This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
I took a few days off, so this is the column should have run last week and there will be another on Saturday. This time around the focus is on what’s happening the next few days and then I’ll get to longer term events with the next typing exercise.
Oct. 10, today, or tonight, the Orillia Youth Centre has the next of their fundraising concert series happening at Creative Nomad Studio and the show will play again Friday night at the youth center.
The performers are Lenny Lashley, Nixon Boyd and Rebekah Hawker. Lenny is a Boston area punk rocker turned country artist turned somewhere in the middle as he pedals his solo album. Gang of One is an enjoyable set of tunes. For this sojourn to Canada Tim Kehoe will be performing with Lenny on pedal steel guitar, much the same as he did two weeks ago when he backed up Roger Harvey. Of course, when I say much the same, I don’t mean Tim will play the same tunes or notes, he’s crammed a new set list into memory.
Side note for musicians: remember back in high school or college when you spent all day and night the day before an exam cramming info into your porous gray matter and you felt there was no hope? Yet, here you are a decade or so later and memorizing 10 or 12 tunes for a gig at the end of the week is no problem. Weird how that works, isn’t it?
Nixon has a new tune, Every Time We Turn A New Corner, out and Rebekah has seen her performance schedule go into hyperdrive since she played the Mariposa Folk Festival last summer. You can listen to some of her music here.
You can get tickets for either of those shows online. You might notice when you are on that page there is another concert a month from now with Danny Michel and Steve Poltz at St. Paul’s Centre; you might want to grab those tickets now before they are sold out.
Imagine That
It’s Thanksgiving weekend and around here that means the Images Studio Tour is happening all weekend. Starting Friday the participating galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, including Monday.
Of interest this year is Dave Beckett’s son, Todd, has returned to Orillia and is opening up Dave’s galley in Marchmont. Dave died last April and Todd is a five time Emmy Award nominee and winner for his sound recording work on Barry and Silicon Valley. If you’ve never been to Dave’s gallery, you can find it on the Images ap. Go and see some of the finest pastel paintings ever produced in Canada.
Of course if you go out to Dave Beckett’s you might as well include stopping at Pam and Paul Allen’s just down the street.
Also, Xavier Fernandes has been turning what remains of the trees being taken down from the downtown into bowls. He’s already got several dozen turned and is planning an exhibit in December. He’ll be at Stop R (Horseshoe Valley Road ant the 10th line of Or0-Medonte, Heather Kerslake’s studio) with his work.
Also, you might want to stop by Marlene Bulas’s West Street studio. Marlene has become ill and may not be there, but Walter is as good a tour guide as any.
Jimi McKee has moved from Orchard Point to the north end, so your grand tour should take that into account. He’s got a diverse collection of sculpture, paintings, furniture, knick-knacks and other stuff so whatever your interest it will be interesting.
All together there are 32 artists showing their works at 20 studios. Don’t forget your camera, you’ll probably see some scenery you will want to remember.
The Shorts
- There are still spots for Trunkers left – Derick Lehmann is trying to hit 100 – and registration for the 5th annual Trunk Or Treat Halloween fundraiser for the Orillia Youth Centre is open. You can get tickets online for your kids now. The date of the event is Saturday October 26 and it’s at ODAS Park.
- The Old Dance Hall Players have a night of imrov comedy at the Opera House Oct. 11. That show is called Candied Hams, but that doesn’t mean anything. There’s always something they’ll do, no level they won’t stoop to, to split you guts over. You can get tickets online
- Raune-lea Marshall and Deby Melillo – Marshmellow – have an art show happening Oct. 12 at KC’s on the Corner (Highway 12 and Farigrounds Road) Oct. 12 from 9a.m. to 3p.m.
- The Orillia & District Agricultural Society. Has a trick or two up their sleeve for Halloween. They have the Severn Slaughterhouse happening Oct. 11/12, 16-19, and 23-27 at ODAS Park. They say it’s family friendly and you can get tickets online.
- Jessica Martin and Sean Patrick, and Jim Cronk are playing the Roost Farm’s opening of their new store (this is the place where the Orillia Youth Centre has had its July 1 concerts for a few years).
- Couchiching Craft Brewing has the Ronnie Douglas Band playing Oct. 11; Terry Savage has a CD release party Oct. 12… Quayle’s Brewery has Samantha Windover playing Oct. 10; Chris Staig is in Oct. 11; Mike Schultz plays the early set and Kyle Wauchope the late set Oct. 12; Kat Chabot (early) and Stephan Bernard (late) are in Oct. 13… Jakob Pearce is playing at Ktchn Oct. 14.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied) Main: Lenny Lashley, Nixon Boyd and Rebekah Hawker play an Orillia Youth Centre fundraiser Thursday night at Creative Nomad Studios and Friday at the youth center.
