The Pearl Company

Willy Blizzard: Friday, July 12. 8:00pm. $15 /$10 students/arts workers.   Willy Blizzard is a touring band from Vancouver, riding a musical journey that literally spans the decades, even the centuries.  This acoustic trio plays original music in the folk/roots genre featuring beautiful vocal harmonies, guitars, banjo, and stand-up bass. Willy Blizzard is fronted by principal songwriter / lead vocalist John Hough who has shared stages with David Rea, Jesse Winchester, and Valdy, and who is so earth-centred he actually holds a degree in Agriculture. “The richest baritone west of The Rockies” (Vancouver Province). Fran Madigan takes care of lead guitar, banjo, vocals; (he’s translated his R&B beginnings into some cool roots/country lead breaks on his red Telecaster). Andrea Law is on upright bass, piano, washboard, and vocals, bringing great stage presence and impeccable rhythm to the band.  Willy Blizzard’s recent album In From The Cold is essential Americana. Its rich detail has met with generous praise from press and critics both in Canada and Europe. In Willy Blizzard, right brain meets left brain to sustain an enduring encounter through music. “Truly gorgeous Canadiana” —  Penguin Eggs www.willyblizzard.com  Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP1nhfD3O4I

Amelia Curran: Thursday, July 11. 8:00pm. $15 /$10 students/arts workers. This super-fine Juno Award winning singer/songwriter was nominated again this past year for her great new CD, Spectators and lost to her good friend Rose Cousins (another Pearl Co favourite). What a tricky job that jury must have had! Amelia’s new CD has garnered numerous rave reviews. A meditation on frailty, restlessness, time and its finitudes, Spectators is a highly accomplished disc; it raises the bar on her signature lyricism, and pushes beyond the folk boundaries that have defined her previous releases. “Curran’s sense of adventure extends to her lyrics, which are by turns philosophical and intimately personal…. This is simply superb stuff.” Exclaim.ca.  With a number of East Coast Music Awards and an extensive discography, she’s a songwriter by trade, and a writer at heart.  “One of this country’s finest singer-songwriters.” Montreal Gazette.  www.ameliacurran.com  Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pPn7W4E5SI
Andrew James O’Brien is a 3 time Music Newfoundland and Labrador Award winner (2011). He was named Male Artist of the Year, Rising Star of the Year and his debut album, Songs for Searchers, was named the Pop/Rock Recording of the Year. Jamie Fitzpatrick of CBC Radio’s Performance Hour says he will be, “The next big songwriter to emerge from Newfoundland”. John Clarke, Events Coordinator for the …Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society says, “Andrew O’Brien plumbs the depth of human experience and bares his heart, soul, and liver in an outpouring of emotion and feeling against a catchy, melodic backdrop of contemporary folk, pop and rock”. www.andrewjamesobrien.com

Clayton Bellamy: Wednesday, July 10. 8:00. $15 /$10 students/arts workers: Most people know multiple award winner Clayton Bellamy from his years with his platinum selling band The Road Hammers, but this is only one piece of a large and varied musical background. His many awards include a Juno for Best Country Recording; he’s a four time Canadian Country Music Award winner Canadian Country Music Awards, and SOCAN Songwriter of the Year award. He’s performed at the Grand Ole Opry and even for President Carter. He’s a radio host in Edmonton, Alberta and he’s got a great new solo album “Five Crow Silver” which he is touring across Canada.
He’s delved deep into his roots rock influences, and enlisted a who’s who of rock n’ roll royalty to flesh out this new collection of songs. The line up includes Garth Hudson (The Band), Bobby Keys (The Rolling Stones), Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar), Hamilton’s Tom Wilson (Blackie and the Rodeo King’s, Lee Harvey Osmond), Audley Freed (The Black Crowes), Mike Plume and his old buddies from The Road Hammers, Chris Byrne and Corbett Frasz. While the supporting cast is truly stellar, the main emphasis is still on Clayton’s hard charging vocals, his cohesive musical vision, and his unflinching autobiographical look at life, love, music and the never-ending quest for redemption and fulfillment. www.claytonbellamyband.com  Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9bIGytjDkc

Sherman Downey and The Ambiguous Case:  Saturday, June 29. Doors: 7:30. Showtime: 8:00 PM. $20. Winners of the recent CBC Searchlight Competition, they’re a roots rock band from Newfoundland armed with an energetic live show, charming melodies, toe-tapping rhythms, and a story to tell, a band that creates an easy-going party wherever their van stops. They write and perform amazing songs on a wild variety of acoustic instruments. Formed several years ago, the band has toured relentlessly, developing a solid following for their rootsy sound, born out of the sunshine and blue water of Gros Morne Park and the mountains and fjords of that coast. Their first release, Honey for Bees, is not just a collection of fun songs about muddy jackets, lost kittens and cheap suits. Beneath the rolling bluegrassy folk pop, there is an uncommon sweetness to be found. Check these Quotes: “With thick dreadlocks and a disarming stage presence, Downey unexpectedly puts you at ease. Honey For Bees is a collection of original sounding, feel-good music that will actually put you in a better mood….” The Broken Speaker dot com.  “The album is chock full of positive vibes from beginning to the end. The way the vocals are delivered with spunk and happiness, banjo, a little mild yodeling here and there, and soft percussion all give the listener a sense that Sherman loves what he does.” The Muse. Sherman was awarded MusicNL’s ‘Male Artist of The Year’ for 2010 and the band recieved multiple award nominations including ECMA “Rising Star Recording” and“Best Group Recording”. www.shermandowney.ca    Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCg3CtDs9YY

The Jazz Connection Big Band: Friday, June 28. Doors at 8:00, Jazz at 8:30. $15 /$10 students/all artists.  Catch the powerful sound of this big band in our relaxed and atmospheric venue. The JCBB is a well-established 17-piece jazz ensemble comprised of professional and semi-professional musicians from the Hamilton/Toronto area, performing only the best modern big band charts from the books of Goodwin, Martin, Menza, Rich, Basie, and many other great contemporary composers. Jazz Connection delivers high energy, uncompromising and straight ahead jazz, funk, and Latin, combining the highest level of musicianship and great charts in an entertaining show that equally engages both the jazz enthusiast and the casual listener. The incredible acoustics at The Pearl easily accommodate their very cool (but hot!) surround-sound. It is always a great evening for the ears!  “Jazz Connection WILL get your blood flowing! These guys swing hard with great charts, infectious energy and stirring solos!!” – Paul Hoffert – Co-leader/founder of Lighthouse  “This is one of the most exciting, entertaining and musically interesting jazz ensembles to come along in many years – the musicianship, the repertoire and the energy are all of the highest level!!” Nick Deutsch – Co-ordinator, Mohawk College, Faculty of Music www.jazzconnection.ca Listen: http://epresskitz.com/index.php?u=2691

Jadea Kelly – C.D. Release Tour: Saturday, June 22. Doors: 7:30. Showtime: 8:00 pm: $15.00 Adv/$20 Door/$10 Students/All Artists. Although Jadea’s stage persona compares to such vocalists as Neko Case and Kathleen Edwards, it is her distinctive and husky voice that engages and captivates her listeners.  The range and control of her exceptionally powerful soprano voice mixes perfectly with her beautiful melodies and excellent dynamics. When she released her acclaimed Eastbound Platform album In 2010, she was nominated for new emerging artist (Canadian Folk Music Awards) and that lead her to such prestigious gigs as Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe show. Now, her much-anticipated new album, Clover is here, the result of hard work, big plans and new ideas. In the past, her heart-filled and confident singing was part and parcel of country flavour and story-telling, but now she’s added mystery and magic, sometimes almost whispering while still using her beautiful tone. Blessed with a voice that is pure, real and rooted, she’s always going to have core Canadiana sounds in her music while the variety she brings is impressive. “One of the shining jewels in the crown of Canadian songwriters.” Tom Power CBC. www.darthjadea.com  Listen to her here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePajHtc3VTw

Valdy: Friday, June 21. 8:00pm. $25: Born Valdemar Horsdal in Ottawa, Valdy has been part of the fabric of Canadian pop and folk music for over 34 years. A man with a thousand friends, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island to Texas to New Zealand, he’s a singer, guitarist, and songwriter who catches the small but telling moments that make up life. Valdy has sold almost half a million copies of his 13 albums, has two Juno Awards (Folk Singer of the Year and Folk Entertainer of the Year) with a total of seven Juno nominations and four Gold albums to his credit.
Valdy has taken his music to a dozen different countries, from Denmark to Australia and been an often-invited performer at the prestigious Kerrville Festival in Texas. Valdy has also been a panelist on Front Page Challenge, and played a lead role in an episode of The Beachcombers original series.
Today, he is based on Salt Spring Island, where he lives with his wife Kathleen, three dogs and a large cat. All three children are grown, flown and doing famously living in or near Vancouver, or Colorado.  www.valdy.com  Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtNSljYgDe8

Don Byron w Michael & Roberto Occhipinti: Wednesday, June 19. Doors: 7:30. Showtime: 8:00 PM: $15.00/$10 Students/All Artists.  To call Don Byron a jazz musician is to fail to describe the scope of things he does; he’ll be playing at The Pearl with Michael Occhipinti (guitar), Roberto Occhipinti (bass), and a great young drummer named Maxwell Roach. For over two decades, Don Byron, a recipient of the first Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, has been a singular voice in an astounding range of musical contexts, exploring widely divergent traditions.  As clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and social critic, he redefines every genre of music he plays, be it classical, salsa, hip-hop, funk, rhythm & blues, klezmer, or any jazz style from swing and bop to cutting-edge downtown improvisation. Acclaimed as much for his restless creativity as for his unsurpassed virtuosity as a player,  he has been consistently voted best clarinetist since being named “Jazz Artist of the Year” by Down Beat in 1992.  http://www.donbyron.com
An eight-time JUNO Award (Canada’s Grammy) nominee for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, guitarist/composer Michael Occhipinti’s inventive approach to creative music of all kinds has earned him a broad array of listeners and the respect of critics and musicians alike. Crossing genres that include jazz, chamber music, funk, world music, and anything involving modern guitar sounds, Michael is both a versatile musician and an imaginative band leader.  http://www.michaelocchipinti.com Roberto Occhipinti is diversity personified. He’s won awards and acclaim as a musician, composer and record producer. Throughout his career, the Toronto-born bassist has performed in classical orchestras, jazz ensembles, Latin groups, rhythm & blues outfits and rock bands. He has worked in theatre and opera, written for radio and television, played on film soundtracks and done more recording session jobs than he can remember.  http://robertoocchipinti.com
Listen to Don: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olOHeicY9cg

DeMure Productions Presents: Dirty Dancing: The Burlesque! Saturday, June 15. Doors: 7:30. Show: 8:00. $25 advance, $30 at door unless sold out. (Note: Tickets sold by event organizer; see below.) An All Star Cast of some of Burlesque and Vaudeville’s finest, paying homage to (arguably) one of the greatest movies of our time! ‘Dirty Dancing’.  Performances by: El Toro, Mizzy Thrasher, Red Herring, Bella Barecatt, The Mansfield Brothers, Tahitia Belle Fille, Lucky Minx, Lucky Fremont, Knox Harter, Faeya Tal, Liv Vicariously, London Bridges. Kitten: Whiskey Sour; Emcee: Madam Poynter. All music performed by: Ben Payne and The Cornered Babies
Sponsored by: Playground Conference 2013, DeMure School of Burlesque, Toronto School of Burlesque, Oshawa Laser Supply, Conspiracy Comics, Phoenix Design and Photography, Copy Dog, Homegrown Hamilton.
Win!! Win!! WIN!! Prizes, raffles, amazing entertainment! (Passes for two to Playground Conference 2013, A private Burlesque lesson from DeMure School of Burlesque, Tickets to upcoming burlesque shows, Comic swag, Delicious treats, Autographed memorabilia, And amazing giveaways by our fabulous sponsors! See Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf0_97qrSgU&feature=youtu.be
Get Tickets: http://dirtydancingburlesque-es2.eventbrite.ca/?rank=1

Annabelle Chvostek: Friday, June 14. Doors: 7:30. Showtime: 8:00 PM: $15.00 Door/$10 All Artists.  Chvostek is a versatile, fearlessly innovative multi-instrumentalist who has composed for dance and film, been a member of the ‘Wailin’ Jennies’ and performed across North America with artists like Po’Girl. Her latest album, Rise is joyful, anthemic, and unabashedly political, revealing Chvostek’s passion for social justice work and musical activism.  Call it protest music for the indie generation or a soundtrack for the Maple Spring. It features guest vocals by Bruce Cockburn and Oh Susanna, and Chvostek herself plays drawing, driving mandolin and fiddle on the album, a pulsating backdrop from these frequently-sweet-sounding strings.“…her original compositions are full of aching desire dressed in poetry and rendered with a musical imagination that seems to know no bounds”. Saskatoon Star Phoenix.  On Rise, Chvostek has managed to take a decades-old art form, the protest song, and completely re-imagine it for a new era of activism And last year, her two co-written duets with Bruce Cockburn were released on his Juno-winning album Small Source of Comfort.   http://www.annabellemusic.com  Listen Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqzzS3sTBoo

Elizabeth Shepherd: Saturday, June 8. 8:00 pm. Admission: $20.00. Elizabeth is the only jazz vocalist/pianist to ever have been long listed for the Polaris Prize – Canada’s most prestigious music prize. The two-time JUNO nominee has received widespread praise for her original compositions, but on her fourth album ‘Rewind’ Elizabeth showcases her skills as an arranger and interpreter, breathing new life – and soul – into songs both familiar and forgotten. Some of them are well-known standards; others are obscure songs or French tunes that Elizabeth heard and fell in love with when growing up in Paris.   The Toronto-based soul-jazz innovator has previously released three widely acclaimed records and toured extensively in North America, Europe and Japan. She has sold out legendary clubs from Tokyo to Detroit, and played festivals like Montreal and North Sea Jazz Festivals. www.elizabethshepherd.com “Stunning…. original and exciting” -Seattle Post (US) “Extraordinary talent” -RBBKulturradio (GER) “A hugely original musical mind at work” -Toronto Star (CAN) www.elizabethshepherd.com
Listen Here: http://elizabethshepherd.com/home/music-player/

Cindy Church: Friday, June 7. Doors: 7:30 / Show 8:00pm. $20. Whether she’s flying solo or collaborating with other singer-songwriters as a member of Quartette, Lunch At Allen’s (with Hamilton’s Ian Thomas and Marc Jordan) or Rankin, Church and Crow, Cindy Church is a stellar presence in the Canadian music scene. She has crafted a body of work that is at once artistically successful and culturally significant, sought after by fellow performers and treasured by listeners. Drawing from her own catalogue and exceptional covers of tunes for appreciative audiences internationally, Church has become renowned for the clarity and emotive precision of her voice and the subtlety of her approach to song interpretation and songwriting.  Weaving influences from east to west, she has blended styles effortlessly to create her own singular sound.
Originally from Nova Scotia, Church’s early sense of music was infused with acoustic country and folk traditions of the Maritimes. Building upon these roots, she discovered country music while living in western Canada, developing her repertoire and touring and recording with Ian Tyson as part of the Chinook Arch Riders. Embarking on a solo career in the 1990?s, Church proved herself to be a superb singer and songwriter with a distinctive voice and interpretive technique. These vocal stylings became a key element in the formation of Quartette, the striking collaboration of Church, Sylvia Tyson, Caitlin Hanford , the late Colleen Peterson, and now Gwen Swick, that would reshape the Canadian musical landscape. www.cindychurch.com
Listen here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu4TWH-CKYE

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Linda McRae Supports D.R.E.A.M.S: Thursday, June 6. Doors: 7:30 / Show 8:00pm. $15 /$10 students/all artists.
This former Spirit of the West Troubadour is on tour from Nashville and is helping to raise money for the Hamilton D.R.E.A.M.S team to build houses in the Dominican. Mimi Shaw & The Highnote Ramblers will open.  Linda earned a Juno nomination and double Platinum triple Gold recording status as bassist and accordionist with Celtic/Roots group Spirit of the West. When she left the band after 8 years, she resumed her solo career combining old-time sounds with the universal themes of heartbreak and redemption, offering an intriguing sepia postcard from the past that is vibrant and alive in the present. She performs on clawhammer banjo, acoustic guitar, accordion, and porchboard stompbox; her credits include numerous recordings and performances with musical luminaries such as Bruce Cockburn and Neko Case. You will even find her at New Folsom Prison, California’s infamous maximum-security prison, performing in concert and facilitating songwriter workshops for the inmates.  McRae’s recent album Rough Edges And Ragged Hearts has been nominated for Album Of The Year Canadian Folk Music Awards.  Quotes: “one of the most pure, soulful, honest and distinctive voices in Roots music, period!”  Allison Brock, Wide Cut Country, CKUA  “Linda McRae stands tall, singing and playing music with honest soul and humility, cutting through the fog with her timeless clarity.”  Colin Linden, Songwriter, Producer, Guitarist. www.lindamcrae.com  Listen: http://lindamcrae.com/files/Song_Files/11_Be_Your_Own_Light.mp3
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The Jazz Connection Big Band: Friday, May 31. Doors at 8:00, Jazz at 8:30. $15 /$10 students/all artists.  Catch the powerful sound of this big band in our relaxed and atmospheric venue. The JCBB is a well-established 17-piece jazz ensemble comprised of professional and semi-professional musicians from the Hamilton/Toronto area, performing only the best modern big band charts from the books of Goodwin, Martin, Menza, Rich, Basie, and many other great contemporary composers. Jazz Connection delivers a high energy, uncompromising, straight ahead jazz performance combining the highest level of musicianship and great charts in an entertaining show that equally engages both the jazz enthusiast and the casual listener. The incredible acoustics at The Pearl easily accommodate their very cool (and hot!) surround-sound. It is always a great evening for the ears!  http://www.jazzconnection.ca

Sweet Alibi: Thursday, May 30: 8:00pm. $15/$10 all artists/students.  2012 Canadian Folk Music Award Nominees, Sweet Alibi have been captivating audiences with their alluring blend of soulful melody and folk/roots tradition. Their playful sense of lyricism set to powerful vocal harmonies set the stage for a performance which is upfront, personal, and compelling. Drawing influence from a vast array of musical references, Sweet Alibi apply a quirky pop sensibility to an eclectic set. Songs range in mood from haunting, provocative ballads to left-of-centre takes on everything from Country and Soul, to Old Time Jazz. Backing their vocals with electric guitars, banjos, hand percussion, ukuleles, upright bass, and whatever else they can get their hands on, Sweet Alibi compliment a diverse set with an equally eclectic instrumentation.
Comprised of three core members (Jessica Rae Ayre, Amber Nielsen, and Michelle Anderson), and often backed by an array of Winnipeg’s finest musicians, the group performs everywhere from intimate coffee houses and mainstay clubs to outdoor concert series and festivals. Having finished their highly anticipated debut album with Juno award winner Mitch Dorge, along with the release of their newest single “Get It Right” produced by Adam Young, Sweet Alibi are currently touring across Canada. Stopping soon at The Pearl! www.sweetalibi.com Listen Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyotW5_3Nmg