The Pearl Company

The Hungarian Visual Artists of Canada: In The Pearl Company Gallery. This is the first fine art exhibition in Hamilton for this vibrant group. Paintings, sculptures, photography, woodcarvings and enamels.  The show will be on display from Friday April 30 to Tuesday June 1, 2010.
The association consists of a group of artists who have joined together to promote their work, interest and participation in contemporary visual arts, to encourage each other and to hold exhibitions in Canada and abroad. Their members include painters, sculptors and photographers who work in various media.  They believe that art builds bridges between people, generations, and nationalities; it serves as a common denominator among economic groups. Art opens people’s minds to new possibilities, provides a foundation for shared experience.

Pearl Company Gallery hours: 1 to 4, Wednesday through Sunday; 6 to 8 Thursday and Friday evenings. (Also by chance or appointment.)

Two Grooves, One Heart: Friday, April 30 at 9:00. $15 at the door. A concert collaboration of cross-cultural chords.  Masaisai: Afro-Zim Mibira Dance Party. A part of Masaisai Mu Dare, a circle of Zimbabwean musicians, dancers and story-tellers who are sharing their vibrant culture using a fusion of traditional and contemporary ingredients.
Lauren Best and the Renegade Company.  Just 19, this dynamic singer-songwriter-keyboardist’s “catchy tunes and quirky lyrics” have been winning the hearts and minds of audiences from Hamilton to Montreal. www.myspace.com/masaisai www.myspace.com/laurenbest

Italian Film Night: Cinema Insieme: Monday, April 19, 7:00pm, $15 at the door:  ‘Caro Diario’: Nani Moretti directs himself playing himself in this wry look at life. Presented in three chapters, Moretti uses the experiences of traveling on his motor-scooter, cruising with his friend around a set of remote islands in search of peace to finish his new film, and consulting doctor after doctor to cure his annoying rash.  All in order to cast a humourous look at his life and those around him.

Wednesday Night Showcase: April 21, 8:00pm, $15 at the door. The Wednesday Night Showcase is a venue for talented singer songwriters in Hamilton and surrounding areas. Hamilton is a hotbed of talent that has a hard time highlighting their works; The Pearl Company is happy to provide the opportunity to turn up the volume and let these artists show what they can do. We are hoping to help develop new talent and to have more established musicians work with them while displaying their own talents. Some of the showcased artists will be headlined at the Pearl Company in a future date. Whether you are jazz, rock, folk, blues or whatever, contact John Crawford or Mike Dufour through the Pearl Company and they will see about getting you on a show.   The showcase will start as a once-a-month feature.  Our first Wednesday Night Showcase will feature: Pip Kummel, Michel Leon, Shawn Brush (aka The Krooked Cowboy), John Crawford & Troy Harmer. Support local talent!

Tia McGraff: Saturday, April 24 at 8:00. $20 at the door. With a special guest appearance from Six Nations Musicians, Sakoieta Wildrick and Tewentahawiht Dawn Antone.
Writing and recording since the age of 19, Tia McGraff’s uplifting, heart-warming songs have been garnering her strong fan acclaim from the start. The Port Dover native headed to Nashville, where she and Tommy Parham quickly became a musical force to be reckoned with. Writing, performing and producing, they have captured the attention and respect of artists, producers and industry insiders.
“Tia McGraff is a fantastic singer with her own vocal personality which reminds me of an early Linda Ronstadt. She is a very intuitive songwriter who knows what a song needs to make it tick. A joy to work with.” – Randy Bachman
” I have seldom run into someone with a gift that needs to be heard as much as Tia. She colors outside the lines, and stands outside of the circle of tuned perfection. Tia McGraff is real and is really needed in today’s marketplace of music.” – Devon O’Day   www.TiaMcGraff.com

Jazz Connection Big Band: Friday, April 23.  Doors at 8:30, jazz at 9:00 $15 at the door: Made up of talented musicians from all over southwestern Ontario, The Jazz Connection Big Band is a 20-piece band dedicated to playing great, straight-ahead jazz.  The JCBB are gaining a bigger audience every time they play here and have put together a spectacular new program.  Carrying us once again into the cool space of surround sound big band music! http://www.jazzconnection.ca

The Beagle Boys: Saturday, April 17, 9:00. $15 at the door:  Criminally Good Rock and Roll! This great band will deliver one very fine concert.  A four piece electric guitar band with songwriter, vocalist, rythm guitarist RAYMOND MATERICK fronting the extraordinary trio of KEON CROSSWELL (Guitar), JOHN CRAWFORD (Bass), and DAN KOLTHOF (Drums), the BEAGLE BOYS deliver heavy-duty crunch and groove, cut throat vocals and intense songs about the human spirit.  ”One would be hard pressed to find a more accomplished songwriter and a more expressive, passionate, soulful voice than Raymond Materick anywhere in popular music today” Robert Reid therecord.com  ”Matericks’ music stands up to, and sometimes over, the work of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp” Glenn Nott  Hamilton Spectator. “Raymond Materick is as good as anyone I’ve ever played with” Tim Drummond, bassist with Bob Dylan, Neil Young , Joni Mitchell, James Brown”

Miss Emily Brown: Tuesday, April 13.  Doors at 7:30, Concert 8:00. $10.  Emily opened for one of our shows a few months ago.  We had no idea what to expect but she totally charmed us with her presence, her voice, and her music. Check out these quotes: “Miss Emily Brown has managed the difficult task of marrying history and plain old-fashioned storytelling into a compelling and delicately assembled package of distinctive folk-pop ear candies.  In Technicolor (her new cd)is a genuinely impressive achievement.” – Amanda Putz, CBC Radio. “Awash with simple phrases and a gorgeous tapestry of music, her arraignments are usually superficially simple with undertones of something much deeper. It is as if she touches on a deep-rooted nerve that most of us did not know we had”. North by East West.  www.myspace.com/missemilybrown

Jenny Whiteley: Saturday, April 10. Doors open 7:30, Concert at 8:00 $15. Those who have heard Jenny sing as she’s crisscrossed the country over the past dozen or so years know that an evening spent listening to her songs is like a long delayed meeting with an old dear friend. Laughter and sorrow are shared, barriers dissolve, and life’s burdens suddenly don’t seem so heavy anymore. A new CD from Jenny Whiteley is always something to celebrate, but for her growing number of fans the release of ‘Forgive and Forget’ will prove more than worth the wait, featuring ten original new songs that sound not so much written as torn from the cloth of hard won experience.  Whiteley’s integrity and commitment emanate from every syllable she sings as she shares her tales of life on the road less traveled. Her voice has taken on a deeper resonance than ever before as she takes her time to share what may be the best collection of songs she’s ever offered. And in 2000 Jenny won the Juno roots album of the year award! www.jennywhiteley.com

The Marigolds: Friday, April 9. Doors open 8:00, Concert at 8:30, $18 advance / $20 door. The Marigolds are three great solo artists who share a love of good songs, beautiful harmonies and great grooves. Caitlin Hanford and Gwen Swick (both of Quartette) and Suzie Vinnick (of Betty & the Bobs, Suzie and Rick Fines) are as impressive as their combined years in the business. Each member of The Marigolds has performed in concert from coast to coast, at folk festivals, on radio and television. A gold mine of talent oozing with sticky-sweet harmonies, they deliver heart-warming songs that are enough to brighten anyone’s day. www.myspace.com/marigoldsmusic

April 2: We will start with the Lincoln Alexander Centre, then to the Anastasia Gallery, and then head out to the beautiful Sunrise Gallery on the Beach Strip, finishing up with Gallery 435. I will throw in an extra or two; stay tuned.

April 9: This second Friday we will be catching the action on both Ottawa Street (Earls Court Gallery and Under the Moon) and the James North Crawl, finishing up with the Tiger Group Studio Gallery.

Starting at 6:30 from The Pearl Company at 16 Steven Street and King William.
Please reserve a spot beforehand via email or phone, and purchase your trip ($15.00) when you arrive.
Finishing up at The Pearl for an après-tour wind-down which includes a tour of the building often with music from Gary Santucci or whatever event is happening on the theatre floor.

The Budos Band: Friday, April 2nd, Doors open 9pm. Showtime: 10pm.  Advance Tickets: $25 available at Dr. Disc in Hamilton. http://www.drdisc.ca With it’s twenty-two legs, three horns, and hallucinogenic venom, The Budos Band, the un-heralded emperors of Instrumental Staten Island Afro-Soul, continue to rule. The band commands their listeners to follow them on their second journey into the depths of their vision. While their debut album was itself heralded as a groundbreaking exploration of funk, afro-beat and soul music, few could predict that their second effort would not only match but surpass the realm of mind-expansion embodied on their first sessions. Through ten exciting new instrumentals recorded live at Daptone’s House of Soul in Bushwick, Brookyln, The Budos Band pours themes at once resonant and ethereal over Herculean rhythms. www.thebudos.com

Maggie Szabo: Thursday, April 1 at 8:00 PM. $10 at the door. Maggie is a gifted young pop artist hailing from Dundas.  Now living in Nashville, where she is already garnering critical acclaim, Maggie is excited to be coming home for her first Canadian appearance to promote her new EP.  Maggie has been working with Tanya Leah, an established songwriter / producer in Nashville who hired some of Nashville’s top studio and live musicians to record Maggie’s songs (also written with other top writers in the business).  The music that resulted from those sessions crosses the boundaries between pop and neo-soul, and creates a new sound all its own.  Maggie’s songs are deeply musical, intelligent and catchy.  Her voice is simply a force of nature; it is young and fresh, but still evokes the smoke and grit of someone who has lived long and hard. www.myspace.com/maggieszabo