I’ve always been a bit of a rebel—I question authority, I don’t take things at face value, I like to think that I live on the edge, battling the status quo. I don’t know where I picked up this attitude, maybe it has something to do with being a middle child—neither the firstborn nor the baby, struggling to earn my due—maybe it has something to do with genetics (my folks could be described as having the occasional quirk...), maybe it was just my group of childhood friends who set me on this path. One thing is for sure, though, at least over the last year or so, that sense of NOT being in the mainstream is almost certainly incorrect. Or is it?
From things like the election, in the U.S., of an (on paper) progressive president, to my own casual forays into the halls of local politics and even to the broad, casual acceptance of things that used to be my niche, my fringe philosophies; especially things like the local and organic foods movement, green energy, like solar panels and hybrid cars, railing against pollution and oil companies... Well, often, the fact is, I just don’t feel so alone out here anymore.
I seem to be surrounded by friends, big and small, friends I never expected to meet; let me elaborate: today, I saw a Coca-Cola truck with a ten foot high banner bragging that it was a hybrid-electric vehicle that was responsible for cleaning city air; last week I saw an article in which our new Wal-Mart claimed to be building its new local box store using ‘sustainable building’ practices; a new Canadian Tire, (across the street from the old one) will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. Grocery stores claim to carry local and organic products; new restaurants advertise local foods. I’m surrounded by friends, everywhere I look, trying to help make the world a better place by going green, buying local, even cleaning the air with Coca-Cola.
Why do I smell a rat?
Last week I saw Food Inc., finally. If you haven’t seen it yet, please, really, go watch it. Now. Seriously, I’ll still be here when you get back....
OK, you’ve seen it? Good! Now, welcome back; where was I? Food, Inc. is a movie that seems to be a summary of a lot of the information I try to share with people on pretty much a daily basis (monthly, if you just read the newsletter...) It encompasses everything from the dangers and pitfalls of centralized agribusiness in the meat and commodity food industries to the intimate connection between what we eat and our (and our planet’s) health. One of the experts interviewed in the film was Gary Hirschberg, a C.E.-Yo (...his joke, not mine...), president, and one of the people instrumental in bringing Stonyfield Yogurt into millions of homes all over North America every year. Gary, it would seem, was kind of a late term hippie; the Stonyfield website describes him as ‘an environmental activist, a windmill maker, an author, and a noted entrepreneur’; a little more homework reveals that he was a member of The New Alchemy Institute, a think-tank and not-for-profit research group of sorts that experimented with green technologies and that sounds like a page out of any edition of the Whole Earth Catalogue. He evolved into one of socially responsible business’s most exhilarating (on the surface) success stories. He is a man who has taken his values to the street, and by ‘the street’ I mean Main Street, the place where you and I actually live. His brand is no longer merely the best-selling organic yogurt brand; it is the 3rd largest selling yogurt brand, period. He is no longer David, he is Goliath.
I have often repeated language of Gary Hirschberg, both consciously and unconsciously, when describing my vision for our restaurant... How it is important to reach a wider audience, how our business is our activism, how my dream includes the ability not only to help support organic farmers, but to simply, actually, support them. Stonyfield does these things; it supports hundreds of organic farmers and is responsible for tens of thousands of acres of pesticide and herbicide free farmland, an outstanding accomplishment for any company and, in my opinion, probably an excellent step towards saving the world. Hirschberg’s latest venture is encroaching even closer towards my own with a line of natural and organic fast food restaurants under the moniker ‘O’Naturals’, a franchise which he claims that he wants to ‘become McDonald’s’. He speaks of these things with the passion of an evangelist; he firmly believes in taking the socially responsible business model right into heat of the battle, the thick of the fight. He is fearless, smart, and probably, I hope, does more good than harm.
Stonyfield is a grand idea, but here’s the thing: it is an idea built (again, in my opinion,) on the same shaky ground that has created the calamitous state of food everywhere. Everything about Stonyfield, everything about big agribusiness in general, is that instead of, or, perhaps, in Stonyfield’s case, along with, being about good, better and best, it is about being big, bigger and biggest. It is the same bloated mentality that has led us to the edge of the cliff and the same mentality that will push us over.
I don’t doubt that Hirschberg means well and has done a world of good. But by this logic, Wal-Mart has also done a world of good and probably supported thousands of organic farms with a single purchase order. Hirschberg is at much less moral fault than Wal-Mart, who is in the business of organics and ‘sustainable building’ to look good and to sell more products rather than for any deep-seated activist rationale, but he, whether he likes it or not, is at the mercy of the same flawed system nonetheless.
In 2004, Stonyfield came under majority ownership of Danone Group, the folks who make Dannon yogurt, one of Stonyfield’s biggest conventional competitors. Like Ben and Jerry’s going to Unilever and Odwalla going to Coca Cola before it (to help clean city air, no doubt...), this was a big mash-up in the ‘socially responsible business’ marketplace. Under the terms of the sale, as long as Stonyfield is increasing profits, Hirschberg will remain in control; he has also obligated the company to continue a policy of donating 10% of profits to environmental causes for up 10 years after his departure. In return, he pays back all his investors, and also, incidentally, doesn’t really have to worry about cash flow around the Hirschberg home, anymore. Ever. It seems like a sweetheart deal, and the Danone group looks good with an organic jewel in its crown. And, like I said, there is no question that a big conglomerate can do more with a single purchase than a million of me will do in a lifetime of small potatoes organic purchasing. So, despite the sale, takeover, or whatever, it would seem that Hirschberg’s vision of an ecologically responsible giant agribusiness operation is still under his guidance. For now. Until it is no longer profitable, or even just no longer profitable enough. And yet, it is still flawed. Stonyfield, Danone, O’Naturals, Wal-Mart... these business are built on the same premise that got us into the mess we’re in, the philosophy of go big or go home.
Another guy in the film is Joel Salatin—now here’s a character I’d like to meet. He is a farmer who describes himself in Michael Pollan’s ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’ (you know the drill, go read it...
OK, welcome back...) as a ‘grass farmer’. By virtue of his success at this activity, he also manages to raise beef, vegetables, chicken and pigs on a farm in Virginia that can only be described as ‘beyond organic.’ His take, in the film, on the large scale farms of the world is clear, it won’t work. “The model,” he says, “is flawed.” What he means is that conventional and large scale agriculture ignores too many hidden costs to the environment—be it planetary or human health or even just the massive cost of inputs required to run a farm of scale. Most large chicken farmers make an average of $18,000 a year, and the cost of a single chicken house which is required for a contract with a large scale processor is about $500,000; now, think about that... This is only one example, a little homework reveals dozens more examples. The fact is that cheap food is not really cheap; it is a market, like subprime mortgages, which is designed to fail. Even Stonyfield, with all of its market share and brand loyalty will collapse when the rest of the system collapses. Cheap oil, as we’ve all seen recently, is also not so cheap when you have to start digging for it a mile below the surface of the ocean, and it is the very foundation of our so-called ‘cheap food’ economy. Corn, a commodity which the film shows to be in (if not the primary ingredient of) a vast percentage of the cheap foods we have come to take for granted, is only cheap because of massive subsidies put in place by the U.S. government. Monsanto, the world’s largest purveyor of genetically modified seeds, has managed, through bully tactics and effective lobbying, to all but shut down the time honored practice of seed saving—the only way small, localized farms will be able to survive in a world without cheap oil. “The system,” as Salatin says, “is flawed...” Understatement.
The film is amazingly informative and I highly recommend it, especially its central message about consumer responsibility. I wish a film could change the way we all behave, but that’s not really up to a film, it’s kind of up to us, isn’t it?
On the local front, we are hearing more and more about local and organic, about ‘Green and Growing’, about how these big, new, and likely unnecessary businesses (do we really need four grocery stores in a town of 8,000?) that are moving into our small town are now the ones who are going to help us save the world...
There’s a new word out there, ‘greenwashing,’ that’s used to describe this tactic—it’s the same type of advertising ploy used in recent history that made sugary breakfast cereals a ‘part of a healthy breakfast’ or like claiming that french fries and ketchup count as a serving of veggies and are somehow healthful foods. They can be healthy, in moderation, as can toxic waste (OK, in extreme moderation...) Nowadays, ‘health’, the buzz word of the last decade or so, has been replaced by ‘green’. And, with the careful application of a little green paint, suddenly everyone is green, like those healthy junk foods of yesteryear, whether they are actually green or not. Pesticide-heavy farms are good for us and good for the planet because they are ‘local’. Grocery store chains can sponsor organic events because .5 percent of their sales are of ‘organic’ products from China or South America, so they are suddenly ‘on our side’...
I thought I’d joined the mainstream, and it does make me smile to know that WalMart, apparently, wants to be like me. Gary Hirshberg had a similar epiphany which he described in an interview a few years back. He said that he had started his quest to change the world by comparing the good turnout he had received at a tradeshow to an outlandishly larger turnout received by Kraft; he had decided then and there to figure out how they had done what they had and to imitate it, but with organic foods. Large organic farms do something similar: they use ‘organically approved’ inputs like Bt in place of conventional pesticides, sewage sludge in place of chemical fertilizers, then they proceed to pile into giant combines and set out to remake the face of the earth in their own flat, unimaginative image. A few years later, Hirschberg, after following this path, found out that Kraft was seeking advice on green(wash)ing their company and realized that, in this battle he had ‘won.’ Somehow he missed the irony.
I hate to be cynical (I mean, obviously); slowly but surely, people are coming around—attitudes are changing, the fringe is becoming the mainstream. We’re still fighting the good fight, just on different fronts in a big, weird and complicated war. Hirschberg is a warrior, with good intentions leading his own crusade, and appears to be winning. He is also, thanks in no small part to his timely flying of the green flag, a multimillion- if not billionaire. And Joel Salatin, smart, humble and by no means burdened with such material wealth is on the other front, a clear and honest voice who is also winning his own share of hearts and minds. So am I just a rebel? I don’t crave poverty, but I would, as I think Salatin does, settle for moderate material success coupled with the satisfaction of a life well lived. But why am I unhappy and skeptical when I see the corporations, often the same corporations that got us into this polluted, illogical system we’re in, changing their stripes? Going down dirty and coming up green? Is it because I know, you know, we all know, that when it comes down to it, the only real ‘green’ out there for a big company, a really big company, is on the back of the U.S. dollar bill? Well, yeah. That probably is it.
authentic texas specialties, amazing live music, incredible selection of local, microbrewed draft beers and locally sourced and organic foods...
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
The Week:
Tuesdays and Wednesdays in May, join us for our All You Can Eat Fajita Buffet! Heaps of grilled and seasoned beef and chicken, peppers, onions and our famous house-smoked portabello mushrooms, guacamole, cheese, beans, rice, salsa, sour cream & tortillas...heck, there's even salad and cornbread for only $14.99...it's every Tuesday and Wednesday, from 5-8pm. Yeah, buddy!
Tuesday, May 22, Steve Parisien, 7pm, no cover. talented local instrumental Jazz guitarist Steve stops in a couple of times every year to show off his chops and let us in to his secret world--piano tuner by day, Steve lives in a world of tone and pitch--when the guitar is out, he brings you along for the ride!
Wednesday, May 16, 23 and 30 Josef Mieto, 7pm, free! Every Wednesday in May, local folkal Josef Mieto will be playing and singing tunes of his own as well as folksy classics by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. This residency concept is just a little something extra on us for your Wednesday night pleasure--Josef has mentioned that he'll probably bring around some of his talented friends and family to help him out throughout the month, (Amanda Giles, Joel and Bianca Mieto) but if you've heard him play, (as he did at our Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen birthday tributes from last year...) you'll already know that he's a pleasure to enjoy even just on his own.
Thursday, May 24, Levon Helm Birthday Tribute (The Band/Bob Dylan) 7pm, no cover. Well, it's technically Bob Dylan's birthday, but I put in a call to dear old Mr. Zimmerman, and he said that he would totally understand if we decided to celebrate Levon this year on his special day, given the circumstance; and anyway, Levon would have been 72 on May 26, which is really just a two day difference when you think about it...Bob just said no problem, man, as long you guys all sing I Shall Be Released as the big jam at the end. So,obviously, it's a go. Lots of local musicians have already signed up to celebrate, now it's your turn!
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 25, 26 & 27, Dandelion Festival, Riverside Park--Join us there! The Branch will be closed for regular service as we participate in this Kemptville's annual celebration of weed! Not that kind, silly, the one with the yellow flowers...The Dandelion Festival is the area's premiere arts, culture and sports event featuring three days of live music, food, dancing, a kid's zone, a dunking booth, a craft fair, the kickoff of the Farmers' Market and, what is apparently the only nationally sanctioned Grand Prix bicycle race in Ontario...I hope the cyclists aren't allergic to dandelion pollen! We'll be at Riverside park for all three days, doling out our famous barbecue and soaking up the rays--come on out and see us there. We'll be in the beer tent. Obviously. Here's a link for more info: click here.
Thursday, May 31, Songwriter's Triangle...hosted by Chef Bruce and featuring locals Lisa Poushinsky and Josef Mieto, 7pm, no cover. This month's edition of the regular singin' songwritin' event that falls on the last Thursday of every month is a locals only version featuring the torchy jazz influenced tunes of Lisa Poushinksy and the dulcet crooning of weekly Wednesday night folk show host Josef Mieto--and me, of course, each of us strutting our original material for your perusal. It's artsy, but not fartsy--it's barbecue friendly art--like a velvet Elvis--like a sunset over the Rideau--like a jackelope with a banjo--a faded sign--the night sky--it's...well...it's good, and we'd love for you to come.
Well, that wraps up May--we look forward to having you all out real soon...and, (some of you know what I'm talking about,) Thanks.
--Chef Bruce
Tuesday, May 22, Steve Parisien, 7pm, no cover. talented local instrumental Jazz guitarist Steve stops in a couple of times every year to show off his chops and let us in to his secret world--piano tuner by day, Steve lives in a world of tone and pitch--when the guitar is out, he brings you along for the ride!
Wednesday, May 16, 23 and 30 Josef Mieto, 7pm, free! Every Wednesday in May, local folkal Josef Mieto will be playing and singing tunes of his own as well as folksy classics by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. This residency concept is just a little something extra on us for your Wednesday night pleasure--Josef has mentioned that he'll probably bring around some of his talented friends and family to help him out throughout the month, (Amanda Giles, Joel and Bianca Mieto) but if you've heard him play, (as he did at our Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen birthday tributes from last year...) you'll already know that he's a pleasure to enjoy even just on his own.
Thursday, May 24, Levon Helm Birthday Tribute (The Band/Bob Dylan) 7pm, no cover. Well, it's technically Bob Dylan's birthday, but I put in a call to dear old Mr. Zimmerman, and he said that he would totally understand if we decided to celebrate Levon this year on his special day, given the circumstance; and anyway, Levon would have been 72 on May 26, which is really just a two day difference when you think about it...Bob just said no problem, man, as long you guys all sing I Shall Be Released as the big jam at the end. So,obviously, it's a go. Lots of local musicians have already signed up to celebrate, now it's your turn!
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 25, 26 & 27, Dandelion Festival, Riverside Park--Join us there! The Branch will be closed for regular service as we participate in this Kemptville's annual celebration of weed! Not that kind, silly, the one with the yellow flowers...The Dandelion Festival is the area's premiere arts, culture and sports event featuring three days of live music, food, dancing, a kid's zone, a dunking booth, a craft fair, the kickoff of the Farmers' Market and, what is apparently the only nationally sanctioned Grand Prix bicycle race in Ontario...I hope the cyclists aren't allergic to dandelion pollen! We'll be at Riverside park for all three days, doling out our famous barbecue and soaking up the rays--come on out and see us there. We'll be in the beer tent. Obviously. Here's a link for more info: click here.
Thursday, May 31, Songwriter's Triangle...hosted by Chef Bruce and featuring locals Lisa Poushinsky and Josef Mieto, 7pm, no cover. This month's edition of the regular singin' songwritin' event that falls on the last Thursday of every month is a locals only version featuring the torchy jazz influenced tunes of Lisa Poushinksy and the dulcet crooning of weekly Wednesday night folk show host Josef Mieto--and me, of course, each of us strutting our original material for your perusal. It's artsy, but not fartsy--it's barbecue friendly art--like a velvet Elvis--like a sunset over the Rideau--like a jackelope with a banjo--a faded sign--the night sky--it's...well...it's good, and we'd love for you to come.
Well, that wraps up May--we look forward to having you all out real soon...and, (some of you know what I'm talking about,) Thanks.
--Chef Bruce
Monday, April 16, 2012
This Week--Maple Hill! Folk! Jazz! Blues! DRY RIVER CARAVAN!
Tuesday, April 17th Pat Moore & Maple Hill Bluegrass Jam, 8pm, no cover: Next Tuesday, please come to this monthly event at which the lovely Pat Moore and the talented fellas from Maple Hill invite you to come on up and play along! That’s right, pickers are welcome, heck, even encouraged to jump in at this one of a kind monthly jam—I even got dragged into it last month (tough work, I’m sure) and had a ball singing old time and Country with this fine crew. This is the real bluegrass deal we’ve all been waiting for, so help spread the word and enjoy!
Wednesday, April 18, Josef Mieto, 7pm, free! Every Wednesday in April, local folkal Josef Mieto will be playing and singing tunes of his own as well as folksy classics by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. This residency concept is just a little something extra on us for your Wednesday night pleasure--Josef has mentioned that he'll probably bring around some of his talented friends and family to help him out throughout the month, (Amanda Giles, Joel and Bianca Mieto) but if you've heard him play, (as he did at our Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen birthday tributes from last year...) you'll already know that he's a pleasure to enjoy even just on his own.
Thursday, April 19th, Smoky Undertones (Jazz), 8pm, $6: Next Thursday Linda Girard and her smoky, undertoney crew are back for the first time in a while to deliver the tones, the tunes, the vibes, the riffs and the hazy 3 martini glow that only a torchy night at the jazz lounge can provide...We’ll provide the olives and the gin, you bring the swank—Linda and the boys will take care of the rest!
Friday, April 20th, George Buys, 7pm, no cover: George Buys is back next Friday with the rhythm, the blues, the smile and the tunes to enhance your Friday dining experience as part of what is turning into a local performers showcase every Friday night this month—There is no such thing as a bad George Buys show, only varying degrees of good and better—from his original bluesy tunes to his broad selection of classic covers, George is a gentleman and a scholar—he always leaves us smiling, why not let him do the same for you!
Saturday, April 21, Dry River Caravan, 9pm, $10: Now here’s a show I can’t let you pass up—In fact, I must insist that you find your way to the Branch next Saturday for the local debut from this Ottawa Based alt-folk-gypsy-klezmerish-indie-pop-old time collective: Dry River Caravan sold me on first listen , and, I must admit, is one of the few acts that I have made an extra special effort to bring out for your listening pleasure—Take a minute and follow the link below to watch a video or listen to a tune or two; these folks are nearly perfect Branch music and I’d hate for you to miss out, so don’t—Plan now, reserve soon and tell your friends to come along—Ladies and Gents, we have ourselves a winner!
Sunday, April 22, Open Stage hosted by John and Terry Brewer, celebrating 10 years of open Stages Sundays at the Branch and Amanda’s Slip! That’s right, even though they are down to just having time for a couple of hosting gigs a year, John and Terry Brewer, the originators of the Open Stage concept in this room have actually been at at for a solid decade! I have a feeling this may get a little wild...might I recommend a pair of dancing rubber boots for this one? Open Stage and the Buffet start at 2!
Wednesday, April 18, Josef Mieto, 7pm, free! Every Wednesday in April, local folkal Josef Mieto will be playing and singing tunes of his own as well as folksy classics by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. This residency concept is just a little something extra on us for your Wednesday night pleasure--Josef has mentioned that he'll probably bring around some of his talented friends and family to help him out throughout the month, (Amanda Giles, Joel and Bianca Mieto) but if you've heard him play, (as he did at our Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen birthday tributes from last year...) you'll already know that he's a pleasure to enjoy even just on his own.
Thursday, April 19th, Smoky Undertones (Jazz), 8pm, $6: Next Thursday Linda Girard and her smoky, undertoney crew are back for the first time in a while to deliver the tones, the tunes, the vibes, the riffs and the hazy 3 martini glow that only a torchy night at the jazz lounge can provide...We’ll provide the olives and the gin, you bring the swank—Linda and the boys will take care of the rest!
Friday, April 20th, George Buys, 7pm, no cover: George Buys is back next Friday with the rhythm, the blues, the smile and the tunes to enhance your Friday dining experience as part of what is turning into a local performers showcase every Friday night this month—There is no such thing as a bad George Buys show, only varying degrees of good and better—from his original bluesy tunes to his broad selection of classic covers, George is a gentleman and a scholar—he always leaves us smiling, why not let him do the same for you!
Saturday, April 21, Dry River Caravan, 9pm, $10: Now here’s a show I can’t let you pass up—In fact, I must insist that you find your way to the Branch next Saturday for the local debut from this Ottawa Based alt-folk-gypsy-klezmerish-indie-pop-old time collective: Dry River Caravan sold me on first listen , and, I must admit, is one of the few acts that I have made an extra special effort to bring out for your listening pleasure—Take a minute and follow the link below to watch a video or listen to a tune or two; these folks are nearly perfect Branch music and I’d hate for you to miss out, so don’t—Plan now, reserve soon and tell your friends to come along—Ladies and Gents, we have ourselves a winner!
"At the core Dry River Caravan is a folk project. But one listen to their music and you can tell they go way beyond easily classifiable genre distinctions. In order for anything to not only survive but thrive, there must be variation, and there is no music tradition too foreign or unreachable for this group. They blend traditions from the Balkans and Eastern Europe, to Africa, India, and East Asia, just to name a few, and combine those with familiar Western popular music elements to create something exciting and new.(bio lifted from the internet...)
Dry River Caravan's live show is known far and wide as a raucous party and a great time. But now with the release of their debut album "Wake Up", taking home Dry River Caravan will be a completely different story. Their songs go beyond upbeat dance music, and take you across cinematic landscapes both stark and beautiful. They create a world that is difficult to place in time or geography, a world that simply is, Dry River Caravan."
Sunday, April 22, Open Stage hosted by John and Terry Brewer, celebrating 10 years of open Stages Sundays at the Branch and Amanda’s Slip! That’s right, even though they are down to just having time for a couple of hosting gigs a year, John and Terry Brewer, the originators of the Open Stage concept in this room have actually been at at for a solid decade! I have a feeling this may get a little wild...might I recommend a pair of dancing rubber boots for this one? Open Stage and the Buffet start at 2!
Monday, April 9, 2012
The Week!
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, don't forget our All You Can Eat Fajita Buffet! Heaps of grilled and seasoned beef and chicken, peppers, onions and our famous housesmoked portabello mushrooms, guacamole, cheese, beans, rice, salsa, sour cream & tortillas...heck, there's even salad and cornbread for only $14.99...it's every Tuesday and Wednesday, from 5-8pm. Yeah, buddy!
Wednesday, April 11, Josef Mieto, 7pm, free! Every Wednesday in April, local folkal Josef Mieto will be playing and singing tunes of his own as well as folksy classics by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. This residency concept is just a little something extra on us for your Wednesday night pleasure--Josef has mentioned that he'll probably bring around some of his talented friends and family to help him out throughout the month, (Amanda Giles, Joel and Bianca Mieto) but if you've heard him play, (as he did at our Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen birthday tributes from last year...) you'll already know that he's a pleasure to enjoy just on his own.
Thursday, April 12, Signe Miranda, 9pm, $5; Toronto indie-alt/folk: Toronto-based singer/songwriter Signe Miranda just released her sophomore album, “September Night” recorded with her band, 'Signe Miranda's Veranda' and embarked on a cross-Canada tour. The title track received "Honorable Mention" in the Song of The Year competition. The group is led by Signe Miranda and includes a revolving cast of talented musicians who blend together a sound that seamlessly brings you on a journey from post-break-up, alt-pop-punk title track, “September Night” to warm, spacious, alt-country gem, “Like It Was Yesterday”.
This follow-up to Signe's solo “Love Wins” EP, a five-song disc that explores themes of love lost and won in a sincere alt-folk-pop style. A bedroom recording, the album is built mostly upon acoustic guitar and vocals,‘Love Wins’ is charting on college radio stations across Canada and is being played on CBC Radio and on radio stations in the United States, Germany, Belarus, Macedonia, Colombia, Australia and New Zealand.
Originally from Belleville, Ontario, Signe began playing music at an early age and by fifteen was playing guitar and writing songs. Signe has performed for audiences in Canada, the UK and Norway.
Friday, April 13, Doug Hendry (and friends...), 7pm, no cover: The Scottish ambassador to Kemptville will host this Friday's dinner music showcase playing his original songs, folk favourites, 12 string tunes and perhaps even a taste of Supertramp. Doug, the fearless leader of Kemptville's 'Maplewood Celeidh Band' as well as a contributing pitchfork and torch wielder in his other project,'The Heroic Mad Peasants' is sure to be joined by fellow folksy types on this Friday's musical adventure, so be prepared for anything except, perhaps, Bob Dylan.
Saturday, April 14, Al Wood and the Woodsmen, 9pm, $5: Blues! CD Release Show! Al Wood is a multi-talented performer and songwriter with a deep reverence for the blues and traditionally-based roots music. Born in Sault Ste. Marie (the Soo), Ontario, Al’s father first taught him how to pick out old country tunes on the harmonica. Now a virtuoso harmonica player, talented guitar stylist, and golden-throated singer, Al lives in Ottawa and Highway 17 is more than a song; it’s a road well-traveled.
On the new CD, Al Wood’s heart-on-the-sleeve vocals, harmonica-playing and guitar work create a powerful potion on stage and in the studio. Backed by the talented Woodsmen, the new and original Mood Swingin’ Blues is an emotional Ferris wheel ride where everything goes, everything grooves and even the “hurtin’ songs” make you feel good.
Thirteen full-band songs, all penned by Al Wood, span the highest and the lowest ranges of human emotion, weaving together diverse forms of blues and related styles with a unique originality that defies cliché and elevates the soul the way only music can. Also lyrically rich and full of imagery, Wood’s songs take us down shiny neon-lit streets, into a hot crowded jazz club, or on an enchanted jaunt through a fairytale countryside.
Sunday, April 15, BRUNCH! in support of the North Grenville Cooperative Pre-school and Learning Center from 10-2pm, Our regular Rubber Boots Buffet from 2-8pm and our ever popular Open Stage, hosted by Chef Bruce from 3-6pm. Let's get eggy with it!
Wednesday, April 11, Josef Mieto, 7pm, free! Every Wednesday in April, local folkal Josef Mieto will be playing and singing tunes of his own as well as folksy classics by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. This residency concept is just a little something extra on us for your Wednesday night pleasure--Josef has mentioned that he'll probably bring around some of his talented friends and family to help him out throughout the month, (Amanda Giles, Joel and Bianca Mieto) but if you've heard him play, (as he did at our Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen birthday tributes from last year...) you'll already know that he's a pleasure to enjoy just on his own.
Thursday, April 12, Signe Miranda, 9pm, $5; Toronto indie-alt/folk: Toronto-based singer/songwriter Signe Miranda just released her sophomore album, “September Night” recorded with her band, 'Signe Miranda's Veranda' and embarked on a cross-Canada tour. The title track received "Honorable Mention" in the Song of The Year competition. The group is led by Signe Miranda and includes a revolving cast of talented musicians who blend together a sound that seamlessly brings you on a journey from post-break-up, alt-pop-punk title track, “September Night” to warm, spacious, alt-country gem, “Like It Was Yesterday”.
This follow-up to Signe's solo “Love Wins” EP, a five-song disc that explores themes of love lost and won in a sincere alt-folk-pop style. A bedroom recording, the album is built mostly upon acoustic guitar and vocals,‘Love Wins’ is charting on college radio stations across Canada and is being played on CBC Radio and on radio stations in the United States, Germany, Belarus, Macedonia, Colombia, Australia and New Zealand.
Originally from Belleville, Ontario, Signe began playing music at an early age and by fifteen was playing guitar and writing songs. Signe has performed for audiences in Canada, the UK and Norway.
“We really love your engaging style, it is emotive, minimalist, evocative and very subtle. The choice of material backed up with guitar is marvellous and gels together in a hauntingly beautiful sound that has you wanting more and our audiences most certainly will love your heartfelt songs…” Peter Merrett (Music Manager, PBS FM 106-7, Melbourne, Australia)
Friday, April 13, Doug Hendry (and friends...), 7pm, no cover: The Scottish ambassador to Kemptville will host this Friday's dinner music showcase playing his original songs, folk favourites, 12 string tunes and perhaps even a taste of Supertramp. Doug, the fearless leader of Kemptville's 'Maplewood Celeidh Band' as well as a contributing pitchfork and torch wielder in his other project,'The Heroic Mad Peasants' is sure to be joined by fellow folksy types on this Friday's musical adventure, so be prepared for anything except, perhaps, Bob Dylan.
Saturday, April 14, Al Wood and the Woodsmen, 9pm, $5: Blues! CD Release Show! Al Wood is a multi-talented performer and songwriter with a deep reverence for the blues and traditionally-based roots music. Born in Sault Ste. Marie (the Soo), Ontario, Al’s father first taught him how to pick out old country tunes on the harmonica. Now a virtuoso harmonica player, talented guitar stylist, and golden-throated singer, Al lives in Ottawa and Highway 17 is more than a song; it’s a road well-traveled.
On the new CD, Al Wood’s heart-on-the-sleeve vocals, harmonica-playing and guitar work create a powerful potion on stage and in the studio. Backed by the talented Woodsmen, the new and original Mood Swingin’ Blues is an emotional Ferris wheel ride where everything goes, everything grooves and even the “hurtin’ songs” make you feel good.
Thirteen full-band songs, all penned by Al Wood, span the highest and the lowest ranges of human emotion, weaving together diverse forms of blues and related styles with a unique originality that defies cliché and elevates the soul the way only music can. Also lyrically rich and full of imagery, Wood’s songs take us down shiny neon-lit streets, into a hot crowded jazz club, or on an enchanted jaunt through a fairytale countryside.
Sunday, April 15, BRUNCH! in support of the North Grenville Cooperative Pre-school and Learning Center from 10-2pm, Our regular Rubber Boots Buffet from 2-8pm and our ever popular Open Stage, hosted by Chef Bruce from 3-6pm. Let's get eggy with it!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The Week!
PLEASE NOTE: The Branch is Closed on Sunday, April 7 to celebrate the opening day of Egg Hunting Season. Have a wonderful Easter! (We apologize for any inconvenience...)
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, don't forget our All You Can Eat Fajita Buffet! Heaps of grilled and seasoned beef and chicken, peppers, onions and our famous housesmoked portabello mushrooms, guacamole, cheese, beans, rice, salsa, sour cream & tortillas...heck, there's even salad and cornbread for only $14.99...it's every Tuesday and Wednesday, from 5-8pm. Yeah, buddy!
Wednesday, April 4, Josef Mieto, 7pm, free! Every Wednesday in April, local folkal Josef Mieto will be playing and singing tunes of his own as well as folksy classics by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. This residency concept is just a little something extra on us for your Wednesday night pleasure--Josef has mentioned that he'll probably bring around some of his talented friends and family to help him out throughout the month, (Amanda Giles, Joel and Bianca Mieto) but if you've heard him play, (as he did at our Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen birthday tributes from last year...) you'll already know that he's a pleasure to enjoy just on his own.
Thursday, April 5, The Avenues, 9pm, $6: Peterborough has sent a couple of interesting acts our way over the years, The County Boys, a young bluegrass inspired trio with a fantastic energy being one, Sean Conway, an exquisite and authentic old school country picker, who debuted at the Branch this year alongside our ever returning and popular troubadour Petunia being another; Well, this Thursday, be prepared for what can only be described as a Peterborough experience squared! The Avenues are a supergroup of sorts, apparently, featuring Sean Conway and members of the County Boys! That's right, 2 for one! Or more, even, or something!
Well now, that sounds like a good time, doesn't it? Come on out! Friday is a day off anyway, this is where you'll want to be!
Friday, April 6, David Shanahan, 7pm, free! You had fun singing along with this local patriarch of the true Irish tradition on St. Patricks Day, didn't you? Well then come on out for a Good Friday evening with Dr. Shanahan, Historian, Scholar, entertainer, and our good friend...it starts at 7 and it's free!
Saturday, April 7, Terry McLeish, 9pm, $5: Stompin Tom fans, take note, Terry Mcleish is as close as we get these days to having a songwriter that has the wit, charm and ability to spin a yarn like old Tom is able to do...And I'm not even calling him second best, Terry is a fun, entertaining and engaging songwriter in his own right, and will keep you both guessing and chuckling with his country tinged story-songs this Saturday night. Ask anyone who was at the recent Songwriter's Circle last week here at the Branch where Terry was a guest, his memorable tunes may very well have stolen the show!
The Branch is Closed on Sunday, April 7 to celebrate the opening day of Egg Hunting Season. Have a wonderful Easter!
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, don't forget our All You Can Eat Fajita Buffet! Heaps of grilled and seasoned beef and chicken, peppers, onions and our famous housesmoked portabello mushrooms, guacamole, cheese, beans, rice, salsa, sour cream & tortillas...heck, there's even salad and cornbread for only $14.99...it's every Tuesday and Wednesday, from 5-8pm. Yeah, buddy!
Wednesday, April 4, Josef Mieto, 7pm, free! Every Wednesday in April, local folkal Josef Mieto will be playing and singing tunes of his own as well as folksy classics by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. This residency concept is just a little something extra on us for your Wednesday night pleasure--Josef has mentioned that he'll probably bring around some of his talented friends and family to help him out throughout the month, (Amanda Giles, Joel and Bianca Mieto) but if you've heard him play, (as he did at our Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen birthday tributes from last year...) you'll already know that he's a pleasure to enjoy just on his own.
Thursday, April 5, The Avenues, 9pm, $6: Peterborough has sent a couple of interesting acts our way over the years, The County Boys, a young bluegrass inspired trio with a fantastic energy being one, Sean Conway, an exquisite and authentic old school country picker, who debuted at the Branch this year alongside our ever returning and popular troubadour Petunia being another; Well, this Thursday, be prepared for what can only be described as a Peterborough experience squared! The Avenues are a supergroup of sorts, apparently, featuring Sean Conway and members of the County Boys! That's right, 2 for one! Or more, even, or something!
Emerging from the sleepy river town of Peterborough, Ontario, The Avenues make real country music; not country music that requires the pre-fix "alt" or "new," but the pure, honest, and unadorned kind.
Forming in the winter of 2009, The Avenues sound the way Nashville might have without the glitz and glamour, as their banjo pickin' and guitar strummin' - augmented by the addition of bass and drums - echo the honky tonks and the heartaches of old country music.
On their self-titled first album, Chris Culgin (guitar and vocals) Benj Rowland (banjo, bass pedals and vocals), Sean Conway (electric guitar), and Josh Fewings (drums), tell stories from the frontiers of country music, wandering that liminal space just past what musicologists call tradition...strikingly familiar yet undoubtedly new, like hearing a new story from an old friend.
With stunning vocal harmonies and a high-spirited live show, The Avenues are one of Canada's best-kept secrets.
Well now, that sounds like a good time, doesn't it? Come on out! Friday is a day off anyway, this is where you'll want to be!
Friday, April 6, David Shanahan, 7pm, free! You had fun singing along with this local patriarch of the true Irish tradition on St. Patricks Day, didn't you? Well then come on out for a Good Friday evening with Dr. Shanahan, Historian, Scholar, entertainer, and our good friend...it starts at 7 and it's free!
Saturday, April 7, Terry McLeish, 9pm, $5: Stompin Tom fans, take note, Terry Mcleish is as close as we get these days to having a songwriter that has the wit, charm and ability to spin a yarn like old Tom is able to do...And I'm not even calling him second best, Terry is a fun, entertaining and engaging songwriter in his own right, and will keep you both guessing and chuckling with his country tinged story-songs this Saturday night. Ask anyone who was at the recent Songwriter's Circle last week here at the Branch where Terry was a guest, his memorable tunes may very well have stolen the show!
Singer-Songwriter Terry McLeish has been described as:
“a Canadian songwriter whose songs and music poignantly capture the lives of cowboys, loggers, misfits and as well, the trials, humor and pathos of everyday life.”
Raised in a military family, Terry has worked as a grocery boy, farm hand, golf course greens man, forest fire fighter, tree planter, clerk and forest technician.
Major influences in McLeish’s music and writing have been Steve Goodman, Ian Tyson, John Prine, Bob Dylan and Steve Earle. Bluegrass has also been a strong influence which can be heard in many of the songs on his self titled, début album, “Terry McLeish”. His music career has taken him from folk, rock and blues bands to folk/roots singer-songwriter and performer and his songs have been heard on CJOH television, CBC, CHCR radio, CHIP and Valley Heritage radio, CKCU radio, other artist’s albums and projects, compilation cd’s and a musical tour of the Upper Ottawa Valley’s Opeongo Line. Over the years, Terry has shared the stage with Colleen Peterson, Valdy, Long John Baldry, Reverend Ken and the Lost Followers, Jack De Keizer, Sneezy Waters, Ian Tamblyn, David Essig, Donnie Walsh of Downchild Blues Band, Paul Brandt, Ronnie Hawkins, Prairie Oyster, Leahy and many more. He has performed at festivals, clubs, kitchen parties, fairs and events of all kinds.
Recently, Terry was invited to act and perform in The Stone Fence Theatre’s current production of “The Opeongo Opera” which ran throughout the summer and into the fall of 2011. Three of his songs were chosen to be featured in this acclaimed two-act musical as well. In early 2012 McLeish hosted The Terry McLeish Show; an eight week live stage show featuring some of Canada’s best folk/roots, singer-songwriters.
McLeish has recently completed his self titled début studio album, produced by James Stephens, of fourteen original songs which was released in August of 2011. He went on to win runner up in the International Acoustic Music Awards and was a finalist in The Great American Song Contest and the 2011 International Song Writing Competition. He is performing on stages throughout eastern Ontario and western Quebec either as a solo act or with well known Ottawa bass player and long time friend and band mate, Grant Tomkinson. Terry currently lives on the Ottawa River in the Upper Ottawa Valley.
The Branch is Closed on Sunday, April 7 to celebrate the opening day of Egg Hunting Season. Have a wonderful Easter!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Today, April 1, 2012
The Branch is closed today for a private function, we apologize for any inconvenience.
Monday, March 26, 2012
This Week!
SUNDAY, APRIL 1; PLEASE NOTE--THE BRANCH WILL BE CLOSED FOR REGULAR SERVICE AS WE WILL BE HOSTING A PRIVATE EVENT--WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE...
As to the rest of the week...
Wednesday, March 28 will be a farewell show for Wednesday night regulars The Exes (...at least for the Branch...at least for now...), as well as Mike Lyon's Birthday Party, he wants me to let all of you know that you are invited...it's at 8pm and it's free! Cake!
Thursday, March 29, Last Thursday Songwriter's Circle, hosted by Chef Bruce, featuring Terry McLeish, Greg Kelly and Birdie Whyte; I'll be the host, as usual, and I'll be singing my own tunes which range in style from Hank to Lennon to Sufjan and tend to be either goofy or over serious as those are the moods that most often encourage me to write...but worry not, my tunes will be tempered by the presence of these wonderful friends who will bring their own sense of quirk and intensity to this months event...
Friday, March 30, Chef Bruce and the Burning Sensations, 7pm, free! It turns out that I misread my calendar this month and that next Friday, Frank and Birdie are off again with a nation to protect from evil and what not--so, well, yeah, I just decided to play this one myself. What can I say? The fellas and I love to come out and strut our stuff every now and then, and to be fair, I'm here most of the time anyway, I'm pretty easy to track down when it comes to booking a last minute gig. Fortunately for you, my incredibly talented gang of friends are on hand to help fill out the sound, Jay Williams on double bass, Shawn Yakimovich on fiddle, John Dillabough and possibly even Ben Mullin coming in on guitars...it will be a full and fun night with lots of strings and sings and things to enjoy. Expect a Beatle heavy set of covers that will also range from Hank Williams to the Grateful Dead, from Neil Young to Tom Jones, as well as a handful of my original tunes thrown in for good measure--fun will be the order of the day and we'd love to see you there to share it!
Saturday, March 31, The Bushpilots, unplugged, 9pm, $6. The Bushpilots are a legendary Ottawa Rock and Roll Event; Rob Bennett, the charismatic lead vocalist has already been on the Branch stage twice for our annual Gram Parsons Birthday Tribute, to much acclaim; the following info was cribbed from the band's website: Celebrating a decade together, the Bushpilots formed in 2002 in Ottawa, ON and have been tearing up stages in Eastern Ontario and West Quebec ever since, recently adding intimate acoustic shows to augment their full blown rock extravaganzas. These five veterans of Ottawa's vibrant indie music scene are bent on their mission of keeping the music pure and honest; bottom line: the Bushpilots' have developed an innate understanding of what makes a rock n roll song work. Write a great song and the rest shall follow. The band has a chemistry that has kept it on track and focused with a sense of unifying purpose through all their years of being together, with the same lineup (plus one, keyboardist Tom was added in 2008) through all three of their albums, recorded with Juno nominated producer Dave Draves. Many festival appearances (including two at Ottawa Bluesfest) have honed the band into one helluva rock show that transcends demographics.
...I have a very good feeling about these fellas, at least one person has described them as accurately capturing that 'Exile on Main Street' era Stones vibe--if that is even halfway true, we are going to be in for a very good time. I am really looking forward to a party...you don't want to miss that, do you?
SUNDAY, APRIL 1; PLEASE NOTE--THE BRANCH WILL BE CLOSED FOR REGULAR SERVICE AS WE WILL BE HOSTING A PRIVATE EVENT--WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE...
As to the rest of the week...
Wednesday, March 28 will be a farewell show for Wednesday night regulars The Exes (...at least for the Branch...at least for now...), as well as Mike Lyon's Birthday Party, he wants me to let all of you know that you are invited...it's at 8pm and it's free! Cake!
Thursday, March 29, Last Thursday Songwriter's Circle, hosted by Chef Bruce, featuring Terry McLeish, Greg Kelly and Birdie Whyte; I'll be the host, as usual, and I'll be singing my own tunes which range in style from Hank to Lennon to Sufjan and tend to be either goofy or over serious as those are the moods that most often encourage me to write...but worry not, my tunes will be tempered by the presence of these wonderful friends who will bring their own sense of quirk and intensity to this months event...
Greg Kelly says: I’m a bit of a late bloomer. I’ve been writing songs for quite a number of years now, but I’ve never done anything with them. I’ve always been afraid to perform live, but when I get on stage, I’m right at home.
So, at the tender age of @#%, I’m finally ready to take my first steps into the world of music. No sense writing songs for the world and not recording or performing them.
This collection of songs is both old and new. It was tough to choose which ones [...] I do however have a lot more from the old days and a lot more new ones to record. So you haven’t heard the last of me. “Country Mama” and “Pete the Barber” were both written in 1975. The rest were written somewhere between then and 2007.
Some say I procrastinate. I say I’m methodical.
Singer-Songwriter Terry McLeish has been described as:
“a Canadian songwriter whose songs and music poignantly capture the lives of cowboys, loggers, misfits and as well, the trials, humor and pathos of everyday life.”
Raised in a military family, Terry has worked as a grocery boy, farm hand, golf course greens man, forest fire fighter, tree planter, clerk and forest technician.
Major influences in McLeish’s music and writing have been Steve Goodman, Ian Tyson, John Prine, Bob Dylan and Steve Earle. Bluegrass has also been a strong influence which can be heard in many of the songs on his self titled, début album, “Terry McLeish”. His music career has taken him from folk, rock and blues bands tofolk/roots singer-songwriter and performer and his songs have been heard on CJOH television, CBC, CHCR radio, Valley Heritage radio,CKCU radio, other artist’s albums and projects, compilation cd’s and a musical tour of the Upper Ottawa Valley’s Opeongo Line. Over the years, Terry has shared the stage with Colleen Peterson, Valdy, Long John Baldry, Reverend Ken and the Lost Followers, Jack De Keizer,Sneezy Waters, Ian Tamblyn, David Essig, Donnie Walsh ofDownchild Blues Band, Paul Brandt, Ronnie Hawkins, Prairie Oyster,Leahy and many more. He has performed at festivals, clubs, kitchen parties, fairs and events of all kinds.
And, of course, Birdie Whyte is, well, Birdie Whyte...although hardly anonymous, she is at least mysterious--locals know and love her weekly appearances alongsidekicking the equally mysterious Frank Western, but for this show we will hear her banjo and dulcet vocal stylings out and about on their own as she brings her original tunes to the light for this wonderful showcase event. To my ear, most of her songs are simple in a way that decives you into thinking they are not deep, on a closer listen, however, it becomes clear that they are not only deeper than you thought, but crafted with a sense of hope and honesty that is far from simple to convey. Her songs are careful, thoughtful...and, well, real.
Friday, March 30, Chef Bruce and the Burning Sensations, 7pm, free! It turns out that I misread my calendar this month and that next Friday, Frank and Birdie are off again with a nation to protect from evil and what not--so, well, yeah, I just decided to play this one myself. What can I say? The fellas and I love to come out and strut our stuff every now and then, and to be fair, I'm here most of the time anyway, I'm pretty easy to track down when it comes to booking a last minute gig. Fortunately for you, my incredibly talented gang of friends are on hand to help fill out the sound, Jay Williams on double bass, Shawn Yakimovich on fiddle, John Dillabough and possibly even Ben Mullin coming in on guitars...it will be a full and fun night with lots of strings and sings and things to enjoy. Expect a Beatle heavy set of covers that will also range from Hank Williams to the Grateful Dead, from Neil Young to Tom Jones, as well as a handful of my original tunes thrown in for good measure--fun will be the order of the day and we'd love to see you there to share it!
Saturday, March 31, The Bushpilots, unplugged, 9pm, $6. The Bushpilots are a legendary Ottawa Rock and Roll Event; Rob Bennett, the charismatic lead vocalist has already been on the Branch stage twice for our annual Gram Parsons Birthday Tribute, to much acclaim; the following info was cribbed from the band's website: Celebrating a decade together, the Bushpilots formed in 2002 in Ottawa, ON and have been tearing up stages in Eastern Ontario and West Quebec ever since, recently adding intimate acoustic shows to augment their full blown rock extravaganzas. These five veterans of Ottawa's vibrant indie music scene are bent on their mission of keeping the music pure and honest; bottom line: the Bushpilots' have developed an innate understanding of what makes a rock n roll song work. Write a great song and the rest shall follow. The band has a chemistry that has kept it on track and focused with a sense of unifying purpose through all their years of being together, with the same lineup (plus one, keyboardist Tom was added in 2008) through all three of their albums, recorded with Juno nominated producer Dave Draves. Many festival appearances (including two at Ottawa Bluesfest) have honed the band into one helluva rock show that transcends demographics.
...I have a very good feeling about these fellas, at least one person has described them as accurately capturing that 'Exile on Main Street' era Stones vibe--if that is even halfway true, we are going to be in for a very good time. I am really looking forward to a party...you don't want to miss that, do you?
SUNDAY, APRIL 1; PLEASE NOTE--THE BRANCH WILL BE CLOSED FOR REGULAR SERVICE AS WE WILL BE HOSTING A PRIVATE EVENT--WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE...
Monday, March 19, 2012
This Week: Bluegrass! Jazz! Birdie! Graham & Lambert!
We have quite a week lined up for everyone, Tuesday and Wednesday we will be serving our all new Fajita Buffet, with beef and chicken; all you can eat for just $14.99, and...
Tuesday, March 20; Pat Moore and Maple Hill, 8pm, no cover: Pat Moore is a Branch favourite, her honeyed voice and memorable tunes have become part of the landscape around here--her love of old time, traditional, country and especially, Bluegrass music have influenced many through her radio shows on CKCU and her annual 'Ottawa Opry' and 'Christmas Goose' events. Recently, Pat has teamed up with some old pals, the Bluegrass trio Maple Hill to try A new project, specifically, a bluegrass jam right here at the Branch on the 3rd Tuesday evening of every month. Last month, the kick-off show was a big success, pickers joined in and the room was full--and this Tuesday is the second in what we hope is a long-running new tradition. Again, pickers are welcome, the show starts at 8, and we look forward to seeing all of you there!
Thursday, March 22; Peripheral Vision, Toronto Jazz Quartet, 8pm, $8: You keep asking for more Jazz, and we keep bringing it! This Thursday, we are very pleased to host this instrumental Jazz quartet from Toronto: (The following info is provided by the artists...) Peripheral Vision is one of the most exciting and innovative jazz quartets to have recently appeared on the international jazz scene. The creative leaders of the group are long time musical collaborators, guitarist Don Scott and bassist Michael Herring. They have assembled a synergistic musical unit designed to push the boundaries of jazz while engaging the listener with a grooving, toe-tapping immediacy. You can hear the influences of the classic 1960's era of jazz - Wayne Shorter, Booker Little, Charles Mingus - mixed with the modern New York scene - David Binney, Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dave Douglas, along with hints of Radiohead, reggae and electronica.
Peripheral Vision has just released their second album, Spectacle: Live!, and they maintain a busy touring schedule to support this new album, as well as their eponymous debut. Scott and Herring are joined by saxophonist Trevor Hogg and drummer Nick Fraser. While the compositions are Herring and Scott's, Peripheral Vision is defined by its group rapport. Bringing back the anything-is-possible democratic approach of both 1960's jazz and garage bands, the music takes shape as a collective process. This no-holds-barred philosophy is at the root of Peripheral Vision's explosive performances.
Friday; March 23, Birdie Whyte and Friends, 7pm, free! While Frank Western is off slaying dragons, wrestling bears and shearing sheep, Birdie Whyte will be iin this Friday to fly solo...or will she? Nope! In fact, our favourite pale avian is bringing in a flock of friends to help her line the nest, ruffle some feathers, egg us on...pecking order to be determined later, of course, but some Mad Peasants will likely appear, and, who knows? It's Friday night, anything can happen!
Saturday; March 24, Graham & Lambert, local talent--8pm, free! Besides parenting a generation of musical kids (including Branch favourite Christo Graham...), Tom Graham and Jeanne Lambert have been performing folk, pop, jazz and well, good songs, as a duo, as a family and as part of other collectives, for long enough that, well, let's just say that they know exactly what they are doing. Tom and Jeanne are the hosts of this event, and the main attraction, of course, but we are all also very excited that it will be the premiere of a new local ladies group; Bella Borealis, a vocal collective featuring darn near every great local lady singer I could name: Jeanne Lambert, Katie Nolan, Lisa Poushinsky, Polly Beach and Amanda Giles! It is rumoured that even Birdie Whyte may be involved at some point, which, I guess, would make it the North Grenville musical equivalent of a straight royal flush or something...(although, I should point out, there are definitely lots more totally awesome local lady singers, but even they would admit that this is certainly a fine collection of some of our very best!) So THAT is certainly reason enough to come out this Saturday--and did I mention that it is free? That's right, see you there!
Sunday; March 25, Open Stage and Rubber Boots Buffet; 3-6pm and 2-8pm respectively. The patio was open this past Sunday, what a treat! Who knew?
Tuesday, March 20; Pat Moore and Maple Hill, 8pm, no cover: Pat Moore is a Branch favourite, her honeyed voice and memorable tunes have become part of the landscape around here--her love of old time, traditional, country and especially, Bluegrass music have influenced many through her radio shows on CKCU and her annual 'Ottawa Opry' and 'Christmas Goose' events. Recently, Pat has teamed up with some old pals, the Bluegrass trio Maple Hill to try A new project, specifically, a bluegrass jam right here at the Branch on the 3rd Tuesday evening of every month. Last month, the kick-off show was a big success, pickers joined in and the room was full--and this Tuesday is the second in what we hope is a long-running new tradition. Again, pickers are welcome, the show starts at 8, and we look forward to seeing all of you there!
Thursday, March 22; Peripheral Vision, Toronto Jazz Quartet, 8pm, $8: You keep asking for more Jazz, and we keep bringing it! This Thursday, we are very pleased to host this instrumental Jazz quartet from Toronto: (The following info is provided by the artists...) Peripheral Vision is one of the most exciting and innovative jazz quartets to have recently appeared on the international jazz scene. The creative leaders of the group are long time musical collaborators, guitarist Don Scott and bassist Michael Herring. They have assembled a synergistic musical unit designed to push the boundaries of jazz while engaging the listener with a grooving, toe-tapping immediacy. You can hear the influences of the classic 1960's era of jazz - Wayne Shorter, Booker Little, Charles Mingus - mixed with the modern New York scene - David Binney, Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dave Douglas, along with hints of Radiohead, reggae and electronica.
Peripheral Vision has just released their second album, Spectacle: Live!, and they maintain a busy touring schedule to support this new album, as well as their eponymous debut. Scott and Herring are joined by saxophonist Trevor Hogg and drummer Nick Fraser. While the compositions are Herring and Scott's, Peripheral Vision is defined by its group rapport. Bringing back the anything-is-possible democratic approach of both 1960's jazz and garage bands, the music takes shape as a collective process. This no-holds-barred philosophy is at the root of Peripheral Vision's explosive performances.
Top Ten Canadian Jazz Albums 2010 & 2011:
"Peripheral Vision are making exacting but emotional music that nimbly relays complexity in a
heady but appealing way, and with Spectacle: Live!, they demonstrate that they can pull off
their magic in real-time."
– Peter Hum, The Ottawa Citizen
“This outfit produces jazz for this century… all the material has something to say, propelled with
elegant momentum and hearty rations of dynamic interplay.”
- Geoff Chapman, The Wholenote
★★★★ - The Globe and Mail
Friday; March 23, Birdie Whyte and Friends, 7pm, free! While Frank Western is off slaying dragons, wrestling bears and shearing sheep, Birdie Whyte will be iin this Friday to fly solo...or will she? Nope! In fact, our favourite pale avian is bringing in a flock of friends to help her line the nest, ruffle some feathers, egg us on...pecking order to be determined later, of course, but some Mad Peasants will likely appear, and, who knows? It's Friday night, anything can happen!
Saturday; March 24, Graham & Lambert, local talent--8pm, free! Besides parenting a generation of musical kids (including Branch favourite Christo Graham...), Tom Graham and Jeanne Lambert have been performing folk, pop, jazz and well, good songs, as a duo, as a family and as part of other collectives, for long enough that, well, let's just say that they know exactly what they are doing. Tom and Jeanne are the hosts of this event, and the main attraction, of course, but we are all also very excited that it will be the premiere of a new local ladies group; Bella Borealis, a vocal collective featuring darn near every great local lady singer I could name: Jeanne Lambert, Katie Nolan, Lisa Poushinsky, Polly Beach and Amanda Giles! It is rumoured that even Birdie Whyte may be involved at some point, which, I guess, would make it the North Grenville musical equivalent of a straight royal flush or something...(although, I should point out, there are definitely lots more totally awesome local lady singers, but even they would admit that this is certainly a fine collection of some of our very best!) So THAT is certainly reason enough to come out this Saturday--and did I mention that it is free? That's right, see you there!
Sunday; March 25, Open Stage and Rubber Boots Buffet; 3-6pm and 2-8pm respectively. The patio was open this past Sunday, what a treat! Who knew?
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
This Week:
Locals, take heart! This week is all for you! Tuesday and Wednesday we will be premiering our Fajita Buffet, All you can eat for 14.99! Music on Thursday and Saturday will be with some of our most lovable local talent and, I might add, free! let's pull up the drawbridge this week and have a North Grenville party to remember...
Thursday, March 15, George Buys, rhythm and blues, 7pm, free! Last month Mr. Buys brought his bluesy guitar, harmonica and vocal style-ings in through the front door; then, when he thought no-one was looking, he managed to sneak his Jazz trio in through the back...What a treat! Don't miss this music scholar as he treats us to an evening of fun, good times and smiles!
Friday: March 16th: PLEASE NOTE: The Branch will be closed for regular service as we are hosting a private event. We apologize for any inconvenience...
Saturday; March 17th, St. Patrick's Day!David Shanahan and Friends, a Celtic Session; 7pm, free: Dr. Shanahan is the perennial 'Host for Life' of our annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. This Is Real Irish Music--David is an Irish National and the heart and soul of this event; expect an authentic Session with some wonderful players, some honest Irish music and experience to remember. Oh, and of course, there will be a big pot of Irish Stew with Soda Bread as well as plenty of stout beer and whiskey to wash it all down with! Come one and all to join in the fun and sing till yer hoarse...We'll see you there!
Sunday, March 18th: Come out for the Open Stage (3-6pm) and our ever popular Rubber Boots Buffet (2-8)...Still the best community day around!
Thursday, March 15, George Buys, rhythm and blues, 7pm, free! Last month Mr. Buys brought his bluesy guitar, harmonica and vocal style-ings in through the front door; then, when he thought no-one was looking, he managed to sneak his Jazz trio in through the back...What a treat! Don't miss this music scholar as he treats us to an evening of fun, good times and smiles!
Friday: March 16th: PLEASE NOTE: The Branch will be closed for regular service as we are hosting a private event. We apologize for any inconvenience...
Saturday; March 17th, St. Patrick's Day!David Shanahan and Friends, a Celtic Session; 7pm, free: Dr. Shanahan is the perennial 'Host for Life' of our annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. This Is Real Irish Music--David is an Irish National and the heart and soul of this event; expect an authentic Session with some wonderful players, some honest Irish music and experience to remember. Oh, and of course, there will be a big pot of Irish Stew with Soda Bread as well as plenty of stout beer and whiskey to wash it all down with! Come one and all to join in the fun and sing till yer hoarse...We'll see you there!
Sunday, March 18th: Come out for the Open Stage (3-6pm) and our ever popular Rubber Boots Buffet (2-8)...Still the best community day around!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Tonight:
Sustainable North Grenville will be looking ahead to Spring with a talk and discussion with Telsing Andrews from Canadian Organic Growers. Come learn tips and tricks for starting and maintaining an organic vegetable garden. Beginners to experts… all are welcome to what promises to be a fun and informative evening!
Sustainable North Grenville is open to everyone... no membership required. An optional buffet and coffee, tea and sweets are available by donation, plus a cash bar. We look forward to seeing you tonight
Sustainable North Grenville is open to everyone... no membership required. An optional buffet and coffee, tea and sweets are available by donation, plus a cash bar. We look forward to seeing you tonight
Monday, March 5, 2012
This Week:
Thursday, March 8, our dear old friend Pat Johnson is back playing fingerstyle and Delta Blues and singing an eclectic mix of covers and originals; it’s been too long since we’ve had this Brock-’villain’ in the house, lets welcome him back with a fun night and the party that an old friend deserves. 9pm, $5
Here's a video:
Friday, March 9, we’ve given Frank and Birdie the night off because, well, holy crap, Cuff the Duke wanted a gig. Wow! (9pm, $25). Yes, you know those guys who were the 'Friday Live' guests on CBC Radio’s show ‘Q’ a couple of weeks back? Basically one of the hottest names we’ve booked in here at our little venue yet? By way of description (for the uninitiated...), to my ears, these up and comers take a page each from Blue Rodeo, Wilco and Mumford and Sons,(with, perhaps, a few paragraphs from the Fleet Foxes thrown in for good measure) but then go on to write the rest of the book themselves...it's country enough for the country, and it's folk enough and rock enough for the country too... Here’s a bit of the back story (as told by Wikipedia):
“Cuff the Duke is a Canadian band from Oshawa, Ontario. They play a blend of traditional country and folk music with indie rock influences, and can be categorized as an alt-country group.
In 2002 they released their first album, Life Stories for Minimum Wage on Three Gut Records. They spent the next few years touring with Hayden, acting as his backing band. In 2005 they released their second album, Cuff the Duke on Hardwood Records.
The line-up for Cuff the Duke has evolved, with the consistent members thus far being Wayne Petti and Paul Lowman. With Dale Murray (Nephew to Anne Murray) now in Cuff the Duke, the band has taken on a more polished tone, due to his pedal steel and guitar playing. Patrick Conan (who temporarily filled in for Matt Faris who has been side-lined from playing live due to wrist surgery) has been a steady drummer and has filled Matt Faris' shoes well. Paul Aucoin of the Hylozoists also occasionally performs live with Cuff the Duke playing vibraphone, glockenspiel and percussion. Paul also produced Cuff the Duke's self-titled album in 2005. Since June 2007, Corey Wood has taken on the role of Cuff the Duke's drummer, and is now an official member of the band.
Cuff the Duke utilizes a wide range of instruments, of these the more notable instruments are bells, Moog synthesizers, wind organs, Hammond organs and lap steel.”
What that doesn’t say, following this link and listening to a few of their tunes will: Check it out here.
Or watch this:
Suffice it to say that if you like country, or rock, or music, or things that are good, you’ll probably want a ticket to this show. We’ll see you there Friday.
Saturday, March 10th (9pm, $6) we are happy to host a buzzy little Ottawa tunesmith, ‘Jack Pine,’ this fella has been making waves in Ottawa as of late with his recently released record, Jack Pine + The Fire—come to think of it, maybe you should just pop over and give him a listen as well. Check it out here. I do think you have to be a face-bookster to use that link, but it’s well worth a visit, I promise! Here's a vid for that as well!
Sunday, March 11; Join us for Chef Bruce's Loose and Juicy Acoustic Jam: This event is what we do on the second Sunday of every month and is a variation on our usual open stage format--for this Sunday, pickers, grinners, singers, tambourinists, Balalakains, banjo-vists, pipers, whistlers and toe-tappers (etc.) are invited one and the same to join in to a rousing 'electricity free zone' of acoustic goodness. It's a jam session, folks, a kitchen party...an old fashioned porch session... And YOU are invited to play..along! Jam starts at 3; Rubber Boots Buffet is served from 2-8pm.
Here's a video:
Friday, March 9, we’ve given Frank and Birdie the night off because, well, holy crap, Cuff the Duke wanted a gig. Wow! (9pm, $25). Yes, you know those guys who were the 'Friday Live' guests on CBC Radio’s show ‘Q’ a couple of weeks back? Basically one of the hottest names we’ve booked in here at our little venue yet? By way of description (for the uninitiated...), to my ears, these up and comers take a page each from Blue Rodeo, Wilco and Mumford and Sons,(with, perhaps, a few paragraphs from the Fleet Foxes thrown in for good measure) but then go on to write the rest of the book themselves...it's country enough for the country, and it's folk enough and rock enough for the country too... Here’s a bit of the back story (as told by Wikipedia):
“Cuff the Duke is a Canadian band from Oshawa, Ontario. They play a blend of traditional country and folk music with indie rock influences, and can be categorized as an alt-country group.
In 2002 they released their first album, Life Stories for Minimum Wage on Three Gut Records. They spent the next few years touring with Hayden, acting as his backing band. In 2005 they released their second album, Cuff the Duke on Hardwood Records.
The line-up for Cuff the Duke has evolved, with the consistent members thus far being Wayne Petti and Paul Lowman. With Dale Murray (Nephew to Anne Murray) now in Cuff the Duke, the band has taken on a more polished tone, due to his pedal steel and guitar playing. Patrick Conan (who temporarily filled in for Matt Faris who has been side-lined from playing live due to wrist surgery) has been a steady drummer and has filled Matt Faris' shoes well. Paul Aucoin of the Hylozoists also occasionally performs live with Cuff the Duke playing vibraphone, glockenspiel and percussion. Paul also produced Cuff the Duke's self-titled album in 2005. Since June 2007, Corey Wood has taken on the role of Cuff the Duke's drummer, and is now an official member of the band.
Cuff the Duke utilizes a wide range of instruments, of these the more notable instruments are bells, Moog synthesizers, wind organs, Hammond organs and lap steel.”
What that doesn’t say, following this link and listening to a few of their tunes will: Check it out here.
Or watch this:
Suffice it to say that if you like country, or rock, or music, or things that are good, you’ll probably want a ticket to this show. We’ll see you there Friday.
Saturday, March 10th (9pm, $6) we are happy to host a buzzy little Ottawa tunesmith, ‘Jack Pine,’ this fella has been making waves in Ottawa as of late with his recently released record, Jack Pine + The Fire—come to think of it, maybe you should just pop over and give him a listen as well. Check it out here. I do think you have to be a face-bookster to use that link, but it’s well worth a visit, I promise! Here's a vid for that as well!
Sunday, March 11; Join us for Chef Bruce's Loose and Juicy Acoustic Jam: This event is what we do on the second Sunday of every month and is a variation on our usual open stage format--for this Sunday, pickers, grinners, singers, tambourinists, Balalakains, banjo-vists, pipers, whistlers and toe-tappers (etc.) are invited one and the same to join in to a rousing 'electricity free zone' of acoustic goodness. It's a jam session, folks, a kitchen party...an old fashioned porch session... And YOU are invited to play..along! Jam starts at 3; Rubber Boots Buffet is served from 2-8pm.
Monday, February 27, 2012
This Week:
Wednesday, February 29, The Exes, 8pm, $5: This week, join us on Wednesday (actually, every Wednesday…) for live Hot Country and East Coast covers with our very own fun loving Kim James and her band: The Exes. Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company is the sponsor for this ‘college night’ as we’ve been calling it; but perhaps, based on the all ages appeal we’ve seen so far, ‘pub night’ would be a more appropriate title: What does that mean? Well, a pitcher of Beau’s Lug Tread Beer comes with a free order of nachos (this month, limit one free nacho per table of four) and there are some door prizes (in case you’ve seen a few of those sweet new Beau’s toques around…) The music is swinging and fun, the atmosphere is casual (a good stop for fans of the Rubber Boots Sundays…) and dancing is encouraged!
Thursday, March 1, Lynn Miles, 9pm, $20: The one and only Lynn Miles is back this Thursday, move quick, this show is ALMOST sold out--you don't want to miss it! Here's the story from her website...'There is something to be said for experience, for taking the time to grow into your own skin. All sturdy things need time to root firmly into the ground to find their strength. Lynn Miles is one of Canada's most accomplished singer/songwriters. With seven albums to her credit, the winner of multiple Canadian Folk Music Awards, and a 2003 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Solo Album of the Year, she has certainly found her strength over time.'
Friday, March 2, The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western, as you may or may not know, is a pseudonym; and his real name? Elvis Aaron freakin’ Presley. You wanted to know, well THIS is where he is, PLEASE, don’t hate him for wanting his privacy. And Birdie Whyte? Norma Jean Baker, or, as you may have known her, that’s right; Marilyn Monroe. Yep. Not dead, neither one of them, just hiding out in Kemptville. Who knew that these two were timeless lovers? I mean, it makes sense, when you think about it. Well, I’m sure that you understand, but for the sake of their privacy, the world can never know. So don’t tell anyone. Really. And don’t come see for yourself either. Whatever you do, don’t come see Elvis and Marilyn at the Branch Restaurant every Friday. Please. Don’t. Really.
Saturday, March 3, Jim Bryson, 9pm, $20: Yes, THAT Jim Bryson. And, Yes, the same week as Lynn Miles. Yeah, things are pretty good here at the Branch, if you like, you know, things that are good. For those that don't know who this is (Both of you...) Here's a quick Bio: 'Jim Bryson is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Briefly a founding member of the band Punchbuggy, he moved to a musical life under his own name with the release of his debut album, The Occasionals, in 2000. A member of country singer Kathleen Edwards's touring band, Bryson has also toured and recorded with many other artists, including Howe Gelb, Lynn Miles, Sarah Harmer, The Weakerthans, and The Tragically Hip. Bryson has toured Canada and the United Kingdom extensively. He has played the South by Southwest festival and his music has been in rotation on CBC Radio 3.'
Here's a little taste:
Sunday, March 4, Open Stage, 3-6pm; Rubber Boots Buffet 2-8.
Thursday, March 1, Lynn Miles, 9pm, $20: The one and only Lynn Miles is back this Thursday, move quick, this show is ALMOST sold out--you don't want to miss it! Here's the story from her website...'There is something to be said for experience, for taking the time to grow into your own skin. All sturdy things need time to root firmly into the ground to find their strength. Lynn Miles is one of Canada's most accomplished singer/songwriters. With seven albums to her credit, the winner of multiple Canadian Folk Music Awards, and a 2003 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Solo Album of the Year, she has certainly found her strength over time.'
Friday, March 2, The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western, as you may or may not know, is a pseudonym; and his real name? Elvis Aaron freakin’ Presley. You wanted to know, well THIS is where he is, PLEASE, don’t hate him for wanting his privacy. And Birdie Whyte? Norma Jean Baker, or, as you may have known her, that’s right; Marilyn Monroe. Yep. Not dead, neither one of them, just hiding out in Kemptville. Who knew that these two were timeless lovers? I mean, it makes sense, when you think about it. Well, I’m sure that you understand, but for the sake of their privacy, the world can never know. So don’t tell anyone. Really. And don’t come see for yourself either. Whatever you do, don’t come see Elvis and Marilyn at the Branch Restaurant every Friday. Please. Don’t. Really.
Saturday, March 3, Jim Bryson, 9pm, $20: Yes, THAT Jim Bryson. And, Yes, the same week as Lynn Miles. Yeah, things are pretty good here at the Branch, if you like, you know, things that are good. For those that don't know who this is (Both of you...) Here's a quick Bio: 'Jim Bryson is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Briefly a founding member of the band Punchbuggy, he moved to a musical life under his own name with the release of his debut album, The Occasionals, in 2000. A member of country singer Kathleen Edwards's touring band, Bryson has also toured and recorded with many other artists, including Howe Gelb, Lynn Miles, Sarah Harmer, The Weakerthans, and The Tragically Hip. Bryson has toured Canada and the United Kingdom extensively. He has played the South by Southwest festival and his music has been in rotation on CBC Radio 3.'
Here's a little taste:
Sunday, March 4, Open Stage, 3-6pm; Rubber Boots Buffet 2-8.
Monday, February 20, 2012
This Week:
Tuesday, February 21; Pat Moore and Maple Hill, 8pm, free: Pat Moore is a pal and a heckuva singer-songwriter, but before she stood out front with that guitar, she was plucking the upright bass with this crew: Maple Hill, playing bluegrass, traditional and old time. On Tuesday the 21st we’re hoping for a gang to come out so we can make this a regular event and, if it goes well, a new Branch tradition. Pat has asked me to let you know that bluegrass pickers are welcome to come and join in and hopes that this will become a fun evening for folks who want to share in a good old fashioned jam session... We at the Branch are also hoping you’ll come out for another reason… since we were working this past Saturday and weren't be able to make it out to the Benefit for Terry Render; Terry is a local bluegrass legend, owner of Wood and Wire; he was recently stricken with a nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome, and although he is expected to make a full recovery, in the meantime, he is unable to support himself by his usual methods of teaching students and doing instrument repairs. We would like to take this event as an opportunity to pitch in: one half of all our food sales for the evening will be donated to Terry’s cause, helping him out during this rough patch. Hang in there, Terry!
Wednesday, February 22, The Exes, 8pm, $5: This week, join us on Wednesday (actually, every Wednesday…) for live Hot Country and East Coast covers with our very own fun loving Kim James and her band: The Exes. Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company is the sponsor for this ‘college night’ as we’ve been calling it; but perhaps, based on the all ages appeal we’ve seen so far, ‘pub night’ would be a more appropriate title: What does that mean? Well, a pitcher of Beau’s Lug Tread Beer comes with a free order of nachos (this month, limit one free nacho per table of four) and there are some door prizes (in case you’ve seen a few of those sweet new Beau’s toques around…) The music is swinging and fun, the atmosphere is casual (a good stop for fans of the Rubber Boots Sundays…) and dancing is encouraged!
Thursday, February 23; Songwriter Circle, hosted by Bruce Enloe and featuring John Carroll and Andy McGaw; 7pm, free: No, this is not ‘…a bunch of people sittin’ around writing songs…’ as one person suggested, although I might enjoy that; I’d understand if it didn’t sound like an entertaining way to spend an evening out: What it actually is is a chance to hear songs written by the folks involved, in a format that allows you to take in a broad selection of each songwriter’s style and songs, to hear some stories and maybe even to enjoy a little impromptu collaboration if the mood fits. Andy McGaw is a legend; he is a powerful folk songwriter whose clear delivery, fearless approach to tough topics and wit puts him in a small, elite group that includes some very familiar names, you know, names like Bob Dylan and John Prine. And no, I don’t consider that hyperbole. John Carroll is another local legend who is at the top of his game, his most recent album ‘Everybody Smokes in Hell’ is easily his best work and has brought him a great deal of well-deserved attention in recent days. I’m your host, and although I’ll be sitting between two masters of the form, I’ll be at least trying to keep up with tunes out of my broad (if not well known) catalogue and pitching in on harmonies where I can. I can’t promise perfection, but with John, Andy and me on stage together, I can promise fun—excellent quality and a good time, and really, isn’t that more than enough?
Friday(s), February 10 (17 &24); The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western, as you may or may not know, is a pseudonym; and his real name? Elvis Aaron freakin’ Presley. You wanted to know, well THIS is where he is, PLEASE, don’t hate him for wanting his privacy. And Birdie Whyte? Norma Jean Baker, or, as you may have known her, that’s right; Marilyn Monroe. Yep. Not dead, neither one of them, just hiding out in Kemptville. Who knew that these two were timeless lovers? I mean, it makes sense, when you think about it. Well, I’m sure that you understand, but for the sake of their privacy, the world can never know. So don’t tell anyone. Really. And don’t come see for yourself either. Whatever you do, don’t come see Elvis and Marilyn at the Branch Restaurant every Friday. Please. Don’t. Really.
Saturday, February 25; George Harrison Birthday Tribute: All things must pass? Says who? Oh, yeah, THAT guy! George Harrison; Beatle, filmmaker, race car sponsor, Wilbury… It is time again to start planning for this year’s celebration of all things George, so get ready to Wah-Wah, Oh my Lord, Here Comes the Sun, Something and Old Brown Shoe your way through another awesome night of tunes, stories, and generally swell times...Basically, let’s get 'not so quiet' in honour of 'the Quiet One...' Performers who have signed up to participate so far include myself, Greg Kelly, David Shanahan, Katherine Amanda Giles and members of the Heroic Mad Peasants; Ben and Heather Mullin may make it out (if Ginny allows), as will Brian Simms, Lisa Poushinsky and David Bosschaart. More names could appear...there is a bit of a house band in place, and either way, we’ll spend an evening celebrating the legacy of a Beatle...how bad could that be? Answer: not very; it could, in fact, be really …Something.
Sunday, February 26; Open Stage, 3-6pm; Rubber Boots Buffet, 2-8.
Wednesday, February 22, The Exes, 8pm, $5: This week, join us on Wednesday (actually, every Wednesday…) for live Hot Country and East Coast covers with our very own fun loving Kim James and her band: The Exes. Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company is the sponsor for this ‘college night’ as we’ve been calling it; but perhaps, based on the all ages appeal we’ve seen so far, ‘pub night’ would be a more appropriate title: What does that mean? Well, a pitcher of Beau’s Lug Tread Beer comes with a free order of nachos (this month, limit one free nacho per table of four) and there are some door prizes (in case you’ve seen a few of those sweet new Beau’s toques around…) The music is swinging and fun, the atmosphere is casual (a good stop for fans of the Rubber Boots Sundays…) and dancing is encouraged!
Thursday, February 23; Songwriter Circle, hosted by Bruce Enloe and featuring John Carroll and Andy McGaw; 7pm, free: No, this is not ‘…a bunch of people sittin’ around writing songs…’ as one person suggested, although I might enjoy that; I’d understand if it didn’t sound like an entertaining way to spend an evening out: What it actually is is a chance to hear songs written by the folks involved, in a format that allows you to take in a broad selection of each songwriter’s style and songs, to hear some stories and maybe even to enjoy a little impromptu collaboration if the mood fits. Andy McGaw is a legend; he is a powerful folk songwriter whose clear delivery, fearless approach to tough topics and wit puts him in a small, elite group that includes some very familiar names, you know, names like Bob Dylan and John Prine. And no, I don’t consider that hyperbole. John Carroll is another local legend who is at the top of his game, his most recent album ‘Everybody Smokes in Hell’ is easily his best work and has brought him a great deal of well-deserved attention in recent days. I’m your host, and although I’ll be sitting between two masters of the form, I’ll be at least trying to keep up with tunes out of my broad (if not well known) catalogue and pitching in on harmonies where I can. I can’t promise perfection, but with John, Andy and me on stage together, I can promise fun—excellent quality and a good time, and really, isn’t that more than enough?
Friday(s), February 10 (17 &24); The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western, as you may or may not know, is a pseudonym; and his real name? Elvis Aaron freakin’ Presley. You wanted to know, well THIS is where he is, PLEASE, don’t hate him for wanting his privacy. And Birdie Whyte? Norma Jean Baker, or, as you may have known her, that’s right; Marilyn Monroe. Yep. Not dead, neither one of them, just hiding out in Kemptville. Who knew that these two were timeless lovers? I mean, it makes sense, when you think about it. Well, I’m sure that you understand, but for the sake of their privacy, the world can never know. So don’t tell anyone. Really. And don’t come see for yourself either. Whatever you do, don’t come see Elvis and Marilyn at the Branch Restaurant every Friday. Please. Don’t. Really.
Saturday, February 25; George Harrison Birthday Tribute: All things must pass? Says who? Oh, yeah, THAT guy! George Harrison; Beatle, filmmaker, race car sponsor, Wilbury… It is time again to start planning for this year’s celebration of all things George, so get ready to Wah-Wah, Oh my Lord, Here Comes the Sun, Something and Old Brown Shoe your way through another awesome night of tunes, stories, and generally swell times...Basically, let’s get 'not so quiet' in honour of 'the Quiet One...' Performers who have signed up to participate so far include myself, Greg Kelly, David Shanahan, Katherine Amanda Giles and members of the Heroic Mad Peasants; Ben and Heather Mullin may make it out (if Ginny allows), as will Brian Simms, Lisa Poushinsky and David Bosschaart. More names could appear...there is a bit of a house band in place, and either way, we’ll spend an evening celebrating the legacy of a Beatle...how bad could that be? Answer: not very; it could, in fact, be really …Something.
Sunday, February 26; Open Stage, 3-6pm; Rubber Boots Buffet, 2-8.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
This Week:
Thursday, February 16; Josef Mieto and Katherine Amanda Giles, 8pm, $5: Josef is a Cohen-esque singer-songwriter and performer who moved this way from Montreal last year; we’ve been pleased to host him at a few open stages and at some of our birthday tribute shows where he has always given stand out performances. Katherine Amanda Giles grew up and is still growing up here in town, she sings original songs that are well advanced for her tender years with a voice that is at once haunting and beautiful—as a duettist, she has stunned Branch audiences alongside her pal, Christo Graham; as a solo performer she has brought her spunky style to birthday tribute showcases, open stages and, recently, as the opening act for Branch favourite David Martel.
Friday, February 17; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western, as you may or may not know, is a pseudonym; and his real name? Elvis Aaron freakin’ Presley. You wanted to know, well THIS is where he is, PLEASE, don’t hate him for wanting his privacy. And Birdie Whyte? Norma Jean Baker, or, as you may have known her, that’s right; Marilyn Monroe. Yep. Not dead, neither one of them, just hiding out in Kemptville. Who knew that these two were timeless lovers? I mean, it makes sense, when you think about it. Well, I’m sure that you understand, but for the sake of their privacy, the world can never know. So don’t tell anyone. Really. And don’t come see for yourself either. Whatever you do, don’t come see Elvis and Marilyn at the Branch Restaurant every Friday. Please. Don’t. Really.
Saturday, February 18; Ashley Newall, featuring L. Poushinsky, 9pm, $6: Remember that guy at the Neil Young Birthday Tribute that shocked everyone with his pitch perfect ‘Needle and The Damage Done’? Yeah, that was this guy. Here, check out this video:
L. Poushinsky is a Branch favourite and Kemptville local who has made several show stopping appearances at our birthday tribute events and is well known for a few she has hosted herself (as well as for her own very cool solo work, of course...) in 'The City' before she moved out this way. She is an arresting singer with a unique style that blends jazz, folk and almost an eighties 'new wave' rock sort of style. So there you have it, OK? Enough said! See you next Saturday…
Sunday, February 19; Open Stage, 3-6pm, Rubber Boots Buffet 2-8pm.
Friday, February 17; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western, as you may or may not know, is a pseudonym; and his real name? Elvis Aaron freakin’ Presley. You wanted to know, well THIS is where he is, PLEASE, don’t hate him for wanting his privacy. And Birdie Whyte? Norma Jean Baker, or, as you may have known her, that’s right; Marilyn Monroe. Yep. Not dead, neither one of them, just hiding out in Kemptville. Who knew that these two were timeless lovers? I mean, it makes sense, when you think about it. Well, I’m sure that you understand, but for the sake of their privacy, the world can never know. So don’t tell anyone. Really. And don’t come see for yourself either. Whatever you do, don’t come see Elvis and Marilyn at the Branch Restaurant every Friday. Please. Don’t. Really.
Saturday, February 18; Ashley Newall, featuring L. Poushinsky, 9pm, $6: Remember that guy at the Neil Young Birthday Tribute that shocked everyone with his pitch perfect ‘Needle and The Damage Done’? Yeah, that was this guy. Here, check out this video:
L. Poushinsky is a Branch favourite and Kemptville local who has made several show stopping appearances at our birthday tribute events and is well known for a few she has hosted herself (as well as for her own very cool solo work, of course...) in 'The City' before she moved out this way. She is an arresting singer with a unique style that blends jazz, folk and almost an eighties 'new wave' rock sort of style. So there you have it, OK? Enough said! See you next Saturday…
Sunday, February 19; Open Stage, 3-6pm, Rubber Boots Buffet 2-8pm.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Valentines Menu
Valentine’s Day Menu:
As always, our Valentine’s Day menu is about sharing, finger foods, and foods that are considered to have natural aphrodisiac qualities, ‘…say what?!’ Translation: ‘Boom-chicka-wow…’ Oh yeah, you know what I mean…
First Base:
Barcelona Nights: a platter of mixed finger foods for sharing; pickled quail eggs, smoked trout, goats cheese with chilies, prosciutto stuffed dates, veggies, dips…and more!
Second Base:
choice of:
Lobster Bisque…with big chunks of lobster, crème fraiche and ice-wine
or
Mushroom pizzette: mixed grilled mushrooms, grilled flat bread, goat cheese, truffle oil and an arugula salad
Third Base:
choice of:
Chocolate Tenderloin; 6oz filet of premium beef, compound chocolate-herb ‘love’ butter, Yorkshire pudding and seasonal vegetables
or
Ménage á trois of Chicken: (…aka, chicken prepared three ways…) Lyon’s Family Farm chicken served as a thigh roulade stuffed with sheep’s milk cheese, wild grape and crab-apple; a risotto with pan seared chicken tenders; and with house-smoked barbecue drum, drumlet and wing
or
Rainbow Trout Love Letter: locally farmed trout steamed ‘en papillote’ with lobster butter, pasta, white wine, shaved vegetables and fresh herbs
Home-run:
Chocolate Fondue for two: includes fruit, cake, cookies and lots of molten, delicious, finger licking chocolate…mmmm…I wonder where this is going?
So there you have it; dinner for two is just $69…we’ll see you there…
As always, our Valentine’s Day menu is about sharing, finger foods, and foods that are considered to have natural aphrodisiac qualities, ‘…say what?!’ Translation: ‘Boom-chicka-wow…’ Oh yeah, you know what I mean…
First Base:
Barcelona Nights: a platter of mixed finger foods for sharing; pickled quail eggs, smoked trout, goats cheese with chilies, prosciutto stuffed dates, veggies, dips…and more!
Second Base:
choice of:
Lobster Bisque…with big chunks of lobster, crème fraiche and ice-wine
or
Mushroom pizzette: mixed grilled mushrooms, grilled flat bread, goat cheese, truffle oil and an arugula salad
Third Base:
choice of:
Chocolate Tenderloin; 6oz filet of premium beef, compound chocolate-herb ‘love’ butter, Yorkshire pudding and seasonal vegetables
or
Ménage á trois of Chicken: (…aka, chicken prepared three ways…) Lyon’s Family Farm chicken served as a thigh roulade stuffed with sheep’s milk cheese, wild grape and crab-apple; a risotto with pan seared chicken tenders; and with house-smoked barbecue drum, drumlet and wing
or
Rainbow Trout Love Letter: locally farmed trout steamed ‘en papillote’ with lobster butter, pasta, white wine, shaved vegetables and fresh herbs
Home-run:
Chocolate Fondue for two: includes fruit, cake, cookies and lots of molten, delicious, finger licking chocolate…mmmm…I wonder where this is going?
So there you have it; dinner for two is just $69…we’ll see you there…
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
This Week at The Branch
Wednesday, February 8, The Exes, 8pm, $5: This week, join us on Wednesday (actually, every Wednesday…) for live Hot Country and East Coast covers with our very own fun loving Kim James and her band: The Exes. Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company is the sponsor for this ‘college night’ as we’ve been calling it; but perhaps, based on the all ages appeal we’ve seen so far, ‘pub night’ would be a more appropriate title: What does that mean? Well, a pitcher of Beau’s Lug Tread Beer comes with a free order of nachos (this month, limit one free nacho per table of four) and there are some door prizes (in case you’ve seen a few of those sweet new Beau’s toques around…) The music is swinging and fun, the atmosphere is casual (a good stop for fans of the Rubber Boots Sundays…) and dancing is encouraged!
Thursday, February 9; George Buys, 8pm, no cover: Local blues scholar, erstwhile Roosterman Blues Band member, and Beatle aficionado George Buys will be on hand with his axe and harp to help you sing those blues away. This be the first of a few George Buys Thursday night shows we hope to scatter throughout the course of the year—come on out for a while, or even just for a smile…
Friday, February 10; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western, as you may or may not know, is a pseudonym; and his real name? Elvis Aaron freakin’ Presley. You wanted to know, well THIS is where he is, PLEASE, don’t hate him for wanting his privacy. And Birdie Whyte? Norma Jean Baker, or, as you may have known her, that’s right; Marilyn Monroe. Yep. Not dead, neither one of them, just hiding out in Kemptville. Who knew that these two were timeless lovers? I mean, it makes sense, when you think about it. Well, I’m sure that you understand, but for the sake of their privacy, the world can never know. So don’t tell anyone. Really. And don’t come see for yourself either. Whatever you do, don’t come see Elvis and Marilyn at the Branch Restaurant every Friday. Please. Don’t. Really.
Saturday, February 11; Ottawa Valley Special, 9pm, $6: (Must admit, I cribbed the following from OVS’ website…) The Ottawa Valley Special serves up a tasty meal of hot bluegrass, classic country, blues and folk that’s better than Mama’s home cookin’. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and bass are the mix: Mandolin/guitar player/singer and songwriter Jamie Anderson toured nationally in the states for over 20 years and has also played in Canadian venues like Rasputin’s and the Black Sheep Inn, her nine(!) albums have received airplay on mainstream TV and hundreds of radio shows. Holding down the low end on stand-up bass is Jim Bossert. His first instrument was the piano but since it’s real hard to play Old Joe Clark on one, he switched to bass a few years ago. Ottawa native Tracy Clark is a singer/guitarist who has performed and recorded with many local blues, rock and country bands for over thirty years, including Hickory Wind. Fiddler Ellen Daly (…with a Kemptville pedigree!) can crank out anything from Irish to Cape Breton to old time without even breaking a sweat. She may only be seventeen but she’s played for ten years and has won countless contests in Canada and the United States. Recently she placed second at the Canadian Open Under 18 Fiddle Championships and fourth at the 2010 Pembroke Fiddle Contest. In 2008 she was the Under 16 Eastern North American Irish Fiddle Champion.
This is good time music for folks who like good times, not to be missed!
Sunday, February 12; Love Song Open Stage, 3-6pm, free! The Sunday closest to Valentine’s Day is always our ‘Love Song Open Stage;’ no advance sign up is required. Just Love.
Thursday, February 9; George Buys, 8pm, no cover: Local blues scholar, erstwhile Roosterman Blues Band member, and Beatle aficionado George Buys will be on hand with his axe and harp to help you sing those blues away. This be the first of a few George Buys Thursday night shows we hope to scatter throughout the course of the year—come on out for a while, or even just for a smile…
Friday, February 10; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western, as you may or may not know, is a pseudonym; and his real name? Elvis Aaron freakin’ Presley. You wanted to know, well THIS is where he is, PLEASE, don’t hate him for wanting his privacy. And Birdie Whyte? Norma Jean Baker, or, as you may have known her, that’s right; Marilyn Monroe. Yep. Not dead, neither one of them, just hiding out in Kemptville. Who knew that these two were timeless lovers? I mean, it makes sense, when you think about it. Well, I’m sure that you understand, but for the sake of their privacy, the world can never know. So don’t tell anyone. Really. And don’t come see for yourself either. Whatever you do, don’t come see Elvis and Marilyn at the Branch Restaurant every Friday. Please. Don’t. Really.
Saturday, February 11; Ottawa Valley Special, 9pm, $6: (Must admit, I cribbed the following from OVS’ website…) The Ottawa Valley Special serves up a tasty meal of hot bluegrass, classic country, blues and folk that’s better than Mama’s home cookin’. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and bass are the mix: Mandolin/guitar player/singer and songwriter Jamie Anderson toured nationally in the states for over 20 years and has also played in Canadian venues like Rasputin’s and the Black Sheep Inn, her nine(!) albums have received airplay on mainstream TV and hundreds of radio shows. Holding down the low end on stand-up bass is Jim Bossert. His first instrument was the piano but since it’s real hard to play Old Joe Clark on one, he switched to bass a few years ago. Ottawa native Tracy Clark is a singer/guitarist who has performed and recorded with many local blues, rock and country bands for over thirty years, including Hickory Wind. Fiddler Ellen Daly (…with a Kemptville pedigree!) can crank out anything from Irish to Cape Breton to old time without even breaking a sweat. She may only be seventeen but she’s played for ten years and has won countless contests in Canada and the United States. Recently she placed second at the Canadian Open Under 18 Fiddle Championships and fourth at the 2010 Pembroke Fiddle Contest. In 2008 she was the Under 16 Eastern North American Irish Fiddle Champion.
This is good time music for folks who like good times, not to be missed!
Sunday, February 12; Love Song Open Stage, 3-6pm, free! The Sunday closest to Valentine’s Day is always our ‘Love Song Open Stage;’ no advance sign up is required. Just Love.
Monday, January 30, 2012
This Week at the Branch Texas Grill
Wednesday, February 1: The Exes, 8pm, $5. Beau's beer has pitched in to help support this new weekly event at the Branch; Hot Country stylings with Ottawa's The Exes, featuring our own Kim James, out from behind the bar to wail out all your favourite country hits from today's top artists...Every pitcher of Beau's Lug Tread Beer comes with a free Branch 'Buenos Nachos'--piles of blue and yellow corn chips topped with cheese, queso sauce,beans, sour cream, salsa and jalapenos (if you want'em...) ...This is becoming a bit of an after dinner 'pub night' with a similar vibe to our popular Rubber Boots Buffet, it's social, fun, and yes, dancing is encouraged!
Thursday, February 2; Keith Glass, 8pm, free! Keith Glass will be performing the last of his monthly ‘First Thursday’ showcases next Thursday, February 2nd. Keith is taking a break from this monthly event to immerse himself in his next major recording project, (that’s right, a new Keith Glass album!) Let’s pull a big crowd for this living legend next Thursday to send him off in style…For those that don’t know it yet, Keith is the multiple Juno award winning guitarist and primary songwriter for the legendary Canadian Country band Prairie Oyster, as well as being the perennial sideman for Ottawa’s incredibly popular (and rightly so!) Lynn Miles, and an occasional journeyman with other local favourites, Trevor Alguire and Brock Zeman. It has been a real privilege getting to know Keith these last few months, but we are all looking forward to hearing his new material and (hopefully, hint, hint…) hosting a cd release party for him when it is ready for the light of day! Don’t miss the last of these free shows, your next chance to see him, well, let’s just say it may not be so easy to get in, if you know what I mean…That’s next Thursday, February 2nd, 8pm, and yep, it’s free!
Friday, February 3; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free! Frank Western and Birdie Whyte have come to be a symbol for all that is good and right at The Branch...Heck, the world! Sweet cover tunes that range from old time to rootsy blues, Tom Waits, John Hiatt, John Prine and Gillian Welch; and originals that are precise, crafted, funny and even beautiful. The only thing better than the music is the always warm and often hilarious stage presence of Kemptville's biggest stars!
Saturday, February 4; Trevor Alguire, 9pm, $10: We are always pleased to welcome back one of our most popular (for good reason!) Branch regulars, country-tinged singer-songwriter Trevor Alguire; (...the following biographical info was provided by the artist...) "Alguire, hailing from a small town just south of Ottawa Ontario, first drew attention in 2004 with the release of the album Narrowed Down (under the guise of his band Mercury Pickup). The album was critically acclaimed in the press with frequent comparisons to artists such as Steve Earl, Tom Petty, Blue Rodeo, Wilco and Uncle Tupelo. These comparisons said As of Yesterday his second release landed Alguire his first record deal alongside fellow songwriters such as Steve Earle and Buddy Miller proving that Alguire was only at the start of such musical depth.
Within four months of releasing As of Yesterday, Alguire went worldwide with consistent radio play across Europe, Australia and North America. Two of Alguire’s songs have since been released on Blue Rose Records compilations along side Gurf Morlix, Steve Earle & Dwight Yoakam. Multiple Juno award winner Keith Glass of Prairie Oyster (Canada’s premiere roots music ensemble) collaborated with Alguire to produce and play on Alguire’s recent album. The newly recorded second solo album was released in July opening for Martha Wainwright at Ottawa Bluesfest.
“Alguire tells tales of life on the road, his words painting pictures of his country and its people. He is a great story teller with empathy and emotional depth matched by a warm sonorous and strong voice, reminiscent of Richard Buckner, Tim Easton and Michael Hall.”
Sunday: Open Stage 3-6pm, Rubber Boots Buffet from 2-8...
Thursday, February 2; Keith Glass, 8pm, free! Keith Glass will be performing the last of his monthly ‘First Thursday’ showcases next Thursday, February 2nd. Keith is taking a break from this monthly event to immerse himself in his next major recording project, (that’s right, a new Keith Glass album!) Let’s pull a big crowd for this living legend next Thursday to send him off in style…For those that don’t know it yet, Keith is the multiple Juno award winning guitarist and primary songwriter for the legendary Canadian Country band Prairie Oyster, as well as being the perennial sideman for Ottawa’s incredibly popular (and rightly so!) Lynn Miles, and an occasional journeyman with other local favourites, Trevor Alguire and Brock Zeman. It has been a real privilege getting to know Keith these last few months, but we are all looking forward to hearing his new material and (hopefully, hint, hint…) hosting a cd release party for him when it is ready for the light of day! Don’t miss the last of these free shows, your next chance to see him, well, let’s just say it may not be so easy to get in, if you know what I mean…That’s next Thursday, February 2nd, 8pm, and yep, it’s free!
Friday, February 3; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free! Frank Western and Birdie Whyte have come to be a symbol for all that is good and right at The Branch...Heck, the world! Sweet cover tunes that range from old time to rootsy blues, Tom Waits, John Hiatt, John Prine and Gillian Welch; and originals that are precise, crafted, funny and even beautiful. The only thing better than the music is the always warm and often hilarious stage presence of Kemptville's biggest stars!
Saturday, February 4; Trevor Alguire, 9pm, $10: We are always pleased to welcome back one of our most popular (for good reason!) Branch regulars, country-tinged singer-songwriter Trevor Alguire; (...the following biographical info was provided by the artist...) "Alguire, hailing from a small town just south of Ottawa Ontario, first drew attention in 2004 with the release of the album Narrowed Down (under the guise of his band Mercury Pickup). The album was critically acclaimed in the press with frequent comparisons to artists such as Steve Earl, Tom Petty, Blue Rodeo, Wilco and Uncle Tupelo. These comparisons said As of Yesterday his second release landed Alguire his first record deal alongside fellow songwriters such as Steve Earle and Buddy Miller proving that Alguire was only at the start of such musical depth.
Within four months of releasing As of Yesterday, Alguire went worldwide with consistent radio play across Europe, Australia and North America. Two of Alguire’s songs have since been released on Blue Rose Records compilations along side Gurf Morlix, Steve Earle & Dwight Yoakam. Multiple Juno award winner Keith Glass of Prairie Oyster (Canada’s premiere roots music ensemble) collaborated with Alguire to produce and play on Alguire’s recent album. The newly recorded second solo album was released in July opening for Martha Wainwright at Ottawa Bluesfest.
“Alguire tells tales of life on the road, his words painting pictures of his country and its people. He is a great story teller with empathy and emotional depth matched by a warm sonorous and strong voice, reminiscent of Richard Buckner, Tim Easton and Michael Hall.”
Sunday: Open Stage 3-6pm, Rubber Boots Buffet from 2-8...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
This Week at the Branch Texas Grill!
Wednesday, January 25; The Exes, 8pm, $5. Wednesday is our second installment of our Beau's beer sponsored 'college night' featuring Hot Country covers with The Exes, with our very own Kim James. It's gonna be a good ol' time in the little ol' town Tonight...so be sure and bring yer dancin' boots! This Wednesday, enjoy a free nachos with every pitcher of Beau's Lug Tread Beer. Door prizes, in the form of some sweet Beau's schwag will be available, and a student i.d. gets you in free: otherwise it's just five bucks!
Thursday, January 26; Songwriters Circle with Meredith Luce, Pat Moore, Ray Harris, hosted by Bruce Enloe, 7pm, free! I'd like to mention this Thursday night's Songwriter Circle again...Meredith Luce, Pat Moore and Ray Harris are each a good enough reason to come to the branch on their own, but the three of them together (and don't let me being the host scare you off) is more like, "Holy Cow! Where do I sign up?" kind of good...It's this Thursday, and believe it or not, it's free!!!
Meredith Luce was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her musical education began when she was five, as a piano student. From ages seven to ten, Meredith was involved in a children's musical theatre company, where she gained her first stage experience.
A passion for singing led her to classical voice work, which saw her complete her Grade One Royal Conservatory of Music training. Not one to settle, Meredith then moved on to dabble in cello, clarinet, recorder, drums, bass, mandolin, baritone ukulele, and guitar — her main instrument.
Pat Moore’s voice has a warm and expressive quality, as perfectly suited to a rich ballad, as it is to an up-tempo power song. She moves easily from the storytelling of the singer/songwriter genre, to the lonesome sound of traditional country and bluegrass. Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, she grew up in a house filled with music, from show tunes to Peter, Paul, & Mary, and Gordon Lightfoot; and later jazz masters like Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles to bluegrass legends like Bill Monroe, and Flatt and Scruggs. As a young girl she would sing harmonies with her sisters while doing the supper dishes – songs from the Momas and Papas, and Simon and Garfunkel.
In the 1980’s Pat played dog-house bass and sang lead and harmony in Maple Hill, an award winning bluegrass band. Later, Pat ventured out on her own, writing, and releasing her debut solo CD, The Time’s Never Been Better. In 2003 Pat recorded her second CD, Take it to Heart, and formed her band The Vinyl Frontier. Her recordings have received praise from far and wide - Holland, Italy, Australia, the U.S. and across Canada, for her captivating storytelling, her warm strong voice, and the musicianship of the people she surounds herself with. The live show is always fun!
Pat continues to write, and performs solo, and in various combinations with members of the Vinyl Frontier – Pat McLaughlin, Ann Downey, Al Bragg, and Alistair Dennett. She has also returned to bluegrass, with the resurrected Maple Hill Bluegrass.
Ray Harris is an Ottawa based alt-country/ folk/rockabilly/Americana/whatever songwriter & musician, and the host of the Elmdale Tavern’s monthly Wednesday night songwriter’s circle.
Bruce Enloe, before he was a chef, killed some time in Austin, Texas writing and singing punk-influenced country and Beatles inspired pop songs; he took a ten year break from music to do this other thing, but 5 or 6 years ago, he got the bug back and has been writing songs that are equal parts ‘dad rock’ , James Taylor, Robert Earl Keen and indie-folk. He is currently recording a sprawling ‘Chinese Democracy’ style 2-3 year solo album project (in stores by June…2015! Probably!), performing with his pals The Burning Sensations and occasionally working and recording with Kemptville’s enigmatic Belarus Racing Team Collective.
Friday, January 27th; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free! Frank Western is no ordinary Western, he's more, well, Frank. And Birdie Whyte is no ordinary Birdie, she's more...Well, she's not a bird, for one thing, though she kind of sings like one...and although she is Whyte, I wouldn't necessarily say that that is a defining characteristic...Frank and Birdie sing songs about love life and a life of love over the dulcet tones of an almost 'John Carroll-esque' slide guitar and banjo. And fun? Yep, they got that!
Saturday, January 29th; Amanda Rheaume, 9pm, $8. This is Amanda’s first branch show, but judging by the early buzz around this one, it won’t be the last—Amanda is a beautiful Ottawa based singer-songwriter and will be bringing a band along to help her out—the following was cribbed from her website: “…Rheaume is a powerful vocalist with just a touch of grit and an instantly-accessible roots-pop-Americana sound -- has been a pillar of her local Ottawa music scene for about a decade now. A $40,000 winner in Live 88.5’s 2008 Big Money Shot competition, Rheaume is not only a regular at local festivals and joints like the Rainbow Bistro, she has also distinguished herself as one of the city’s, if not the country’s, most selflessly giving musicians. She organizes Ottawa’s Bluebird North songwriter showcases, she participated in the Babes for Breasts tour to raise money for breast cancer, she recorded a charity Christmas EP for Boys and Girls club of Ottawa – selling 6500 copies just in Ottawa, she donated a dollar from each album sold during her last tour to a fund for the families of military personnel, and she’s even performed for the troops in Afghanistan…twice.”
Monday, January 16, 2012
Chris Brown cancellation...George Buys filling in this Saturday...
Chris Brown has unfortunately had to cancel this Saturday's show...George Buys has graciously agreed to fill in--or at least that's what Patsy tells me!
This Week at The Branch...and Texas Grill!
As of this weekend, and evolving over the next few weeks and months, ‘The Branch Restaurant’ will become what it was probably always meant to be ‘The Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill.’ Come on out this week and help us celebrate 2012 with some of our real Texas Barbecue, or even some of your favourite Tex-Mex or even Cajun or Southern foods favourites...Don't worry, we are still the same old Branch in more ways than not with our pride in choosing local and organic foods first and our commitment to the environment and the community, but it's high time we admitted that this Texas thing we've been leaning towards as a menu theme is here to stay! Come by this wekk and check it out for yourself!
Wednesday January 18, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company presents: College Night at the Branch, featuring Hot Country with The Exes, $5, free with Student i.d.: it’s the ‘College Night’ premiere with The Exes, featuring Kim (Yes, That Kim) coming out from behind the bar to show off her singing chops, if you haven’t heard her yet at one of our open stages, you’re missing out, come out the Wednesday and prepare to be wowed…
Thursday, January 19th, Petunia, 9pm $10; Spending the early part of his career playing on every major street corner, subway station and park bench in Canada (and NY city), picking, grinning and singing for his living, Petunia has been a regular on the Canadian touring circuit for many years now. He plays 150 shows/ year all over Canada and has begun touring into the USA, with his band out of Vancouver, "The Vipers".…he has a unique, surreal style all of his own…his live performances have been likened to an Avant-Country night club scene from a David Lynch movie.
Fridays, January 20 & 27; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are the dynamic duo, the tune-ular twosome, the corporeal couple, the magnificent mates…they are what happen one and one are added to become not two but two times two times two….which is a number that is significantly higher than two. Obviously. Come see them.
Saturday, January 21; George Buys, 8pm, free! Local blues scholar George Buys will be on hand this Saturday to play guitar, sing and story-ize your barbecue lovin' butts off! And it's free!
Sunday, January 22, 3-6pm, free! Elvis Presley Birthday Tribute Open Stage, everyone is welcome to come out and sing their favourite Elvis songs…sideburns are not required, extreme pelvis movement is, however, highly recommended…
Wednesday January 18, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company presents: College Night at the Branch, featuring Hot Country with The Exes, $5, free with Student i.d.: it’s the ‘College Night’ premiere with The Exes, featuring Kim (Yes, That Kim) coming out from behind the bar to show off her singing chops, if you haven’t heard her yet at one of our open stages, you’re missing out, come out the Wednesday and prepare to be wowed…
Thursday, January 19th, Petunia, 9pm $10; Spending the early part of his career playing on every major street corner, subway station and park bench in Canada (and NY city), picking, grinning and singing for his living, Petunia has been a regular on the Canadian touring circuit for many years now. He plays 150 shows/ year all over Canada and has begun touring into the USA, with his band out of Vancouver, "The Vipers".…he has a unique, surreal style all of his own…his live performances have been likened to an Avant-Country night club scene from a David Lynch movie.
Fridays, January 20 & 27; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are the dynamic duo, the tune-ular twosome, the corporeal couple, the magnificent mates…they are what happen one and one are added to become not two but two times two times two….which is a number that is significantly higher than two. Obviously. Come see them.
Saturday, January 21; George Buys, 8pm, free! Local blues scholar George Buys will be on hand this Saturday to play guitar, sing and story-ize your barbecue lovin' butts off! And it's free!
Sunday, January 22, 3-6pm, free! Elvis Presley Birthday Tribute Open Stage, everyone is welcome to come out and sing their favourite Elvis songs…sideburns are not required, extreme pelvis movement is, however, highly recommended…
Friday, January 13, 2012
Oh yeah, I almost forgot!
I am such a dingbat. Hours spent writing the newsletter and I neglected to mention the most exciting gig!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Trip Back Home Part 3: 'Home-well'
I used to love catering; growing up in Texas, my mom used to make wedding cakes, and many a weekend found us toting elaborately decorated tiers in the trunk of the car, then out and up the church steps, setting up the cakes—maybe serving punch or miniature quiches, my brother and I racing around on the chair dollies behind the scenes, or pigging out on devilled eggs when grown-up backs were turned. Daydreaming about those days can easily make me homesick for mom’s cooking—or for the ubiquitous presence of all those piles of smoky brisket and spicy sweet sauce that stained the white paper tablecloths at so many of those events…But maybe ‘homesick’ is the wrong word… ‘Home-happy’, maybe? ‘Home-well’ is more like it. Because, thanks to my mom teaching me how to cook, I can carry all those flavours, all those memories with me, and unlike lots of folks without that magic key in their pocket, I can pull them out whenever and wherever I am and set them up, not like photos on the nightstand, but more like the actual places and times themselves, physically present; I can cook, and because I can cook, I can taste and enjoy all of those sights, sounds and flavours whenever I want. Wherever I am.
Over the years I continued to cater from time to time; in 1996, I even did an entire wedding spread out of the kitchen of my tiny apartment that actually paid for my move from Texas to California…
When I lived in San Francisco and worked for Millennium, I became the ‘go to’ catering chef because I actually enjoyed it—every new job was a new challenge, the planning, the organization, the ordering, the staffing, the math—but most importantly, the thrill, the excitement when the job came together—happy customers—good food—a job well done. Every catering was like a little restaurant start-up: we would arrive to find a new kitchen, new tools and new customers. We would set up, prep, organize, finalize the décor, check the ovens, check the stovetops—every site was a little different; if we were lucky, we’d get a visit a month or two before the event, a chance to look around and kick the tires—if we were really lucky, we would be returning to a spot we’d been to before and we’d already know if we needed to bring an extension cord, say, or a can opener. Sometimes, we’d have to bring along a lot more than that…
Once I organized and catered food for an event for 1600 people on Treasure Island in San Francisco—the facility had no kitchen and as a historical site, it was requested that the temporary catering kitchen be set up outdoors, but by this point, I had cheffed on a number of caterings and I knew that almost anything could be rented, delivered and set up for me. I happily bit at the challenge of this massive event; we arranged for stoves and ovens, sinks and even refrigeration—but neglected one thing, a roof, and, as luck would have it, halfway through one of the largest and most challenging events of my cooking life, I found myself balancing on the wet roof of a large truck weighting down a tarp to provide a modicum of shelter for a 10 person crew cooking underneath me in the middle of a freak summer rainstorm… My memory of this event? Pure bliss. Sure, we ran out of food a little too early, and yes, our floor plan for the interior of the event was a pure disaster (note to self, never have a circular bar in center of a room with no other access points). But even after all that, it was the biggest thing that I had ever done, and, all in all? Although not unqualified, it really was a success.
I also organized a similarly sized, if not as un-coordinated a meal at a PETA event in Los Angeles; My job was to go down a week early to tool around on the Universal Studios back lot and spend lots of vegan dollars in order to organize rentals, source products and do all the prep for an event that I then jetted out of town for so that Chef Eric could swoop in on the day of and meet all the big name celebs attending the event. (It was my idea; he was the headline, after all. And if he did meet Paul McCartney, he never admitted it, graciously sparing me at least that bit of disappointment…Thanks, E…)
Some smaller events were also memorable—a wedding at the Palace of Fine Arts where the wind carried off half the chairs and tables, a private dinner in a home with a porous floor in the kitchen that would be ‘completely ruined by a single drop of oil’… My first experience in a synagogue; a wedding in a chalet where every single food item, table and piece of equipment had to be carried, by hand, up a sheer 20 foot narrow stone stairwell…also fun at that event, a cook read the words ‘salad greens’ on the list and packed a case of Swiss chard so that I got to drive nearly 30 miles to a grocery store to retrieve a suitable replacement while my crew set up and stalled the hosts long enough to put off the inevitable service of the first (salad) course… Fortunately the greens I found were pre-washed.
Once, I discovered that an oven didn’t work only minutes before the course that was supposed to be heating up in it was supposed to be served. At that event, I also discovered that a propane gas line can be temporarily repaired with duct tape and a latex glove. Another time, a cake cutting was arranged in the middle of a room full of anxious children whose tiny hands kept attempting to come between the cake and my rather large and very sharp knife; needless to say, I have always arranged a second SEPARATE space to cut the cake at every wedding since (don’t worry, to my knowledge no tiny digits were lost or harmed at that event, but certainly not for lack of effort.) Over time, I learned other tricks to ensure if not a seamless event, at least a less chaotic one. I developed a habit of putting a pot of water on to boil as a first step at any event (whether I needed it or not) just to make sure that at least one burner was working and to determine exactly how fast—if all else fails, I had discovered, I can do an awful lot with one good working burner. I learned to always pack a bowl and whisk, and an extra ladle, an astounding number of sauces can be pulled together at the last minute (should one be lost on, say, a porous floor?) with the help of those utensils. I learned to think on my feet, to get a lay of the land from the moment of arrival (you never knew when knowing where the can opener or, perhaps, the gas cut-off for the building was, you know, ‘just in case…’) I learned a lot, and I had a lot of fun learning it.
In fact, I could tell these stories for hours—each catering was a miniature world, a self-contained ‘instant restaurant’ sort of like a theatrical opening or a rock show—the object for me was never perfection so much as the perception of perfection; the players always miss a line on the first night, the question is, how well can you recover? I enjoyed the spontaneity, the excitement, but more than anything, I enjoyed being the boss.
You see, Eric, my boss and Chef, didn’t tag along for these events; in fact, it was pretty clear that they did not really interest him. He was certainly able to, and in fact he did quite well when he did, he just didn’t really seem to want to… This meant that although within the four walls of the Millennium kitchen I was second in command, that on each of these outings, these field trips, I was my own man. This was a feeling that was in no way wasted on me at that point in my career. That elusive position, that role I had sought since slinging tacos at La Taqueria when I was 19, the role of leader, the guy in charge, the boss. I was finally wearing the tallest toque which I had waited so long to don.
When we started the branch, I arrived with the attitude towards catering that I had always had—that sense of joy, excitement—that giddy feeling that anything could happen but that with planning and luck, everything would come out fine—so imagine my surprise to discover, almost immediately, that the joy that catering had once brought me was now completely gone.
This was not a gradual disenchantment. In fact, it was clear from the very first event we took on—the thrill was not fading, it was gone. The strange thing was that I had no idea, at least not at first, as to why. I mean, it didn’t help that one of the first events we took on at the restaurant was a total dog—we felt that it was such an honour to be asked, so soon into our new venture, to be the exclusive caterer for a brand new festival that we didn’t hesitate to accept; then we were given a set of numbers by the organizers of the event based on presumptions alone as to how much we should prepare, numbers that were well beyond anything I had encountered at Millennium, that were well beyond even the 1600 people I had managed to almost feed in the rain on the island… but the numbers, it turned out, were a fiction, a hope, an idea. But, if you couple that circumstance with the fear of running out of food brought on by my experience at the island event, (we had even signed a contract for this event promising that we would not,) as well as my inexperience with concession versus straight catering… Well, suffice it to say, that in the end, that single event very nearly broke the back of our fledgling business. We continued to pull items purchased for it out of our freezer for the better part of the following year, and dreamed up a whole new list of ways to redirect an almost overwhelming abundance of frozen salsa, beans and corn… We borrowed more money to right the ship and we plugged on, more careful and cautious than ever.
But even that, for all that would be an entirely rational reason, even that was not why I lost the thrill. In fact, in hindsight, the real reason is clear.
I already was the boss.
Catering in San Francisco had been a chance to expand, to experiment, to test, to grow. But…OK, here’s a simple way to describe it: it’s like dating; when you are young and single, why wouldn’t you want to go out with lots of different girls? (or boys, or whatever, I don’t judge…) And why not play the field? It’s no harm to attempt a connection with, let’s say, a few different ‘types’ to discover what works and what obviously doesn’t… But once you’ve found the right one… ‘the marryin’ kind’ as we would say back home; for me at least, I can only assume it is the same for others… the idea of going through all of those ultimately failed attempts again; it just doesn’t sound like the least bit of fun.
The branch kitchen is my kitchen. I have set it up, laid it out, tested it and measured it… I know exactly what it is and what it can do. I love this kitchen; I know it is not perfect, but I know every nook and cranny well, I know how fast water can come to a boil on every burner, and I know how to do everything through five years of practice, through good times and bad, (through sickness and health?) and more so than ever over the course of even these last two weeks, in which we have installed a badly needed new floor, cleaned and reorganized and installed new and amazing lights, a two week period that has completely re-introduced me to this, what has become not only one of my favourite places to be, but honestly? Something I can only describe as, perhaps, a reliable old friend…. These days, the thought of going to work somewhere else holds almost no appeal for me at all. And in hindsight, it is also probably why Eric was so content, back at Millennium, to just stand back and let me run off and go.
I don’t much care for catering anymore. These days I’m a solid guy, loyal and true. I appreciate my pleasures and am smart enough to realize that for all the work, for all the stress it has taken at times to build up this little kitchen—that one thing is certain, more and more, every week and every month, it has always felt, and continues to feel like home. I have not only gotten to know this kitchen, it has gotten to know me.
I love my little kitchen, my smoker out back makes barbecue that tastes just like Granddaddy’s did—sometimes better. My range helps me make chili and cornbread that tastes like Mom’s and sometimes even a chicken spaghetti that, even without the Velveeta, almost has me tucking a paper napkin into my shirt and reaching out for Mom’s hand to say the blessing.
I have a sign, made for me by a neat guy who helped us out a lot in putting this place together, and although I don’t get to see him much anymore, I hope he knows how much we all appreciate everything he helped us do… Anyway, he made a sign for me and gave it to me on my birthday one year, I put it up, way up high on the wall in the Branch kitchen; a wooden sign, hand-cut and hand-painted; red white and blue—the word ‘Texas’ is emblazoned on it in big, bold letters. When new cooks walk into the Branch kitchen for the first time, I like to point up to it and say “See that? Once you’re in here, you’re on my turf. It’s Canada out there, but in here, you’re in Texas.” In here, you’re in my home.
Home-well.
--Chef Bruce
Starting this week, the Branch Restaurant is changing its name to the Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill.
Over the years I continued to cater from time to time; in 1996, I even did an entire wedding spread out of the kitchen of my tiny apartment that actually paid for my move from Texas to California…
When I lived in San Francisco and worked for Millennium, I became the ‘go to’ catering chef because I actually enjoyed it—every new job was a new challenge, the planning, the organization, the ordering, the staffing, the math—but most importantly, the thrill, the excitement when the job came together—happy customers—good food—a job well done. Every catering was like a little restaurant start-up: we would arrive to find a new kitchen, new tools and new customers. We would set up, prep, organize, finalize the décor, check the ovens, check the stovetops—every site was a little different; if we were lucky, we’d get a visit a month or two before the event, a chance to look around and kick the tires—if we were really lucky, we would be returning to a spot we’d been to before and we’d already know if we needed to bring an extension cord, say, or a can opener. Sometimes, we’d have to bring along a lot more than that…
Once I organized and catered food for an event for 1600 people on Treasure Island in San Francisco—the facility had no kitchen and as a historical site, it was requested that the temporary catering kitchen be set up outdoors, but by this point, I had cheffed on a number of caterings and I knew that almost anything could be rented, delivered and set up for me. I happily bit at the challenge of this massive event; we arranged for stoves and ovens, sinks and even refrigeration—but neglected one thing, a roof, and, as luck would have it, halfway through one of the largest and most challenging events of my cooking life, I found myself balancing on the wet roof of a large truck weighting down a tarp to provide a modicum of shelter for a 10 person crew cooking underneath me in the middle of a freak summer rainstorm… My memory of this event? Pure bliss. Sure, we ran out of food a little too early, and yes, our floor plan for the interior of the event was a pure disaster (note to self, never have a circular bar in center of a room with no other access points). But even after all that, it was the biggest thing that I had ever done, and, all in all? Although not unqualified, it really was a success.
I also organized a similarly sized, if not as un-coordinated a meal at a PETA event in Los Angeles; My job was to go down a week early to tool around on the Universal Studios back lot and spend lots of vegan dollars in order to organize rentals, source products and do all the prep for an event that I then jetted out of town for so that Chef Eric could swoop in on the day of and meet all the big name celebs attending the event. (It was my idea; he was the headline, after all. And if he did meet Paul McCartney, he never admitted it, graciously sparing me at least that bit of disappointment…Thanks, E…)
Some smaller events were also memorable—a wedding at the Palace of Fine Arts where the wind carried off half the chairs and tables, a private dinner in a home with a porous floor in the kitchen that would be ‘completely ruined by a single drop of oil’… My first experience in a synagogue; a wedding in a chalet where every single food item, table and piece of equipment had to be carried, by hand, up a sheer 20 foot narrow stone stairwell…also fun at that event, a cook read the words ‘salad greens’ on the list and packed a case of Swiss chard so that I got to drive nearly 30 miles to a grocery store to retrieve a suitable replacement while my crew set up and stalled the hosts long enough to put off the inevitable service of the first (salad) course… Fortunately the greens I found were pre-washed.
Once, I discovered that an oven didn’t work only minutes before the course that was supposed to be heating up in it was supposed to be served. At that event, I also discovered that a propane gas line can be temporarily repaired with duct tape and a latex glove. Another time, a cake cutting was arranged in the middle of a room full of anxious children whose tiny hands kept attempting to come between the cake and my rather large and very sharp knife; needless to say, I have always arranged a second SEPARATE space to cut the cake at every wedding since (don’t worry, to my knowledge no tiny digits were lost or harmed at that event, but certainly not for lack of effort.) Over time, I learned other tricks to ensure if not a seamless event, at least a less chaotic one. I developed a habit of putting a pot of water on to boil as a first step at any event (whether I needed it or not) just to make sure that at least one burner was working and to determine exactly how fast—if all else fails, I had discovered, I can do an awful lot with one good working burner. I learned to always pack a bowl and whisk, and an extra ladle, an astounding number of sauces can be pulled together at the last minute (should one be lost on, say, a porous floor?) with the help of those utensils. I learned to think on my feet, to get a lay of the land from the moment of arrival (you never knew when knowing where the can opener or, perhaps, the gas cut-off for the building was, you know, ‘just in case…’) I learned a lot, and I had a lot of fun learning it.
In fact, I could tell these stories for hours—each catering was a miniature world, a self-contained ‘instant restaurant’ sort of like a theatrical opening or a rock show—the object for me was never perfection so much as the perception of perfection; the players always miss a line on the first night, the question is, how well can you recover? I enjoyed the spontaneity, the excitement, but more than anything, I enjoyed being the boss.
You see, Eric, my boss and Chef, didn’t tag along for these events; in fact, it was pretty clear that they did not really interest him. He was certainly able to, and in fact he did quite well when he did, he just didn’t really seem to want to… This meant that although within the four walls of the Millennium kitchen I was second in command, that on each of these outings, these field trips, I was my own man. This was a feeling that was in no way wasted on me at that point in my career. That elusive position, that role I had sought since slinging tacos at La Taqueria when I was 19, the role of leader, the guy in charge, the boss. I was finally wearing the tallest toque which I had waited so long to don.
When we started the branch, I arrived with the attitude towards catering that I had always had—that sense of joy, excitement—that giddy feeling that anything could happen but that with planning and luck, everything would come out fine—so imagine my surprise to discover, almost immediately, that the joy that catering had once brought me was now completely gone.
This was not a gradual disenchantment. In fact, it was clear from the very first event we took on—the thrill was not fading, it was gone. The strange thing was that I had no idea, at least not at first, as to why. I mean, it didn’t help that one of the first events we took on at the restaurant was a total dog—we felt that it was such an honour to be asked, so soon into our new venture, to be the exclusive caterer for a brand new festival that we didn’t hesitate to accept; then we were given a set of numbers by the organizers of the event based on presumptions alone as to how much we should prepare, numbers that were well beyond anything I had encountered at Millennium, that were well beyond even the 1600 people I had managed to almost feed in the rain on the island… but the numbers, it turned out, were a fiction, a hope, an idea. But, if you couple that circumstance with the fear of running out of food brought on by my experience at the island event, (we had even signed a contract for this event promising that we would not,) as well as my inexperience with concession versus straight catering… Well, suffice it to say, that in the end, that single event very nearly broke the back of our fledgling business. We continued to pull items purchased for it out of our freezer for the better part of the following year, and dreamed up a whole new list of ways to redirect an almost overwhelming abundance of frozen salsa, beans and corn… We borrowed more money to right the ship and we plugged on, more careful and cautious than ever.
But even that, for all that would be an entirely rational reason, even that was not why I lost the thrill. In fact, in hindsight, the real reason is clear.
I already was the boss.
Catering in San Francisco had been a chance to expand, to experiment, to test, to grow. But…OK, here’s a simple way to describe it: it’s like dating; when you are young and single, why wouldn’t you want to go out with lots of different girls? (or boys, or whatever, I don’t judge…) And why not play the field? It’s no harm to attempt a connection with, let’s say, a few different ‘types’ to discover what works and what obviously doesn’t… But once you’ve found the right one… ‘the marryin’ kind’ as we would say back home; for me at least, I can only assume it is the same for others… the idea of going through all of those ultimately failed attempts again; it just doesn’t sound like the least bit of fun.
The branch kitchen is my kitchen. I have set it up, laid it out, tested it and measured it… I know exactly what it is and what it can do. I love this kitchen; I know it is not perfect, but I know every nook and cranny well, I know how fast water can come to a boil on every burner, and I know how to do everything through five years of practice, through good times and bad, (through sickness and health?) and more so than ever over the course of even these last two weeks, in which we have installed a badly needed new floor, cleaned and reorganized and installed new and amazing lights, a two week period that has completely re-introduced me to this, what has become not only one of my favourite places to be, but honestly? Something I can only describe as, perhaps, a reliable old friend…. These days, the thought of going to work somewhere else holds almost no appeal for me at all. And in hindsight, it is also probably why Eric was so content, back at Millennium, to just stand back and let me run off and go.
I don’t much care for catering anymore. These days I’m a solid guy, loyal and true. I appreciate my pleasures and am smart enough to realize that for all the work, for all the stress it has taken at times to build up this little kitchen—that one thing is certain, more and more, every week and every month, it has always felt, and continues to feel like home. I have not only gotten to know this kitchen, it has gotten to know me.
I love my little kitchen, my smoker out back makes barbecue that tastes just like Granddaddy’s did—sometimes better. My range helps me make chili and cornbread that tastes like Mom’s and sometimes even a chicken spaghetti that, even without the Velveeta, almost has me tucking a paper napkin into my shirt and reaching out for Mom’s hand to say the blessing.
I have a sign, made for me by a neat guy who helped us out a lot in putting this place together, and although I don’t get to see him much anymore, I hope he knows how much we all appreciate everything he helped us do… Anyway, he made a sign for me and gave it to me on my birthday one year, I put it up, way up high on the wall in the Branch kitchen; a wooden sign, hand-cut and hand-painted; red white and blue—the word ‘Texas’ is emblazoned on it in big, bold letters. When new cooks walk into the Branch kitchen for the first time, I like to point up to it and say “See that? Once you’re in here, you’re on my turf. It’s Canada out there, but in here, you’re in Texas.” In here, you’re in my home.
Home-well.
--Chef Bruce
Starting this week, the Branch Restaurant is changing its name to the Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill.
Newsletter January 2012
Attention Branch Eaters! (Koalas?)
Starting this weekend, and next week, Nicole and I are officially writing the next chapter of ‘The Little Restaurant That Could’... We are, it turns out, exactly where we want to be, where we want to stay, and ready to take the reins and try something new.
It has already started to happen; the spaghetti, you may have noticed, has disappeared…as has the stir-fry. We will always stay true to our love of locally sourced and organic foods—but it is time to take the leap and to make a change that has been a long time coming official at last! As of this weekend, and evolving over the next few weeks and months, ‘The Branch Restaurant’ will become what it was probably always meant to be ‘The Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill.’
This change is not just nominal. The fact is that over the course of my career I have come to realize that no matter what food I handle; I always revert to what I call ‘Tex-nique’: applying flavour combinations and cooking methods that inevitably hail back to some delectable morsel from my mother’s table or some other favourite meal or snack from my childhood…and even from the first month at the Branch, it seems that my preparations that revisit those moments carry with them the most resonance—plates like our nachos, our ‘Austin City Limits’ which is a sort of Texas style bbq mixed grill, or other items like our authentic fajitas or enchiladas that get requested so frequently that I am forced to make them into signature items…But as of now…with a new look and a new attitude, we are ready to make it official—we are ready to make it real.
We will still be North Grenville’s (Ottawa South’s?) premiere live music venue, but even more so—in true Austin style, we will now be bringing you music 5 days a week, kicking off every Wednesday at 8pm with a Beau’s Beer sponsored ‘College Night’ (there is a $5 cover, but students with an i.d. get in free in January…) featuring ‘Hot Country’ covers with The Exes along with pitchers, specials on nachos and other munchies, and even with door prizes provided by Beau’s All Natural (don’t worry, college kids of all ages are welcome)…Thursday night shows will include regular appearance by Keith Glass (on the first Thursday of every month) and a Songwriters Circle (on the last Thursday) hosted by yours truly. Fridays will still be the domain of the two and only Frank Western and Birdie Whyte, Sundays will continue to feature our Rubber Boots buffet and Open Mike. Saturdays will be a home for some of the best music anywhere with some real marquee names like Jim Bryson, Cuff the Duke and Danny Michel already booked in before summer!
Our new menu will feature at least three types of real Texas wood-fired bbq by the sandwich, plate, or even by the pound…we will still have our famous fajitas and enchiladas, but we’ll also have some new features like jalapeno-cheese fritters and a dinner sized Fajita Salad or a big bowl of Texas style chili. Vegetarians and gluten sensitive folks have no need to worry about the new menu as we’ll still have lots of choices for you as well. Our seasonal specials will also still rotate regularly—staying in the Texan theme, sometimes, but giving us a little room to colour outside the lines as well.
As you may have noticed, the Branch has been closed for the last two weeks in anticipation of these changes and to give us a chance to do some long overdue kitchen renovations—but the good news that the renos are ahead of schedule and in fact, the crew is so excited to try out serving the new menu that we are re-opening even earlier than we had planned in order to give everyone a head start on trying out our new Texas Grill menu goodies! Reserve now for this Saturday night and come out to hear local favourites the Standby Brothers performing a pile of harmonious covers and even some choice and catchy original tunes! Barbecarmony! We will also be open Sunday for our Rubber Boots Buffet from 2-8pm and how about some Chef Bruce’e Loose and Juicy Jams for all of our Branch deprived pals? That’s happening from 3-6pm, and anyone and everyone is welcome to bring down a guitar, bassoon or marimba, pan pipes, or even just your own pipes (etc…) and to join right in with all the fun!
January Music:
Wednesdays January 18 & 25, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company presents: College Night at the Branch, featuring Hot Country with The Exes, $5, free with Student i.d.: it’s the ‘College Night’ premiere with The Exes, featuring Kim (Yes, That Kim) coming out from behind the bar to show off her singing chops, if you haven’t heard her yet at one of our open stages, you’re missing out, come out the Wednesday and prepare to be wowed…
Thursday, January 19th, Petunia, 9pm $10; Spending the early part of his career playing on every major street corner, subway station and park bench in Canada (and NY city), picking, grinning and singing for his living, Petunia has been a regular on the Canadian touring circuit for many years now. He plays 150 shows/ year all over Canada and has begun touring into the USA, with his band out of Vancouver, "The Vipers".…he has a unique, surreal style all of his own…his live performances have been likened to an Avant-Country night club scene from a David Lynch movie.
Fridays, January 20 & 27; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are the dynamic duo, the tune-ular twosome, the corporeal couple, the magnificent mates…they are what happen one and one are added to become not two but two times two times two….which is a number that is significantly higher than two. Obviously. Come see them.
Saturday, January 21; Chris Brown, 9pm $12: Chris Brown formerly of The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir and (briefly) the Barenaked Ladies and currently with The Open Hearts Society is back—last time he popped into town, he snuck his friend Sarah Harmer in with him and she helped him out for a brief but beautiful 3 song set… bet you wish you’d caught that! He is well worth the visit, his organ styling’s as well as his guitar based originals are catchy, soulful, complex and bear up under repeated listening’s…This guy is a true Canadian original and well worth the visit, in fact don’t believe me, listen to these folks: here’s an abbreviated list of folks with whom Chris has collaborated over the years: Sarah Harmer, Ani DiFranco, Ashley MacIsaac, Barenaked Ladies, Big Sugar, Crash Test Dummies, Christian Doscher, DJ Logic, Hermine Deurloo, Jason Collett, Rosanna Goodman, Kate Fenner, Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Natasha Alexandra (NLX), Po' Girl, Propagandhi, The Tragically Hip, Tom Jones… and more! Chris is a legend, please don’t miss this show, did I mention that he is also, enthusiastically ‘Abigail approved’?
Sunday, January 22, 3-6pm, free! Elvis Presley Birthday Tribute Open Stage, everyone is welcome to come out and sing their favourite Elvis songs…sideburns are not required, extreme pelvis movement is, however, highly recommended…
Saturday, January 28; Amanda Rheaume, 9pm, $5; This is Amanda’s first branch show, but judging by the early buzz around this one, it won’t be the last—Amanda is a beautiful Ottawa based singer-songwriter and will be bringing a band along to help her out—the following was cribbed from her website: “…Rheaume is a powerful vocalist with just a touch of grit and an instantly-accessible roots-pop-Americana sound -- has been a pillar of her local Ottawa music scene for about a decade now. A $40,000 winner in Live 88.5’s 2008 Big Money Shot competition, Rheaume is not only a regular at local festivals and joints like the Rainbow Bistro, she has also distinguished herself as one of the city’s, if not the country’s, most selflessly giving musicians. She organizes Ottawa’s Bluebird North songwriter showcases, she participated in the Babes for Breasts tour to raise money for breast cancer, she recorded a charity Christmas EP for Boys and Girls club of Ottawa – selling 6500 copies just in Ottawa, she donated a dollar from each album sold during her last tour to a fund for the families of military personnel, and she’s even performed for the troops in Afghanistan…twice.”
Starting this weekend, and next week, Nicole and I are officially writing the next chapter of ‘The Little Restaurant That Could’... We are, it turns out, exactly where we want to be, where we want to stay, and ready to take the reins and try something new.
It has already started to happen; the spaghetti, you may have noticed, has disappeared…as has the stir-fry. We will always stay true to our love of locally sourced and organic foods—but it is time to take the leap and to make a change that has been a long time coming official at last! As of this weekend, and evolving over the next few weeks and months, ‘The Branch Restaurant’ will become what it was probably always meant to be ‘The Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill.’
This change is not just nominal. The fact is that over the course of my career I have come to realize that no matter what food I handle; I always revert to what I call ‘Tex-nique’: applying flavour combinations and cooking methods that inevitably hail back to some delectable morsel from my mother’s table or some other favourite meal or snack from my childhood…and even from the first month at the Branch, it seems that my preparations that revisit those moments carry with them the most resonance—plates like our nachos, our ‘Austin City Limits’ which is a sort of Texas style bbq mixed grill, or other items like our authentic fajitas or enchiladas that get requested so frequently that I am forced to make them into signature items…But as of now…with a new look and a new attitude, we are ready to make it official—we are ready to make it real.
We will still be North Grenville’s (Ottawa South’s?) premiere live music venue, but even more so—in true Austin style, we will now be bringing you music 5 days a week, kicking off every Wednesday at 8pm with a Beau’s Beer sponsored ‘College Night’ (there is a $5 cover, but students with an i.d. get in free in January…) featuring ‘Hot Country’ covers with The Exes along with pitchers, specials on nachos and other munchies, and even with door prizes provided by Beau’s All Natural (don’t worry, college kids of all ages are welcome)…Thursday night shows will include regular appearance by Keith Glass (on the first Thursday of every month) and a Songwriters Circle (on the last Thursday) hosted by yours truly. Fridays will still be the domain of the two and only Frank Western and Birdie Whyte, Sundays will continue to feature our Rubber Boots buffet and Open Mike. Saturdays will be a home for some of the best music anywhere with some real marquee names like Jim Bryson, Cuff the Duke and Danny Michel already booked in before summer!
Our new menu will feature at least three types of real Texas wood-fired bbq by the sandwich, plate, or even by the pound…we will still have our famous fajitas and enchiladas, but we’ll also have some new features like jalapeno-cheese fritters and a dinner sized Fajita Salad or a big bowl of Texas style chili. Vegetarians and gluten sensitive folks have no need to worry about the new menu as we’ll still have lots of choices for you as well. Our seasonal specials will also still rotate regularly—staying in the Texan theme, sometimes, but giving us a little room to colour outside the lines as well.
As you may have noticed, the Branch has been closed for the last two weeks in anticipation of these changes and to give us a chance to do some long overdue kitchen renovations—but the good news that the renos are ahead of schedule and in fact, the crew is so excited to try out serving the new menu that we are re-opening even earlier than we had planned in order to give everyone a head start on trying out our new Texas Grill menu goodies! Reserve now for this Saturday night and come out to hear local favourites the Standby Brothers performing a pile of harmonious covers and even some choice and catchy original tunes! Barbecarmony! We will also be open Sunday for our Rubber Boots Buffet from 2-8pm and how about some Chef Bruce’e Loose and Juicy Jams for all of our Branch deprived pals? That’s happening from 3-6pm, and anyone and everyone is welcome to bring down a guitar, bassoon or marimba, pan pipes, or even just your own pipes (etc…) and to join right in with all the fun!
January Music:
Wednesdays January 18 & 25, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company presents: College Night at the Branch, featuring Hot Country with The Exes, $5, free with Student i.d.: it’s the ‘College Night’ premiere with The Exes, featuring Kim (Yes, That Kim) coming out from behind the bar to show off her singing chops, if you haven’t heard her yet at one of our open stages, you’re missing out, come out the Wednesday and prepare to be wowed…
Thursday, January 19th, Petunia, 9pm $10; Spending the early part of his career playing on every major street corner, subway station and park bench in Canada (and NY city), picking, grinning and singing for his living, Petunia has been a regular on the Canadian touring circuit for many years now. He plays 150 shows/ year all over Canada and has begun touring into the USA, with his band out of Vancouver, "The Vipers".…he has a unique, surreal style all of his own…his live performances have been likened to an Avant-Country night club scene from a David Lynch movie.
Fridays, January 20 & 27; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are the dynamic duo, the tune-ular twosome, the corporeal couple, the magnificent mates…they are what happen one and one are added to become not two but two times two times two….which is a number that is significantly higher than two. Obviously. Come see them.
Saturday, January 21; Chris Brown, 9pm $12: Chris Brown formerly of The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir and (briefly) the Barenaked Ladies and currently with The Open Hearts Society is back—last time he popped into town, he snuck his friend Sarah Harmer in with him and she helped him out for a brief but beautiful 3 song set… bet you wish you’d caught that! He is well worth the visit, his organ styling’s as well as his guitar based originals are catchy, soulful, complex and bear up under repeated listening’s…This guy is a true Canadian original and well worth the visit, in fact don’t believe me, listen to these folks: here’s an abbreviated list of folks with whom Chris has collaborated over the years: Sarah Harmer, Ani DiFranco, Ashley MacIsaac, Barenaked Ladies, Big Sugar, Crash Test Dummies, Christian Doscher, DJ Logic, Hermine Deurloo, Jason Collett, Rosanna Goodman, Kate Fenner, Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Natasha Alexandra (NLX), Po' Girl, Propagandhi, The Tragically Hip, Tom Jones… and more! Chris is a legend, please don’t miss this show, did I mention that he is also, enthusiastically ‘Abigail approved’?
Sunday, January 22, 3-6pm, free! Elvis Presley Birthday Tribute Open Stage, everyone is welcome to come out and sing their favourite Elvis songs…sideburns are not required, extreme pelvis movement is, however, highly recommended…
Saturday, January 28; Amanda Rheaume, 9pm, $5; This is Amanda’s first branch show, but judging by the early buzz around this one, it won’t be the last—Amanda is a beautiful Ottawa based singer-songwriter and will be bringing a band along to help her out—the following was cribbed from her website: “…Rheaume is a powerful vocalist with just a touch of grit and an instantly-accessible roots-pop-Americana sound -- has been a pillar of her local Ottawa music scene for about a decade now. A $40,000 winner in Live 88.5’s 2008 Big Money Shot competition, Rheaume is not only a regular at local festivals and joints like the Rainbow Bistro, she has also distinguished herself as one of the city’s, if not the country’s, most selflessly giving musicians. She organizes Ottawa’s Bluebird North songwriter showcases, she participated in the Babes for Breasts tour to raise money for breast cancer, she recorded a charity Christmas EP for Boys and Girls club of Ottawa – selling 6500 copies just in Ottawa, she donated a dollar from each album sold during her last tour to a fund for the families of military personnel, and she’s even performed for the troops in Afghanistan…twice.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)