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.