Duncan Garage Showroom

Gonna give you all a heads up on the great shows scheduled for the next while…What to do on a long weekend with your visiting company?  Bring them to the Showroom….

Saturday with Kendall Patrick and Alex Hicks performing their originals and occasional renditions of standards in a fashion that is most engaging…sometimes solo, sometimes working the song with each other…

on Sunday afternoon at 2pm for Anna Borch who is putting in the stage time and showcasing her original tunes as well as another young artist of her choice once a month …

and in the evening at 8pm is Greg Madill…yes this where you want to give thanks …quite a gifted songwriter and musician , he brings his stellar trio for the performance….

The long weekend does include Monday and so we have good solid hard rock to end off the holiday… Three Quarter Stone and Fairweather Father…a good way to stay young…

Blues Tuesday again…yessiree….the monthly blues evening where various blues musicians get together and rent ‘ice time’ to shoot a game of musical shinny….showcasing as well as jammin’ with Thor and the Thundercat as the host performers…

Wednesday night sees Professor Gall …A Tincture of Junkyard Folk and Steampunk Jazz…..indie / jazz / roots music from Portland…come on give it up for an evening, take the chance….

Good day!  Lots happening at the Showroom this coming week….

Starting with the Duncan Garage Building’s 8th Anniversary on Saturday Sept 10th… come join the Showroom, the Community Farm Store and the Duncan Garage Organic Bakery and Cafe outside at Charles Hoey Park for a whole day of free musical entertainment and celebration.

Saturday night brings us F&M… check out their link… www.fandmtheband.com

Sunday afternoon is Anna Borch, a 17 year old singer/songwriter and student at Brentwood College.

Sunday evening is Doc MacLean / Big Dave McLean… tw of the best purveyors of the acoustic blues scene… a huge hit last year… these guys are the real deal

Monday is Wes Borg’s Comedy Night Auditions… last month’s show was hysterical…. lots of great comedic talent…

Tuesday is Blues Tuesday with your hosts Thor and the Thundercat…..  this is a blues jam/open mic… always entertaining…

Wednesday brings us Tim Vaughn… from Saskatoon, this guy grew up with Wide Mouth Mason’s Shaun Verrault as his mentor…..

Thursday is Dala… folk/pop/rock… two young vocalists on piano and guitar…

Saturday Sept 17th we have 3 bands –  Lakefield / as the Crow Flies / The Ghostbirds… indie rock

Much much more on the books, so please do check out the ‘show schedule’ page for the full schedule and links to all the artists….  Thanks for supporting live music!

Good day!

Tuesday brings us ‘For The Love of Words’ with your host Bill Levity (poety/spoken word open mic)

Wednesday is ‘Longevity John’s 12th Annual 50th Birthday party!!  6pm until whenever…. various musical guests and special guest Daisy DeBolt.

Thursday we have Dave Cambel and Company – check out Dave’s funk delivery…. very cool.

Friday – The Brights return for their second time at the Showroom.  A really great folk duo.

Sunday 2pm ‘The Hope King Hour’ …. 90 minutes of great entertainment in a country style….

Sunday 8pm Amy Cunningham. singer/songwriter originally from the Brampton area.

Lots of great shows booked in the next couple of months… please do visit the website and check out the ‘show schedule’ page.

Thanks for your support!!

Georgia here with your Showroom update for the next week…

This Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday – The Shawnigan Players present ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’… a ferocious comedy about the frantic world of Real Estate by David Mamet.  Adult language.   (Please note 7:30 show start)

Monday we have ‘Wes Borg’s Comedy Night Auditions’…  so you think you can be funny ….not just at stand up, maybe song writing, poetry or a skit…even video.   Come grab 5 minutes of that potential 15 minutes of your fame and let the audience encourage you to continue.  Wes Borg..this man has a wicked sense of humour that needs be witnessed.  A mainstay in the Victoria comedy scene.  It is our good fortune to have him perform in Duncan (he also brings a van full of out of town acts)  $15 door $12 advance.

Tuesday is ‘Dress Rehearsal’ (open mic)… various musicians drop in and play a few of their new works…. others attempt for the first time.. all in all it’s is about community… no fear…. no attitudes.

Wednesday brings us Richard Garvey… from Kitchener… a roots musician dropping in for a visit and a performance…

Thursday the 18th at 7pm and 9pm –  ’Awake – Final cut’  -  screening of a locally made 1 hour documentary.  political awareness intended….  by donation

Friday  the 19th is young rock from Nanaimo….Foreign Influence / Royal Canadians

Please check out the website’s ‘Show Schedule’ page for more listings and links to the artists…. Thanks for your support.

Well, hello Folks.  Georgia here from the Duncan Garage Showroom.  Longevity John is super busy these days with the Duncan-Cowichan Summer Festival that runs the entire month of July.  We’re at day 19 of 31 – providing free concerts daily in Charles Hoey Park as well as weekend concerts in City Square.   You can pick up a Summer Festival Schedule in many fine shops downtown as well as Rona at Cowichan Commons.   And still the music in the Showroom continues!  Here’s what we have coming up for the rest of the month.

Wednesday 9pm – Digging Roots … alternative/blues/reggae … they were here for NAIG a couple of years back…hard driving guitar licks, strong vocal deliveries and extremely relevant lyrics…

Thursday 9pm – Miss Quincy  - a trio of guitar, stand up bass and percussion

Saturday 8pm  - Konfidential / Skulastic and much more… hip hop is back with a vengeance

Sunday 8pmish – The Toby Band… from Australia

Monday 9pm – Hilary Grist… vocals / keyboard with her husband on vocals/guitar – with an introductory concert in the park earlier…  We should fill the place…

Tuesday – For the Love of Words – with host Bill Levity – a written word appreciation night.  Kind of like a poetry/spoken word open mic.  It’s always lots of fun.

Weds July 27 9pmish -The Rosie Burgess Trio – third visit to the Valley for this Australian trio…

Thurs July 28 8pmish – The Mother Tongue Band… they booked this night because the drummer is getting married… this will be somewhat of a reception… but all are welcome!

Friday July 29th 8pmish – Michigan Curve – playing at the park earlier in the day – you should check them out there, and then come see them do their thing in the Showroom.

Saturday July 30th 8pm – Oceana Cato – the fiddler from Jane’s Way is leaving for school – so this will be her last concert for a while…

Sunday July 31st 8pm – Eric Harper / The Big Mess – Eric’s a songwriter / guitar player  - The Big Mess are a father and son team using trumpet and beatbox.

Check out the ‘Show Schedule’ page for more shows and links to the artists’ sites.  Thanks for supporting live music.

well we are still awaiting the rays of sunny summer….fret not they will appear….there is a 31 day summer festival scheduled for the whole month of July in downtown Duncan….yeah …I had a bit of spare time so the summer festival became a longer event…well a series of events all tied together under the umbrella of the 2011 Duncan Cowichan Summer Festival banner….there is a pretty nice brochure kicking about town and the valley…make sure you grab one or go to our web site    www.cowichanfestival.com ….you might notice the chances offered to see some of the Showroom’s performance teasers in the park….

but during all that and leading up to the festival the Showroom continues to give stage to some of the country’s finest young and veteran performers as they tour their songs across the nation…not to mention the great talent that has chosen the valley to be called their home ….we supply the venue/pa/lights/tech 7 nights a week in hopes that people will take the time out to check out these shows…  an ultimate culture venture…

anyway Monday night sees some the young rockin’ boys of Saskatchewan come checking out the west coast …always good to hear that prairie soul come thru…

Tuesday is open Dress Rehearsal and if the desire to perform  or are capable and want to try out new material…or you just want to see people have an amazing time….what a buzz to perform on that stage

Wednesday has Buck and Jes returning as duo this time…liked them as solo’s …I am sure iI will enjoy the new musical partnership

Thursday gets some of those Golden boys out here to rock us about….gosh they live in majestic  scenery….has to effect their music….

Friday sees the debut of a local endeavour into acoustic rock….I like their electric intricacies so I suppose I should expect another enjoyable evening of committed musicianship

Saturday has a band that got a hold of me and their choice of description intrigued me…electroacoustic / hip hop / pop….and that they are a 5 piece band and from the island…

Sunday (should be up on the site??….soon) sees a Wakefield Quebec gal taking her successes to the nation…I know her neighborhood and if they say she is good then there is true reason to believe…looking forward to this…also Dominiuqe Fraissard will be doing an opening set

Monday is sleeper of a show….every where else it is a minimum $20 show…tonight in Duncan and cause it is a Monday night we are putting the tickets at only $15 door $12 advance….check out his credentials…

then being the last Tuesday of the month, Bill Levity and his For The Love Of Words returns for yet another evening of spoken word.

Wednesday will be a lady by the name of Norma MacDonald…with  her roots in country and 2 ECMA nominations she is worth listening to…very much so

Thursday has a band by the name of Shade coming to town…cool poster and with intros like velvet underground meets belle and sebastion meets lucinda williams…I was curious….are you?

anyway till next time …do look for the 2011 Summer Festival brochure…and make sure you look closely at the front cover…see what you can discover…

L.J.

so much going on I forgot to email out the quick reminder…best get on that right away cause there are some very interesting performances coming up…

Tuesday has been put out there as Blues Tuesday although it is only the  first Tuesday of the month….my mistake so this Tuesday June 7th is Dress Rehearsal and Blues Tuesday will be the second Tuesday of the month as it should be (June 14th)

Wednesday June 8th has the award winning guitarist and songwriter Andrew Smith return to the Showroom and again with his son in tow…(no slouch musically…keeps dad on his toes)…a don’t miss…do take the time

Thursday appears to be a night off…and it isn’t even hockey night…ahhhhh

Friday will see Electric Monk from Calgary bringing his guitar to show us his blues/indie folk rock…let’s see some young bands out to this one…even some older musicians….this guy is serious and I like his style..

Saturday has folk rock from Rusty Water and the Broken Troubadours who hail from that great London Ontario music scene….. wonderful harmonies in a non- assaultive  approach to rock

Sunday has an afternoon concert by a veteran performer Glen Chatten…touching various genres from blues to jazz to folk to country his very fine songwriting skills

Monday….Winnipeg continually  produces even more fantastic musicians…Emma Clooney and Dan Frechette ….and on a Monday night…no excuses

Tuesday is that Blues Tuesday mentioned before…check it out…Thor and Marty really put out the blues as the house band

Wednesday is a Montreal boy Jon Day (Jon Day Exhibit Trio) with a vocal range and intensity that is simply marvelous…ah yes, that Montreal connection….worth the price of admission

Thursday has Meaghan Smith (Juno winner) from London Ontario and Del Barber (should be a Juno winner soon) from Manitoba giving us a most enjoyable musical journey…we are so lucky to have this venue and all those that grace its stage with superb performances…and in Duncan

and also in Duncan is the 2011 Summer Festival where there are nearly 200 performances ‘free to the public’ scheduled in the downtown core…the whole month of July….keep a watch out for our brochure to come out after June 15th

wow….4 days of waking up to sunshine….and then this morning…oh well….at least we are all woke up on the right side of the dirt…..

many great shows coming up, as were the recent ones we had…The  Laws / Old Man Luedecke and Ladies of the Canyon /Ryan McMahon-Abigail Lapell-Myc Sharratt and all the others….all available on our archived ‘live stream’ stack of concerts…some are well recorded some marginal but none the less enjoyable…try it some time….

but …to what is coming up

Saturday has an Albertan singer/songwriter in the folk / indie / rock genre…on a month long BC tour it seemed a natural for her to perform at the Showroom especially after checking out her link

Sunday has the Mother Tongue Band bringing their funk/ jam band/very cool sounds to the Showroom for their ‘all ages’ concert. ( they are at the Crofton Hotel Showcase Venue the Saturday night before)

Monday has the Saskatoon band Rebellion and their good friends Sly Business bringing their indie roots/funk feel  to the Showroom …may have to move some furniture for these guys

Tuesday night Dress Rehearsal has been bringing out some new performers as of late…those getting their ‘legs’ and some of the those regulars who have some new tunes… always fun

Wednesday  has the Islands singer/songwriter Elissa Hartman  testing the waters in the Cowichan Valley….bringing some special guests for us to view as well…

Thursday has one of our favourites Coco Love Alcorn return for her 7th visit….cool/ hip /very now /kinda jazzy soulful vocals that can mesmerize the audience regularly….one of our ‘pics’

Friday is for guitar lovers as Bob Evans, award winning guitar picker, comes to the Showroom to strut his stuff….looking forward to this one.

Saturday is another Georgia Belly Dancing Extravaganza…always fun, always colourful, always entertaining….tickets go fast so get yours soon….but if you decide you might like to be here do check to see if there are tickets left…don’t be shy…sometimes everyone thinks it is sold out and find out after there could have been some room for them….so phone us if want to be here.

Sunday has  singer/songwriter Joe Stanton from the Sunshine Coast bringing his award winning songwriting and guitar picking to the Showroom…like this guy a whole bunch and so will you..

Monday could be a great night …especially those in the service industry….a very good young band from Winnipeg is giving us their only Island show this tour…people are taking note of this indie /pop/ rock with folk influences.

Tuesday night For The Love Of Words with Bill Levity is the last Tuesday of the month and guess what….this is the night…so bring your words or others to the Showroom for an evening of verbal community

June is going to be fun and July is going to have entertainment every day ‘free to the public’ scheduled by the Duncan Cowichan Festival Society’s Summer Festival committee (moi) with some of those acts playing the Showroom after their park concerts (that way you can check them out before you ante up at the door)

and don’t forget to check out the Crofton Hotel Showcase Venue…great place to eat/dance and have a drink or two (Valdy Thursday May 26th)

www.duncangarageshowroom.ca

as I sit here writing this some local guys are jammin’ it out and making reason for all this time spent making sure a venue such as this exists….friggin’ cool

and the idea of being open 7 nights a week is quite a leap of faith for such a small community, ‘cept we get audience from Courtenay / Nanaimo / Victoria  quite frequently….why not…..such a great listening room, well worth the drive..so thank you to all who support the Showroom and all our ventures….and check out the Crofton Hotel Showcase Venue…food / drink and dance….so tempting…..every Friday and Saturday night….all the bands are really enjoying the arrangements we have set up for them there….

anyway, upcoming happenings at the Showroom include :

this Monday has a NFB movie being screened concerning eating disorders brought to you by the Canadian Mental Health ….and yes, there is a movie screen behind that red curtain (not just another pretty piece of fabric )…it is free but be here early as  seating is limited….

Tuesday is our monthly Blues Tuesday with hosts Thor and Marty…come watch or if you are a player, join in….no attitudes…just good musical fun….and the ‘blues’ is such a wonderful genre

Wednesday has touring  Jason Zerbin bringing his style of indie rock….do check out his link   www.myspace.com/jasonzerbin

Thursday the 12th is being discussed…there were two bands , both worth the price of admission and wanting the same night….not sure if one of them knowws the other one bowed out…they said they would be here….what I will do is post it on the site as soon as I confirm

Friday the 13th….scary….naw not really, some great tunes in an acoustic / americana / roots genre coming our way via alberta with Cam Penner and his good friend Jon Wood accompanying him on guitar….and reasonably priced….

Saturday sees the Ladysmith rock band Stone Vaughn Toole bring their fan base and we trust more new fans out for a great rock experience….these guys all have new families and those values show through in their songwriting….and they just so  enjoy what they are doing….infectious energy for sure

Sunday is the 1pm  performance of Children’s Hour…theatre brought to you by the Shawnigan Players as they remount their version to ready for the BC Festival coming up in Ladysmith….tis a fundraiser for them so do catch this performance…

and in the evening is real Canadian musical treat with Old Man Luedecke on frailin’ banjo….his last two cd’s have garnered him a Juno for each….from Nova Scotia, it is his 3rd visit here…and joining him will be the Ladies of the Canyon, 4 young ladies from Ontario that have joined forces and voices to become the new ‘must see’ Canadian musical experience (thanks to CBC)

Monday is an evening of songwriters in the round….3 Island singers share the stage in a panel format….so cool…..refreshing to say the least……

Tuesday brings us up to Dress Rehearsal where the Showroom opens it doors to an ‘open mic’ format…..always interesting