For a town that “shuts down” in summer, we appear to have a really busy August!
As mentioned in the last column, the Wood ’n’ Wire series will have two performances, August 8 and 22.
We have another fantastic concert experience on August 13 (that’s a Thursday) as the Osmond-Davis Band, a five-man mountain music ensemble from Winnipeg will be at Johnny’s Social Club, 177 Green Street, at 7:30 pm.
The band consists of Simon Davis on guitar and Tim Osmond on five-string banjo and dobro, with Jeremy Penner on fiddle, Dan Simpson on mandolin and anchored by Karl Ratchinski on upright bass.
They play the music of Appalachia in homage to Bill Monro, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs (yep, those Beverly Hillbillies) and the Stanley Brothers, along with other classic bluegrass and newgrass favorites.
They will be a real treat for any roots country music fan. Tickets are $20 and are available at The Orange Toad and at the door. Johnny’s Social Club rules apply, so bring along good treats to eat and share.
Tim Osmond has a day job that also endears him to many Flin Flonners – he is the artistic director of Home Routes, the musician-touring program that has been bringing fabulous folk music to our community through the fall/winter season for seven years now. The 2015-16 lineup is set and the first announcement will be made at the Osmond-Davis concert.
Osmond, in partnership with Mitch Podolak, founder of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, is now responsible for 14 tours with six artists on each, all over Canada.
Each artist travels from community to community for two weeks of gigs, sometimes playing for 60 people and sometimes just for six, in someone’s living room.
It’s a tough way to make a living, given the size of Canada, but the musicians are game. Some of them even get to play Flin Flon, where the tour is so popular they play for two nights!
The performers love that they get a rest from the road here. Last year we added Cranberry Portage to the Borealis Tour and this year we will add
Snow Lake.
The NorVA Centre is gearing up to host its annual Artists’ Retreat at Bakers Narrows Lodge from August 8 to 13. The retreat is open to artists in any art medium, painters, photographers, poets, composers and all.
It is an idyllic setting and canoes and kayaks are apparently available to borrow for those who need to get (even further) away from everyday life.
Artists need to bring all of the supplies they need. It is a non-teaching event, but artists are encouraged to share their work during impromptu workshops.
The cost for the week is $150 plus room and board. Camping is available and there is much more information on the NorVA website.
The other event at NorVA is the Square Foot Fundraising Auction. This is where artists can register for $25 and pick up a square foot canvas, already stretched and prepared with gesso for painting.
Then, artists create a work of art, before September 25 and submit it to NorVA for inclusion in the auction.
Last year, there were pieces ranging from artwork by the amazing Pauline Braun to a finger painting in blueberry jelly (cheers, Edgar).
In all, there were almost 100 pieces auctioned off by the funny and talented Raphael Saray, and NorVA made some money to keep their lights on and pay for a new floor.
The new pieces will be on display during Culture Days.
Calendar
Friday, August 7 to Saturday, September 5: Registration for NorVA Square Foot Canvas Auction
Saturday, August 8: Wood ‘n’ Wire No. 2 with John Bettger, Colette McKeen, Kevin Imrie and Debbie Warren, Johnny’s Social Club, $15
Saturday, August 8 to Thursday, August 13: NorVA Artist Retreat, Bakers Narrows Lodge, $150
Thursday, August 13: Osmond-Davis Band, bluegrass and supercharged country, Johnny’s Social Club, $20
Saturday, August 22: Wood ‘n’ Wire No. 3, Celtic music with Natalie Milligan, Johnny’s Social Club, $15
