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Jeff Bursey |
Articles in
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Jeff Bursey |
backalleydiscs.com For years, Chas Guay’s Back Alley Discs (100 Kent St.) has been a meeting place for musicians and music lovers, and both groups value the diversity and quality of its new and used CDs, LPs and cassettes. Guay keeps his ears open for what’s fresh, from world music to homegrown artists. The store’s choice selection and fair prices appeal to customers eager to experiment, to collectors searching for that essential jazz album, and to those who simply want to indulge in some nostalgia. They also appreciate Guay’s extensive musical knowledge: apart from being the bass player with The Dogs, he’s worked for years in the record business. Since October 4th, what has been right at hand for those in or near Charlottetown has been on the Web, at www.backalleydiscs.com. Set up by Kent Bruynel of the basement co (there’s more about them at www.thebasementco.com), the site is smartly designed and filled with information. Back Alley Discs’ site has two groupings, Store and Community. The first lets everyone know there’s a place on the Island which supplies recordings other retailers don’t sell. From now on, anyone in P.E.I. (and beyond) can do online ordering of new or old releases. Browsing through the Store section you can read reviews on bands, check out the expanded store hours and search the vinyl selection. There are also links to music labels, local groups and local web sites. The second grouping, Community, is what really excites Guay, who says he’s “trying to keep the P.E.I. music community together.” That the site’s not just a commercial endeavour, but is rooted in local music, is clear from even a quick look. A musician can search the classified section and see who needs a guitar player, or listen to material done by local bands, which Guay encourages groups and individuals to submit. (For instance, you can listen to “Ruby,” a single by the Charlottetown band Port Credit). Guay’s interest in further connecting the music community and the audience includes a slate of live concerts on Tuesday evenings at the store itself, showcasing performers in a friendly atmosphere. This ambitious project might start as early as winter, and it’s something he’s looking forward to. For Guay, being online is a great way to get artists and audiences together, this time in an electronic venue where everyone in the province can congregate. He has another plan for “taking the music to the rural areas,” which involves a van that would visit communities regularly, bringing music to those who can’t get into Charlottetown. But right now, with two record launches to bring off (Flush, and The Rude Mechanicals), the later closing hours on Fridays, and the web site, Guay has enough to do. He welcomes input on how to enhance the site, because the suggestions and comments of users will also help bring together those who share a deep passion for music.
Lots of grog in the jar As Charlottetown hosts the East Coast Music Awards, many Maritime acts are getting re-acquainted with the city. And it’s likely most of them have performed, formally or informally, at Liam Dolan’s The Olde Dublin Pub on Sydney Street, where Irish memorabilia - posters, sheet music, flags and paintings, bottles and street signs - have been placed everywhere the eye can rest. Dolan’s warm, cheerful pub is highly regarded. Its name has been spread throughout Canada by fledgling and seasoned musicians alike, who praise the encouragement shown to players of traditional, Celtic and Maritime music. Long-time customers of the pub, as loyal as the performers, treasure its musical history. John Allan Cameron has played here; so have Ron Hynes, The Irish Descendants, Richard Wood (once in an impromptu jam session with Burton Cummings), The Barra MacNeils, Sons of Maxwell, and many others. Evidently Dolan has an ear for talent, and keeps up with what acts bear watching. He’s justifiably proud that Great Big Sea’s first gig on PEI was at The Olde Dublin Pub. Their gratefulness, which developed into a friendship between band and owner, has lasted to this day. Dolan is devoted to live music - bands also play at another of his businesses, Peake’s Quay - and is looking forward to the ECMA event, for which he has drawn up his own entertainment plans that are sure to bring in the crowds. On Thursday, Feb. 8th, the pub will have live music from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.; on Friday, from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.; on Saturday, from 2 p.m. to 3 a.m.; and on Sunday, from noon “to whenever,” Dolan says. “A jam session’s likely,” he adds, indicating that the lineup for the four days will include Dave Gunning, 1749, Richard Wood, Boys in the Kitchen and Banshee, among others. The cover charge is modest, $5 or $6. The bands will perform sets of just over an hour, rotating their appearances on Saturday, which means the audience will get as much variety as possible. “I think the Island people really enjoy the ECMA. Charlottetown at 4 a.m. during the ECMA is like midday in the summer.” The pub regularly features live music - three nights a week in the winter, six nights a week in the summer. To see who’s playing and when, go to www.olddublinpub.com (there’s no “e” there); eventually there’ll be links leading to musician sites. (You can also get a look at The Claddagh Room, a restaurant Dolan owns.) Those with a taste for pub food can take advantage of their specials (two-for-one steak on Monday and Tuesday, hip of beef on Thursday), or enjoy one of four imported brews. There is also the popular trivia night, and the game “Who Wants to Be A Thousandaire,” which Dolan calls “absolutely hilarious altogether.” Whether it’s meals or music, for fun times and great sounds The Olde Dublin Pub appeals to everyone.
Having a blast On February 17, the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra gives its third performance of the season. This month’s featured soloist is Paul Merkelo, whose home base is Montreal, where he has been solo trumpet with that city’s symphony orchestra since 1995. In 2001 Merkelo released his own recording, A Simple Song (Amberola Records), which proved especially popular in Quebec. Conductor James Marks says Merkelo has an terrific reputation and is considered an outstanding virtuoso. “It’s always a challenge to have a visiting soloist,” Marks says, adding, “I’ve never conducted any of these pieces, so it’s going to be a first for me.” Even the orchestra will sound different, as the selections dictated there was no need for trombones, tubas or percussion. Audiences will hear a diverse performance. In devising the program, which Marks describes as “light, pleasant, enjoyable from beginning to end,” both musicians were enthusiastic about Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto. As Marks recounts part of their conversation, Merkelo asked, “Wouldn’t it be fun to play the Hummel?” There was instant agreement. The second piece is an early work by Bizet, Symphony in C, a romantic, approachable work, written when the composer was a student but not performed until eighty years ago. For the third composer, Marks, who likes to present Canadian music as often as possible, selected works by Sir Ernest MacMillan, who was an organ virtuoso, helped found the Canadian Music Centre and served on the faculty of the University of Toronto. “He was a very active and versatile musician, and is sort of the father of Canadian music.” The selection, Two Sketches, is based on two French-Canadian folk songs. They were originally written for a string quartet in 1927 but a year later MacMillan adapted them for a string orchestra. The work is in the tradition of Vaughan Williams. “The concert will be uniformly enjoyable,” concludes Marks, who looks forward to it as much as concert-goers do. “It should be a pleasurable February evening.”
Falling in Love In the cold days of what someone called the shortest month, but also the meanest, let the warmth of musical romance banish the chill. At the Jubilee Theatre on February 10, Summerside Area Community Concerts presents “Falling In Love,” featuring Sung Ha Shin-Bouey (soprano), Stephen Bouey (bass baritone) and Frances Gray (piano). Betty Buley, who serves on the Summerside concert series board of directors, suggested that love themes would be fitting for a concert so close to Valentine’s Day. The diverse repertoire of “Falling In Love” is in two parts, classical and folk songs, and show tunes. “Every single song is related to the love theme. Some we’re learning fresh for this concert, and some are old favourites,” explains Shin-Bouey. She adds that Buley “thought love songs and duets would be perfect,” and the program fully meets that request, while also allowing each singer room for solos. Audiences will hear works by Mendelssohn, Schumann and Strauss, Neopolitan and Scottish songs, and popular music, such as “Always,” “Tea for Two” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Gray will play two solos, one tune from a musical and Beethoven’s Second Movement from the C Minor Sonata. Shin-Bouey believes this program of classical and popular love songs has “something for all ages, and for all different types of music lovers.” It’s sure to warm everyone up, especially romantic couples, on a cold winter’s night. |