-year-old ghost, Wanda June, as she tries to find the founder in time to save the Town. The spooky tours start at the Museum with stops in lower Gibsons and end with a ghoulish Thriller dance grand finale at the Pioneer Park (next to the cemetery in Lower Gibsons). Tours at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 p.m. are offered by donation.
This weekend
Three Men in a Boat, a funny play, has opened at the Heritage Playhouse, Gibsons. Shows are on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28 and 29, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets at Laedeli and the Blackberry Shop or online at Eventbrite.com
Celtic music
An Evening of Celtic Music features the best of Cape Breton’s Mairi Rankin, Wendy MacIsaac and Mac Morin. The show opens with the Coast String Fiddlers on Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Gibsons. Three of Cape Breton’s most respected musicians will team up for a rare performance together. Wendy MacIsaac is a renowned fiddler from Cape Breton who is recognized as one of the “old school” style of players with a traditional sound, and she has a deep respect for it. She is a founding member of Beòlach, and has also performed with The Cape Breton Summertime Revue, Capercaillie, The Chieftains and Ashley MacIsaac, and toured with Heather Rankin and The Rankin Sisters.
Mairi Rankin is a fiddler and step dancer who has been influenced by some of the best Cape Breton traditional musicians and instructors on the island. She has toured nationally and internationally as a performer and educator in both fiddle and step dance. She has been a solo artist, a side musician, and a member of the Cape Breton Celtic super group Beòlach and the Scottish/Irish/Canadian band, The Outside Track. Mac Morin is a dancer and piano player from Troy, Cape Breton. He has gone on tour around the world with Natalie MacMaster and Beòlach while continuing to teach Cape Breton step dancing. Tickets at the door are $20/and $10 for under 12.
Rotary event
The Pender Harbour Rotary Club is holding their annual auction on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall #112 in Madeira Park. Traditionally this has been an art auction, but this year they have included gift certificates for goods, services and experiences as well as a large arts contribution. Over the past 14 years this auction has given local artists over $170,000 in returns sales. The silent auction viewing is from 5 to 7:30 p.m. and the live auction at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 from the Legion or any Rotarian.
Pianist
Amanda Tosoff performs live at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre (5714 Medusa St. in Sechelt) on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tosoff is a BC-raised, Toronto-based pianist, composer and band leader with five albums to her credit. With four earlier albums, Tosoff has established herself as one of the most exciting new talents on the Canadian jazz scene. On Words, her latest release, she takes an adventurous leap beyond the confines of conventional jazz. She has taken poems and lyrics that possess a personal resonance for her and framed them in original new compositions that utilize vocals. She will be showcasing her latest releases with a handful of incredibly talented artists: Lydia Persaud (vocals), Jon Maharaj (bass) and Morgan Childs (drums). Tickets are $20. Get them at Strait Music, MELOmania, WOW Art Gallery and share-there.com
Tommy
The Coast’s Franklin Cottrell has been cast in the lead role as Tommy, the deaf, dumb and blind kid, in The Who’s Tommy performing in Vancouver Nov. 4 to 19 at the Shop Theatre (125 E. 2nd Ave., near Main) presented by Renegade Arts Company. Tickets for students are $20, adults $25, at BrownPaperTickets.com
Noon deadline
Send your notice of arts events by Tuesday at noon for Friday’s newspaper to [email protected] or phone 604-886-4692. Please include a contact phone number or email.
