Time: 8 p.m.
Tickets: $47.50
Steve Dawson www.stevedawson.ca
Over the past decade or so Steve Dawson has become such an indelible fixture on the Canadian musical landscape that it’s tempting to take him for granted. One of the drawbacks of being so talented is that Dawson makes everything he does sound so effortless. The music that continually flows out of him is so natural and unforced that it’s possible to forget all of the toil that went into producing it. Behind the organic, flowing guitar work, the crisp arrangements and the laconic singing voice, resides one of the brightest, hardest working musicians the country has ever produced.
In addition to working on his own music, he’s kept very busy producing memorable albums by such luminaries as Jim Byrnes, Kelly Joe Phelps, Old Man Luedecke, The Sojourners, and The Deep Dark Woods, as well as bringing the award winning Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Project to fruition (featuring Steve’s work with Madeleine Peyroux, Bruce Cockburn, John Hammond, and many more). Add to that his session work and touring commitments and it’s amazing that this 2-time Juno award winning artist (not to mention 5 other Junos for his production work!) ever finds the time to create any new work under his own name.
Alvin Youngblood Hart http://www.mojomusic.com/alvin
The Cosmic American Love Child Of Howlin Wolf and Link Wray! Known as a musician's musician, his praises have been sung by everyone from Bob Dylan to Brit guitar gods Eric Clapton & Mick Taylor. Since his 1996 debut recording, the all-acoustic BIG MAMA'S DOOR, Alvin Youngblood Hart has carried his musical message the world over. A devout follower of the "no barriers" approach laid by veteran performers like Gatemouth Brown and the late great Doug Sahm, Alvin continues to defy the so-called purists.
After receiving the 1997 W.C Handy Award for Best New Artist, as well as two Living Blues Awards, Hart's 1998 release, TERRITORY, a rousing tribute to all forms of American music, received the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll Award for Best Blues Album (and it wasn't even a Blues album). In the summer of 1999 Hart teamed up with producer Jim Dickinson to begin recording START WITH THE SOUL. This record would be hailed as a new breed Southern Rock classic and Alvin's return to the "sacred garage". START WITH THE SOUL was chosen by the New York Times as one of the top 10 releases of 2000, as well as the BBC's Blues record of the year. He also shared Living Blues Magazine's best guitarist honors with fellow road dog Big Jack Johnson in 2001.
2003 was a busy year. Not only was there a GRAMMY nomination, Hart also toured the world as a member of Job Cain, a hard rocking side project he put together with Cry Of Love/Black Crowes guitarist Audley Freed. In August of '03 Alvin was invited to fill in for Taj Mahal for five nights in Tokyo as a member of Kip Hanrahan's Conjure, the worlds longest running jazz poetry ensemble. Assembled to lend musical support to the words of Bay Area poet Ishmael Reed, Conjure featured the talents of tenor sax giant David Murray and also Meters guitarist Leo Nocentelli. Alvin is still a member of the revolving cast and recorded with them on the BAD MOUTH CD.
In 2004 Mr. Hart received a Grammy for his contribution to BEAUTIFUL DREAMER :THE SONGS OF STEPHEN FOSTER. In the Summer of 2005 he released the self produced MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER, a rock guitar free-for-all, paying homage to fallen & missing rockers like Phil Lynott and Sly Stone. In 2006 Hart took time out to work on the film BLACK SNAKE MOAN. He served as a guitar tutor to star Samuel L. Jackson and recorded a duet with the film’s female lead Christina Ricci for the soundtrack. In the fall of that year Hart joined Austin dynamo Ruthie Foster and Rock n Roll legend Bo Diddley for a 2 month coast to coast US tour. Recently Alvin has thrown his talent into the educational arena. In April 2007 he participated on a tour of Mississippi high schools as a member of the Thelonius Monk Institute Of Jazz.
Jim Byrnes http://www.jimbyrnes.org/index.htm
An American-born actor long in Canada, Jim Byrnes is best known for playing 'Lifeguard', the communications expert and link to the "organization" on the CBS series "Wiseguy" (1987-1990), and as Joe Dawson, one of the Watchers tracking the immortals on "Highlander" (syndicated, from 1993-98). A handsome man, often bearded, Byrnes lost both his legs when, while helping push a stalled truck on a highway, he was hit from behind by a car. After recuperating, he pursued work as a musician, which also led to the acting career for which he had once trained.
Born and raised in St Louis, he grew up on the city's north side. As a teenager going to music clubs, he and his buddy were often the only white people in the place. "We never had any problems. We were too naïve, too innocent, and had too much respect for the music and the culture - they knew it, they could tell."
Starting piano at age five, by age thirteen Jim was singing and playing blues guitar, and he continues to play on his favorite guitar, a Gibson 1969 Hummingbird. In addition to being a musician, acting always seemed to strike a chord, ever since he did Shakespeare in the Park in St. Louis when he was 15. He studied acting at Boston University and St. Louis University.
In 1981 he formed the blues group, The Jim Byrnes Band, began playing dates throughout Canada, and has become a staple of the Vancouver music scene. The band has released three albums, "Burnin'", "I Turned My Nights Into Days" and "That River." In 1996, he won the Juno award for Best Blues/Gospel Album for "That River".
He broke into the US TV market in 1987 acting in and singing a song he had written for the NBC miniseries "Hands of a Stranger". "Wiseguy", filmed in Vancouver, Canada, premiered later that year. In addition to acting, Jim has also done voices for the animated series "Dragon Warrior" (syndicated, 1990) and "Megaman" (syndicated, 1996), appeared in the short-lived syndicated series "Neon Rider" (1990) and performed blues songs on an episode of the HBO series "The Hitchhiker". He has co-starred in numerous TV movies, beginning with "The Red Spider" (CBS, 1988). He had strong moments playing a war veteran in the award-winning "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story" (NBC, 1995) and reprised the role of Lifeguard for a "Wiseguy" reunion movie on ABC in 1996. In 1993, he was nominated for a Genie for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work in "Harmony Cats", and in 1996 won the Leo for Best Actor in a TV Drama for his work in Highlander.
Del Rey http://hobemianrecords.com/Del_press.html
Del Rey started playing classical guitar when she was four. As a teenager, she met bluesman Sam Chatmon who inspired her to become a blues queen. Her guitar playing combines country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie through the sensibility of an autodidact trailor-park esthete. Her live show is full of complex guitar grooves and sly humor.
Del Rey plays concerts world wide and also presents a concert/lecture on women musicians called Women in American Music. She collaborates and tours frequently with Austin guitarist Steve James and she plays ukulele with Ukeshack . She is featured on Maria Muldaur's cd Sweet Lovin' Old Soul. She has contributed to projects in honor of The Mississippi Sheiks, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Johnny Cash. Del Rey also writes about music for various publications, including Acoustic Guitar.
Del Rey has recorded five solo albums, Blue Uke (Hobemian 2008), When The Levee Breaks (Hobemian 2006), X-Rey Guitar (Hobemian 2000), Hot Sauce (Hobemian 1995) and Boogie Mysterioso (Hobemian 1993). In 2003 she released a collection of performances Del Rey:Live.
She recorded an album of uke 'n' bass instrumental duets with Matt Weiner At The Ukeshack #1(Hobemian 2007) and also on uke with The Yes Yes Boys she recorded Why Say No? (Hobemian 2002) With Steve James, Tonight (Hobemian 2004) andTwins (Hobemian 2002). With Del Rey and the Blues Gators she recorded Chartruese (Hobemian 1991) and Cafe Society (Kicking Mule 1985).
Her most recent cd is Hen Party with Suzy Thompson (Hobemian 2010) and the first project of 2011 is a 45rpm record, the proceeds of which benefit Transportation Choices Coalition.
