The Pearl Company

Tia McGraff and The Radical Road Band: Friday, February 4 at 8:00pm. $12 / $10 artists/students at the door. With special guests: Sakoieta Widrick and Dawn Antone.  Writing and recording since the age of 19, Tia McGraff’s heart-warming songs have been garnering her strong fan acclaim from her strong beginnings. The new album, ‘Diversity’, is climbing the charts and gaining rave reviews.  Here’s one: “Diversity is a great name for singer-songwriter Tia McGraff’s new album, because …. this collection of songs will appeal to fans of Adult Contemporary, Country Music and yes even to Rock music fans. This is not a contrived recording, designed to target definite commercial markets, but instead is the natural progression of an incredible songwriter and gifted singer, who collaborates with an equally gifted arranger, Scott Brasher and is complimented by (her) husband Tommy Parham, whose guitar playing takes these songs to another breathtaking level.” Riveting Riffs Magazine
“Tia McGraff is a fantastic singer with her own vocal personality which reminds me of an early Linda Ronstadt. She is a very intuitive songwriter who knows what a song needs to make it tick. A joy to work with.” – Randy Bachman www.TiaMcGraff.com

Russell deCarle: February 3rd, 8:00pm show. $20 at the door. Russell deCarle is a founding member, lead vocalist, bassist, and contributing songwriter to the multi-platinum, Juno award winning, country roots group Prairie Oyster. www.russelldecarle.com

As a solo artist Russell has appeared on CBC TV’s Songwriters Circle, opened for Merle Haggard on his cross-Canada tour, traveled coast-to-coast with Bluebird North Songwriters’ Tour, and was a featured guest on Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café Christmas Tour. Russell has also appeared as a guest vocalist on numerous occasions (Bebop Cowboys, Rita Chiarelli, Terra Hazelton) and has won two SOCAN Song of the Year awards.

In 2010, Russell released his long-awaited and much-anticipated solo recording “Under the Big Big Sky”. deCarle penned nine of the eleven songs and is featured on vocals and rhythm guitar.

Art and Peace Education Exchange Event: Sunday, January 30th. 2pm-6pm. $10 per person at the door. (Reserve your tickets by email apexafpak@gmail.com or call 905-544-0050).

Art and Peace Education Exchange (APEX) is a new not-for-profit Canadian organization dedicated to taking the message of peace education to the war traumatized children of the Tribal Areas and the Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. APEX Canada works towards building bridges between Afghanistan and Pakistan through Children’s Art and Peace Education exchange!

We request you and your loved ones to become part of this successful story by attending the LIVE MUSIC, ART EXIBIT, ART SALE and FOOD EVENT. You will enjoy music of the talented musicians and singers including Neeraj Prem, Lil Acevedo, Leo Johnson, Chinese Band, Jehangir Khan and many more. You will have the opportunity to meet with authors and the Afghans and Pakistanis who have experienced violence and have transformed their lives successfully. (more…)

Jazz Connection Big Band: Friday, January 28. Doors at 8:30, jazz at 9:00 $15 at the door: They’re back and are gaining a bigger audience every time they play The Pearl! Made up of talented musicians from all over southwestern Ontario, the Jazz Connection Big Band is a 20-piece band dedicated to playing great, straight-ahead jazz. The JCBB, carrying us once again into the cool space of surround sound big band music! http://www.jazzconnection.ca

The Jazz Duo of Anne Power and Paul Taylor: Saturday, January 29. 8:00pm $15 / $10 Students/Artists: Anne Power jazz singer extraordinaire, with Paul Taylor, one of the finest jazz pianists in the area and an exceptional entertainer.  Paul has played various jazz festivals receiving much publicity on TV and radio.  The duo plays a mix of  jazz standards and original material.

AKA Jazz: Jazz/Rock/Fusion. Saturday, January 22, 8:00. $15 at the door. Adam Rawski – Guitar, Kilian Bamberg – Bass, Anthony D’angela – Drums. These three men in their 30’s gigged regularly under this name in Hamilton some ten years ago, then went their separate ways, joining up again in 2009. They are now moving away from the same old jazz standards pile, working up jazz/rock material, some covers, some original work…
Adam Rawski’s musical background is founded in the European classical guitar discipline but he feels at home in just about any idiom and setting. His playing style can be described in one word: eclectic. Inspired initially by Eric Clapton and Lee Ritenour, he has soaked up musical knowledge from many sources and has fused all the diverse elements into his own musical persona.
Bass player Kilian Bamberg, born in Berlin, Germany, began his musical career in the theatre. When Kilian came to Canada in the mid-nineties, he studied jazz bass at Mohawk College. While finishing his diploma, he became a member of this area’s jazz community and since then, has become one of the most heavily booked bass players in the Hamilton area.  www.reverbnation.com/akajazz#!

Spanjazz: Friday, January 21, 8:00. $15 at the door. Gary Santucci’s exciting world-beat jazz quartet with Jordan Abraham, keyboards, Kilian Bamberg, bass, Dave Jones, drums.
Bass player Kilian Bamberg, plays with Gary Santucci in Spanjazz but also has his own quartet (See AKAJazz below) Come see why he is one of the most heavily booked bass players in the Hamilton area.
We’re assuming that you already know about composer/guitarist Gary, co-owner of The Pearl… So let’s talk about Jordan Abraham, a passionate producer, an intuitive engineer, an accomplished musician, and an effective communicator through many mediums.  You’ve also seen him as the incredible accordionist in Zarabanda, again, with Gary Santucci.
Dave Jones has been the highly capable drummer for a number of Hamilton bands.  He’s another of those musicians who never stop working!

Lauren Best “Sticker Collection” Album Release: Saturday, January 15th, 8:00PM show, tickets $10 at the door, $8 in advance, $5 students. Self-producing her first album Sticker Collection with associate producers Tyler Wagler and Adam Hall, Lauren wrote all 12 songs by the time she was 17 years of age. She is backed on the recording by such acclaimed players as pianist/organist Michael Fonfara (Downchild Blues Band, Lou Reed), saxophonist Colleen Allen (Ani Di Franco, Anne Murray, Holly Cole) and award-winning jazz drummer Archie Alleyne. Accompanying herself on piano as well, Lauren’s alt-pop reveals a quirky and remarkably self-assured singer-songwriter, who skilfully draws from a wealth of diverse influences.

Recently back from her German tour, E-1 Recording Artist Melissa Bel will delight the crowd with her ultra-smooth vocal delivery.

Then, three-time Hamilton Music Awards Nominee Shelley Adams takes your breath away with her whimsical songs.

Lauren Best caps off this songstress celebration with a feature-set live performance of songs from the new recording. www.laurenbest.com

Cinema Insieme presents the controversial classic film  “Swept Away” (Travolti da un insolito destino nell’azzurro mare d’agosto) Monday, January 17, 7:00 p.m. Admission $10. A film by Lina Wertmüller starring Mariangela Melato & Giancarlo Giannini

Come see what happens when a rich, capitalist snob from Northern Italy is marooned on an island with a poor, communist chauvinist from Southern Italy. Reception and discussion following Film. Film is in Italian with English subtitles

New Years Eve at The Pearl: In our warm and welcoming atmosphere! Featuring a dance party with Michael Williams, a listening party with Gary’s Spanjazz Quartet, a feasting party with Chef Gary’s fabulous food, and not least of all, a lot of fine conversation with a lot of fine people party!

Barbara & Gary’s New Years House Party! Friday, December 31, 8:00 ‘til ?. $60 inclusive.  Chef Gary Santucci will outdo himself – again – as various feasts appear regularly throughout the night.  Michael Williams (whom you may know from his days as a VJ on Much Music) does his thing with the Dance Party piece.  (Send in your musical requests in advance!) Live music interludes are with Gary’s Spanjazz Quartet.
We need you to RSVP via email or phone.  We are expecting a crowd so let us know as soon as you do!

CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS!!!Tia McGraff: Friday, December 17 at 8:00. $12 / $10 artists/students at the door. Writing and recording since the age of 19, Tia McGraff’s uplifting, heart-warming songs have been garnering her strong fan acclaim from her strong beginnings. The Port Dover native headed to Nashville, where she and Tommy Parham quickly became a musical force to be reckoned with. Writing, performing and producing, they have captured the attention and respect of artists, producers and industry insiders.
“Tia McGraff is a fantastic singer with her own vocal personality which reminds me of an early Linda Ronstadt. She is a very intuitive songwriter who knows what a song needs to make it tick. A joy to work with.” – Randy Bachman (more…)

Rant Maggie Rant: Frost and Fire; A Seasonal Celtic Celebration: Saturday, December 11. Concert at 800pm. $20 advance/$22 at the door. This brilliant band combines traditional elements with a contemporary approach to deliver an exotic blend of new and old; that’s what Celtic music is built on, this exciting evolution of the genre. Don’t miss “Rant Maggie Rant” as they prepare you for the coming cold winter with a hot show you won’t soon forget!  Traditional tunes played straight up or yielding to the influences of world rhythms; reels with a touch of Appalachian Swing, jigs driven by Latin hand percussion, slow ballads as they’ve been played for centuries; they will take you on a journey charted through the past, to new compositions of the present, passing by the shores of the seven Celtic nations on their way.
“Rant Maggie Rant exudes a style and brand of Celtic Entertainment that is both new and old. Their showmanship, and delivery combined with their diversity of traditional sound coupled with upbeat and unexpected blends, makes them a welcome addition to any musical line up….”  Maggie Durocher.    www.myspace.com/rantmaggierant Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketscene.ca or call The Pearl: 905 524-0606

The Good Lovelies: Wednesday, December 8. 8:00pm. $22 advance/$24 at the door. . We are delighted to present this group again as they reprise their Christmas CD! Sharp, sassy, funny and building a following across Canada, the Good Lovelies are not your run-of-the-mill “all girl” band. At a time when too many of us are affected by gloom, doom and advancing recession these three women are the perfect antidote.  Armed with a pile of instruments, a repertoire of sassy and sophisticated songs, and an effervescent sense of humour they never fail to charm even the toughest audiences. The aptly named Good Lovelies are Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore. Described as “flirty-bluegrass” and “the mischievous Andrews Sisters” the Toronto-based trio relies on unerring three-part vocal harmonies, clever songs and, onstage, convulsively funny repartee.     www.myspace.com/goodlovelies

Steve Brockley Band: With local musician, Annie Shaw. Sunday November 28. 8pm. $10 tickets at the door/ $8 for 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.  While Brockley’s knowledge and repertoire of traditional folk music is apparent, he’s able to take the style in new directions without making the audience feel up-rooted.   Put them in a wood-paneled station wagon touring across Canada in continual support of their latest album and you have the truly infectious Steve Brockley experience. “His album, crafted in the riff-filled, storytelling tradition of legends like Johnny Cash, is beyond his years.” www.myspace.com/stevebrockley

Ladies of the Canyon: Saturday, November 27. 8:00pm. Tickets $15, $10 students / artists. Ladies of the Canyon are four friends who got together in their living rooms to write and sing. Musicians and songwriters Maia Davies (vocals, guitars, mandolin, keyboards), Senja Sargeant (vocals, guitars, mandolin), Jasmine Bleile (vocals, guitars) and Anna Ruddick (electric and upright bass, vocals) have their distinct tone and personality, but when they come together for harmonies, it’s a gorgeous, soaring blend. Their debut full-length album, Haunted Woman was produced by Hamilton’s Colin Cripps (One of Canada’s premiere guitarists, Cripps previously produced critically acclaimed albums by Kathleen Edwards and Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy.) Cripps has deftly showcased the wide range Ladies of the Canyon confidently explore; both as songwriters and vocalists. But when they get on stage, these four women make one wonderful sound. www.ladiesofthecanyon.com