Get ready for an East Coast/West Coast double bill of great music at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons on Saturday, July 13. Mama’s Broke, a multi-instrumentalist singing duo from Halifax, headlines a show to be opened by the Vancouver retro-jazz/blues/country band The Burying Ground, with Gibsons’ Devora Laye on washboard, saw and vocals. Doors at 7:30 p.m., music at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the door, or $20 at Laedeli Gifts, MELOmania, Strait Music and www.share-there.com
The Impractical Cabinetmaker
You can be part of the conversation with Robert Van Norman as he shares images and talks about his life and work as the founder and resident craftsman at Inside Passage School of Fine Cabinetmaking in Roberts Creek (which has a program called Impractical Cabinetmaker). Also on hand will be student Marion Couvreur. It’s at the Grove Front Gallery, along the waterfront in Sechelt by the Watermark residences, from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 12. Admission is by donation.
Exhibits open
Two galleries have openings of new exhibits by local artists this week. At The Kube on Friday, July 12, there’s a reception for Neon Brown, by Davis Bay’s Caroline Weaver. Her work in painting and sculpture has been shown internationally. It is unique in subject matter and style, and even more impressive for Weaver being self-taught. The reception runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Gibsons Public Art Gallery presents A Tangled Web, new acrylics by Sandy Kay. The series, which has been inspired by the bog at Smuggler Cove, “is about the small places and the bits of light shining through in nature and in our own journeys,” says Kay. There’s an opening reception at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 13.
Moses’ tales
Described as “a master storyteller, oral historian, traditional healer, and respected spiritual leader,” Johnny Moses will spin his magic at the Sechelt Activity Centre on Trail Avenue on Saturday, July 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. Moses, whose native name is Walking Medicine Robe, was born to the Tulalip First Nation in Washington and was raised in traditional ways by his grandparents on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Admission is by donation.
For the guys on the line
Singer-songwriter Devon Hanley has made a video of her tune, Fighting the Fire, which honours the men and women who are working every day now to contain wildfires across B.C. Hanley has more of a vested interest than most of us – her son is among the firefighters. This year, he’s among the guys parachuting out of aircraft to put down lightning-strike fires, if you can imagine. It’s a nicely produced and heartfelt tune, recorded in June by Hanley and some Powell River musicians. The images in the video, which has close to 3,000 views, are from on-the-job photos her son has provided. To check it out, search Devon Hanley Fire on YouTube.
Cardio gold
Congratulations to the Cardio Cabaret Crew, a troupe of dancers in the over-50 age category, for their gold-medal win at the Dance World Cup Canada competition in Whistler in June. The group’s competition class, choreographed by Ivana Cappelletto, trains at Coast Academy of Dance in Sechelt. The win is just the latest for the Crew, which has put together a string of competitive awards recently.
In coming weeks
Renowned East Van band The Fugitives headlines an evening of gourmet food, spoken word and music at High Beam Dreams on Friday, July 19. The meal, prepared on the venue’s massive new barbecue by Drift Cafe and Bistro, will be followed by a reading and performance by P.H. Newcombe from his new book The Bard of Biscuit City. Then it’s the folk collective The Fugitives, who play an acoustic set that “brings enough energy to light a small city,” in the words of one critic from Georgia Straight. Tickets range from $60 for the whole 4 to 10 p.m. event to $27 ($17 for students) to hear the band.
Also on Friday the 19th, the musicians and dancers who make up Fin de Fiesta Flamenco bring their new production, Sempiterno, to the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons. “The ensemble is unique in that it has been creating work in the flamenco studios of Spain and then bringing that cutting-edge flamenco music and dance to audiences back at home in Canada,” writes co-founder Lia Grainger. Tickets will be $25 at the door, $22 in advance from Laedeli Gifts or findefiestaflamenco.com.
Rogue Fest
The fourth annual Rogue Arts Festival in Sechelt isn’t until late August, but single-day tickets are available now. Dozens of musical acts and all kinds of other fun stuff will be part of the three-day scene. Get the lowdown at roguefest.ca.
Culture flag
The 2019-20 Purple Banner Guide is now available at many locations around the Coast. Published by the tireless and dedicated crew at Coast Cultural Alliance, the guide highlights participating arts venues from Gambier Island to Powell River and Lund. And it’s free.
Submissions
If you have an event you’d like considered for Art Beat, please let us know by 11 a.m. Tuesday at [email protected]. Space is limited. Also check Coast Reporter’s Coast Community Calendar for more music and events.
