The Pearl Company

Glenn Macdonald / Fred Magie: Saturday, October 20, 8:00pm. $10 door/$5 artists/students/seniors: Glenn is a local songsmith and although he won’t call himself a poet, many would disagree. He has been writing and recording songs for 25 years; his most recent recording, Attendance, was released in 2010. He will present songs from Attendance along with several recent compositions in a solo, acoustic set. Hamilton knew Glenn well in the 80’s and 90’s performing under the name Martin Fields. When he had kids and had to get a day job, he became a hydrographer (verycool job) with Inland Waters and this summer CBC filmed him entertaining the ships crew who were both mapping northern waters and searching for the (!) lost Franklin Expedition Ship’s.  He is not happy with the sound but check out the film snippet:  http://bit.ly/OCCIgd
Opening for Glenn will be Dundas songwriter, Fred Magie whose musical influences range from Sarah Harmer to Steve Earle! Fred has been writing and performing his songs for twelve years and has become a local favourite. It will be another magical evening.

Art Opening: Women of Fire, Women of Snow: Friday, October 19, 7:00pm. No charge. Three Women; Three Points of View: The Pearl Company & Mansang ArtStudio invite you to an Art opening by Colombian Artists Eddyth Gaviria, Idalid Parra and Dora Restrepo. Giving artful expression to their many memories and dreams on canvas, their works present a polychromatic mirror of imagination, sensuality, poetry and music bordering on the mystical. These three Columbian women, now living and making their vibrant, personal art in Hamilton, display their different visions of the world around them. 

The Art Bus is Sponsored by Judy Marsales Real Estate Brokerage:

First 2 Fridays of every month! Check out Hamilton’s unique and constantly evolving art scene!  Call me, Barbara, (905.524.0606) or email (info@thepearlcompany.ca) to reserve your seat.

Next dates: November 2 & 9.  Cost: $15/$10 students/artists.  Start: 6:30 from The Pearl.

• October 5: (Gallery on the Bay, Workers Arts and Heritage Gallery, L’Arche Studio & Gallery, Locke Street [Textures and Soladeda]) This is going to be a really interesting and different tour with places that we have never visited before.  Because it is the Friday before a long weekend; Special price! $10 per person.
• October 12: We’ll start with a visit to the multitude of artist’s studios and galleries at 270 Sherman (The former Imperial Cotton Mill). Then to the James North Art Crawl with its blocks and blocks of studios, galleries, eclectic shops, music & more… Finishing up at the Tiger Group Studio Gallery for even more great art and refreshments!

The Art Bus and The Pearl Company are also promoted, and supported by THEZine: http://www.thezine.ca

A Bookbinding Workshop with BeetleBarrow Books – Japanese Stab Hardcover: Sunday October 14, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Join Chandra Rice and Lindsay Wood Slavin for the day as they temporarily transform The Pearl’s ground floor theater into an artist’s retreat — Learn how to make a Hardcover Japanese Stab Book in this day long workshop.

The Stab binding comes from Japan and is particularly useful for binding together pages that already have something on them. Poets can bind their writing for loved ones. Maids of honour can create a fully personalized guest book for their brides. Moms can bind together their child’s artwork. Or blank paper can be inspiration. Use ancient Japanese techniques and modern tricks of the trade. Choose papers, threads, and book cloth to create your cover. Choose paper for your text block and any ornamentation. Then bring it all together using traditional Japanese stitching! Walk away with a beautiful book with a touch of the east.

The all day workshop is $90 and includes use of tools, all materials, and even a home made lunch. All skill levels are made to look good!  Visit www.beetlebarrow.ca to see other classes available and to learn more. To register for this workshop, either use our Etsy Store – www.reversestitch.etsy.com (if you wish to pay with paypal) or email makers@beetlebarrow.ca (to pay by cash or cheque).  Like BeetleBarrow on facebook www.facebook.com/BeetleBarrow to keep up with all the bookbinding news.

Next workshop: Sunday November 18, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – A Bookbinding Workshop with BeetleBarrow Books – Western Hardcover (more…)

The Canadian Improv Showcase (CiS): Saturday October 13. 8:00 pm. Tickets: $15 general, $10 for kids/seniors (group rates available). I am just going to use View Magazine’s superb review of this group when they played our theatre festival this past summer: Tom Macken says it just too well!
“Improv is theatre before you have to learn lines. It’s the matrix to muck about in with your acting shoes and see how good you are. A genius at mucking about this way is Matt Lawrence who operates The Canadian Improv Showcase, and he’s brought five of the same ilk to Hamilton. Risky? Oh boy, you bet, but these remarkable performers are nothing if not high–wire walkers with no safety net….. They’re huge, all of six of them, in talent, invention, energy, timing, knife–sharp wit….and that’s only five of the qualities they generate.…. Effortless excellence in falling–about–just–plain–funny is Tony Babcock doing a take on a talk–show host or a deliriously hilarious famous mayor from not far down the road.  Sneaking up on you with unexpected witty resources is Nkasi Olgbonnah as a mousy Spanish bull–fighter, and all unsuspectingly, Carmen Gillespie transforms in a nanosecond to an honest–to–god Montreal Canadien hockey grunt. Matt Lawrence MCs the whole. He is perfect in his relaxed and sure–footed experience, a natural improv. Add a prop or two to any of them and the moment is simple gladness to see.” V (TM) www.canadianimprovshowcase.com

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Joanna Chapman-Smith: Thursday, October 11, 8:00pm. $15 door/$10 artists/students: (No, she is not Hamilton’s infamous Joanna of Chapman Books!) She is, however, the winner of the 2010 Independent Music Award for best acoustic song, and has played to ‘wow’ reviews in concerts and festivals from Australia to Denmark.  Her critically acclaimed release CONTRARIES shows a well-nurtured thirst for new cultural experiences; in addition to jazz, folk and classical, her songs also show the influence of many other musical forms, from klezmer and Balkan choral music to tango and flamenco.  She is a skilled guitarist, pianist, and clarinetist, and her live shows also feature other, less conventional instruments, many of her own creation, but what truly sets her apart is the voice.  It’s an extraordinary instrument, crystalline and strong, which Joanna guides effortlessly through a nearly four-octave range. “The slinky-voiced Canadian whose arch acoustic musings and fondness for the accordion come laced with a hint of Parisian cafes and East European Klezmer music.” – Q MAGAZINE “Her voice exudes a warmth, charm and occasional vulnerability that easily brings you under her spell.” – BLUESBUNNY, “Chapman-Smith has a supple and finely-nuanced voice and writes with the ear of a poet.” – GEORGIA STRAIGHT  www.joannacs.com Listen to her: http://bit.ly/RjbD1K