The Pearl Company

THE DRAKE EQUATION: Waiting for the Go. A play by Joe Vermeulen.  $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
When you’re alone in the universe… who do you talk to? And who talks back?

This is a powerful and deeply moving play about what could happen to you if you had nothing left…  Victoria is at the end of her life, sitting on train tracks, wanting to die. That’s where the story begins. Her mind makes a last ditch effort to fight for life, taking her on a journey into her past and into the minds of her boyfriend, who has just committed suicide, and her best friends.

This play is by youth, for youth, but the real message is for the rest of us who want to gain insight into what teenagers today struggle with; want to hear what they’re dying to tell us. It is also a moving, intimate story about love; how someone can love another enough to die for them. How it’s possible to love another so much that we can’t let them go, how we deal with the loss, what it means for life?

8 PERFORMANCES ONLY
Thur, Fri, Sat: May 27-29 at 8pm
Matinee: Sun May 30 at 2:30 pm
Thur, Fri, Sat: June 3-5 at 8 pm
Matinee: Sun June 6th at 2:30 pm
Call 905 524 0606 for reservations

Jazz Connection Big Band: Friday, May 21.  Doors at 8:30, jazz at 9:00 $15 at the door:  They’re back!  Made up of talented musicians from all over southwestern Ontario, The Jazz Connection Big Band is a 20-piece band dedicated to playing great, straight-ahead jazz.  The JCBB are gaining a bigger audience every time they play here and have put together a spectacular new program.  Carrying us once again into the cool space of surround sound big band music! http://www.jazzconnection.ca

The Acoustics with special guest Steve Bick in concert at The Pearl Company: Thursday, May 20, 8:00. $15 at the door. The Acoustics are a happening local band. They are an instrumental world/roots musical ensemble and for the past ten years, they have been cultivating their own unique world/roots music for local fans and venues. Their CD Forever and a Day came in 2nd place for World Album of the year at the 2009, JPF Music Awards, in Nashville TN. They had two major category Nomination for the 2009 Hamilton Music Awards. Folk/Traditional Recording of the year and Instrumental Recording of the year – The Acoustics – ‘Forever and a Day’. Hamilton homegrown Steve Bick, writes and performs music with his friends around the world. Join us to hear Steve’s original music.  The songs have a road-weary, bass heavy backbeat. His 7 song EP has more hooks than Velcro, and you’ll be humming Steve’s melodies non-stop after listening. That’s why The Acoustics invited Steve to perform with them.

Wednesday Night Showcase: May 19., 8:00pm, $15 at the door. The Wednesday Night Showcase is a venue for talented singer songwriters in Hamilton and surrounding areas. Hamilton is a hotbed of talent that has a hard time highlighting their works; The Pearl Company is happy to provide the opportunity to turn up the volume and let these artists show what they can do. We are hoping to help develop new talent and to have more established musicians work with them while displaying their own talents. Some of the showcased artists will be headlined at the Pearl Company in a future date. Whether you are jazz, rock, folk, blues or whatever, contact John Crawford or Mike Dufour through the Pearl Company and they will see about getting you on a show.   The showcase will start as a once-a-month feature.  This  Showcase will feature: Gordon Odegaard, Sherry Dunn and Johnny Kerr, Kilian Bamberg and Ted Gibbons,  and John Crawford.

Ethan Collister and The Elastic Band: Tuesday, May 18, 8:oopm. $15 at the door.  Singer songwriter Ethan Collister is a direct, honest and outspoken lyricist as well as an accomplished guitar player winning over audiences across North America with his charismatic performances. His music has been featured on CBC Radio One and has won favor with campus and community stations across Canada. He has toured Canada twice and performed at an impressive array of venues. Meg Iredale from Hamilton will also be performing with a small ensemble.

Ethan’s third full-length album “Wishing Well”  is self produced and features a collection of songs written over the past two years. The songs are reflective of his eclectic experiences and showcase Collister’s undeniable talent as a songwriter. Ethan Collister is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is currently touring across Canada in support of his new album.

Fred Magie CD Release: Saturday, May 15, 8:00 pm, $10 advance $12 at the door – children free. Dundas songwriter Fred Magie will be celebrating the release of his new album entitled “Window To The World” with this performance.  Joining Fred on stage will be Lisa Winn (backing vocals), Andrew Aldridge (guitar), and Tone Valcic (drums) all of whom also played on the recording.  Fred’s musical influences range from Sarah Harmer to Steve Earle and he has truly found his voice in this new CD.  He actually recorded it twice, once with layers of electric guitars which he rejected as just not “him”, the second time he stayed with a mainly acoustic sound which proved to be the “real” Fred.

Lyrically, “Window To The World” explores loss, coping with change and finding hope to overcome challenges.  Fred has been writing and performing his songs for ten years.  A previous release entitled “Vote For Orb” was under the band name, Molten Blue.

To order tickets, email Fred at info@fredmagie.com or call  905 977 7082   http://www.fredmagie.com

Discover your Clown: with Workshop Leader, Helen Donnelly: Sat. May 15, 10:30 – 6:00. Ever been curious about clown training? What does a clown workshop involve? Find out more about this amazing personalized art form. This intro workshop explores the approach of theatrical clowning and makes use of the world’s smallest mask – the clown nose. Warning: highly addictive!  Helen is an actor, instructor and theatrical, therapeutic and circus clown. She performed with Cirque to Soleil before founding her own theatrical clown company, Foo Productions. She has been teaching clown and movement workshops in the US and Canada for over 8 years at high schools, colleges and art institutions.

Workshop fee $95. Reservations required.
*Wear comfortable, flexible clothing and running shoes or equivalent.
*Bring water, and a notebook if you wish
To reserve your spot, contact: The Pearl Company 905-524-0606

The Jessica Stuart Few: Friday, May 14. 8:00, $15.  Opening Set: Samarkand and the Silk Road Suite – Gary Santucci with a ” Pearl of a Quartet”  (Oud, Violin, Double Bass, Drum Kit)
Toronto’s ‘Jessica Stuart Few’ embodies the essence of pop and jazz, creating a dynamic sound, and merging outstanding creativity with traditional roots to produce a unique and distinct sound that folk, blues, jazz and world music lovers can all relate. The band has just released a new album, Kid Dream (Do Right Music).  Jessica is a uniquely gifted guitarist equally adept on koto (a 13-string traditional Japanese floor harp) and she has hit her groove. While the surging rhythms are clearly rooted in the improvisational give-and-take of modern jazz and progressive folk, suffice it to say, you’ve never heard anything quite like The Jessica Stuart Few.

With their innovative and catchy songs, the band consists of Jessica (vocals, guitar, koto), Dan Fortin (bass) and Nico Dann (drums), bringing their signature blend to life with a creative, alluring and soulful sound.  The underlying theme in all of Stuart’s uplifting music on Kid Dream is that it’s important to make the most of every moment.

“The Jessica Stuart Few…full of catchy hooks, hip grooves, and up front soulful vocals.”  Shawn Hebb, Indie Round-up  http://www.myspace.com/jessicastuartfew

The Hungarian Visual Artists of Canada: In The Pearl Company Gallery. This is the first fine art exhibition in Hamilton for this vibrant group. Paintings, sculptures, photography, woodcarvings and enamels.  The show will be on display from Friday April 30 to Tuesday June 1, 2010.
The association consists of a group of artists who have joined together to promote their work, interest and participation in contemporary visual arts, to encourage each other and to hold exhibitions in Canada and abroad. Their members include painters, sculptors and photographers who work in various media.  They believe that art builds bridges between people, generations, and nationalities; it serves as a common denominator among economic groups. Art opens people’s minds to new possibilities, provides a foundation for shared experience.

Pearl Company Gallery hours: 1 to 4, Wednesday through Sunday; 6 to 8 Thursday and Friday evenings. (Also by chance or appointment.)

“SOUL KITCHEN CANADA” SONGWRITERS WORKSHOP: Sunday May 9: 4pm-7pm, $10 at the door,  Vinx himself will host the songwriting workshop. Vinx has been a Percussionist/ Vocalist with Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder. You might know him for his hit song Hakuna Matata from Walt Disney’s The Lion King. For more information on Vinx …www.vinx.com
And on the Soul Kitchen Song Writers Workshops   …http://www.songwritersoulkitchen.com/
A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity to sharpen up your song writing Skills with a Master, World-Renowned Songwriter in a “Soul Kitchen Song Writing Workshop with…Vinx”!!!

Vinx in Concert: Saturday, May 8 at 8:00pm $20 at the door. DJ and Host Michael Williams and The Pearl Company present the much-anticipated return visit of Vinx to Hamilton! Opening Artist: Queen Cee and her band:  Queen Cee is a potent Hamilton singer-songwriter who can provide solace and peace from a crazy world with her warm voice and conscious message. Her musical stylings are that of smooth R&B/Soul with a Hip Hop edge. Not only does she pack a voice and positive energy that she wants to share with the world, she is out there making a difference in her community with social initiatives such as When Sistahs Get Together and the Be-you-tiful Girls Club. www.myspace.com/queenceemusic
Queen Cee video :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9feYe-qbr0M

Vinx is/has been a Percussionist/ Vocalist with Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder.  “For any who does not know his music, take heart. Your life is about to improve. Perhaps you have never heard creativity so beautifully arranged, or imagined that the human voice could be bass, saxophone and trumpet in the same mouth. Listen and receive the gift.  As he takes the mike, he begins to record layers of harmony….  All praise the power of spontaneous creation fueled by the love of an audience.”  “He sings lead with or without drum! When in the mood, he will capture his own lead vocals in order to sing harmony – fabulous! He is also a very entertaining and humorous stage presence!”

Rant Maggie Rant:Friday, May 7. Concert at 830. $15.  This five member ensemble brings you a presentation of Celtic music with a bit of attitude – traditional tunes played straight up or yielding to the influences of world rhythms. Reels with a touch of Appalachian Swing, jigs driven by Latin hand percussion, slow ballads as they’ve been played for centuries. “Rant Maggie Rant” will take you on a journey charted through the past, to new compositions of the present, passing by the shores of the seven Celtic nations on their way.

“Rant Maggie Rant exudes a style and brand of Celtic Entertainment that is both new and old. Their showmanship, and delivery combined with their diversity of traditional sound coupled with upbeat and unexpected blends, makes them a welcome addition to any musical line up….”  Maggie Durocher, Windsor Celtic Festival.    www.myspace.com/rantmaggierant

May 7: The Art Bus will start at the Lincoln Alexander Centre, head off to Gallery on the Bay, then a Locke Street Stroll including the transit gallery, Textures and more, and off to Dundas for the Carnegie Gallery, the Dundas Valley School of Art and the Oddfellows Hall of Galleries and Studios.  Finishing back at The Pearl Co.

May 14: This second Friday we will be experimenting with an Ottawa Street Ramble (Earls Court Gallery, Under the Moon and more…) and the James North Crawl, finishing up with the Tiger Group Studio Gallery.

Starting at 6:30 from The Pearl Company at 16 Steven Street and King William.
Please reserve a spot beforehand via email or phone, and purchase your trip ($15.00) when you arrive.
Finishing up at The Pearl for an après-tour wind-down which includes a tour of the building often with music whether from Gary Santucci or whatever event is happening on the theatre floor.

Invitation: The Hungarian Visual Artists of Canada – Opening Reception: Sunday, May 9 from 1 pm – 4 pm.  You are cordially invited to the first fine art exhibition in Hamilton Ontario for this vibrant group. Paintings, sculptures, photography, woodcarvings and enamels.  The show will be on display from Friday April 30 to Tuesday June 1, 2010.

The association consists of a group of artists who have joined together to promote their work, interest and participation in contemporary visual arts, to encourage each other and to hold exhibitions in Canada and abroad. Their members include painters, sculptors and photographers who work in various media.  They believe that art builds bridges between people, generations and nationalities; it serves as a common denominator among economic groups. Art opens people’s minds to new possibilities, provides a foundation for shared experience.

Two Grooves, One Heart: Friday, April 30 at 9:00. $15 at the door. A concert collaboration of cross-cultural chords.  Masaisai: Afro-Zim Mibira Dance Party. A part of Masaisai Mu Dare, a circle of Zimbabwean musicians, dancers and story-tellers who are sharing their vibrant culture using a fusion of traditional and contemporary ingredients.
Lauren Best and the Renegade Company.  Just 19, this dynamic singer-songwriter-keyboardist’s “catchy tunes and quirky lyrics” have been winning the hearts and minds of audiences from Hamilton to Montreal. www.myspace.com/masaisai www.myspace.com/laurenbest