The Pearl Company

Roxanne Potvin: Saturday, June 9: 8:00 pm $15 / $10 students/artists: When last at The Pearl, Roxanne blew the audience out of the theatre with an utterly delightful and eclectic display from her talented self. With her latest album “Play”, Potvin has achieved something that few artists ever succeed in doing – she’s expanded her style and grown as an artist while still keeping the grit and authenticity that is so appealing about her music.  Her smart and sassy new album Play, finds the Montreal-based artist pushing new buttons and continuing her evolution from a stylish, bluesy guitar slinger to a more tuneful pop-orientated performer, free-spirited and varied.  Steve Dawson encouraged her in her decision to shift direction and helped her keep the songs on “Play” ambitious, while never losing the loose limbed joyful feeling that inspired them.  She says about her aggressive, energy-driven hooks of Play, “I had been listening to all different types of music and learning to approach writing as a discipline. I found myself going back to the Beatles and Beck.”  Roxanne can rock with the best of them when she wants! www.roxannepotvin.com

Listener: Wednesday, June 6. $10 advance; $12 at door. 7:30 start time. These guys sound like a whole lot of fun! Here’s the blurb from their site:  http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/listener A talk music band from Colorado (Dan Smith) and Nevada (Chris Nelson) called Listener. Dan and Chris have been making music together on the road since 2007. They have put out two albums so far, and they are the best yet. Before that, Dan worked with other producers and friends on the road and on records to make Listener a storied and varied musical tale of a thing. Dan is the vocalist and Chris makes the music. Dan has toured since 2002 under the “listener” name, and Chris has toured and played in a myriad of bands in the west coast. Both of us would love to come to your city and play. “You can talk to us. We are normal humans”. From Wikipedia: Listener is an experimental spoken word band that started in 2002….. Their music is described as “Talk Music”, and “A wide spanning style that features a heavy vocal element that is neither screamed, sang, or just spoken. The lyrics are more like a poetic rant.”  Shades of Shane Koyszan who was absolutely riveting!

Kaleidoscope Brown: featuring ALI BROTHERS with Brownman Ali: Saturday, June 2. $15 door / $10 artists/students. With electric trumpet: Marcus Ali – alto sax & EWI: Colin Kingsmore – drums: Ben Miller – 6-string electric bass.  Conceived in the spirit of multi grammy winning outfit  ”The Brecker Bros”, the ALI BROS embody the essence of jazz improvisational ideology erupting against a backdrop of powerful urban grooves. Latin, funk, hip-hop, drum’n’bass, R’n’B all colliding with modern jazz textures. Their uncanny musical relationship enhanced by blood, Brownman and Marcus Ali together form an incredibly synergistic, almost telepathic bond making them two of the most called upon horn men in the city. They have appeared side by side in countless horn sections in the Canadian professional music scene most notably as the backbone to the multi-award winning latin-jazz ensemble CRUZAO, Juno nominated reggae artist JASON WILSON, with reggathon superstar FITO BLANKO, modern house outfit FUNKY HI-LIFE, african masters RADIO NOMAD, urban songstress SHYANN, pop-rock sensation CROSSBAC, merengue specialists DOMINICANADA, Salsa powerhouse MARRON MATIZADO, Trinidadian Calypso group BACCHANAL ALL-STARS and far too many more to list here…” http://alibros.brownman.com

Read Toronto International Film festival review: http://brownman.com/Interviews/2005-08-FilmFest/Mythology.html

Shari Ulrich with Julia Graff and Ted Littlemore: Friday, June 1 at 8:00. Tickets: $20 / $15 students/all artists.  This is a rare appearance in these parts by two time Juno award winner and inductee into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, Shari Ulrich. Shari was first heard in the early 70’s with the quirky Pied Pumkin playing fiddle, mandolin, dulcimer, flute & sax.  Her defection to the Hometown Band (with Valdy) and a high profile launch to national recognition led to her solo career as a singer songwriter. Her live shows in the past 5 years, as well as her new CD have been enhanced by the contribution of her 21 year old daughter Julia Graff on violin, piano, guitar, accordion, mandolin and vocals, bringing an unexpected and delightful dimension to Shari’s life in music. For the past year she has also been joined by Julia’s McGill classmate Ted Littlemore on piano, accordion and vocals.  Her latest and 7th solo release “Find Our Way” is her first self produced solo album and the 19th of her career including her work with Canadian “Supergroups” Pied Pumkin,  Ulrich Henderson Forbes, and Bentall, Taylor & Ulrich.  www.shariulrich.com