Entertaining: An eclectic week of events awaits
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The elevator to the third floor of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA) Club, at the corner of Ontario and Clarence streets, will be busy in the week ahead.
It starts Thursday evening with a free concert — courtesy of the Union of Professional Musicians, Local 518, and the Music Performance Trust Fund — by Blue Syl and the Sweet Home Band, who will be playing classic blues starting at 7 p.m.
The union and the MPTF are also sponsoring another concert Monday, featuring the Inner Harbour Jazz Trio, Dave Barton and Brian Howell. It runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the club at the corner of Ontario and Clarence streets.
In between those free concerts, you can catch the Smokin’ Roosters from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday followed by the Soul Motions, who play R&B and Motown hits, from 8 to 11 (cover is $10 for that show).
Saturday sees the return of the popular Big Phat Horn Band at 8 p.m. Cover for the three-hour show is $25 and I would buy tickets ahead of time if you can as those shows often sell out.
The rest of the week is also busy. On Tuesday it’s the popular afternoon jam session led by Tom Savage from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday sees the return of Chris Murphy, who has been busy playing with Juno award nominee David Francey as of late. The Turpin’s Trail singer plays from 7 to 10 p.m. and cover is $5.
For details about the shows, go to rchaclub.com.
The RCHA Club isn’t the only Kingston venue with a busy week ahead.
The Grand Theatre hosts three vastly different acts this week, and each show is close to a sellout.
First up is illusionist Darcy Oake, who “blends classic magic with cutting-edge technology to create a show that is truly unforgettable,” reads the description at kingstongrand.ca. That’s also where you can buy one or two of the remaining tickets, which cost $39.50, $49.50 and $54.50 plus HST and handling fee.
Tuesday sees country singer-songwriter Chase Rice mosey into the Princess Street venue with his “Get Western” tour in tow. The show — for which tickets are $71.86, all in — starts at 7 p.m. with opener Owen Riegling.
Wednesday sees Montreal-formed fan favourite Godspeed You! Black Emperor bring their “post-rock” sound to the Grand stage. It starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $56.42, tax and fees included. The band is performing as a part of this year’s Kingston Canadian Film Festival, which opens the same day.
The KCFF officially begins a few hours earlier with the opening film, “The Queen of My Dreams,” being screened inside the performance hall of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. The film starts at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $25, which includes a reception in the Isabel’s lobby after the show.
Before the festival begins, there are a few other concerts happening at the Isabel this week. Friday sees the return of the Strumbellas to Kingston, who are touring in support of their new record, “Part Time Believer.” The show is already sold out. It starts at 8 p.m.
Sunday sees Canadian pianist Angela Cheng make her solo debut at the Isabel. She will be playing pieces by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin. It starts at 2:30 p.m. and tickets are $45 and $64. It will also be streamed online. Go to queensu.ca/theisabel for the link.
Pieces by Haydn and Beethoven are also on the program — as is Queen’s University faculty composer Dean Burry — for the Isabel Quartet’s performance Tuesday evening. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert range from $8 to $32.
There’s even more classical music this week as Orchestra Kingston continues its 15th season Sunday with a concert titled “Showcasing our Own.” It takes place Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Spire, 82 Sydenham St. Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors and students. For more information, go to orchestrakingston.ca.
Melos Choir and Period Instruments will also be holding an event — a fundraising recital and tea — on Sunday afternoon. It takes place at 3 p.m. and, along with a recital featuring music from the 6th to 19th centuries, there will be a silent auction of “talents and experiences.”
Speaking of fundraisers, there’s one Thursday evening at the Spire. “Help for Hamse” — he’s trying to raise money to bring his mother and brother to Kingston — will feature music by Jim Patterson & the Ride along with special guest Spencer Green. It starts at 7 p.m. and the cost is $30.
The first instalment of the “Youth Open Mic” — open to songwriters, musicians and poets aged 18 and under — at the Broom Factory was a success, and it returns for a second instalment Sunday. It takes place from 1 to 3 p.m., and, as a bonus, host Savannah Shea will offer coaching sessions to performers starting an hour before the show. It’s a free event. To sign up, go to broomfactory.ca and click on the link.
The Broom will also feature a pair of events on Saturday. The first is a free information session running from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. titled “The Art of Managing Your Career.” It’s for students hoping to establish a career in the arts. The session will cover three topics: knowing the market; knowing yourself; and knowing your project. The third hour will be used for participants to draft “crucial elements” of their business and marketing plans. Go to broomfactory.ca to register.
That evening, it’ll be Terra Lightfoot performing on the newly built Broom stage for an all-ages show starting at 7:30 p.m. Opening will be Greg MacPherson, who now calls Kingston home. Tickets are $25.
Applications to play at this year’s Homegrown Live Music Festival —a one-day fundraiser for Joe’s MILL featuring bands of different genres in different venues across the city — are due March 1. Go to homegrownlive.ca to fill out an application.
In the meantime, you can sample a full day of music — it starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 10:30 p.m. —at Sunday’s “Today for Tomorrow,” being held at Forworld Studios, 477 Princess St. It will feature 13 performers, including KaKaow, Mat Almeida and Dirty North. Tickets are $15.
And, lastly, Kingston singer-songwriter Alexa Goldie has been named one of the eight semifinalists in SiriusXM’s “Top of the Country” competition.
Goldie and the other seven competitors will be flown to a studio in either Vancouver or Toronto, where they will record an original song and a video of their in-studio performance will be made. Those videos will then be posted online and fans will get to vote, with the top three vote-getters moving on to the finals. The winner will be decided at the Canadian Country Music Association’s “Country Music Week” in Edmonton, and will win $25,000 (the other finalists will receive $10,000 each). Good luck, Alexa!
phendra@postmedia.com
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