The Pearl Company

FOR THE LOVE O’ NAT – CHRONICLING THE LIFE, TIMES & MUSIC OF NAT KING COLE: Dean Hollin presents another of his popular “Musical Biographies”.  Saturday, May 28th,  8 pm.  $18 advance / $22 door.  An evening of memories and melodies, all tied together by one man — that tremendous crooner of the twentieth century, Nat King Cole. The songs: “A Blossom Fell”, “Route 66, “Mona Lisa”, “Straighten Up and Fly Right”, “Paper Moon”, “When I Fall In Love” and, the timeless “Stardust”! In direct keeping with the instrumentation of the original Nat King Cole Trio piano, rhythm guitar, and upright bass — Dean will be accompanied by a live jazz trio.  http://www.deanhollin.com

Rita Chiarelli in Concert: Friday, September 10 & 11. 8:00pm. $25 at the door. Dubbed the Canadian Goddess of the Blues by CBC’s Shelagh Rogers, Rita is releasing her 8th CD, SWEET PARADISE… All new! Featuring some of Canada’s finest musicians! If you didn’t see the story that Graham Rockingham of the Spectator wrote about what this astonishing woman has been doing lately, here is the link: http://www.thespec.com/whatson/music/article/253754–music-from-the-big-house
“I like to take the listener with me, so they get a picture as to where I’ve been… I guess you could say that I write from the road trips of my life.”  Rita Chiarelli
“These past few years, I took long and lonely journeys to Mississippi and Louisiana… the songs you will hear are the bluesy swampy rootsy experiences I had… they are real and they are from the heart” Rita again.

“What a voice! Powerful…lively, warm, and sensual. The emotion is there, it vibrates and is palpable. This Sweet Paradise is really superb!” Gilles Blampain, Blues Again, Paris, France
www.ritachiarelli.com

The ƒ Holes: Thursday, September 9.  8:30. 15$ at the door.10$ students/artists: … An impeccably authentic, raucously entertaining blend of gypsy jazz, zippy Dixieland, viper blues and roots from this Winnipeg creative hybrid that is rewriting the definition of roots music.  Over-the-top vocals meet pedal steel, blistering horns, banjo and fiddle to create this campy, slightly twisted take on country, blues, dixieland, klezmer and anything that piques their interest, apparently. With music that would be at home on an off-Broadway stage, this musical conglomerate swirls around the hell-fired vocals of Patrick Alexandre Leclerc and a group of talented musicians who throw caution to the wind in their bid to make a distinctive mark. (The F refers to the holes in acoustic guitars and standup basses…)  www.thefholes.ca

Venturing out the first two Fridays of every month:
The ARTBus is sponsored by Judy Marsales Real Estate

• September 3: From The Pearl we’ll head to the Mustard Festival, Arts Hamilton and the Intolerant Gallery. Then the Anastasia Gallery, a Locke Street Ramble and off to Dundas for the Carnegie and the Oddfellows Hall.
• September 10: An Ottawa Street Stroll, the James North Art Crawl, the Tiger Group Studio Gallery.  Another great night!

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

16 Steven is at King William just north of King, 4 blocks east of Victoria, and 2 blocks west of Wentworth.  It’s a three-storey factory/warehouse building. Any other questions?  Either call or email me, Barbara Milne (905 524-0606), barbaramilne@cogeco.ca

The Art Bus and The Pearl Company are promoted and supported by THEZine: http://www.thezine.ca

Dean Hollin: The Songs of COLE PORTER & HOAGY CARMICHAEL: Featuring Dean Hollin accompanied by pianist Mark Spencer: Friday August 27. 8:00pm. $15 at the door.  $10 artist/student: Catch this captivating actor/singer as he presents: A state of musicality…? A mere 131 U.S. miles separate Peru, Indiana and Bloomington, Indiana – the respective birthplaces of Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael.  Was there something particularly musical in that 1890’s Indiana state water?  Coincidental?  Apparently.  Worth singing about?  Absolutely!

Join Hamilton native, Dean Hollin and pianist Mark Spencer for an undeniably delicious evening of lyric & melody as they journey through the music of Porter & Carmichael.  Presented with unparalleled affection, you’ll remember the hits (Stardust, I Concentrate On You, Miss Otis Regrets, The Nearness of You) – experience the rarities – and re-live the genius of two of the greatest tunesmiths of the twentieth century (and the state of Indiana!). www.myeyeproductions.ca

The 8th Annual Arts of August: Thursday August 26, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at The Pearl Company. Admission: Free.  Living Rock Ministries invites you to make Summer 2010 count by attending the 8th Annual Arts of August Grand Finale.  Youth from Living Rock, Immigrant Culture and Art Association, RE-Create Outreach Art Studio, and the community have submitted art, photography, poetry and music to showcase.  Themes include peace, equality, love and culture.  You will be touched and inspired by what you see and your support will encourage and celebrate these young artists. There will also be raffles and refreshments, with all proceeds supporting Arts of August.  Come and support this wonderful initiative.  Celebrity Judges will honour youth with prizes and Scotiabank Medallions. www.livingrock.ca

The John M. Crawford Blues Band: Friday, August 20, 8:00pm, $10 at the door.  Like the blues?  You’ll love them John Crawford style.  Here’s the line-up: Bass, Kerry Nash; Key board/Vocals, Willie Van Culuart:  Rhythm Guitar Michel Leon; Lead guitar/Vocals John M. Crawford; Drums Bob Letzer.  These guys always rock; you need to hear them sing (and this is exclusive to Hamilton) The Code Red Blues!

Wednesday Night Showcase: Wednesday, August 18, 8:00pm, $10 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 often 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 find new talent and 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. The showcase is a once-a-month feature. This Wednesday: Gordon Odegaard and Tim Selles with his band “bruekke” – and more!

Studio Babette Puppet Theatre presents: Pulcinella, il Cameriere (the Waiter): Friday, August 13. 10:30pm – 11:00pm.  After the Art Bus, free for Art Bus patrons, all others PWYC (Pay What You Can)

A Commedia dell’Arte style puppet show for adults. This zany, constantly evolving half-hour puppet play is the perfect way to end an evening of Art Crawl. www.studiobabette.ca

Aidan Knight’s Friendly Friends Tour: Thursday, August 5. 8:00pm. $10 at the door, $8 artist/student: Aidan was known as a great backing musician, playing everything from pop-rock bass lines to violent, pounding hardcore drums. All the while, he was writing songs of his own resulting in ‘Versicolour’, a deeply personal yet universally relatable eight-song collection of ‘oddly charming and delightfully catchy’ tunes. His songwriting is striking, from a hushed love song set on top of classic horns and fingerpicked guitar to life-affirming lyrics and timeless anthems. With a talent like this, it’s clear that it was only ever a matter of time before Knight rose above his supporting role and struck out on his own.

The Art of Paul Richard James (Main Gallery) and Claudette Losier (Side Gallery): Opening Saturday June 5, 2pm – 5pm. No charge.

Paul Richard James is a Welsh born painter living in Hamilton.   This man has a wildly unique array of approaches. His artwork is both traditional and radical in style and content. He works mostly with oil on canvas, including representational and abstract, figurative work, portraiture, political art, installation and some environmental art.   His goal is to create images that please the eye, the soul, and the conscience.  www.paulrichardjames.com

Claudette Losier has several different bodies of work: floral, the active life, transfer art.  Her paintings lean towards capturing strong contrast between lights and darks and complimentary colours while she abandons herself to patterns in nature. This show focuses on her use of various transfer art techniques. claudettelosier.artshamilton.ca

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