| Local Content |
| Written by Richard Amery |
| Wednesday, 03 February 2010 09:00 |
|
There is no reason why Lethbridge can’t have its own Taylor Swift. Up and coming Lethbridge country singer/songwriter Leah Sadler is a good choice for that. She not only looks a lot like the Nashville superstar, but the Grade 11 LCI student is getting ready to record her second full-length album in Music City later this month. She was performing a rare live concert at the Wolf’s Den Jan. 30 with Two Spirit Sage and Celtic harpist Jan Pearce. “I’m getting ready to record two songs for the my next CD,” Sadler said, who will be going to Nashville on Feb. 17-22 to record two of her songs, “Summer of You and Me” and “Look at Me.” She wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on her debut CD with the help of family members and her manager Jilla Roberts and Nashville songwriter Charlie Craig, who has written songs for the likes of Allan Jackson and Dolly Parton, but she hasn’t decided if she will be working with him again on the new CD. She has hired the same backing band who played on her debut for the new CD. “The goal is to make my own career in music. Music has always been part of my life. It wouldn’t matter how it happens as long as I’m playing music. There’s no right or wrong way to do it,” she said, adding, like the last CD, she will be going back and forth to Nashville in between school, until the CD is completed. She hopes it will be out in the fall. Lester Quitzau to play the blues Edmonton-born/Gulf Island-based bluesman Lester Quitzau will be bringing his brand of laidback blues and folk to the Lethbridge Folk Club Feb. 6. He will be playing with acoustic bassist Farley Scott and several different guitars. “I’ll be playing some acoustic, some electric, some dobro and some electric slide,” Quitzau said from a tour stop in Red Deer. “It will be mostly off the last CD ‘The Same Light’ and then we’ll be digging into some older material and a few covers and traditional material. It’s folk, blues and rock with a different approach to all of them,” he continued, adding there is a lot of improvising and interplay between the musicians on stage. “We let the music take us where it wants to,” Quitzau continued. Quitzau was last in Lethbridge last year with Tricontinental (Madagascar Slim and Bill Bourne). “Playing with Tricontinental is different because we all have such different influences. We all bring a few songs to the plate and we all play on each others’ songs. But in solo shows I have a bit more freedom to be myself while Tricontinental is more of a collaboration,” he said. Tickets to the show cost $20 for folk club members, $25 for non-members. It begins at 8 p.m. Punk-folk klezmer accordionist Geoff Berner is looking forward to returning to Lethbridge Feb. 4 at Henotic with Rae Spoon. “People who come to my shows are a little off the mainstream as to musical tastes,” observed Berner. “Whenever I play Lethbridge, it’s a good time. It’s a university town with lots of people who make it to the show. It’s the first time at Henotic though,” he continued. “The accordion is a really great singer-songwriter instrument. You have bass and chords and can play leads. It’s a very versatile instrument. And lots of people are doing it now,” Berner said. “And you don’t even have to get calluses on your fingers,” he continued, adding hearing the accordion on an early Tom Waits record helped convince Berner and many other people to take up the instrument. “People realized what a passionate instrument it is. I got one of my first festival gigs because they realized they had enough guitar players and wanted something different. People have iPods now with a thousand songs on them and want something different on them. That’s the way it should be,” he said, adding Rae Spoon’s show is a must-see. “Rae Spoon is a genius. He plays guitar and banjo. His new CD is pretty much perfect. ” The show begins at 9 p.m. Feb. 4. Tickets are $10. Henotic hosts another great klezmer gig by bringing back the Plaid Tongued Devils Feb. 5. They were scheduled to perform in December, but got snowed in in Calgary. Also at Henotic the same night, the Living Luca will be performing. The Living Luca are a revamped version of local hard rock band/classic rock riff heavy-inspired band NSR fronted by Bridgette Yarwood. For a complete contrast, Yarwood was at the Mocha Cabana Jan. 29 performing a strong set of original, jazz-flavoured pop. She was playing guitar and piano and singing beautifully. Acclaimed roots players Dan Mangan and Aidan Knight hit the Slice on Feb. 4. Tickets are $15 or $12 in advance. Mangan’s CD “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” hit number one on iTunes’ roots chart and No. 7 on Earshot! (college and Co-op radio) chart. And Mike Grabow is back from Mexico for a while. He’ll be playing a Feb. 6 gig at Mood with the Ben Brown Trio. The Slice has a couple excellent blues gigs Feb. 6 with Darryl Düus and Papa King. Admission is $5. And Paul Kype and Texas Flood host a blues jam Feb. 9. This past week was all about discovering new and up-and-coming acts. On Friday, Jan. 29, local pop-top 40 singer Kelliane brought a tight band together to perform a variety of up beat pop hits. They included a lot of ’80s pop including “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” The 32-year-old Raymond-raised singer was definitely having fun, bouncing all over the stage, belting out the popular hits. She smiled and displayed some impressive vocals reminiscent of Britney Spears. Kelliane Litchfield has opened for Girlicious and Lady Gaga plus Keith Urban and Carolyn Dawn Johnson as well as performed for troops in Afghanistan with Julian Austin. She also performed for six months as a soloist in Asia. She is currently recording her debut CD. At the Slice, Jan. 29, an energetic new hard rock/metal band called Under the White Dime opened for progressive rock trio Lustre Creame. Under the White Dime, including Alex Webster on guitar and voice, who sounded quite a bit like his cousin Tyson Wiebe (Planet Telex), as well as drummer Cameron Prince and bassist Colton Johasz were a blur of energy which had a good chunk of audience jumping in front of the stage. They had elements of punk, metal, screamo and hard rock. Lustre Creame had a solid set of innovative progressive rock with lots of intricate guitar and bass lines and some impressive drumming. Some impressive numbers were “Finger Exercise” which singer/guitarist Aaron Trozzo used his double-necked Ibanez guitar. Several big Tool-influenced originals and impressive covers of “Whipping Post” and “Aqualung,” were highlights of their set. Another budding talent performing this week was Leah Sadler’s show at the Wolf’s Den Jan. 30 for approximately 60 people. Two Spirit Sage and Celtic harp player Jan Pearce were also on the bill. I’d never seen the slender 16-year-old songstress perform live before, but was impressed by her voice and stage presence. She sang most of her original songs and a couple of covers including “Black Velvet” backed by a taped accompaniment, but accompanied herself on guitar for “Summer of Me and You” and piano on a couple newer numbers. She had a quite a few of the audience singing along with her. Jan Pearce was impressive too as she played some beautifully lilting melodies and cascading melody lines. Local favourites the Skilletlikkers were in fine form at the Slice Jan. 30 as well. A good-sized crowd were enjoying themselves as George Arsene and the band played a lot of upbeat country rock originals. Their outstanding southern rock version of the D-Rangers’ bluegrass song “Trois Rivieres” was a highlight of a really tight set. Meanwhile Henotic was packed to the rafters with a soldout crowd who danced and raved to the rock and roll of Edmonton rock trio the Raptors. They played a lot of energetic rock and roll, added a bit of detuned grunge which had the crowd dancing and shouting along and even added some scorching solos. Calgary rock band the Dudes played to the soldout crowd with some superb vocal harmonies and Weezer like radio friendly guitar pop rock. There were some excellent solos a few cool riffs, a lot of energy and even a bit of crowd surfing in the audience, many of whom were singing along. Lethbridge’s rap community were out at the Blarney Stone to see New York rapper Corey Wood, best known as Rae Kwon of the Wu Tang Clan, who took the stage just after midnight. I expected more to be out to see a show this big, but everyone was clustered in front of the stage as Rae Kwon and a few of his friends paced like panthers all around the stage while a couple DJs blasted hip-hop beats at ear bleeding levels, which drowned out most of Rae Kwon’s rap. They paced all over the stage and growled out the the crowd to shout along. Rae Kwon dedicated his set to “the lost soldiers of Haiti,” and dedicated a couple songs older songs from 1996 to his friend and Wu Tang Clan compadre Ol Dirty Bastard, who passed away in 2004. One last cool show was Attack in Black, an upbeat Welland, Ont. country rock quartet who played Henotic Jan. 27. They sounded like a mix of Cross Canadian Ragweed, Blue Rodeo and the Pet Shop Boys tinged with a touch of punk and a few Neil Young inspired solos. They earned their punk cred with a cover of the Ramones’ “Teenage Lobotomy,” then a few more punk-flavoured numbers. Feb. 3 Yates Centre — The Mousetrap (Lethbriddge Playgoers) Henotic — Zolas and We are The City Henotic — open mic Feb. 4 Henotic— Geoff Berner, Rae Spoon Prairie Tour Slice — Dan Mangan, Aidan Knight Beaches — open mic Feb. 5 Mocha Cabana — Herb Hicks Jazz Quartet Library — How Do I Love Thee, romantic music and songs by music faculty and students cost, free. Henotic — Plaid Tongued Devils Henotic — The Living Luca SAAG — Members Mania with the James Murdoch band’ Feb. 6 Mocha Cabana — Herb Hicks Jazz Quartet HBs Loiunge — Blue Steel Slice — Papa King & Darryl Düus Mood — Mike Grabow and the Ben Brown Trio (9;30 $8, $10 at the door Average Joes — The Chevelles Wolf’s Den — Lester Quitzau Feb.7 Sandman Inn — Jon Vornbrock hosting open mic Feb. 8 1010 Pub — open mic Feb. 9 Henotic — Shotgun Jimmy/ Moby Dicks University of Lethbridge — Hair Feb.9-13 Slice — open mic with Paul Kype and Texas Flood Blarney Stone— Laugh Shop Feb. 10 University of Lethbridge Theatre — Hair Henotic — open mic electronica in the GCBC Lounge |
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| Trevor Panczak releasing his new CD with a party Sept. 9 08/09/2010 | Richard Amery for the Sun Times There are a couple big shows this week. |
| Due for an overhaul? 08/09/2010 | Dave Sulz, Sun Times I’m embarrassed. |
