The Pearl Company

Bill Bourne and The Free Radio Band: Saturday October 29. 8:00pm. $20 at the door. Multiple Canadian Juno Award winner, Bill Bourne has received international acclaim for his recordings and live performances. A mainstay on the international roots scene, life on the road is reflected in Bill’s music – powerful rhythms and soulful songs, steeped in World Beat, Blues, Cajun, Celtic, Folk, Flamenco, Funk, Poetry and more… His latest release, Bluesland, is an intense collection of rock, folk and country, soaked with an electric blues sound that gets deep into your pores. In addition to Bill’s acoustic guitar and vocals, and his son’s lead, The Free Radio Band features Pa Joe on electric smooth jazz guitar (African Guitar Summit), Moses Gregg on bass (The Swiftys) and Miguel Ferrer on drums (Santiago, Chile).
“Bourne flows with this almost indescribable soul infused with a lonesome strain of blues… This man was put on this earth to play music.” Crossroads Magazine. “Canadian Folk Shaman – Magical Mystery Bourne’ – Kitchener/Waterloo Echo  www.billbourne.com

Kate Reid w Amy Campbell: Friday, October 28. 8:00pm. $12 advance / $15 at the door. Kate Reid has a stack of press clippings that invariably cite her originality, topical songwriting and laugh-aloud humour. She is one of Canada’s funniest, sharpest new talents – a whipsmart wordsmith with a stage presence cited for her originality, topical songwriting and laugh-aloud humour. Her socio-political musings about identity, love and queer life are matched with an irreverent, often self-deprecating sense of humour. Season these songs with one of Kate’s warm, disarming laughs and you’ll understand why listeners of all persuasions have taken such a shine to her. “One woman. One guitar. Lots of attitude”. “Edgy, fun and brilliant” www.katereid.net Amy Campbell brings together classical training and folk sensibilities to create music that reaches into human experience and comes back with stories written from the soul. Devoted equally to lyrical craft, innovative musicianship, and engaging performances, Amy’s dozen years of writing, composing, and touring have cemented her position in hearts and playlists across the world. www.amycampbell.ca

The Jazz Connection Big Band with Christian Overton on lead trombone: Thursday, October 27. Doors at 7:30, jazz at 8:00 $15 at the door:  The JCBB is a well established 17-piece jazz ensemble comprised of professional and semi-professional musicians from the Hamilton/Toronto area. They perform only the best modern big band charts from the books of Goodwin, Martin, Menza, Rich, Basie, and many other great contemporary composers. Jazz Connection’s approach is high energy, uncompromising, straight ahead jazz. They combine the highest level of musicianship with great charts in an entertaining show that engages both the jazz enthusiast and the casual listener equally. Carrying us once again into the cool space of surround sound big band music, we are always delighted to have them back! http://www.jazzconnection.ca Christian Overton is one of the best trombone players in the business working regularly with Peter Appleyard, Jane Bunnett, Don Thompson, numerous major musicals, TV shows and movie scores.

Glenn Chatten: Wednesday, October 26. 8:00pm. $15 at the door. $10 All Artists/Students.  After abandoning Ontario (and Hamilton) for BC, Glenn is back! He took his Masters at McMaster and played regularly at the Festival of Friends and The Gown and Gavel.  He’s a veteran guitarist (with a harmonica always close at hand), mastering his custom built Larivee and Breedlove acoustic guitars like sculpturing tools, Glenn carves deep into his soulful life’s journey to reflect, create and perform eclectic original music that blurs boundaries between Jazz, Blues, Folk, Rock, and Celtic styles. He has developed a very unique and fast finger picking style that incorporates both standard and various open tunings of the guitar, producing intense rhythms with strong vibrant melodic overtones. It will be a pleasure to hear that mellow voice again! www.soaringeaglemusic.com

Brilliantly Bacharach! Dean Hollin presents another of his sparkling “Musical Biographies”.  Saturday, October 22th, 8 pm.  $18 advance / $22 door.  The “Quintessential composer of the 60’s, 70’s and beyond, Burt Bacharach, is celebrated in both story and song in “Brilliantly Bacharach”!!  Featuring the talents of Dean Hollin, special guest Deb Fitzsimmons and a live, onstage band, performing; Walk On By, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, Alfie, A House is Not a Home, Do You Know the Way to San Jose?, That’s What Friends are For, and so very many more…” Born and raised in Hamilton, Dean began his theatrical career during his high school years. Throughout his professional career, Dean has created productions, largely based around the music he loves so much including the Music of Jerome Kern, Cole~Hearted: A Musical Portrait of Cole Porter, Whole Lot o’ Hoagy, (Hoagy Carmichael) and now Bacharach, through his production company – My Eye Productions.  Dean’s concerts are extremely popular.  Reserve your tickets early! http://www.deanhollin.com

Steve Brockley Band: Friday, October 21. 8:00pm. $15 at the door. $10 All Artists/Students. “These are songs that other songwriters talk about, and musicians that other musicians talk about.”  Leon Power’s beats combined with Kevin Bertram’s double bass swagger make a low-down groove while Steve Brockley’s finger-picked electric guitar tactics and whiskey-blend vocals deliver some honest songs from the heart and guts.   Encounter the truly infectious Steve Brockley experience. “His album, crafted in the riff-filled, storytelling tradition of legends like Johnny Cash, is beyond his years.” This is our fourth Steve Brockley concert.  Steve is a remarkable songwriter; one of those singers whose every word we strain to hear because those words are so entertaining and fitting that you don’t want to miss a one.  But even if you didn’t hear a single sentence, this three-piece band is so tight and original that the music alone would satisfy. www.myspace.com/stevebrockley Appearing with Steve and the band are the local Dunlop Brothers. Justin Dunlop, as a bassist/multi-instrumentalist, has played with a number of local groups. He is now introducing his own songs with his band, featuring the moody and ambient guitar playing of his brother Matt Dunlop, and the dig-deep soulful drumming of Mike Ardagh.

Adrian Glynn with Dane Hartsell: Thursday, October 20: $15 door / $10 Students/Artists 8:00pm.  Adrian Glynn stands apart. The Vancouver-based troubadour takes any opportunity to defy convention: he has turned murder ballads into spell-binding, microphone-free serenades, and abandoned the standard rock band setup in favour of suitcase kick drums and clawhammer piano strings. Originally a trained character actor, his flare for live performance has quickly won over audiences. In his intimate solo shows, Glynn continues to perfect his timeless blend of rough-hewn rock and dusty, Depression-era folk and blues. Ranging from stomping grooves to textured ballads and spine-tingling a cappella, while still retaining the songwriter’s stripped-down intimacy and melodic accessibility.,  his latest album reaffirms what fans have seen in Glynn since the beginning: an artist unafraid to deconstruct ancient musical traditions and rebuild them as his own. www.adrianglynn.com
Dane Hartsell delivers emotional ballads and energetic anthems.  He was born in Woodstock, Ontario and has progressed rapidly from traveling to gigs in his parents car to going on the road with Canadian Idol winner Eva Aquila!

The Once: Monday, October 17: 8:00pm. $20 door. Named for a unique Newfoundland phrase that means ‘imminently’, now is indeed the time for The Once. As a trio, the band has kept it uncomplicated, depending on the power of their voices and acoustic instruments. Lead singer Geraldine Hollett, has an instrument of rare power which can still a noisy room, Accompanied by Phil Churchill and Andrew Dale on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and bouzouki, they create a perfect blend of voice and melody. Their music comes from a quieter and more thoughtful place. Hope and tragedy are intertwined in their music, whether they are singing an old lament from World War I, original songs that speak of love defeated, or tasteful songs from the artists whose music inspires them. Sometimes melancholy, sometimes funny, always poignant,The Once sound like nothing else that has ever come from Newfoundland. Their debut album has built a gradual but fervent following, and their live show is unique in its combination of intimacy and power. They have won several East Coast Music and Canadian Folk Music awards, and the country is slowly waking up to just what an amazing band they are. Since they signed to Borealis Records in 2010, they have toured through out the country and Europe, drawing huge crowds.

“The first time I heard it (the album), I was floored, the second time elevated, and everytime since entralled!” SignalBlog www.theonce.ca

Bonnie Ste Croix: Sunday, October 16: 8:00pm. $15, $10. Students/all forms of artists. This award-winning Roots artist has recorded one song in every Province and Territory of Canada, resulting in a high-quality celebration of the folk-and-roots community of the country.  Guest artists include Stephen Fearing, Natalie MacMaster, Catherine MacLellan, Shari Ulrich, The Once (Coming to The Pearl the next night!) and more. “…her voice will stop you cold in your tracks. It’s one reason she’s attracted such devoted local fans who faithfully attend her gigs… She’s often been compared to Jann Arden for her witty humour, interactive and friendly stage presence…Ste-Croix definitely isn’t afraid to simultaneously show her intense and comic sides on stage. And the audience falls in love.  In person and on stage, Ste-Croix is vibrant, captivating and outgoing.” Vancouver Courier“
www.bonniestecroix.com

Rita Chiarelli in Concert: She’s back in town! Friday & Saturday, October 14 & 15. $25 at the door. Starting at 8:00. Canada’s Goddess of The Blues rocks the Pearl Company!  Rita’s latest huge adventure has taken her on a rare and exclusive musical journey, a pilgrimage to the birthplace of the blues, Louisiana State Maximum Security Penitentiary a.k.a Angola Prison. She never imagined that her love of the blues would lead her down legendary Highway 61 to a historic jailhouse performance with inmates serving life sentences. With acclaimed director Bruce McDonald, they have created a riveting and award winning documentary and a powerful soundtrack, Music From The Big House!
“These past few years, I took long and lonely journeys to Mississippi and Louisiana… the songs you will hear are the bluesy swampy rootsy experiences I had… they are real and they are from the heart” Rita Chiarelli.
“Music from the Big House is about exploring the redemptive power of music.” – Peter Howell, Toronto Star
” Music from the Big House is very much a documentary about jail house blues, one that gets the soul singing and the foot tapping.” – Marina Antunes, Quiet Earth.  www.ritachiarelli.com

The ƒ Holes: Thursday, October 13. 8:00. $15 door/ $10 students/all artists: This impeccably authentic, raucously entertaining blend of gypsy jazz, zippy Dixieland, viper blues and roots from this Winnipeg creative hybrid is back again and we are delighted! They have essentially rewritten the definition of roots music…. Over-the-top vocals meet pedal steel, blistering horns, banjo and fiddle to create this campy, slightly twisted take on country, blues, Dixieland, klezmer and anything that piques their interest, apparently. With music that would be at home on an off-Broadway stage, this musical conglomerate swirls around the hell-fired vocals of Patrick Alexandre Leclerc and a group of talented musicians who throw caution to the wind in their bid to make a distinctive mark. (The “f” refers to the holes in acoustic guitars and standup basses in case you were wondering…) www.thefholes.ca

Ann Vriend: With Band! Wednesday, October 12. 8 pm. $15, $10 for students/artists (includes musicians) Soulful, inspiring, brave and bluesy.  With a vocal range from vulnerable delicacy to blasts of soulful power, she’s an enchanting cross between Dolly Parton and a young Aretha Franklin.  So say the critics!  Here’s more: “Ann Vriend’s newest album defies narrow genres. Each of the 12 tracks manages the rare feat of sounding at once comfortably familiar and intriguingly original…. veering effortlessly between straight-ahead, quiet country, to soul-wrenching blues, to folk-inspired storytelling…. Don’t miss her.” –3.5 of 4 Stars, Toronto Star. Impossible to categorize, Vriend’s unique style brings together elements of soul, pop, country, jazz, blues and gospel and sounds both familiar and strange at the same time. “Vriend (pronounced Vreend) is fantastic in concert – a very, very, funny woman that tends to belt out her songs in between her truly entertaining comedic intervals” (4 of 5 Stars, A n E Vibe Magazine). Her latest album is also described as “a retro look at old pop records of the ‘60s, with Vriend playing the country diva, the Amy Winehouse of the prairies. Wow.  http://www.annvriend.com

Hard Ryde: Saturday, October 8: $15 door / $10 Students/Artists (includes musicians!) 8:00pm. Hard Ryde is an award-winning combination of musical synergy, adored by their fans and respected by their peers on both sides of the border. Hailing from musical backgrounds encompassing bluegrass, country, old-time and jazz, the sum of these individual parts equals one dynamic powerhouse of talent taking the Canadian bluegrass stage.  Their music is fresh, exciting and new, while at the same time respecting and capturing the essence and passion of traditional bluegrass.  Hard Ryde’s strong vocals, stellar musicianship and winning songwriting abilities have won this band a top spot in the hearts of bluegrass fans in Canada and beyond.  Inducted into the Central Canadian Bluegrass hall of fame, Hard Ryde music speaks for itself, straightforward and  soulful with the uncommon ability to capture the essence and passion of Bluegrass music. http://www.hardryde.ca
Canada’s Hard Ryde has developed into one of the top bluegrass bands in any country. Great harmonies, superb instrumental work and strong songwriting make “Stages” a must have!!! This is not only the top Canadian bluegrass album of the year but one could make a strong case that it is the best one ever!!! These guys are SMOKIN’ !!!  Jim Marino, Freewheeling Folk Show & Smokin’ Bluegrass Show.

Kaleidescope Brown: feat. BROWNMAN AKOUSTIC TRIO (NYC style modern swing) Friday, October 7. $15 door. $10 artists/students.  With: Brownman Ali – trumpet: Soren Nissen – acoustic bass: Eric West – drums. Rarely in Toronto amidst a frenetic international tour schedule, for October’s installment of KALEIDOSCOPE BROWN the Toronto based Trinidadian-born multi-award winning jazz trumpeter brings the BROWNMAN AKOUSTIC TRIO to Pearl Company for a Friday night of 50’s & 60’s jazz ala Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter and more from the American jazz songbook.  He comes to us flanked by two of the most called upon young bassists and drummers in the Toronto jazz scene right now – both under 25 year old!  Be ready for fresh-faced and exciting new takes on the classic jazz lineage. http://bat.brownman.com
“Award winning Trinidadian born, New York schooled jazz trumpet player Brownman Ali leads this modern jazz quartet through inspired arrangements of standards and choice originals.  The new generation of jazz.”  – Jazzonline.com reviewer
“Performing organic jazz in the classic trio or quartet setting, this unit strives to embody the jazz improvising spirit of the 60’s – communication.  Playing selections of standards linked together in one organic mish-mash of sonic goodness, this unit brings classic jazz themes and powerful Brownman compositions into the new millennium” – Jazz Journey, CHRY radio

World Music Fusion Project: Saturday, October 1: 8:00 pm.  $15 at door. The remarkable musicians, Gary Santucci on guitar, and Sudan’s premiere oud player Bashir Abbas are planning another powerful concert.  The ‘other’ musician details are still being put together but I know the possibilities and the evening will be spectacular! Gary Santucci, just in case you need to be told, is “the real thing” (as he was called not to long ago), a guitarist/composer who plays flamenco, classical, and world music. Bashir Abbas is just plain incredible.  He is Sudan’s top instrumental musician  and for this concert he will play the oud, which is a pear-shaped, lute-related stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. We are delighted to be able to have a musician of this caliber here!