The Pearl Company

Rae Billing & The Unpayables: Saturday, May 16. 8:00pm. $20 Advance / $25 Door. Rae Billing’s voice and lyrics create a touchstone that is unique on the Canadian landscape. Her voice has been described as “shiver-inducing,” “honest and pure, assured and desperate at the same time.” And her lyrics and music have been lauded as “full of wide open spaces and bittersweet emotions,” “handled with gutsy femininity.”  Rae’s show will focus on her fourth alt-country album, the fluid, passionate, and critically acclaimed, Walls & Fences. The album was chosen by respected Penguin Eggs Magazine as the top pick for April 2014 and has just been nominated in the Hamilton Music Awards for best alt-country album.
Working with the multi-talented Unpayables, Matt Coleman on violin/fiddle, Andrew Aldridge on electric guitar, K. Michael Hickey on electric and upright bass, Nick Burson on drums, plus the talents of Ed Roth on accordian and organ, producer Michael J. Birthelmer on piano and guitars, and Wayne Krawchuk on backups.
“There is a depth to her songs few contemporaries have yet to hone.” Jason MacNeil, All Music Guide.  Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkI7OvCupvs    www.raebilling.com

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JASON WILSON: PERENNIALS with special guest ADREAN FARRUGIA: Friday, May 15. 8:00pm $20/$15 students/seniors/income-challenged. A night of reggae jazz and piano magic!  Two-time Juno Award nominee, Canadian Reggae Music Award winner and acclaimed Canadian historian Dr. Jason Wilson has written a new suite of compositions specially designed for intimate environs. Perennials (2015) articulates Wilson’s self-styled reggae-impressionism: a sound where reggae is freely brushed – not strictly detailed – allowing space on the canvass for inspirations as divergent as Thelonious Monk and Scottish pibroch to come through. Wilson is joined by a couple of Jason Wilson Band mainstays as well as some other talented friends. The result is one of the best efforts yet from Canada’s reggae visionary. For this special concert, Perennials will be joined by one of Canada’s finest and most stylistically diverse piano masters, Adrean Farrugia, who will open the show with a solo set and then join Perennials for several songs. http://jasonwilsonmusic.com/  Preview the new Perennials video ‘Gertrude/Epistrophy’ here: https://vimeo.com/102270424

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THE HAMILTON FULL BAWDY COMEDY SHOW! VEGAS! Saturday, May 9. The doors open at 7:15PM, and the event will get underway around 8:00PM. Admission: $20 advance $25 at door. SHE’S BACK! Shelley Marshall, HAMILTON’S OWN world-renowned Comedienne for her One Woman Show “Hold Mommy’s Cigarette” brings us her production of the edgy and irreverent FULL BAWDY COMEDY SHOW with hosts, Erin & Nara. The FBCS is an always-SOLD-OUT vaudevillian variety show that celebrates the diversity of comedy through Music, Burlesque, Stand-up, Circus and more! Featuring original material from the funniest and raciest Stars this country (and beyond) has to offer. The Hamilton Full Bawdy Comedy Show Vegas! line-up includes Shelley Marshall and Robin Benedict and Erin and Nara and Morgan Joy and Andrea Murray and Kitty Litteur. Come with an open mind and you’ll leave with a Full Heart! Adult Content.
Advance tickets will be available on Ticketscene until May 9, 5:59 PM unless the event sells out earlier. See more at: http://www.ticketscene.ca/events/12972/#sthash.enxsjAdR.dpuf  www.shelleymarshall.com   Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=omL9gW9h04g   Email Shelley for advance reservations and seating at: shelley@shelleymarshall.com

Big Johnny Blue & Strange Cargo Celebrate the Blues! Saturday, May 2, 8:00pm, $15 / $10 students/seniors/wage-challenged….  Like the blues?  You’ll love them John Crawford style.  Big Johnny Blue is John M. Crawford, Hamilton guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and founding member of The Hamilton Blues Society. He has written hundreds of songs, and played with countless local musicians over the years. He is committed to supporting local music and musicians, especially by supporting efforts to tell the story of Hamilton’s blues history, and the power of music to improve the life of every man. These guys rock;  Code Red Blues all ’round! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE8p_zRZeIs&index=1&list=PLB3320D903F7A1FCE   https://www.facebook.com/bigjohnnyblueandstrangecargo/

Laila Biali & The Radiance Project Album Release Concert: Sunday April 26, at 8pm Tickets: $20. Award-winning Canadian pianist, vocalist and songwriter, Laila Biali, has toured with Chris Botti, Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega, and Sting. Critically acclaimed as one of Canada’s finest jazz musicians, her new album – House of Many Rooms – sees the Brooklyn-based artist venturing into a more pop-oriented sound, full of catchy hooks, sweet melodies, and anthemic musical arrangements. For this special album release concert, Laila is backed by a stellar ensemble featuring Anna Atkinson (violin, vocals, musical saw), Graham Campbell (guitar, ukulele, vocals), Chris Tarry (electric bass) and Ben Wittman (drums). Special thanks to IMAGO and the generous supporters of The Radiance Project. www.theradianceproject.com  Listen: http://bit.ly/LailaBialiRadianceProjectVideoEPK

Ian Andrews & The Smokin’ Scoundrels: Friday May 1, at 8pm Tickets: $20. Blistering Blues! Join us for an incredible concert experience, the music of Ian Andrews & The Smokin’ Scoundrels will be heard in fine form “in one of Hamilton’s greatest venues”. Featuring Rick Donaldson and Alan Duffy as the remedy rhythm section for the evening. We all know and love the groove this team can do. Also joining The Smokin’ Scoundrels for this evening is the mighty Mike Almas on second guitar and the blistering Bill Holinaty on tenor/baritone sax and bass clarinet. Get your tickets as soon as possible as seating for this concert will go fast.   “We are very much looking forward to sharing this experience with Hamilton. Thank you for all of your support Hamilton.” Ian  Andrews:  https://www.facebook.com/IanAndrewsandTheSmokinScoundrels
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z-awXYJjok&feature=youtu.be

Michael Gabriel: ‘Strings Attached’:  Saturday, April 25. 8:00pm (Doors open at 7:30pm) Michael Gabriel is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter with a riveting concert series emphasizing community building. In ’Strings Attached,’ his emotionally fluid storytelling compositions are surrounded with a driving string section, piano and enhanced by local choirs to create “…a breathtaking coming together of sound.”  Marielle Julian – Velvet Rope Magazine. As with every concert – Michael plays with his core ensemble that consists of a 3-part string section, piano and percussion – while sharing the stage with talent from the community.  For this production, What The Folk will be the opening act and sing with Michael.  Harmonies will also be sung by W.H. Ballard Glee Club.  Chamber Strings from the Bel Canto Strings Academy will join the ensemble to perform a song.  Partial proceeds from every ticket will be donated to the Bel Canto Strings Academy. ‘Strings Attached’ showcases his strongest material with orchestral pop flavours – to create an event that has been in the making for his entire career. www.michaelgabrielmusic.com Listen/Experience http://www.youtu.be/qhr2xeJBVzs

Corrina Keeling with Jeff Giles: Sunday, April 19. 8:00pm. Tickets $20 at the door.  Corrina Keeling creates conscious acoustic music rich with honesty, experience, and insight. Since independently releasing her album “Say Yes”, she’s had the opportunity to play for change-making audiences around the world. From David Suzuki’s Blue Dot Tour to the Uplift Festival in Byron Bay, Australia, she has shared the stage with artists like Feist, The Barenaked Ladies, David Suzuki, and Neil Young, sending a message of hope and action around the world. Her words and music carry the spirit of her passion for environmental justice and emerging social consciousness. Corrina is a sophisticated songwriter, a technically accomplished acoustic powerhouse, using her music as medicine to drive healing and change.  Her sophisticated rhythms are rock-solid, rooted and driving, with harmonies from her sister Jessica Dawn that are almost mystically intuitive. http://www.corrinakeeling.ca/ Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lttUd65fZ8I
Jeff Giles: Actor/Singer-Songwriter and Hamilton native Jeff Giles returns home for this unique night of music. Whether you’ve heard his own music before, seen him play Buddy Holly at Theatre Aquarius or somewhere across Canada, or attended his successful solo theatre show “Letters to Hope” at Theatre Aquarius join Jeff in celebrating the love and power of live music and intimate songwriting. Jeff’s work is influenced by many styles, though it is the threads of blues and roots music, both old and new, that hold his songs together.  www.jeffgiles.ca   Listen:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMxQ9xtS00M    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3-iF69Yjzk

Carlos del Junco and The Blues Mongrels: Saturday April 18, at 8pm Tickets: $20 advance/$25 at the door. Carlos is one of those players whose music is so advanced that when it comes to awards, it’s either retire the category or rephrase the question to “Best Harmonica Player Not Named Carlos”. (Eight time Harmonica Player of The Year at the Maple Leaf Blues Awards!). Simultaneously sophisticated and raw, the band’s playing blurs the boundaries between blues and jazz. The emphasis is on blues, but they are not afraid to merrily traipse off in other directions delivering a seamless fusion of New Orleans second line grooves, jazz swing, Latin, hip-hop or ska melodies, to swampy roots rock. The Blues Mongrels are: bassist Henry Heillig (founded the nine piece Latin band Manteca), and guitarist Eric St. Laurent. Get ready to trash all you thought you knew about the harmonica. The Blues Mongrels deliver a no-holds-barred display of fun and melodic virtuosity.  “a model of focus and urgency..a true virtuoso”.. Brad Wheeler – The Globe and Mail  http://www.carlosdeljunco.com Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpuBtxuE_xo

Presented by Love Letters Cabaret: CABIN FEVER: Friday, April 17. 8:00pm (Doors 7:30pm) Admission: $25 Advance/ $30 @ Door/ $45 Ringside seat.  It’s cold out and we’re going batty! Enjoy a hysterical evening of nonsense, singing & burlesque! Get over your winter blehs with comedy, dance and music from “Toronto’s edgiest, most sexually charged dance theater company”. This innovative and interactive company is the creation of Artistic Director and Choreographer Pastel Supernova (dubbed by Flare magazine as One of Canada’s most influential women). She is a former international dancer for Nelly Furtado with appearances on the David Letterman Show and more. Pastel packs the stage with beauty and talent, using elements of vaudeville, contemporary dance, and burlesque to tell stories, explore primal instincts. Witness a cast whose collective credits include: the National Ballet, the Canadian Opera Company, Mirvish Productions and Second City Productions just to name a few. You’ve never seen them? Here’s a peek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV3nObw-7wk     www.loveletterscabaret.com   Adult content.

Touch of Klez: Thursday, April 16, 8:00pm. Door 7:30. $15 at the door. Note the change: Jordan Abraham will be bringing the klezmer band, Touch of Klez instead of SpectreBox. “TOK” is a professional ensemble bringing its unique take on traditional klezmer music to appreciative audiences for over 13 years. Based in Eastern European Jewish tradition, the music is fused with elements of cantorial, gypsy, turkish, mediterranean, and traditional jazz music to create something that is at once unique and universal. The music is joyous and sad – capturing the bittersweet essence of life itself in its sonorous melodies.  It is frantic and filled with longing – for a by-gone era, for a place we once knew, or for people whom we loved.  Touch of Klez breaks down barriers with music that aims straight for your soul. The players: Charlotte Price – Violin; Rick Black – Soprano Sax; David Ludwin – Bass Clarinet; Jordan Abraham – Accordion; Ron Richter– Piano; Alan Livingston – Guitar; David Guild – Drums

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

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/