The monthly Artesia coffeehouse is this Friday (Feb. 22) at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in Sechelt.
The evening will begin with the young vocal trio, the Connection, featuring Stephanie Slingerland, Robyn Edgar and Shannon Heaven, accompanied by Wayne Slingerland on keyboard, followed by the duo of Verna Chan, vocals, and Sacha Fassaert, guitar.
The second set willhost another young singer/songwriter Ashley Huatala, followed by Martini Madness,lovely lounge jazz with a few originals, shaken not stirred. Kevin Crofton leads the trio on vocals with Andy Amanovich on guitar and Barry Taylor on drums. Doors open at 7 p.m.; show time is 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door, so come early to enjoy a slideshow of former performers, the textile art exhibitionin the Doris Crowston Gallery and Treats by Trish.
News flash
Sechelt musician and songwriter Janet Panic has just been nominated for a Juno award for Best Aboriginal Album of the Year for her indie album, Samples. And now the long wait until the April Juno ceremony.
Dreamspeaker
Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones, authors of the Dreamspeaker Cruising Guides, will be speaking at the Gibsons Public Library in a presentation from the Canadian Power Squadron this Saturday, Feb. 23, from 1 to 3 p.m. Call the library at 604-886-2130 for details.
Swan song
Come out to the Roberts Creek Legion this Saturday, Feb. 23, at 9 p.m.for the Song Butcher's swan song as they bid adieu to drummer ReganHeydu, who is leaving the Coast for a year.
The Song Butchers started life in 2008 with a few original membersrunning a Sunday jam at Pack Ratt Louie's, and it grew from there into aregular band. Coined after the term Wood Butcher, which denotes a kindof carpenter who likes to build with odd-shaped pieces of salvagedwood, the name fit the task of running an open jam. The Song Butchers are: Stephen Hanneman and Ross Powell, both onguitar and vocals, Regan Haydu on drums, Stuart Young on guitar,Gordon Birch on bass and vocals, Wayne Slingerland on keyboards andvocals, and Clarence Deis on sound. Lately multi-instrumentalist SashaFassaert has joined. Come for one last time of the high-octane percussive fuel behind the Song Butcher sound. Tickets are $10 or $5 for members at the door.
Drumming workshop
A Northwest Coast drumming, singing and history workshop will be offered by Andrew Puglas Jr. who will be hosting a two-day workshop for ages 12 to adult at the Sechelt Indian Band Hall this weekend, Feb. 23 to 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
You will learn three newly composed songs by Puglas, the meaning of each song and purpose for singing each song, the history of the Northwest Coast culture and traditional vocal training. Cost is $100 per person. For more information contact Puglas at 604-989-4297 or email [email protected]. Space is limited. Traditional lunch will be provided.
Green film
Heart of Sky Heart of Earth is the latest in the Green Films series to be shown on Monday, Feb. 25. The remote homelands of the present day Maya in Mexico and Guatemala present a perfect microcosm to show how indigenous cultures are now under attack for their natural resources. Beautifully filmed by Eric Black and Frauke Sandig, the film follows six young Maya in their daily and ceremonial life.
Guest Michael Maser will speak about the Canadian mining connection as shown in the film.Sustainable Coast magazine and the Gibsons Green Team are presenting the Green Film Series. This is a special project of the Sunshine Coast Film Society.That's at Gibsons Heritage Playhouse at 7:30 p.m.; doors at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door. For more information, see www.greenfilms.ca.
Freedom to read
They're called "challenged books," writes award-winning author Marion Quednau, "and they run the gamut from classics by Beatrix Potter to Canadian writer Lawrence Hill's international bestseller, The Book of Negroes.
When Hill's work was threatened with book-burnings, the author reminded objectors that the title refers to an actual British naval ledger charting the migration of 3,000 slaves allowed to return to Africa.A single complaint can have an author's work removed from school or public libraries. Quednau and Surrey writer Heidi Greco will read from banned books (400 listed in North America last year, including children's writers Robert Munsch and Maurice Sendak) during Canada's Freedom to Read week.They will be joined by localperformance artist Rula Kaliroi and other presenters at Harbour Haus (426 Gower Point Rd.) in Gibsons, on Thursday, Feb. 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. Everyone welcome, admission is free.
Open house
On Friday, March 1, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. artist Jan Poynter will celebrate the opening ofa new dedicated gallery space at her home, Poynter Studio, 558 Woodland Ave. in Gibsons. It will initially be open only on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, see www.janpoynter.com.
