A concert promoter who has organized successful, national three-day music festivals, has now formed a Roberts Creek company, Inchworm Entertainment, to bring more live music to the Coast. His first show of the new year features the New York based popular duo of Chris Brown and Kate Fenner on Monday, Jan. 12, at 8 p.m. at the Gumboot Garden Café.
Brown has toured as the keyboardist with both the Tragically Hip and The Barenaked Ladies, while Fenner has earned the accolade "Kate Fenner rocks" from award winning singer Norah Jones. The pair have been praised for their poetic and literate lyrics, and they have been making music together for half of their lives, since their teenage years. For 10 years, they fronted the Canadian band Bourbon Tabernacle Choir that led them to New York. Fans may remember their previous Coast visit in June, 2003, and will know that the show was completely sold out in advance. Tickets for $13 will be sold at the Gumboot. Get yours right away.
New Year's again We're so laid back on the Sunshine Coast, we can celebrate New Year's Eve any time we like, even 10 days later. Because of the snow and ice that blanketed Gibsons on New Year's Eve, the dance party that was to be held at The Club on Dec. 31 was postponed until tonight (Saturday). You have another chance to see The Rhythm Thieves, an 11-member marimba band that should set you dancing to their world music. In fact, the program is very similar to the planned New Year's Eve bash, including snacking on the international tapas prepared by chef/ owner Michael Riley. The good news is that the tickets will be cheaper: $20 per person. They will be available at the door, or phone The Club at 604-886-2787 to reserve.
Digital art show Mark your new calendar for the Gibsons Public Art Gallery's first show of 2004, the second annual digital photography show. It runs throughout January, and the opening reception will be on Saturday, Jan. 17, from 2 to 4 p.m. If you're thinking of getting involved with this relatively new gallery, they would likely be delighted since they are looking for volunteers to staff the gallery for an hour or two once a month. Give them a call to find out how it's done, by dialing 604-886-0531, Tuesday through Sunday afternoons.
Art salon The artwork of a transplanted Newfoundlander, Jack MacColl, is currently hanging at the Creekside Hair Salon in Roberts Creek until the end of January.
It's an unusual but pleasant venue for art, in which the viewer can study acrylic techniques while blow-drying hair. MacColl is originally from Vancouver but has lived in Newfoundland for many years and has recently completed and shown a series of works, Illustrations of the Dialectical Landscape, in that province. His work hovers between abstract and representational and reflects his Newfoundland experiences. For example, his piece Sealhide Cove is chaotic, anxiety ridden; this particular bay in Newfoundland is where the seal slaughter takes place. Other untitled works seem to depict driftwood on a west coast beach - an image that MacColl never stopped thinking about, even on the other side of the country.
Stop by the salon just for viewing; no hair appointment is necessary.
Jazz trio in Pender Harbour Pianist and trumpeter Walter Martella, bassist Rene Worst and vocalist Don Stewart team up to bring an evening of great jazz to the Pender Harbour School of Music. All three musicians are already familiar on the Coast: Martella has appeared with the Mellowtones, Stewart has presented his Nat King Cole favourites at the Heritage Playhouse, and Worst usually plays with partner and vocalist Jennifer Scott. They promise the music of the greats from the 1960s and 1970s in a special performance at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Pender Harbour School of Music in Madeira Park. Tickets for $15 are available at John Henry's, Harbour Insurance, Talewind Books and Coast Books, or by calling 604-883-2403.
Film postponed As I write this column, the snow is still feathering down in Gibsons, and the Tuesday, Jan. 6, showing of a film about the traditions of church music, The Silence of the Angels, has been postponed until Easter week, Wednesday, April 14. Call the Sunshine Coast Film Society at 604-886-1579 for more details, or log on to www.scfs.ca.
Facing Page One Your Sunshine Coast Regional District recreation brochure should arrive in your mailbox this week. Allow me to recommend one of the many great courses that will be offered. Along with published writer Carol Upton, I will be leading an eight-week course called Facing Page One, suitable for beginning or stalled writers of both fiction or non-fiction. It starts on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. in Gibsons. Carol and I will lead writers through creativity-stretching exercises and practical assignments allowing time for discussion, questions and gentle critique of your writing projects. For registration details, dial up the SCRD info line at 604-885-6801.
