branch newsletter summer 2011

Greetings Summer Folk!

Well, the solstice is coming, the peak, the longest day, it is time to be outdoors, to be reveling in the full long light of the sun! Our patio is here for you, we have cast off under sail (literally...) for the summer season...For those that have not been out recently, last fall, the old wall had to come down—we all loved the old patio, but it’s state of disrepair was beyond our abilities to fix. We decided, however, that if we had to do it, that we would go all the way...Tom Lillico, John Brewer, Heather Cranek and Denise and Steve Busby (as well as many others) have all stepped up over the last few months with a bit here and a bit there and we have managed to create a new space that is not only larger (licensed for up to 40 people!) but airier (is that a word?), brighter, and more comfortable than ever—incorporating rough cedar posts, burlap, a recycled sail, shiny tables and hanging baskets of edible flowers into a cozy nook far from the cares of Kemptville or, for that matter, the world. And don’t worry, the grapevine survived and looks healthier than ever!

So, besides lounging on the patio, how shall we spend this summer? Well, if you’re around here you’ll have lots of choices...We’ve already had a pile of amazing music, with a pile more on the way—some memorable moments have included a sold out night with Ottawa’s favourite daughter, Lynn Miles (featuring Keith Glass), The Dandelion Festival, shows with Oh My Darling, Petunia, Greg Kelly, and a full house for a Bob Dylan birthday tribute night; some things coming up include a Sunday afternoon with Dave Martel (this Sunday!), the return of Folk Music Award winner Ariana Gillis (Thursday, June 30) and a personal favourite, Lynne Hanson (June 25)...We’ve also got Ontario Craft Beer week next week with a ‘six beers in three courses’ theme menu running all week long, designed to celebrate the diverse and exciting beer culture of the Ottawa Valley (3 course menu starts next Tuesday, come kick it off with a BBQ on the patio this Sunday afternoon!)

Art on the walls:

This month we are proud to feature work from ArtScene, the groovy collective from Spencerville: Although many know about events such as the Spencerville Fair, Veteran’s Memorial Highland Games, and more recently the Country Christmas Remembered festival, they may be pleasantly surprised to see how a commercial heart is also beating in the village of Spencerville.
Highway 416, while bypassing the village, makes it very reachable by anyone seeking to get off the beaten track. The village’s many heritage stone buildings tell a story of a community that grew up alongside a grist mill, the recently restored Spencerville Mill, which traces its roots back to the mid 1800’s. For six years the Mill has hosted a fine art show and sale; it is this core group of local artists and entrepreneurs who took it one step further...
A committed group of artists living in and around the scenic village of Spencerville recently combined their efforts and invested in a lifelong dream to open a Gallery they call ArtScene Spencerville. The founding artists, who have shown together annually at the nearby, historic Spencerville Mill, have a wealth of experience and involvement in this community. They wanted to not only have a place to showcase their own work on a continuing basis, but also to enrich the artistic awareness of this historic hamlet. The old Spencerville Hotel, which has been converted to apartments and retail space, is the location for this lively group. The open space is an ideal setting for the works of painters, photographers, potters, jewellers and a sculptor. Located in the centre of the village, the historic building has always attracted the interest of locals as well as travelers en route to the Nation’s Capital.

July Art:

Marguerite Boyer and her students:

During the long winter hours this past year, a group of artists, ranging from beginners to experts have been meeting once a week to paint under the tutelage of local artist, Marguerite Boyer. The studio time offers individuals an opportunity to discuss their paintings, to receive encouragement and to share their knowledge. For the first time ever, for some of them, they will be displaying their work, at the branch restaurant. They would like to thank the owners for giving them this opportunity. Please feel free to drop in and view their work.


June Music:

Starting, well, 2 Fridays ago, Frank Western, aka, ‘the man in the coonskin cap in a pigpen’, as he was so eloquently described by Dr. Robert Zimmerman in his 1968 classic, Subhonourarium Homesicle Blueperiods #12 and 35, along with his blushing bride with the banjo on her knee, the fabulous Miss Birdie Whyte, began what can only be described as an Irregular Friday Showcase, Talent Show and Wild West Revue (and Occasional Snake Oil Demonstration.) Irregular, as, it would seem, not only does it not occur every Friday, it can also be said that there is nothing regular about either the ringleader, Mr. Western, or his sidekick, Ms. Whyte. The music, however, is above reproach. Come see for yourself this Friday (June 17th) as well as on some other (...irregularly scheduled, naturally,) Fridays yet to come. Saturday features a couple of road weary veterans, John Allaire is Ottawa based and has more than a few awards and accolades under his belt after 20+ years touring and gracing stages across Canada; his co-hort in this endeavor is Bill Toms, who for over a decade played guitar in what has been described as Bruce Springsteen’s bar band, the Houserockers. With about a dozen album credits (including one produced by the Boss himself,) with them, with others and even just on his own, Bill certainly can be called a road warrior in the truest sense of the word...in short, these two gentlemen have certainly earned the label chosen for this brief tour: “Hearts of Steel,” come check it out this Saturday, June 18, 9pm, $5.

Sunday the 19th heralds the return of Canada’s closest reply to the question ‘Sufjan Stevens?’ With the words, ‘Dave Martel.’ Which is to say, indie, pop, performance, talent, skill, harmony, quality, lyricism, stage presence...all bundled together in a package, set to go, and displayed for your approval. For just $8 you get to see this world class performer, his four piece band and an opening set with Kemptville’s very own Ben and Heather Mullin, two people who seem, (to us at least,) to sing, speak and even think in perfect harmony and pitch. Come early for BBQ on the patio, paired with Kemptville’s best selection of craft brewed local beer in honour of Ontario’s official Craft Beer week. Music starts at 4pm, there will be an $8 cover for the music.
Friday June 24th is another Frank and Birdie show, followed by Ms. Lynne Hanson on June 25th. Lynne is a songwriter with a knack for a hook that keeps on reeling you in, day after day, month after month and even year after year...I’ve spent years listening to each of her three outstanding records and am still astonished to find great new bits and deeper depths with every listen. Highly recommended. This duo show (Saturday, June 25th) will be $8 and will start at 9pm.

If you missed 2009 Canadian Folk Music award winner Ariana Gillis’ last show at the branch, ask anyone who was there if it was worth seeing. I’ve heard ‘That’s the best show I’ve ever seen in this room,’ I’ve heard, ‘I can’t believe I just saw that in Kemptville,’ and, honestly, I’ve even said some fairly superlative things about it myself. But don’t take my word for it; Ariana is a star on the rise, she is young, incredibly talented, beautiful, and someday soon you’ll be saying, ‘I can’t believe I had a chance to see her at the branch...’ just don’t follow it with ‘...I wish I had...’ Thursday (...technically a Friday, since you’ll be off work on Friday...) June 30th, $10.

We are closed on Canada Day, but Saturday July 2nd we’ll be open and ready to rock with Brock Zeman, Ottawa’s hardest working country rocker. If you like barroom dust, tales of broken women and burned out honky tonk wranglers, songs about whiskey, life and a life of whiskey, then you’ll already know Brock Zeman, he’s that guy, two stools down, telling you the best story you’ve ever heard. Except this time, he’s got a guitar...9pm, $5.

Tuesday July 5th is my 40th birthday. You can do what you like on those round number birthdays, or so I’ve heard. Turns out Ringo Starr, the drummer and lead comedy actor of my favourite band (you know, the Bee-at-uls...) turns 71 just 2 days later. What do I want? I want to celebrate my 40 years so far by celebrating not only Ringo’s but all four Fabs legacy...and I want to do it singing with a bunch of my best friends...I have issued a ‘Fab 4 40th’ challenge to local music types, asking them to pay tribute to the Beatles with either a song for each Beatle or a medley, parody or even just a passing nod...We will start early and stay late and we will have fun. I hope you’ll all help me kick off my next decade in style! Tuesday, July 5th, 6pm or so...no cover...

Huntley Slim and the Suburban Cowboys are back on July 9th with their brand of what I call ‘Newgrass’ or ‘Punk Pickin’ or maybe even just ‘Twang’ music...these youngsters play original music on bluegrass instruments, they play fast and they play well...the stops that they have made at the branch in the past have always sent home lots of folks with grinning faces...that could be you! 9pm, $5...July 16th.

The week of July 10-16 is music city at the branch...the 10th is my Loose and Juicy acoustic jam, always a good reason to dust off your bazoukis, washboards, mouth-harps and castanets; Tuesday brings us the Alex Bien band from Toronto, an indie folk four piece that will feature acoustic solo sets from 2 other members (7pm, free!)...Thursday brings Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk (and Reeves) on their Cross Canada ‘Summer of Colour’ tour...Frank and Birdie perform that Friday and on Saturday...Well, the folks from River City Junction stopped in for cups of coffee and a Rubber Boots Buffet a couple of weeks back and after about 20 minutes we’d made new friends, then, after a listen online to their jammin’ hot brand of Classic Rockin’ Blues, we realized that we may have found the new fix for all you Roosterman addicts out there...Come on in Saturday, July 16 and see for yourself! 9pm, $5. Quite a week! I’ll buy a beer for anyone who makes it out to all 4 shows!

Frank and Birdie will be back the next Friday (July 22) and one of the coolest indie-roots songsmiths we’ve ever had at the branch will be back that Saturday...You may have heard him on the last trip through, when he joined local favourite John Carroll for a night of great tunes, or maybe even from the spins his buzzy new record has gotten on CBC Radio’s ‘the Vinyl Café’; Toronto’s Ron Leary, the man with the magnificent chops, sings ‘songs of love, devotion, poverty, revolution, murder and numerous odes to the highway life...’. Ron Leary (with his folk trio) plays July 23rd at 9pm, $5

July wraps up with awesome tunes by a couple of Ottawa’s brightest rising stars...they’ve been performing as Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons in ‘Grievous Angel’ a theatrical music show that has garnered rave reviews from near and far, but on Saturday, June 30th, they will be showing you that they are not just two folks who can do justice to a legend...they are, in fact, at the moment of birthing a legend of their own. Anders Drerup was the lead guitarist, a vocalist and one of the songwriters for branch favourites Silver Creek before heading out on his own, and Kelly Prescott is warming her way into all of our hearts with her catchy, groovy rock n’ rootsy country blues album that has been spinning constantly on the trusty old branch stereo ever since we got our copy...Saturday, July 30th, $8.

August, I may as well warn you, is coming on strong as well; with a Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute, as well as confirmed dates with Trevor Alguire, Brandon Agnew, Christo Graham and Alex Leggett (see below for dates) and with more names yet to come...I guess what I’m sayin’ is stick around; it just keeps getting better!

June Calendar:
Friday 17 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte ...7pm, free! Now most Fridays!
Saturday 18 ~ John Allaire and Bill Toms (Springsteen produced)...9pm, $5
Sunday 19 ~ Dave Martel... 4pm, $8 Ben and Heather Mullin opening...
Sunday 19-Saturday 24 ~ Ontario Craft Beer Week, Try our "six beers in three courses" tasting menu with a BBQ kickoff this Sunday for Father's Day featuring live music from Dave Martel (BBQ is served from 2pm, music starts at 4pm, $8 cover...)
Friday 24 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte ...7pm, free!
Saturday 25 ~ Lynne Hanson, as good as it gets!...9pm, $8
Sunday 26 ~ Open Stage 3-6pm
Thursday 30 ~ Ariana Gillis multiple folk music award winner...9pm, $10

July Calendar:
Friday 1 ~ CLOSED for firecrackers, bbq and cold cheap beer day...
Saturday 2 ~ Brock Zeman Red Dirt Country Rockin'...9pm, $5
Tuesday 5 ~ Chef Bruce (40) and Ringo's (71) Birthday Jam featuring songs of the Beatles--A 'Fab Four Fortieth Birthday' 6pm, free! Everyone is welcome, call ahead to sign up to play...also featuring wood fired Texas bbq on the patio!
Saturday 9 ~ Huntley Slim 'Newgrass'...9pm, $5
Sunday 10 ~ Chef Bruce's Loose and Juicy Acoustic Jam ...3-6pm
Tuesday 12 ~ Alex Bien Band Toronto folk-rocksters ...7pm, free!
Thursday 14 ~ Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk and Reeves ...7pm, free!
Friday 15 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte ...7pm, free!
Saturday 16 ~ River City Junction Blues and Classic Rock...9pm, $5
Friday 22 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte ...7pm, free!
Saturday 23 ~ Ron Leary ...9pm, $5
Saturday 30 ~ Kelly Prescott and Anders Drerup (aka Gram and Emmylou of Grevious Angel, appearing here as...themselves!) 9pm, $8
Sunday 31 ~ closed... for... something...maintenance?

August Calendar:
Tuesday 2 ~ Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute ...Deadheads Unite! ...7pm
Saturday 6 ~ Trevor Alguire, he's back! ...9pm, $10
Saturday 13 ~ Brandon Agnew ...9pm, $5
Thursday 18 ~ Christo Graham, CD Release Party! ...9pm, $5
Saturday 20 ~ Alex Leggett ...9pm, $5