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While most people will be recovering from New Year’s this week, there are a couple of low-key gigs happening.
If you enjoy experimental jazz music, then check out the Naked Ear Jazzerwocky show band, who play a free show at the Slice, Jan. 4.
And the Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra returns to Lethbridge, Jan. 7.
They were a huge hit at the South Country Fair and other folk festivals by blending a variety of different influences including bluegrass, ska folk music.
“We were playing in January then. We played the South Country Fair this year and the year before that so we got a lot of people out to the show because of it and we hope they will come out again,” said Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra guitarist/vocalist Kurt Loewen.
They will be playing the songs off the EP they released in the summer reflecting their new sound, which is a departure from the gypsy/ska music they are known for, moving more toward a more straight-ahead indie-folk sound.
“There are five songs on the EP and four of them had never been recorded before and one that had. It’s a lot less experimental and gypsy influenced and more directly folk. It’s very groove-oriented,” he described, adding they recorded the EP very quickly, mostly live off the floor in an attempt to capture their live sound.
The band plans to relocate to Toronto in the new year as, though they are based out of Victoria, the band members live all over the country and just meet to tour and record.
They will be entering the studio with producer/engineer David Travers-Smith, who is best known for working with the Wailin’ Jennies to record a new CD.
“For the new CD, we’re looking forward to using the studio as more of a tool to make music,” Loewen said.
He said the new music shows the band’s growth and maturity.
“When we started we were just interested in playing a gypsy/ska/dance party, but we’ve just grown. We’re writing more collaboratively as a band. There are a lot of influences and we listen to a lot of different music,” he said.
“We’ve grown as musicians and we’ve grown as people. We’ve been playing to together for five years and we’ve changed a lot. It’s fun to try the next thing,” he said.
This week the Record Holder reunited at the Slice, Dec. 29 to play a show with several of their talented friends for a full house.
They started off the night, after a set from Mary-Anne McTrowe on ukulele, by playing the songs from their laid back and melancholy Ep “To Sea.”
They welcomed a lot of friends on stage including McTrowe on ukulele and backup vocals as well as Jesse Northey on keyboards and Ryan Dyck on pedal steel guitar.
They played a laidback, mellow set of enjoyable pop-tinged folk songs.
Jon Granzow and brother Michael began the night on bass and guitar respectively, then exchanged instruments and lead vocal duties throughout the set. One of many highlights was Michael Granzow singing “Morning Gloom,” the song with which he won the 2011 South Country Fair songwriting contest.
Dave Hoffos joined the band on stage on ukulele for “Safe Harbour,” and Erica Hunt rushed over to the Slice from her role in New West Theatre’s production of “Light It Up,” so she could sing “Winter Parade” with the band.
Throughout the show, Nicole Hembroff added layers of subtle and tasteful violin as well as lead vocals on a couple tracks.
It was time to dance in the second set as the Record Holder, trimmed down to the core of the band, played an upbeat set of more funky, David Matthews-style, jazz tinged folk/pop. They had a lot of people on the dance floor especially for my favourite from their first CD “Amsterdam.”
Hembroff shone on lead vocals on “Affair of No Thiamine,” from the debut CD.
“Brockstock” at the Owl Acoustic Lounge saw a good-sized crowd big farewell to now defunct Lethbridge roots/pop/reggae band Clapping Monkeys frontman Brock Jellison.
A variety of local performers including his cousin Jenn got up on stage to play a number of songs in his honour. She sang a variety of music from Adele to Grace Potter.
Jellison also played a couple superb sets of music solo, then reunited with Clapping Monkeys guitarist Cornelius Cole for a sets of Clapping Monkeys songs and jumped on the wall shelf to demonstrate some fleet-footed tap dancing moves, leaving both the crowd and himself breathless as bassist Felipe Rodriguez laid down a catchy, smooth jazz groove. Jellison did a little freestyle rap to the tune of his tap and in time with the groove.
A late-announced blues show featuring Calgary bluesman Mike Watson and pedal steel guitarist Charlie Hase, who usually plays with Dave McCann, was superb despite only a handful of people in the audience at the Slice.
Hase and Watson have only been playing together for a scant few months, but it sounded like they’d been playing together for years. Brady Valgardson and stand-up bassist Tyler Bird formed an impromptu rhythm section were locked in with each other.
When I heard Hase was back in town, I expected to hear country music but was pleasantly surprised to hear him playing the blues, having never heard a pedal steel guitar in a blues band before. But Hase killed it, trading mind- and ear-bending solos with Watson.
The set I heard included a variety of covers from the likes of Lonnie Johnson’s “Go Back to That No Good Man,” “Red House,” and blues standards like “Rolling and Tumbling.”
They returned for a brief, two-song third set just after one in the morning, which began with a very cool instrumental called “Wag the Dog,” which was reminiscent of Sonny Landreth, during which Watson tried a little freestyle rap about Lethbridge while encouraging the audience to check out the band on Facebook.
What better way to ring in the new year with live, local music? There were a heap of gigs to choose from which appealed to all tastes on New Year’s Eve.
I only caught three of the dozen or so gigs happening in Lethbridge.
I started off by catching the end of a crazy, psychedelic set of rock from Leigh Doerksen and Dan Puurveen, a.k.a. Church.
They had a packed Owl Acoustic Lounge watching intently as Doerksen played wild psychedelic jams while Puurveen kept the beat rolling on the drums.
After that, Lethbridge acoustic folk/pop group the Neccessities rang in the new year with a variety of songs including crowd favourites like the “Cricket Song” (Death To The Sun) and Brian Wells from their debut CD “Forbidden Fruit.”
Lead singer Steven Foord brought out the mandolin after the big countdown as the crowd swelled in front of the stage hugging and cheering the onset of 2012 grooving to the mesmerizing folk of the Necessities.
Meanwhile, the Slice rang in 2012 with soulful blues courtesy of the Janni Lee Band.
I caught a hot set of beautiful blues and R and B music powered by Janni Lee’s powerful pipes.
There were sassy blues classics, classic rock like the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” a touch of reggae and even Top 40 including Adele’s big 2011 hit “Rolling In The Deep” which had a good portion of the audience dancing in front of the stage. The band played a tight set with Pat Ackerman on bass, Raz holding down the beat and tasteful solos being supplied by Matt Tatta on guitar. Janni Lee of course showed her big, resonant, powerhouse voice throughout.
It was time for a little rock and roll at the Stone as The Phantom Creeps and Calgary’s the Dudes were in the house to ring in the new year.
While I missed the Phantom Creeps, I caught the end of the Dudes’ upbeat, loud, fun-filled and energetic set, which had most of the crowd singing along, dancing, listening to them “tear it up,” and calling for more after their “fake out of here,” according to lead singer Dan Vacon.
Lethbridge rapper Mase One joined them on stage for a sweet, soulful number combining his rap and the Dudes’ laidback groove on one of the few times they slowed things down. They were happy to play long after the “fake out of here” and ended on a slower note after three or four faster songs.
Wednesday, January 4
Owl — L.A. Beat Open mic
Ric’s Grill — Ain’t Misbehavin with Bridgette Yarwood and Evan Schaaf
Slice — Jazzerwocky Muse and Blues with Gordon Leigh
Thursday, January 5
Good Earth Coffee Huse— Renee Werenka and Friends
Friday, January 6
Average Joes — Dueling pianos
Jimmy’s Pub — open mic with Cory Oryniak and Dave Tillsley
Ric’s Grill — Davidson Porter Trio
Wolf’s Den— open mic
Saturday, January 7
Slice — Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra
Ric’s Grill — Cal Toth
Monday, January 9
Owl Acoustic Lounge — open mic
Tuesday, January 10
Slice — open mic Bo Didlys open mic with Double Jack
Wednesday, January 11
Owl — L.A. Beat Open mic
Ric’s Grill — Ain’t Misbehavin with Bridgette Yarwood and Evan Schaaf
Thursday, January 12
Good Earth Coffee House — Renee Werenka and Friends
Friday, January 13
Enmax Centre — Bill Engvall Larry The Cable Guy 8 p.m.
Average Joes — Dueling pianos
Jimmy’s Pub — open mic with Cory Oryniak and Dave Tillsley
Ric’s Grill — Davidson Porter Trio
Wolf’s Den — bluegrass jam
Saturday, January 14
Slice — Coal Creek Boys CD release party with matt Robinson and J.R.
Ric’s Grill — Cal Toth
Wolf’s Den — Back Porch Swing with Cathy Hawley
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