Entertainment

“I’ve been captivated by his ability to take simple, everyday things and develop them as metaphors for something much greater. His music is humourous, heartfelt and highly entertaining,” said Bill Carriere, a member of the board of the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage. 

He is describing, in these glowing terms, the artist who will be coming to the Stage on Saturday, February 15, at 7.m.,  Old Man Luedecke. 

Winner of multiple Juno awards, a musician who has toured extensively, a singer and song-writer whose most recent (and sixth) CD,  Tender is the Night, was long listed for the Polaris Prize, Luedecke is charming, warm and an extraordinary performer.

On Saturday night, audiences will also have the opportunity to enjoy a performance by the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter (and proud Aussie), Jordie Lane, who will open for Luedecke. Lane is also an international award winner. He and Old Man are just completing a tour together which took them to Australia and back to North America. “Jordie is a wonderful singer, charming, who tells great stories,” Luedecke said. 

I talked to Chris Luedecke (his real name) about his upcoming concert in Morrisburg. But first, I had to ask how such a young musician has come to be known by the moniker of “Old Man.”

“It’s a name I like, and it gives me a kind of focus,” Luedecke explained. “I admire the old time things, and the old story tellers. From an early age I admired the stars of Grand Ole Opry, especially those who played banjos and told stories. Many of them were called “Old Man” so I thought that name would be fitting and colourful (and maybe a little more interesting than Chris). I could retain my true identity, but still have a traditional link.”

Although he is multi instrumental, Luedecke’s par-ticular passion for the banjo has carried strongly into his life as a performer.

“I love the rhythm of that instrument,” he said. “I feel it has been under used as a song writing tool. A banjo sort of accompanies itself. The moment you play it, you want to move. It also seems to me that lyrics are well placed on the banjo, that they are married to its drive.” 

Luedecke’s style has been glowingly described as roots, folk, bluegrass, pop, country, traditional and completely non-traditional.

He laughed. “Those various labels are all very nice and they do fit to some degree. But I am not a heritage performer (he is from Chester, Nova Scotia), and I am not performing the stylized music of the past. Instead, I am creating new music, unique music, and I have a real affinity for the folk approach. 

At the same time, I love country, the old time country. I find, within reason of course, that I enjoy things simple and stripped down to the basics. I try to get to the heart of a story.”

Old Man Luedecke is a prolific writer and composer. Over the years he has written hundreds of songs, although only some of them ever make it on to albums.

“I was listening to Pete Seeger, an old interview from maybe 10 or 15 years ago. He did get involved in environmental concerns, but his basic approach was ‘the meek inherit the earth.’ That’s a theme I have found in many of my most successful songs. I would say I don’t sing for the winners, but rather for the people trying to make life work.”

Luedecke has a reputation as a warm, good natured performer on stage.

“I actually think I am a fairly serious person,” he said. “I try to approach subtle subjects, but I often mask them with humour. I want my songs poignant, humourous and engaging. People come to a concert to be entertained.”

He will have mandolin, violin, and upright bass backing him up at Saturday’s concert. He is looking forward to the St. Lawrence Stage.

“If you open yourself musically up on stage, and the crowd lets you in, well there is this terrific flow. I’ll be playing classic pieces so audiences can see how I got to where I now am musically. I hope they will appeal. And of course, there are new wonderful songs which I’ve written.” he added with a laugh, “that we’ll also perform. If people are excited to be at my concert, then there’s magic!”

The Old Man Luedecke concert, with Jordie Lane opening, is one night only at the Meeting Centre, the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage, February 15, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. They are available from the Basket Case, Strung Out Guitars or at www.st-lawrencestage.com

[…]

Every time.

Absolutely every time.

I know that Tiny Tim doesn’t die. I know that Bob and all the Cratchits will have a brighter future. I know that Ebenezer Scrooge will emerge a wiser and better man in the end.

Yet I still find myself as deeply caught up in the magic of Charles Dickens’ story as I was the very first time my grandmother read it to me. There may even be a tear or two shed along the way as Scrooge’s journey to learn the true meaning of Christmas is once again brought to life. (All right, there’s a tear every time!)

Certainly the charming pro-duction of A Christmas Carol, currently running until December 15, at Upper Canada Playhouse, is thrilling audiences of all ages. With a lively cast of 12 (the role of Tiny Tim is shared), this is a fast paced, music and dance filled staging that breathes new life into the 200 year old tale.

“We are able to couple tradition with innovation in this play,” said director Donnie Bowes. “We’ve added more music to the show, and lots of dance. And since it’s actually a ghost story at heart, this production allows special effects and original interpretations.”

Jamie Williams as the Ghost of Jacob Marley takes full advantage of those delightfully spooky effects when he climbs on stage. Despite the frightened Scrooge’s attempts to dismiss him as a bit of “undigested beef”, Marley’s howls and clanking chains send shivers down the spine. 

He’s just the sort of thing one does not want to find stalking about the bedchamber after a late dinner.

Poor Scrooge. Jacob Marley’s ghost is only the first apparition to appear to him in the course of  a very long Christmas eve. Ghosts Doug Tangney as Past and Bruce Tubbe as Present are memorable beings. Tangney’s ghost is a merry sprite: Tubbe’s bearded spectre grander than life. The Ghost of Christmas Future (Warren Bain) may not speak, but when he lifts his skeletal hand, he doesn’t need to. We understand. So does Scrooge, who finally grasps that this is his last chance to re-join the human race. 

Richard Bauer, with his slicked back hair and his pointed eyebrows, snarling at everyone, is the epitome of mean. Roaring at his unfortunate clerk, Bob, or insulting his only nephew Fred, Bauer makes Scrooge spectacularly unrepentent…until he undergoes his journey of self discovery Christmas eve.

The cast of A Christmas Carol is highly versatile. Each (with the exception of Scrooge) plays several roles, yet succeeds in creating fully rounded characters. There is wonderful music in the show, which underlays and punctuates the action on stage. Was there ever such a party as the Fezziwigs’? Did “O Holy Night” ever sound so lovely? Were the street people of Victorian London ever such talented dancers?

The revolving set for the play (under the guidance of technical director, Sean Free) and the stunning wigs and costumes (by Alex Amini) are an integral part of the on stage magic. The backstage crew do yeoman’s work, keeping the actors on cue despite numerous split second costume changes. 

The musical finale is par-ticularly wonderful. You would truly have to have a heart ten sizes too small not to be caught up in the exuberance of the cast. 

A Christmas Carol runs until December 15. Contact the Playhouse at 543-3713 for times and ticket information.

And, as Tiny Tim (Liam and Gavin Veinotte) observes, in the words we await every Christmas, “God bless us, everyone.”

[…]

 

“It is just an incredible honour to be working with a musical legend like Garnet Rogers,” said musician Shawna Caspi, who will be opening for the renowned Canadian folk singer when he appears at the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage on Saturday, November 23, at 7 p.m.

Caspi is certainly not the only one to speak in superlatives when it comes to Rogers.

“Garnet Rogers has a deep baritone voice and impressive vocal range,” said Sandra Whitworth, on the board of the St. Lawrence stage. “He toured with his brother Stan until Stan’s death, then went on to establish a solo career that has spanned more than 30 years. So, no question, we are excited about this show.”

I talked to Garnet Rogers about his career, his music and his  upcoming concert in Morrisburg.

Rogers sets the highest of musical standards for himself.

“Pete Seeger once said that musicians are the luckiest people in the world, ‘because they are always failing.’ Music is challenging. As a musician I am constantly learning, constantly problem solving, and that is what makes it so exciting. You create something new, something that never existed before. A song reveals itself as a puzzle, and you have to seek the solution.”

He describes the process of practicing, and writing songs as ‘solitary activities’. “What brings a song alive for me, is the audience, their responses to what I am doing. Sometimes,” he laughed, “I feel the show isn’t about me, really, it’s about them. It may sound strange, but I am actually trying to eliminate myself from the equation. I want the song, just the song, to come through.”

If the songs themselves are the focus, then Rogers draws on a vast range of emotions and experiences. 

He continues to love his Maritime roots, but he nonetheless insists that his is not a traditional Maritime sound. (“I couldn’t play a fiddle even with a gun to my head,” he laughed.) 

“In my songs, I explore different things, the ‘big stuff’ I guess you could say, life, death, love, how we deal with them. I find I laugh at life a little, since, as we grow older, we tend to look more closely at this ‘mortal coil.’ Humour often comes out of pain, and I try to see the laughter, even in the bleakness.” (He did not record or perform much for a couple of years, as he went through a rough time in his personal life.) 

“My songs may be serious, but I am mindful that people have come to a concert to be entertained, and I make fun of myself, and share that humour with the audience.”

A strong narrative provides the basis of many of Garnet Rogers’ songs. “As a writer, I feel somewhat defeated if I can’t paint a picture that allows an audience to draw its own inferences. I want people to relate to my themes their own way.”

Rogers will be presenting a song writing workshop during his visit to Morrisburg from 2-4 p.m. on November 23. (Space is limited, so those hoping to participate should register as soon as possible with the Stage).

“I’m not a teacher exactly,” the artist  explained. “I am actually interested in seeing how others solve the problems of writing. I ask workshop participants to bring their own songs. That way we can experience other people’s language, forms and approaches to writing as we work together to find the right ‘voice’ to tell our stories.”

Rogers tours with as many as a dozen guitars: and he takes most of them on stage with him at a concert.

“I always try to play my performance sets in different ways, to keep them fresh and alive. Every one of my guitars has a different, unique voice. Each guitar will speak to me, help me solve my musical problems and help me create on stage. When I go out before the audience, I pick one guitar at random, playing as I learn what the audience is ‘feeling.’ When I have that sense, I go from there, and reach for other guitars as well.”

Garnet Rogers is currently about half way through recording a new album, his first in a while.  “I’m glad to be back on the road, back writing again, although I tend to find it painful to record just because what is on the tape never sounds the way I want it to. But I am lucky,” he laughed. “I can sing in tune.” 

Another artist who can “sing in tune” and then some, is Shawna Caspi, who was first introduced to local audiences at an Intimate Acoustics showcase at the St. Lawrence Stage about three years ago. The classically trained young performer made a strong impression on concert goers on that occasion. 

She is an accomplished finger style guitarist, an ability which allows her to create often complex, lyrical accompaniments to her songs. 

“I really like to highlight small snapshots of events, to make them important in my music. My latest songs are a lot about other people, sometimes even a social commentary. This may make my music a little uncomfortable at times, but true stories don’t always have happy endings, However, I also write funny songs, almost sing-along songs,” she added laughing.

She was the recipient of a prestigious Toronto Arts Council Music Creation program grant, “the first grant I ever received. This grant gave me the time and the ability to focus directly on writing, letting me learn that writing requires steady, daily and disciplined practice.” Her new release should be out sometime in 2014.

Since she received the grant, Caspi finds her musical output has greatly increased. She has been touring extensively since early September.  

“I try to establish a direct, strong relationship with listeners. I believe that audiences like a narrative in a song, and I use narrative in the banter and exchanges with my audience between songs as well.”

Her voice is big, strong and rich. She is regarded as a folk singer, but she laughs that hers is not the “traditional, sweet, wistful voice often associated with folk music. No question, music is the focus of my life.”

Tickets for the 7 p.m. November 23 concert are available at www.st-lawrencestage.com, $18 in advance, $20 at the door. 

Garnet Rogers has requested audience members bring food donations for the local food bank to his concert at the Stage.

[…]

 

Sandra Whitworth of the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage is excited.

“It’s going to be an absolutely fantastic show,” she said. “These are lovely people and amazing musicians too. Having a duo like this on our stage is like getting to have your cake and eat it too.”

Ian Sherwood and Coco Love Alcorn,  a dynamic, exciting singer/songwriter duo, and recipients of numerous music awards, will be in Morrisburg on Saturday, October 5, 2013, for a 7 p.m. concert at the Morrisburg Meeting Centre.

The St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage has a sparkling line-up of artists in their 2013-14 concert series: Alcorn and Sherwood are two very bright stars in the musical show case.

“Coco has a jazz, a bit of pop and an R&B sound, with some folk tossed in,” Whitworth explained. “She is the daughter of Canadian jazz singer John Alcorn and has toured extensively (with 54-40, Ani DiFranco and Burton Cummings). She is a mesmerizing performer with an absolutely (absolutely!) fabulous voice.”

Ian Sherwood “starts from ‘folk’ and then he moves from there into …R&B and soul. He’s more of a traditional singer/song writer,” Whitworth said. “There is wonderful story-telling in his songs accompanied by beautiful melodies…He’s also multi-instrumentalist.”

Together, these two artists will guarantee a terrific evening of music on October 5th.

“We like the audience to be close to us,” Ian Sherwood said. “We like the interaction with people, and to build a relationship with the audience. We want people to be truly into our show.” 

Already noted solo performers on the concert circuits, Sherwood and Alcorn first got together in Halifax around six years ago.

“Actually, a promoter in Halifax contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in opening for Coco,” Ian Sherwood explained to The Leader. “Well, I looked her up, listened to her music, and said to myself, ‘this chick is pretty good,’” he laughed. “We only met during the sound check, but we seemed to really connect on stage. Our music fit well together. Coco later asked me to tour with her for five weeks around B.C., performing in all these little towns and villages. Well, after five weeks in a van, you really get to know someone as a performer: our marriages remained intact, and we’ve worked together a lot ever since,” he added.

They are planning a studio album together, “although it would be great to tape a live concert one day.”

Sherwood admits he has tried other arts careers,  but in the end, “I simply love music.” He tends to write in phases, a group of love songs, perhaps a group of jazz songs, even a wave of children’s songs. Then he re-explores his songs, polishing and developing the work. 

When he sings, “I tend to borrow vocally from everything, depending on what I am listening to,” he said “I am not sure myself how to describe my voice. I’ll pick up falsetto, or a country twang, and it will be somewhat unintentional. I like whatever works for me and on stage. I lean more to a story telling narrative when I perform.”

Coco, he feels, has a strong folk background, and rhythm and blues is a powerful force in her vocal style.

“Our work is original. We have begun writing together, and there is real variety to our stage show music. Our songs are different enough in style: Coco approaches melody differently than I do. She plays her instruments differently than me as well. She sings back-up to my songs, and I do the same for hers. The overall aim of our concerts is to create a seamless, blended performance.”

Ian Sherwood has twice been named Music Nova Scotia “Musician of the Year,” He was a 2011 ECMA nominee for Male Solo Artist and was recently named best Male Artist at the 8th annual International Music Awards.

Coco Love Alcorn has been the recipient of multiple ECMA, Music Nova Scotian and West Coast Music Award nominations. 

Critics have called Sherwood’s songs “romantic as they are clever and snarky…his are often funny, often poignant lyrics.” (Halifax Chronicle Herald) The Ottawa Xpress described Alcorn’s voice as “sparkling and distinctive…a bright burst of colour amidst many shades of indie grey.”

“Folk, blues, jazz, a little pop, a little country, these are the influences that seep into our music,” said Ian Sherwood. “These are the influences that we will make part of our Morrisburg concert.”

For tickets to the 7 p.m. Ian Sherwood, Coco Love Alcorn concert on October 5, contact www.st-lawrencestage.com. Tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. 

[…]

 

…“Canada is the ‘what’ in ‘what’s new’/We are the true North strong and free/ And what’s more/ We didn’t just say it…We made it be…”

Shane Koyczan exploded on to a world stage before 3.8 billion viewers when his poem, We Are More, brought audiences to their feet during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics’ opening ceremonies. His poem, laying raw the spirit of a nation, caught the public imagination, and fired Canadian pride.

“He is a phenomenal artist,” said Sandra Whitworth of the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage. “He has the audience moving from laughter to tears in a few words. His pieces are very emotional and incredibly moving.”

Shane Koyczan will be in Morrisburg, at the Morrisburg Meeting Centre, on Saturday, September 14, at 7 p.m., to open the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage 2013-14 season. 

I had the opportunity to talk to Shane about his poetry and his upcoming show in Morrisburg. At the outset, I asked Shane about his inspiration for We Are More.

He had originally hesitated about participating with the poem,  which had been commissioned by the Canadian Tourism Commission, but then he recalled what his grandmother once told him. “Once you say no to an opportunity, it’s gone, and so are all the opportunities that could have come with it.”

“I’d been away travelling for a long time,” Koyczan said. “I grew a bit reflective about Canada on the road. There are political aspects of this country I don’t feel so great about, sure, but I think deep down most Canadians take pride in this nation. The Olympics were kind of Canada’s house party, sort of ‘come on in and turn up the music!’”

Has life changed for him since 2010?

“Life really hasn’t changed for me. This was not a sudden earth-shaking event. But I think what the experience did do, was it shone a light on the spoken word, gave people a reference point.”

Shining a light on life, even its harsher aspects, is very much part of Shane Koyczan’s poetic philosophy. Words are a passion, an outlet, a force in his life. “I love language.”

Born in Yellowknife, moving to Penticton, British Columbia, he grew up facing the brutality and soul ache of bullying. 

“I was not a social creature. Words became for me a way of dealing with people. Paper and ink don’t judge me. If you grow up being told that nothing you do or say is good or right, this affects you. A lot of times, you can be consumed by your feelings. They can be like a storm cloud following you around. Writing was a way to let me let go of what was weighing me down.”

“…and if you don’t see anything beautiful about yourself/get a better mirror/ look a little closer/stare a little longer…”

Shane was featured at TED Talks, a forum that deals with anti-bullying. His video containing the piece, To This Day, literally went viral, its impact strongly praised.

“I don’t really know the appeal of poetry,” Koyczan said. “I can’t explain it. But I believe that it’s an outlet for many, that poetry connects people. Poetry, I think, reminds people that it is okay to be emotional.  Pet a puppy, or just cry if you want to.”

Clearly, his poetry has touched, and continues to touch, an extraordinary range of people. 

“I am actually always really surprized at the age range at my shows. Kids will bring their grandparents.”

His Morrisburg show September 14?

“It will be a Shane Koyczan performance,” he laughed. “Lots of variation, an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows, emotional places, happy places,” despite some occasional rough language.

He has headlined in venues as large as the Vogue Theatre (1,100 seats) but, “I’m a small town kid, looking forward to coming to a small town to perform. Backstage, I disconnect with myself. I go back in time to remember why I wrote a poem, the moments, the feelings, so I can connect with an audience.” 

Is poetry the centre of his life?

“I like to laugh, love film, reading and exploring water. I can’t restrict my interests and passions to just poetry. I believe that is too limiting. Don’t make your life around just one thing…you could end up hating the very thing you love.”

Opening for Shane Koyczan, with two songs, will be Tone Cluster, an exciting, talented Ottawa-based choir. “They recently did an entire show on bullying and acceptance and they seemed the perfect way to get things started for this show,” said Whitworth.

Tickets for the dynamic and passionate spoken virtuoso, Shane Koyczan,  appearing  for one evening only at the Morrisburg Meeting Centre September 7, 7 p.m.,  are available by contacting www.st-lawrencestage.com. 

[…]

 

 Ida, Doris and Lucille share one strong bond.

They are all widows who visit the graves of their late husbands once a month.

However, do not let that rather melancholy fact keep you from attending the wonderful Ivan Menchell play, The Cemetery Club, which opens at Upper Canada Playhouse on Thursday, September 5. To do so would result in your failing to meet three of the most colourful, funny and lovable characters ever to grace the Playhouse stage.

Director Donnie Bowes has said that The Cemetery Club will be an evening of “pure pleasure that will make you glad that you went to the theatre.” 

He likens the women in this production a little to The Golden Girls, an enormously popular television show of the 1980s and early 1990s. This is not surprising in that the author of the play, Ivan Menchell, wrote for situation comedies, and uses the almost episodic approach common to sitcoms with The Cemetery Club.

“The play develops over a series of events,” Bowes said, at a recent press conference. “There is a strong story line which draws audiences in as they share the widows’ journey toward life changes during the play. There are plot surprizes, some touching, some hilarious, and certainly the punchy lines and dialogue very common to the best sitcoms.” 

Audiences can be assured that this will be an outstanding production simply on the basis of the talented and distinguished cast Bowes has brought together for this show.

Returning to the Playhouse Stage are Linda Goranson, Patti Kazner and AnnaMarie Lea (with a special appearance by Brenda Quesnel). 

Joining these veteran stage actors is Doug Tangney, well known to Playhouse audiences.  Tangney’s widowed Sam, according to Bowes, “stirs the pot a bit,” when he makes the acquaintance of Ida, Lucille and Doris.

AnnaMarie Lea, who now hales from Alberta, has impressed and entertained Playhouse audiences in several past productions. Her Lucille is “very shy – NOT! Lucille lost her husband 18 months earlier, but she is determined to get out there, to move on,” Lea laughed, hinting that her rather flamboyant character has “money, so she’s had some work done. She’s gives the impression of a ‘merry widow’, but perhaps, in the end, that is something of a facade.”

Linda Goranson, as Ida, has just completed the enormously successful run of No Sex Please, We’re British. “Ida is two years a widow,” Goranson explains. “She has only recently begun to toy with the idea of moving on in her life, not simply closing herself off. Ida, Lucille and Doris have been friends, oh forever, despite being in this slightly horrible ‘club.’ 

We laugh a lot, we do things together, we actually all love each other a lot despite our differences.”

As Doris, Patti Kazner, known to UCP audiences for her performances in On Golden Pond and Maggie’s Getting Married, among others, “lost her husband, Abe, nearly four years ago. Probably Doris is the one who is ‘most addicted’ to these graveside visits, to the idea that by going to his grave she can still somehow be with Abe. Their late husbands still remain part of each woman’s life.” 

“Sam is a catalyst,” Doug Tangney said. “The play is about the journey of the ladies, but meeting Sam changes the direction of that journey. The group balance is upset by this widower of two years.”

Sean Free has designed the very versatile, very unique set for this production. Because it is such a key part of the play, Free has developed a set where the cemetery can “be incorporated as a surrounding element to the main living room set. Lighting (also designed by Free) is very important in this show,”  he explained, “to contrast between the inside and the outside scenes.” 

“Yes,” added Bowes, laughing, “Sean and I have been negotiating lighting and set placements. Friendly negotiations mostly.”

The cast of The Cemetery Club clearly love the characters they portray in this classic production. 

Audiences will soon share that love.

For tickets to the final production of the Playhouse summer season, contact the UCP box office at 613-543-3713 or toll free at 1-877-550-365

[…]

Patricia met a Wolf. Stella Luna, the fruit bat, made new friends. A busy Bee disrupted a picnic. Some bad sportsmanship spoiled a hockey game. A Lizard helped decide a talent contest. And Mister Man, Mother Nature and Happy dropped in to visit.

The Junior Theatre drama class, held at Upper Canada Playhouse during the week of July 15 to July 19, demonstrated many new drama skills to a very appreciative audience Friday afternoon, July 19. Under the guidance of actor/teacher Kate Veinotte, the 18 children, ages 5-9, took family and friends on a magical journey into the world of stories. 

“Every story needs characters,” Veinotte said. “We made masks to explore new people we might want to get to know. The students learned the techniques for putting on masks on stage, and for adopting a character.”

Each young performer proudly showed off the mask he/she had made and introduced the audience to this “new” person, sometimes quite an unusual person.

Then the class pointed out that every story needs a “beginning, a middle and an end” and of course a “story needs a problem.”

Showing some wonderful creativity, the small performers proved that a story could grow out of even four completely mismatched objects like a hat, a puppet, a piece of clothing and a single hand prop. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the mini plays that the children put together using only these items for inspiration.

Then it was on to two exciting and often hilarious tales, finales to the performance, and tributes  to the lessons learned at theatre school over a very busy week.

Conor Veinotte, a volunteer for the week, explained to the audience that when Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf, he used instruments like the oboe and the flute to introduce his characters.

“Unfortunately,” Conor said, deadpan, “none of your kids can play those instruments, so we call our version, Patricia and the Wolf.”

With their own voices providing the “music” of the story, the children enacted a very unique telling of the classic tale that had the audience thoroughly entertained.

Then the little fruit bat, Stella Luna, fluttered on stage to tell her tale of becoming lost and finding herself in a nest with three fledglings, who definitely thought hanging upside down by your toes was “wierd.” 

However, as Stella Luna and the birds (and quite possibly all the children who enjoyed a wonderful week at Upper Canada Playhouse in junior theatre) learned, “the same or different, we are all friends.”

[…]