Geomatic Attic showing optimism by rebooking shows for later in Fall

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The Geomatic Attic’s Mike Spencer is  confident Covid 19 panic will pass. So much so that he re-scheduled spring shows from Fred Eaglesmith and Tif Ginn and Shane Koyczan for late fall at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre.

Fred Eaglesmith and Tif Ginn's show has been rebooked for Oct. 28. Photo by Richard Amery
 The April 9 Shane Koyczan show will now be Thursday, Nov. 5 while Fred Eaglesmith and Tif Ginn’s June 23 show has been moved to Wednesday Oct. 28.


 Steve Dawson’s Black Hen Roadshow, Volume 4, originally set for June 3 is cancelled but will be rescheduled. Spencer said deposits had already been made for the Sterndale Bennett so the rescheduled Eaglesmith and Koyczan shows will still be there rather than at Geomatic Attic.


“We already had an agreement with the Sterndale Bennett. But it’s nice to have that option,” Spencer said.
 He said it is a gamble to book shows at the best of times, especially an entire series.


“I’ll pay between $1,000 to $3,000 and up to $5,000 for bigger acts in deposits, which add up,” Spencer said.
 The province’s Covid 19 ban on gatherings over 15 has unfortunately meant the Wide Skies Music festival has been cancelled this year.


“I saw this coming in March so we held onto deposits until June,” he said.
“But unfortunately, we didn’t have any other options as the province’s ban on gatherings over 15 is expected to run through to September,” Spencer said, adding MonkeyJunk and Birds of Chicago had been booked for the popular June mini-festival. He hopes to incorporate them in to the next season.

 He also hopes to include Matt Anderson next season, who had been tentatively booked for the festival.

“I’m worried about the other venues. We’re a not-for-profit organization. The Geomatic Attic is my little field of dreams project. We’re lucky, I already have a building that I already use for my business, that we can use for concerts,” he said.


 He is confident, once things return to normal, there will be a lot more live music to choose from.
“Everyone will be starting from the same place rather than one third tour, one third recording and one third writing,” he said, adding touring is all the more important for musicians now.


“I’m afraid a lot of them won’t survive this. They’ll have to quit and get day jobs,” he said.


 He is considering putting on a a mini-festival featuring all local acts once restrictions are lifted.


 “There are a lot of talented musicians here. I’d like to work with some of the other venues. We could have two or three a night,” he said.

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
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