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...
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