The Pearl Company

Shari Vandermolen & David Brideau: Saturday May 5.  Doors: 7:30pm. Show: 8:00. Tickets: $20. Shari Vandermolen is a renowned vocalist and award-winning performer in Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area who has been entertaining audiences for 15 years with her Quartet, Trio or 5-piece band Quarter to Nine.  She is also the lead vocalist for the 10-piece jazz combo SwingLine.  On May 5th Shari brings her powerful and impressive vocal stylings back to the Pearl Company for a more intimate evening of song with jazz guitarist David Brideau, James Gannett on bass and Vince Waters on drums.  “…hear Vandermolen make jelly of your emotions with her voice and her art… one example is Stormy Weather… I barely weathered that storm intact.”  – View Magazine
David Brideau is a Canadian jazz guitarist, composer, and teacher who has been an active musician for over 15 years. A Hamilton native, and honours graduate from the Mohawk Jazz program, David has played all around the GTA with his own group, the David Brideau Trio and Quartet, as well as being prominently featured in groups with Michael Morobito, Amber-Leigh Palka, and Lauren Perreira among others. He studied under jazz greats Bob Shields, Pat Collins, Kim Ratcliffe, and Mark Ucci and is currently continuing his studies at McMaster University. David often composes his own standards, and released the sold-out EP “Addicted To You” in 2016. He is a recipient of the Dave McMurdo Music Bursary, the Antony Roberts Music Bursary, and the Richard Newell Memorial Scholarship.
Ticets: https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/21098/

HELD OVER! Shelley Marshall Presents: The Award Winning Production “Hold Mommy’s Cigarette”: April 18 & 19. All One Woman’s story of an unfiltered life, written and performed by Shelley Marshall, directed by Linda Kash. It seems appropriate that world renowned Comedienne, Marshall would open her autobiographical One Woman Show in the city where the story and star were born. It took 10 years for Marshall to create this Play and it is the rewarding result of resilience, recovery, and reflection while exploring many genres of performance including elements of clown, stand up, improv, buffoon, and play. Shelley Marshall takes her audience many places; “I take them on an adventure, both emotionally and visually. There is no denying that my story is tragic, but it’s my story and time and writing without shame has been my comedic relief. ‘Hold Mommy’s Cigarette’ is not an exploitation of what has happened in my life, but rather, an acceptance of where it may lead. It is a dark comedy, a vulnerable piece about life, mental illness and survival.” Marshall reveals with a smile. She invites you to come to her show with an open mind and promises you’ll leave with a full heart. *Mature Content* http://www.holdmommyscigarette.com Tickets available at http://www.thepearlcompany.ca or 524-0606. Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1451939231706392/

(more…)

CHECK THE REVIEW FOR DEATH AND THE MAIDEN:
http://fringefestivalcommunityreviews.wordpress.com/2013/07/21/death-and-the-maiden/

Death and the Maiden: Written by Laurence Olivier Prize Winning playwright Ariel Dorfman. This is the fourth production that Nortesur has developed for the stage; chosen because it speaks passionately about current international events, it asks tough questions about forgiveness and the role of victims and perpetrators in transitory societies, and it is a local opportunity to see a truly amazing piece of theatre written by one of Latin America’s best contemporary playwrights.  It is raw, provocative, and driven by a cast of characters that are all-too-human. Performed, and designed by emerging professional artists from across the golden horseshoe and the GTA, it is an entertaining, insightful, and extraordinarily powerful piece that delivers an evening of truly engaging theatre.  Thurs.July 18@ 8:00pm, Fri.19@8:00pm, Sat.20@7:00pm, Tues.23@8:00pm, Wed.24@7:00pm, Thurs.25@8:00pm,  Fri.26@7:00pm, Sat.27@8:00pm

AND HERE’S  RIDERGIRL’S REVIEW :
http://fringefestivalcommunityreviews.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/ridergirl-second-review/

RiderGirl: Written and performed by Ottawa based actor and Saskatchewan native Colleen Sutton. Professional sports and
independent theatre meet head on in Tiger Town! This is the story of a young woman whose prairie roots and home team inspire her to get off the sidelines and get in the game of her life.  With the end zone in sight, she fights for every down, but fumbles when she tries to go it alone.  Her team is about to make it – can she do the same?  Come in your colours, GAME TIME is here!  Two?time Rideau award nominee Colleen Sutton will energize your inner fan!  “ **** ½ “The only reason I’ve withheld that last half?star is because I cannot in good conscience give 5 stars to a Rider fan. Other than that, the show was superb.” CBC Manitoba.   Note: Fri. 19 – 2 for 1.  Friday, July 19, 6:30; Saturday,  20, 9:00; Sunday,  21, 2:00; Tuesday,  6:30; Wednesday, 24, 9:00; Thursday,  25, 6:30; Friday,  26, 9:00; Saturday, 27, 2:00

Times, dates, and tickets are  on the Fringe website – www.hamiltonfringe.ca 

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

Last Art Bus for the Summer! Check out Hamilton’s unique and constantly evolving art scene! Call Barbara (905.524.0606) or email (info@thepearlcompany.ca) to reserve your seat. Next dates: Sept 6 & 20. Cost: $15/$10 students/artists. Group rates available.  Start: 6:30 from The Pearl.

• July 5: (L’Arche Gallery, Workers Arts & Heritage, Nathaniel Hughson, Book Club Gallery, Manta Gallery) This will be another varied and interesting trip with specially-opened galleries, and tours of places you have never been before!

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

(more…)

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
(more…)

40 Tiny Performances at the Pearl Company: Saturday, June 1. Doors: 7:30. Show: 8:00. $15/$12 Students/Seniors/Artists. Bringing together 40 of Hamilton’s finest performers from the world of theatre, dance, spoken word, comedy and music for a night of art, creativity and fun!  40 performers have 90 seconds to sing, dance, emote, rant, juggle, joke, or do whatever they please.  Curated by multidisciplinary artist Lisa Pijuan-Nomura.  “40 Tiny” is a night not to be missed. Where else would you find such an amazing cross-section of talent from across the Toronto/Hamilton corridor!  And who is this Lisa Pijuan-Nomura? She’s a multidisciplinary tornado who is using all her connections to pull together a night of creativity that can never be duplicated.  Talent displaying talent displaying talent. You must be a witness.  Web: www.girlcancreate.com  Blog;  www.girlcancreate.blogspot.com

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