The Pearl Company

HORSES: Featuring Allan Merovitz. July 20 – 23 / 27 – 30.  8:00pm. Matinees @ 2pm 23rd & 30th. $20/$15 students/seniors/wage-challenged.
Horses…. This stirring, educational, oft fiery and heartfelt show is made up of heartwarming original poems, songs, and music, mingled with some classic and easily recognizable melodies and mixed with a few surprisingly true stories. The storytelling, songs, and poems take you through Allan’s life spent with these majestic creatures.
“It all started in Montreal when I was 4 years old with Beau the milk horse, then riding on my Zayda’s (grandfather’s) farm outside Smith’s Falls, and memories of riding with my Dad on Mount Royal in Montreal at the stables near Lac aux Castors ( Beaver Lake). The story and songs include a tour with the Caravan Stage Company through our four seasons on the road from British Columbia to Alberta.”

The Shari Vandermolen Quartet: Friday, June 23, Doors: 7:30. Start: 8:00 $20. Shari Vandermolen, an award-winning local performer and vocalist, has been entertaining audiences in the GTA and southwestern Ontario for the last 15 years.  Prominent in the Hamilton arts community, Shari has performed in numerous musical theatre productions – recently wining acclaim for her portrayal of “Norma Desmond” in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Boulevard.
This passion is only equal to her love of jazz and the blues. Shari makes a song her own, giving it emotional depth and edge by imbuing the best of contemporary influence into classic songs; paying homage to such legendary vocalists as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Nina Simone and Sara Vaughan.
The Shari V Quartet features Mohawk College Jazz program alumni Steve McRae on piano, James Gannett on bass, and Michael Yates on drums.  (Shari Vandermolen’s debut CD is available through iTunes as well as other music streaming outlets and features these three talented musicians as members of her 6-piece band Quarter To Nine.)
“She takes a song and gives it emotional depth and edge.  She not only sings it magnificently she acts the heart and soul out of it….” The Hamilton Spectator “…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
Join Shari Vandermolen and her band for an evening of jazz and blues that will make you want to snuggle up to that special someone in oh-so-many ways. www.Q29.ca    http://swingline.webs.com/

Morgan Davis: An Evening with the Blues: Thursday, June 22: Doors: 7:30. Show: 8:00. $20 / $15 students/seniors/wage-challenged.  For a man who’s dedicated his life to the blues, Morgan Davis seems like a pretty happy guy. But then he’s won a couple of Junos (Best Blues Albums) and four Maple Blues Awards for Painkiller.  Born in Detroit, Davis caught the blues bug in the time-honored way – covers by rock bands led him, via album credits, to the music’s originators. He writes original songs that easily withstand comparison to the classics he’s re-interpreting.His insistence on mostly solo performances highlights his singular attention to detail and he never disappoints. http://www.morgandavis.com

Guitars Alive Quartet: Saturday, June 17. Doors: 7:30. Show: 8:00. $20. The “Guitars Alive Quartet” is a unique ensemble; 3 well-known recording artists, and virtuoso performers all playing completely different types of guitars in a wonderful variety of musical styles including original! Philip Candelaria plays Latin-classical guitar (As a soloist, he has performed and taught throughout the world and produced 10 recordings praised as: “dazzling”, “distinguished”, and “masterful”.) Gary DiSalle provides electric guitar. (He’s one of Northern Ontario’s premier guitarists. His versatility on the instrument includes blues, jazz, R&B, pop, folk and country. He also writes, records, and performs.) Paul Dunn is on acoustic guitar and dobro. (He’s the roots man, playing finger-style as well as bottleneck; delta blues to Chicago shuffle to ragtime guitar strut, or his own well crafted songs, all done with class.) The 3 are joined by bassist Tom Linklater (Equally at home on electric and acoustic stand-up bass; working in every musical genre from country, to blues, to rock, to gypsy jazz). http://www.guitarsalivequartet.com/  Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYcDm02OSWQ

Big Johnny Blue & Special Guest Alfie Smith: Friday, June 16. 8:00pm, $20 / $15 students/seniors/wage-challenged…. Big Johnny’s a Hamilton guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and founding member of The Hamilton Blues Society. He is committed to supporting local music and musicians, especially by supporting efforts to tell Hamilton’s blues history, and the power of music to improve the life of every man. Special Guest: Outstanding local blues blaster Alfie Smith joins Johnny and Strange Cargo in the impressive acoustics at The Pearl.  https://www.facebook.com/john.m.crawford

ALEXR In Concert: Friday, June 9. Door 7:30PM. Show 8:00PM Sharp. Tickets $20 Hurry! Only 130 Available!
Catch the Hammer’s new, exciting music talent.  Come, see and hear what all the buzz is about! ALEXR have been purposely flying under the radar of Canada’s music scene honing their magic. Now, it’s time to share their breakout, original tunes crafted by Alex DeRoo, poet/ singer/ songwriter from Hamilton. Producer/Presenter Glen Marshall says, “It’s exciting to be around a group so passionate on taking their natural talents to the next level. They’re young, creative, and put their full focus on music that entertains. Alex, the group leader has a wealth of original material with beautiful lyrics. The stories are powerful and poignant.”
“Chance-to-Win Dinner with ALEXR” at their rehearsal space. www.alexrmusic.com

Summer Songs Fundraising Concert: Saturday, June 3. Doors: 7pm | 8pm Show: $25 General Admission. All proceeds go to Ladybird Animal Sanctuary animals. Join us for a fantastic night of music featuring a very rare performance by Hamilton’s own Jamie Oakes (The music of Jamie Oakes is soul music for the mind. Spawned from the blues, raised on folk and honed by rock, country and R & B, he is a ‘musician’s musician’…). The openers are Ladybird co-founders, Lisa Winn and Janine Stoll (They are playing with Andrew Aldridge and come with impressive musical pedigrees themselves!) Don’t miss this night! Cash Bar. www.ladybirdanimalsanctuary.com/

KEVIN DEMPSEY TRIO: Friday June 2. Doors: 7:30. Show: 8:00. $20 / $15 students/seniors/wage-challenged. Sensational drummer Kevin Dempsey has been a leading figure on the Toronto jazz scene for the past 25 years. He has also toured internationally. He is a founding member of the Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra, and frequently performed with Peter Appleyard’s quintet and big band.  Kevin Dempsey Trio features jazz masters John Sherwood (piano) and Mark Godfrey on bass, in the up-close-and-personal ambience of The Pearl Company. Trombonist/bandleader Dave McMurdo calls him “an explosive musical force; an exquisite purveyor of colour and groove; a beautifully rounded player”. He is a member of the Music Faculties of both McMaster University and Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario.

Dave Gould Sound Hunter: Sound Hunting Party! Saturday, June 10. 8pm. PWYC (pay what you can). Free Improvised exploration with caribou, moose, whale etc…  Special guest artists to be announced. Come and enjoy spontaneous sound hunting on crazy instruments with crazy artists. It’s a pwyc (or free) event for all in this amazing venue. https://www.facebook.com/dave.gould.737

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/