The Pearl Company

Christina Martin & Dale Murray: Saturday, May 25. 8:00pm. $15 / $10 students/ working artists. When an artist recommended by Stephen Fearing approaches me, I listen. I had heard Christina on CBC the day before she contacted me and my reaction had been: Wow. I want this woman at The Pearl! And here she is. This Canadian Singer-Songwriter, Winner of the 2012 Music Nova Scotia Female Artist Recording of the Year for her latest album Sleeping With A Stranger, achieves an effortless union between alt-country and rock with pop sensibility. Her reviews are all 5-star; I couldn’t put it any better: From CBC Radio 3: “The track is a glowing pop gem with Christina’s shimmering voice leading the song through fields of sterling guitars, incandescent organs and a driving beat. Sounds Like: Lucinda Williams at a Wilco concert.” ‘Sleeping with a Stranger’ is thirty-seven minutes of perfection.” Pennyblackmusic.co.uk   “For all of us trying to find the life we’re meant to live, here’s a soundtrack.” Bob Mersereau CBC. “It’s one of those rare albums where you have to listen to it all in one sitting. Like a good book that’s hard to put down…. within three bars you’re completely hooked.” Americana UK.  ‘Nuff said? http://www.christinamartin.net
Listen Here!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3JsKbZ8f0w

May 18, 25, June 1: The Willowbank Lecture Series presents: URBAN DWELLING : Creative ways to engage with our shared urban landscape. Registration: $10. 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m (Speaker 10-12/Discuss 12-2-ish…).  Willowbank is an independent and innovative educational institution in the cultural heritage field with three primary components. It is a beautiful 13-acre National Historic Site with an impressive 1830s mansion on the Niagara Parkway; it is a School of Restoration Arts, which grants a Diploma in Heritage Conservation to graduates of its intense three-year program; and it is a Centre for Cultural Landscape, which serves as a focus of research, workshops, lecture series, conferences, short courses, and consulting activities related to its mission.
This year’s Willowbank Lecture speakers form a diverse and provocative group. They will discuss more innovative, collaborative and sustainable ways of engaging with our shared urban landscape. It’s an impressive line-up:
May 18   :  Urban exploration and the power of curiosity
10am        ANDREW EMOND, Photographer from Montreal
May 25   :   Let’s forget about ‘heritage’: people and place in the contemporary landscape
10am        DR. JOHN SCHOFIELD, Archaeologist from York, England
June 1    :  Artifact and ritual: reshaping the cultural landscape
10am        JULIAN SMITH, Architect / Planner from Niagara-on-the-Lake
The Willowbank community is broad and diverse and united in believing that understanding and nurturing cultural heritage is an essential part of a shared and sustainable future. Willowbank is an independent and innovative educational institution.  It has a highly-regarded staff, led by well-known architect, scholar and educator Julian Smith; an outstanding international faculty; and a distinguished Board of Directors. Its graduates are leaders and innovators in the field.  http://www.willowbank.ca
To register, call 905-262-1239 ext 21, make your reservation, they will email your confirmation.

Bob Wiseman with Mary Margaret O`Hara & Aidan Closs: Friday, May 24. Doors: 7:30 / Concert: 8:00. $15 adv/$20 door/$12 Students/ Un/Underemployed/ OPIRG or CFMU Supporters.  One is required to mention that Bob Wiseman is the “former Blue Rodeo keyboardist,” but he has not been that person for some time now. The Globe and Mail recently called him a “straight-shooting and outspoken musician”; Ron Sexsmith calls him “the Canadian Tom Waits,” and in his adventuresome new album, Giulietta Masina at the Oscars Crying, Bob Wiseman isn’t content to just sing about environmental and social injustice; he does his best to shock you into action. If you caught his play Actionable when he was here in February, you know something about this quirky and original mind. Yes, on the 24^th there will be a screen behind him where between songs, he will be showing some of his movies. www.bobwiseman.ca
Mary Margaret O’Hara’s contributions to the music world have been undeniably massive. Her strikingly original and exceptional  vocal and songwriting styles have had a tremendous influence on countless artists who’ve come after her although she has not released a full-length album since 1988. That album, one of the most exciting and powerful records of the 1980’s, won O’Hara an instant, captivated audience. Since then she has supported the work of many like-minded artists and has racked up a tremendous guest-appearance discography. These last 10 years, however, her passion has become freely improvised music which she will perform with Aidan Closs on guitar or percussion. Forget the recording thing; it is obvious M2OH is most at home on stage, where her soaring, utterly gorgeous voice comes across unbridled amidst her far-reaching repertoire, revealing strong and knowledgeable roots in jazz, reggae, folk, and country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Margaret_O’Hara
This Mad Desire is the rock and roll brand for the music of Hamilton’s Mackenzie Kristjon who will lead off the evening with his “Theatrical Acoustic-Alternative Post-Heroin-Chic, kind of like Tim Curry meets Edward Scissorhands meets Karl Wallinger, who’s also a Buddhist.” A single song I am told. It will be unique.  http://thismaddesire.com/
Here’s Bob with Feist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn53HYP1PZw

Robin Benedict & Friends: Friday, May 17. 8:00. Doors: 7:30. Show: 8:00 p.m. $10.00 at the door. Appearing with Robin are Cory Mercer (lead guitar), Mallory Codispodi (vocals) and Julian Brisebois (percussion). Robin’s signature style is of raw and fearless vocals, with a distinctly vulnerable cadence to her music and performance. With self-deprecating humour, and passion, she packs a powerful punch live, witness her top 100 placing in Canadian Idol where she was first recognized for her sultry vocals that can suddenly whip into rock power-pipes. Then take a look at the front page photo in Hamilton’s View Magazine a week or two ago.  Essence of Robin. She even dares to tread close to the ghost of her icon Janis Joplin and she pulls that off with conviction and honour, and most importantly, without fear.  Whether it’s one of her own original songs or a cover, it’s her genuine emotional conviction that pulls you in. Jann Arden was so impressed she invited Benedict to busk outside her Calgary diner, after seeing her perform at a local open jam session.  Not bad…. Robin also fronts for the frantic rock party band, Done Deel; she travels solo across Canada and Europe; she sings in intimate spaces promoting her EP and sharing her quest for living life to the fullest through music, song and performance. Hear Robin Live! In the concert acoustics of The Pearl. Such a treat. http://www.robinbenedict.ca  Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdcPabCI7lg

Dala: Friday, May 10. 8:00pm.  Tickets: $20 Advance and $25 Door. Juno nominees and winners of the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year, Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine of Dala write and sing in harmony best described as angelic. Darlings of the Canadian music scene, Dala are poised to bring their fresh brand of acoustic pop music to the world. Drawing upon influences like The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, Dala write songs that are both catchy and insightful. Amanda’s ethereal soprano voice blends seamlessly with Sheila’s velvety alto, creating the lush harmonies that have become their trademark. The sheer joy with which they perform is infectious; they are equally entertaining between songs, telling funny and down to earth stories that make every show unique. Dala have opened for artists such as Tom Cochrane, Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie, and joined Stuart McLean on the CBC’s Vinyl Café. They have performed at The New Orleans Jazz Festival, The Edmonton Folk Festival, California’s Strawberry Festival and Mariposa. In 2009, they were the only Canadian act invited to play at the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Folk Festival.
“There’s nothing pretentious about Dala’s music; it’s stripped down and laid bare. That’s not to say it is without polish – far from it. Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther have worked hard to exploit every facet of their extraordinary musical blend, and it would be just as at home in a 1960s coffeehouse as it is now on the contemporary concert stage”. -Andrew Craig, Host of CBC “Canada Live” www.dalagirls.com (more…)

Michelle Titian w Mimi Shaw & The Highnote Ramblers: Saturday, May 11. Doors: 8:00 p.m. $15.00/$10.00 students/all arts workers. Michelle Titian’s style cannot be classified as one single genre; it is a blend of Country and Soulful Roots music. She uses country music as a base and layers it with undertones of 60s soul and bluegrass. With a voice reminiscent of the great pioneers of female vocal legends such as Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, and K.D Lang, It’s easy to lose yourself in her songs. Seasoning her material with honest folk & bluegrass influences and blessed with that rare, marriage-made-in-heaven of strong vocals AND strong material, she is a force to be reckoned with.   Here’s a clip from her performance here for the Ladybird Fundraiser (using the camera’s rather limited recording mic) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJpHyoq0gok  https://www.facebook.com/michelle.titian.9
Mimi Shaw is that down-home, angel-voiced, crowd pleaser who sings with the Highnote Ramblers, an alt-country quartet whose roots music ranges from slow-burning torch songs to train-chasing rockabilly paying tribute to the sounds of old school country and rock. Mimi’s voice can be both intimate and raucous as she leads the band through numbers that mix up retro twang ‘n grit to create a sound all their own. The Ramblers vintage stylings create songs that infuse the soul with elemental rhythms of a bygone era. http://www.reverbnation.com/thehighnoteramblers

2nd Annual Ladybird Spring Fair! Sunday, May 5. 1 to 5pm.  Admission: “Pay What You Can”. Come on out and enjoy: Music, vendors, food and fun to benefit Ladybird Animal Sanctuary and the rescued animals in their care!  The fair was great fun last year and absolutely packed with people, happenings, food, crafts, and entertainment.

Live music: Michelle Titian, Mary Simon, Kim Koren, Dawn & Marra, and more!

Vendors include: Striped Aardvark, BLove, Marsha Z, The Button Pushers, and more to be announced!

Activities for kids and yoga demos too!

Bring your family to the fair and help Ladybird rescue animals in your community! www.ladybirdanimalsanctuary.com

Ambre McLean: Friday, May 3: 8:00. Admission: $15.00/$10.00 students/artists. When she was here in March, Ambre McLean (Busted Flat Records) was so much fun and impressed us so much that we invited her back immediately.  In the meantime, she made it through to round 3 of the CBC Music Searchlight competition which surprised no one unless it was that she did not finish by winning! “Ambre’s voice – is an instrument itself: gorgeous, sometimes with a rich, bluesy feel, other times a sweet mellow sound, alternatively soft and ferocious, always carrying these tunes straight to your musical heart.?” (David Yazbeck, CKCU FM).  Ambre can seem small on stage, but it doesn’t take long for her talent to make her seem larger than life, filling the room with the kind of songs that make you remember lost loves and abandoned dreams. www.ambremclean.com  Local singer/songwriter Jesse Macrae will open for Ambre .