The Pearl Company

Second Sunday Sing-Alongs! Every 2^nd Sunday @ 2:00pm. August 12, Sept. 9, and so on.  PWYC (pay what you feel you can.). Starting in May The Pearl Company is opening its doors to a Community Sing-Along. Every second Sunday of every month at 2 o’clock we invite the Hamilton community to come and raise your voices. We will be singing Great Old Tunes from the 60s, 70s and onward. Inspired by the “Rise Up” songbook, another legacy of Pete Seeger. Let’s join our voices and remember the way we used to sing and dream and set our voices free.  So bring something to strum or hum or shake.  SING YOU SOON!
Hosted by Howard Jerome – who really was singing folk songs in Greenwich Village in the sixties – and who tells great stories!

The Bear: May 31, June 1 – 2 @ 8pm June 3 @ 2pm, June 7 – 9 @ 8pm. Tickets: $20  Chekhov’s story invites us into the world of a widow, whose grief for her dead husband keeps her entombed in her own house. Her servant begs her to rejoin the world of the living, but the mourning widow hasn’t the will. A dashing man raps on the door. It seems the widow’s deceased husband borrowed a tidy sum from this gentleman and he is now desperate to have the loan repaid. The widow has neither the cash nor the inclination. A war of wills ensues as Chekhov massages their battle into a comedic frenzy. Maybe, just maybe, while living amongst the debris of profound loss, might a second chance at love come knocking combatively at the door?

Taylor Sutherland directs. With Concetta Roche, Ira Henderson, Patti Zonta, Gary Santucci

Scenes & Songs from Gord Carruth’s Canadian Musicals: THE SATURDAY EVENING SHOW BEEN CANCELLED. PLEASE BOOK FOR OTHER SHOWS. Thurs, May 24 & Fri. 25 @ 7:30. Sat. May 26: Matinee @ 1:30 & Evening @ 7:30. Tickets: $25. Doors: 7:00 & 1:00pm.
Ex-Hamiltonian, Gord Carruth, a national ACTRA award-winning playwright/composer, Canada’s most prolific writer of historical musicals, returns home to present scenes and songs from his works.
Gord has written eight mainstage musicals, four musicals for children and close to two hundred songs.
Canadian artists, Andrew Galligan and Reba Sigler from Ottawa, will present excerpts from the following musicals:
JOEY, based on the life and times of Joey Smallwood; THE PRINCESS &THE PIRATE, A Newfoundland legend; “AND SO TO BED”, based on the diary of Samuel Pepys; GABRIEL; JUST WATCH  ME, based on the life and times of Pierre Trudeau; and his most recent  SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD, the musical, an official event as part of Ottawa’s 150^th anniversary celebrations of Confederation.
All music is played by the musicians of Grant Avenue Studio in Hamilton.

Azalea: Saturday, May 19. Doors: 7:30pm. Show: 8:00. Tickets: $20 / $15 students/seniors/ un(der)waged.  Randy Uberig Opens. Getting to know Azalea’s music is getting to know Benjamin and Mia Hackett, the husband and wife duo from Hamilton. The way their voices blend together in song conjures an imagined romance, much like their own. Thirteen years after discovering that they work better together than apart, their songwriting bond continues as strong as ever, and they are producing their best work to date.
Benjamin and Mia have released five albums and a holiday single together, each project holding a special place in their hearts. They are most excited about their most recent project, “Gypsy’s Moonlight Motel”, written and recorded with the usual homegrown heart and soul, at “Sweet Dreams Recording Studio” in their home. Of course, this wouldn’t be an Azalea album without love songs and rich two- part harmonies. “Gypsy-Americana” is a term coined to define the remaining songs that borrow from North American and Eastern European folk traditions.
Two haunting voices supported by guitar, piano, and their trademark “suitcase-kick-drum” create a breathtaking concert experience. A must see for fans of “The Civil Wars” and the film “Once”.
http://azaleamusic.net/

Alfie Zappacosta in Concert: Friday, May 18. Doors: 7:30pm. Show: 8:00. Tickets: $40.  Zappacosta is undeniably one of Canada’s premier songwriters and performers, with an American Music Award, two JUNOs, a string of chart topping million-sellers, and a recording and acting career that has spanned 40 years. He continues to evolve as an artist by “doing it his way”, an effort that has been rewarded with an impressive song catalogue and a discerning, loyal fan base.
In his teens, Zappacosta set his sights upon being a guitarist until his vocal prowess and song writing skills were uncovered. His legacy of hits brought him to the world’s attention. “Start Again”, “When I Fall in Love Again” and “Nothing Can Stand In Your Way” became staples on adult contemporary radio. Zappacosta became a Rock Star and in 1987, Walt Disney’s Danger Bay episode “Rock Star” catapulted Zappacosta to a new kind of fame.
Underneath it all, was a songwriter of the highest caliber. With a massive catalog of well over 200 songs, Zappacosta true art is in his words. All but seven songs on his thirteen recordings have been written or co-written by Alfie many of them delivered from his acoustic guitar.
His recordings since 1996 reflect his mastery at romance, his insight into relationships and his complex knowledge of music. Zappacosta has redefined the live concert experience with intimate and intense showcases. His performances deliver a blend of acoustic, jazz and pop music that grabs your heart with the words and your head with soaring melodies.
Zappacosta’s latest CD and DVD, Live From Blue Frog Studios captures a recording in front of an intimate audience with his great band, finding the heart and soul of his classics and new material showcasing him making some of the most dynamic music of his career. “No trends, no hype –This is pure music, pure art…pure Zappacosta.  http://zappacosta.ca Tickets: https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/21101/   Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rHomdCRPiM

An Evening with Shari Ulrich: Friday, May 4. Doors: 7:30pm. Show: 8:00. Tickets: $25 / $20 students/seniors/wage-challenged.  This is a rare appearance in these parts by Juno award winner, Shari Ulrich. Originally a California girl, long settled on the west coast of Canada, Shari celebrates 45 years as a touring recording artist and multi-instrumentalist (violin, mandolin, piano, guitar, dulcimer, & harmonica). From Pied Pumkin through The Hometown Band, and as a solo artist and multi-instrumentalist, it all has lead to 23 albums – including her collaboration with solo artists Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes (UHF), Barney Bentall & Tom Taylor (BTU), and more recently The High Bar Gang, a 7 piece bluegrass band with Barney Bentall & Colin Nairne. Her work has garnered 2 Juno awards, several Juno nominations, an induction into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, and a 2014 CFMA for English Songwriter of the Year. Shari is thrilled be touring with her daughter – recording engineer Julia Graff, (on violin, mandolin, guitar, accordion & vocals) and fellow High Bar Gang member Kirby Barber (on bass, guitar & vocals).  www.shariulrich.com  Tickets: https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/20889/
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj1ygeFacN4

Mackenzie Leigh Meyer CD Release: Special guests Jess & Tay and Shealagh Rose. Tuesday, May 8. Doors: 7pm. Show: 7:45pm. $10.  Launched into the music scene after winning the 2013 Hamilton Music Awards Rise to Fame Competition, the now 23 year old, Mackenzie Leigh Meyer, has already begun playing all over Ontario; performing at major festivals where she has shared bills with the likes of Doc Walker, Chad Brownlee and Runaway Angel. She is also on regular rotation at the majority of southern Ontario’s A-list country music venues, performing over 75 gigs. Mackenzie’s been studying voice and performance at Humber College with some top Canadian musicians, including Rik Emmett of Triumph (for songwriting!). Honing her craft for the past four years, she has begin drawing major attention to her music. In 2016, she caught the eye of producer/engineer Ken Scott (The Beatles/David Bowie/Super Tramp) who commented “Watch out Carrie Underwood” after producing her debut single ‘Should Have Known’ at The Humber Studios. The combination of Ken’s classic rock sensibilities and Mackenzie’s emotional performance and bold pop melodies creates a unique twist to her modern country sound; unveiling a song that fuses Taylor-Swift-type writing with a classic rock aesthetic. Dive Bar Diva’s beauty flaunts all of the diverse and dynamic sides that comprise Mackenzie. The EP soars through many sub-genres of modern country music; ranging all the way from the vulnerable-americana “Your Company” to her confident, attitude-riddled-blues “Hope You’re Lonely”, and rounds off with her poignant, emotional ballad “More than a Memory”. It results in one of the more authentic and enchanting perspectives to come along in country music in years, creating a world both bold, broken and incredibly cathartic. www.mackenzieleighmeyer.com  www.facebook.com/mackenzieleighmeyer

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/

The Big Johnny Blue CD Party: Friday, May 11. Doors: 7:30pm. Show: 8:00. Tickets: $20 / $15 students/seniors/un(der)waged.  We are delighted to welcome and celebrate Big Johnny Blues’ first CD. What a success he has had so far. With sales in the hundreds over the last month, Big Johnny is receiving much critical acclaim from his peers and those in the know in the music and media business. Radio personalities like Ronnie Lindsay in Winnipeg and Darren Flowers of Toronto are playing Big Johnny Blues’ music. CB Rocker in Florida will be calling Johnny to do an interview to introduce his music to the United States. Local blues icon Tim Gibbons told Johnny “not to change and thing” and that “he was jealous” of the new CD. Local music and entertainment promoter Helen Graham says that “this is a must have CD for your collection”. Harpdog Brown was heard saying that the Big Johnny Blues CD “is worth every penny.” Radio personality Judy Marsalles says of Johnny’s CD “a very progressive but strong retro sound that endears your spirit.”
With Thom Adkins opening the show for Big Johnny Blue and Charly Chiarelli coming to help celebrate this most important event, you do not want to miss this hot night of great music with Big Johnny Blue!