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Shamrocking on St. Paddy’s Day

Art Beat
art beat

St. Paddy's Day

• Shamrock Around the Clock say Half Cut and the Slackers who play the Sechelt Legion. Dance to top hits from the 1950s through ’80s on Saturday, March 17 starting at 8 p.m. Members $5; guests $10. 

• Playback visits the Grasshopper Pub in Madeira Park on March 17 starting at 7ish. Dancing and good times are bound to happen when you get your green on. Phone 604-883-9013 for details.

• The Millar-Bowie Band will be back at Mad Park Bistro in Madeira Park for St. Pat’s Day. Join them for a fun evening of music and Irishness, starting at 6 p.m. Call Lisa at 604-883-2223 to reserve your table.

• Check out the return of music from “Irish for a Day” at the Roberts Creek Legion #219 on Saturday, March 17 at 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. (3064 Lower Road, Roberts Creek.) 

• Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Knotty Buoys live at the Blackfish Pub, Gibsons, on Saturday, March 17 at 7 p.m. There’s no cover charge. 

Market Concerts 

Saturday afternoons at the Gibsons Public Market often features live music with local musicians. This Saturday, March 17 it’s the Beachcomber Ukulele Group (aka BUGS) starting at 2:30. The following weekend vocalist Wanda Nowicki along with pianist Ken Dalgleish will perform on Saturday, March 24 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. 

Annie Lou at Gumboot 

With humour, grace, and warmth, Annie Lou takes the stage with banjo and guitar, and invites you in to a colourful world of original music rooted in melodic traditions of folk, oldtime, country and bluegrass. She is a past Juno nominee who is releasing her fourth album, End Zone, a collection of new songs. The album features Andrew Collins on mandolin and guitar, Max Heineman on upright bass and vocals, Sarah Hamilton on fiddle.

Bees and Music 

Bees of the Invisible, a free music and prose event with Kara Stanley & Simon Paradis, is hosted by Gibsons & District Public Library, 470 South Fletcher Road, on Saturday, March 17 at 2 p.m. to 3:30. In 2008 Simon Paradis fell, severing his spinal cord, fracturing skull bones and suffering global trauma to the brain. He was put in an induced coma, the outcome of his injuries uncertain. The 2015 non-fiction book Fallen, written by his wife, Kara Stanley, combines an honest and visceral account of the musician’s long road to recovery with the latest research on the brain, with a focus on music and its role in promoting neuroplasticity. Now the story of Fallen has been updated in an essay entitled “Bees of the Invisible” that Stanley contributed to the anthology Love Me True: Writers Reflect on the Ins, Outs, Ups and Downs of Marriage.

Vocal Concert 

Vocal Intent, the a cappella singing group, gave a sold-out performance in January and had to turn people away from the small venue. They are back on Sunday, March 18 at 3 p.m. at St. John’s United Church in Davis Bay with the same program, Songs for a New Day, and with more confidence. There will be enough space at St. John’s for all. Admission is by donation. 

Art Film 

On Sunday, March 18 the Sunshine Coast Arts Council is holding its second film in the Art & The Documentary series. Lowdown Tracks is written and directed by multi-award winning filmmaker Shelley Saywell, and created in collaboration with singer/activist Lorraine Segato. The film captures the music and stories of five musicians who are homeless or living on the margins of Canadian society. Lowdown Tracks features a soundtrack of music never heard or recorded before, from people who should be listened to. Rated: PG (advisory coarse and sexual language). The guest speaker is local social worker Cayce Laviolette. CDs of the soundtrack will be available for sale with a percentage of the proceeds going to support Arrowhead. The doors open at 10 a.m. and the film starts at 10:30 with a suggested donation of $10. Come to the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre, 5714 Medusa, Sechelt. Free muffins and coffee sponsored by The Bakery. 

Nir Blu in concert 

Pianist Nir Blu gives a performance from his latest recording at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons on Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m. You can check out a link on his website www.NirBlu.com to buy $15 tickets in advance or pay $20 at the door. 

Benefit Concert 

Terry (Coyote) Aleck and Christine (White Wolf Woman) Turenne have given much to the Sunshine Coast community over the years. It’s payback time. Recently their rental accommodations have had the carpet removed from beneath their feet, and they need help. The community is gathering for a benefit concert and potluck on the evening of March 23 and will see a huge cross-section of Coast performers entertaining you at the Roberts Creek Hall. They are looking for volunteers to help organize, perform or just show up and have a good time. Admission is by donation – pop your envelope in the barrel at the door. For more information contact George at 604-883-2299. 

Spring Break 

Spring Break Classes 2018 at the Gibsons Public Art Gallery with Zaffi Green start on Monday, March 19 to Friday, March 23.

Intro to Paper Arts: Toys and Magic Books is for the five to eight year olds. Make your own toys workshop is a week-long course for the curious and creative who want to make playthings with paper: Cootie Catchers, Flip Books, Spinners, Pop-Up Cards and Rolling Balls. 2D and 3D Collage Arts is for ages nine to 12. Explore elements of design through paper collage. Using a variety of papers and techniques, you will create beautiful landscapes, distorted images, plant holders, and unique three-dimensional storage boxes for art supplies. “Let’s Make a Book!” is for ages nine to 15 to design your own notebooks out of recycled materials. Explore a variety of techniques–stamp, stain, crumple, ink, tear, layer and sew it all together. For members of the gallery: GPAG’s 2018 Youth Programs are sponsored by Sunshine Coast Credit Union, whose members are also eligible for the members’ rate for classes. Lots more info with cost and registration can be found at 604-886-0531 or by emailing
info@gpag.ca 

Funtastics Tix 

The Funtastics present Hooray For Hollywood – a performance full of music and comedy skits from Hollywood movies past and present with artistic direction by Bob Hunt, musical direction and performances by Verna Chan. The band with Ken Johnson, Boyd Norman and John Rule will accompany the singers and the event includes dance numbers by Sandra Cordero and the Mambo Kings. Mark your calendars for the evening of Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m. and for matinee performances on Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25 at 3 p.m. all at the Seniors Activity Centre in Sechelt. Tickets are on sale now for $20 available at Swish, Gibsons; Mosaic Market, Davis Bay; The Flying Saucer, Sechelt; Harbour Insurance Agencies, Madeira Park and at the Activity Centre on Trail Avenue. All proceeds from the show will go to the Centre for the many programs that are offered. 

Message Me 

This week I say farewell to glorious Gibsons while I move to sunny Sechelt. My phone number will be out of commission for a while. You can still send notice of your arts and entertainment events to my email: jandegrass@dccnet.com. Items go into the Artbeat column one day to one week ahead only depending on space.

and vocals, John Showman and Trent Freeman on fiddle, Frank Evans on banjo, Burke Carroll on pedal steel, and Ivan Rosenberg on dobro.

Annie Lou performs at the Gumboot Café in Roberts Creek on Saturday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. as part of her western Canada tour with Collins, Hamilton and Heineman in tow. In live performance the band gallops along with joyful danceable precision, enticing audiences with twin fiddles, banjo, three and four-part harmonies, call and response and compelling instrumental solos. See: www.annielou.ca for more.