The Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra is excited to celebrate their sixtieth anniversary albeit a year late due to Covid.

 

The first performance is tonight at 7:30 p.m. where  Casa hosts Intimus 1 Revolutions featuring classical guitarist Illiana Matos and the Musaeus String Quartet. They will be performing  Debussy’s  String Quartet in G Minor and Turina’s “The Bullfighter’s Prayer for String Quartet” and  Brouwer’s “Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet.” All Intimus concerts are $35.

 

 Musaeus will be featured at all of the Intimus shows.

“ Tonight is really our soft opening where our audiences can get used to being able to see classical music again and our musicians can get used to playing together again,” said Ross Jacobs, Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra president, noting the first performance of the season is Oct. 18 at the Symphony’s usual home base, Southminster United Church. Series 1— Striking Rhythms features special guests Adam Mason playing Marimba.

 

“It’s an opportunity to remind the public that we’re still here,” Jacobs said, noting tickets are reasonably priced ranging from $25-$75, but there are special discounted tickets for students.

 

“Even though this is our sixty-first year, we were supposed to celebrate our sixtieth anniversary last year, but had to cancel because of Covid,” Jacobs continued.

“The Symphony is especially important for for kids playing music in school. Professional musicians are here for them to look up to and the Symphony gives them a place to perform when they graduate,” he continued.

 

The Lethbridge Symphony is adhering to Covid protocols, so patrons must show proof of vaccination and wear masks during the concert.

 And they are operating a reduced capacity to allow for proper social distancing between seats.

West of the Forth played an enjoyable show of classic country at the Slice for an intimate audience, Sept. 25.

 I caught West of the Forth between sets, but Richard Inman filled the void with a few originals while they took a break.

West of the Forth aka Connor Adams and Don Kinahan played a laid back set of classic country at the Slice, Saturday, Sept. 25.

The duo had very complementary voices, harmonizing beautifully together accompanying each other with plenty of pretty guitar picking.

 They played some Ian Tyson , Roger Miller’s King of the Road and Waylon Jennings’ “Luckenbach, Texas.” 

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor

The Owl Acoustic lounge picked up the tempo with a little bit of alternative country, Saturday, Sept. 25 with Calgary’s Liquor Mountain.

 I caught the end of a fun set which  had the essence of  L.A country rock like the Byrds and a touch of cow-punk along the lines of the Del Lords, though 12 string wielding lead singer Danny Vescarelli sported a Frank Zappa style handlebar moustache.

Steve Rozitis added tastefully twangy country leads and played a few harmonized leads with Vescarelli which lead to a mountain of sound.

Bassist Adam Kamis and drummer Clayton Smith kept the rhythm moving.

 They impressed the crowd enough to call for an encore.

So they obliged by taking a swing at the Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ “Homemade Wine,” which they said they had never played before.

They did a fantastic job of it before calling it a night.

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor

Edmonton’s merry band of transplanted Maritimers, the Derina Harvey Band made a long awaited return to the Slice, Friday, Sept. 24.

They play here every two years and always bring a kitchen party to the floors of the Slice to an enthusiastic audience.

 I bought the eighth ticket on Wednesday, and was concerned about the turnout, however, last minute Lethbridge came through again for this show.

I only caught one set, but should have stayed for the whole show.

 I arrived as they were tearing up a hot version of Steve Earle’s “Galway Girl,” which is also on their second CD “Rove and Go.” The band, featuring lead singer/rhythm guitarist Derina Harvey, drummer Steve Pinsent, lead guitarist Scott Greene, bassist Ed Smith and fiddle phenom Jessica Blenis, followed that up with a “sociable“ and tearing up “Whiskey in the Jar.” Everybody adding vocal harmonies making for a stunning experience.

 Most of their set came from that CD and it was mostly revved up versions of traditional Celtic favourites, most of them powered by  fine finger flying fiddle playing from Jessica Blenis.

 They slowed things  down, just a touch, for a pretty cover of  the Pogues’ “Dirty Old Town.” But they picked up the tempo quickly, with the audience enthusiastically  whopping and hollering and dancing up a storm.

 They had everybody singing and clapping along with Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers’ “Sarah” in between tasteful fiddle and guitar solos.

 They slowed things down again for the mournful “Fallen Man’s Daughter.”

 They picked up the tempo for a hot  version of “Excursion Around the Bay,” for which Harvey conducted the crowd in a rousing chorus of “Heys.”

They picked up  the frenetic pace on another crowd pleaser “Mari Mac,” which got faster with every verse and drew a lot of applause.

Blenis  seemed to be holding back, but let loose on a scorching version of bluegrass classic “Orange Blossom Special,” which I thought was the Dixie Chicks’ “Sin Wagon”  to begin with.

They ended the set on that highlight and I left for the next gig, but should have stayed, if only to hear their version of the Arrogant Worms’ “Last Saskatchewan Pirate.”

— By Richard Amery, LA. Beat editor