Author: desboromh

Meet Brontae Hunter

Meet Brontae Hunter

Posted on by desboromh
Brontae Hunter

Opening for James Hill & Anne Janelle is Brontae Hunter.  She was one of the Youth Discoveries at Summerfolk in 2016 but that’s not all she’s done.

Brontae started singing onstage at age 4, dancing at age 6 and acting at age 7.  And she hasn’t stopped since.  She’s performed on many stages, whether singing or acting.  She created her first EP in 2011 with 4 original tracks.

She’s quite an accomplished young lady having performed in quite a few theatre shows but also writing and performing her own shows and songs.  She has directed Innocence Lost: a play about Steven Truscott as well as producing and performing in The Women of Broadway and Beyond in Stratford’s factory 163 and writing, directing, and organizing a performance collective entitled For Our Stolen Sisters to instigate discussion surrounding the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.  She looks forward to pursuing a career in the arts, in hopes of enriching the lives of others and starting important conversations through the medium of the performing arts.

Here is a little video of Brontae performing an original song with her friend Owen Reynolds.  As you can tell, she’s very talented and with her passion for the arts will go far. Come on out on Fri May 19 to hear Brontae Hunter open for James Hill & Anne Janelle.

Check out their Events Page for their bios, videos and links.
Friday May 19
All Ages
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm
Buy Tickets

Tickets: Advanced: $20 ($17.70 +HST)*, Regular: $25 ($22.12 +HST)

*Advanced tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)

Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series

Get your tickets now and we’ll see you at the Hall.

Meet James & Anne

Meet James & Anne

Posted on by desboromh

So how did they start playing together?  Well, there’s a story…

James and Anne were selected to record a track for a compilation album called Classical Ukulele for release in Japan. “If it weren’t for that recording project,” confides Anne, “I don’t think we ever would have started playing together. It just wouldn’t have occurred to us.” Often the most obvious thing is the thing that’s most easily overlooked. “We chose Schubert’s Ave Maria and arranged it for ukulele and cello. We recorded it in a tiny practise cubicle at the university!” The result? “Absolutely brilliant” (The Folk Diary).

Together, the two of them have created an unexpected duo with ukulele and cello, two instruments not normally found playing together.  They have created a very unique sound within the music industry.  They craft touching, intricate music and in the next moment rock out.  Their concerts keep you engaged and left wanting more.

It’s true: opposites attract. James grew up playing folk, jazz and blues on his ukulele while Anne was exclusively a classical cellist. But the pair’s differences quickly became their biggest asset. The uke is high, the cello is low; the uke plays short notes, the cello long bow strokes; the uke is all about strumming while the cello radiates melody. Like shadows and light in an old photograph, these contrasts are complementary. “We’re like a pair of dancers who can’t step on each other’s feet,” jokes James.

The best thing to do is to just listen to their music.  You won’t want to miss this concert after that.

Check out their Events Page for their bios, videos and links.

Friday May 19, 2017
All Ages
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm

Buy Tickets Tickets: Advanced: $20 ($17.70 +HST)*, Regular: $25 ($22.12 +HST)

*Advanced tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show or we run out (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)

Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series

Get your tickets now and we’ll see you at the Hall.

Meet Anne Janelle

Meet Anne Janelle

Posted on by desboromh

Anne is a classically trained cellist who got her Masters in cello performance at the University of Ottawa.  She has performed with such artists as Kanye West, Bruce Cockburn and Holly Cole.  She is also a songwriter and just like James, defies genre definitions.  But she incorporates her cello beautifully into all her music.

Now some of you may have heard the name Anne Davison and be confused by Anne Janelle.  “Anne Davison” was the name Anne first played under and the name on True Love Don’t Weep.  So why the name change?  Well, I have heard (and we can ask them if it’s true) that when they started collaborating for their next duo album, they had such strong, individual tunes that they decided to make two individual solo albums instead (with each other co-producing, co-writing and co-playing on the others’ CD).  And to distinguish this phase in her career, Anne changed her name.

She has just come out with a new album, which she made while pregnant!  Here is a little video she made to try and raise some money for it.  You can hear some of the songs from her new album, I Didn’t Want to Break It in the video.  And also hear a little bit about the process of making the album.

Next in our little series, we’ll meet James and Anne together and then hear a little more about our opener, Brontae Hunter.

Check out their Events Page for their bios, videos and links.

Friday May 19
All Ages
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm

Buy Tickets

Tickets: Advanced: $20 ($17.70 +HST)*, Regular: $25 ($22.12 +HST)

*Advanced tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)

Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series

Get your tickets now and we’ll see you at the Hall.

Meet James Hill

Meet James Hill

Posted on by desboromh

Our next musicians, James Hill and Anne Janelle, are not only partners in life and in music they were first solo artists in their own right.  So we thought we would feature them individually before showing you what they can do together.  Their music is hard to put into a box as they both like to push the boundaries of genres.  Prolific in creating their solo albums, an album together, a family and touring; these two seem to have endless energy.  Between the two of them, they have created at least 9 albums including the Canadian Folk Music Award winning True Love Don’t Weep, which was their first collaborated album.  Sit back and enjoy getting to know them both.

James Hill

James Hill and ukulele go together like peanut butter and jam or macaroni and cheese (at least to us North Americans).  Now how did a boy from Langley, BC get into the ukulele?  Through the wonderful institution of school, of course.  (This is one of those stories that people point to when they say, “Don’t cut arts funding in schools!”)  A boy first introduced to the ukulele at eight ends up becoming “possibly the best ukulele player in the world” (Waikato Times) and all because his school had mandatory ukulele instruction.  During his youth, he played with the Langley Ukulele Ensemble before embarking on a solo career.  He has toured internationally and is played on CBC and has even been called “the Wayne Gretzky of ukulele” by Stewart McLean from Vinyl Cafe on CBC.  Over the years, he has put out quite a few solo albums and is not only an amazing ukulele player, but also a song writer.  He shows us what a ukulele is capable of (things we didn’t even know were possible!).  He is always pushing out and so his music is always fresh and full of surprises.

So if you are a ukulele fan, this is the concert to come see.

Next, we’ll meet up with Anne Janelle, James’ wife and musical partner and then see how they became a pair.

Check out their Events Page for their bios, videos and links.

All Ages
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm

Buy Tickets

Tickets: Advanced: $20 ($17.70 +HST)*, Regular: $25 ($22.12 +HST)

*Advanced tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)

Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series

Get your tickets now and we’ll see you at the Hall.

FIRST BOX OFFICE OF 2017

FIRST BOX OFFICE OF 2017

Posted on by desboromh

It’s here!  It’s here!  The first box office of the year!  Why are we so excited about this?  Because it means our first concert is in A WEEK!  We’ve been working hard over the winter: fixing things, making things better and finding our amazing acts.  We think we’ve improved the Hall.  (See if you can figure out what we’ve done.)  We also think we’ve found ourselves some world class musicians.

We are very proud of our opening show, consisting of My Sweet Patootie, a local band and Alicia Toner, from the East Coast.  Both feature fiddle players but with different styles.  Come on out for the first concert of the Season to check out My Sweet Patootie and Alicia Toner on Sat April 22, 2107.

See you at our first Box Office on Sat Apr 15, 10am – 12pm.  Then we’ll see you at our first show in A WEEK!  In the meanwhile, here’s a little more about our acts to get a taste of what you’ll hear on Opening Night.


My Sweet Patootie is made up of Sandra Swannell on fiddle, Terry Young on guitar and Paul Clifford on drums.  Their style can vary from traditional Irish reel to contemporary ragtime swing.  “Swing, folk, country and nostalgia collide head-on in a most pleasing fashion”, Maverick Magazine gives My Sweet Patootie 4 out of 4 stars! The band is heavily influenced by the likes of Chet Atkins, Lenny Breau, Les Paul & Mary Ford and the Andrews Sisters. Throw in a penchant for light-hearted satire and their love of artists like Patsy Cline and Hank Williams and you get a sound that Young likes to call “Green Acres for the New Millennium”.  “MSP released their Latest album “Pandemonium” in August 2016. The CD was produced, arranged, engineered and mastered by Young & Swannell at their own Nowheresville Studio located in an historic one-room school house near Meaford, Ontario. “Pandemonium” is their most ambitious project to date and features each member’s skills as multi-instrumentalists, yet still remains true to their live sound as a trio.”  No matter what music they’re playing, you know you’re in for a fun time.

Opening for them is Alicia Toner who is also a master of everything she tries.  “A critically acclaimed singer, fiddler, actor, musician, Alicia Toner has been wowing audiences with her diverse skill set for years. An East Coaster at heart, Alicia felt the pull of the Maritimes and, in 2014, made Charlottetown her home. Since then, she has shifted her attention to her first love; music. In June of 2015, Alicia went into the studio with Stuart Cameron, Peter Fusco and Blake Manning to record her first four track EP. The following Spring, with the help of FACTOR Canada, she completed her full-length debut album “I Learned the Hard Way” to be released this September, 2017.”

It’s going to be a great start to our Season.

Opening Night Line-up

Opening Night Line-up

Posted on by desboromh

We’re very excited to announce our Opening Night line-up:

My Sweet Patootie and Alicia Toner

Saturday April 22, 2017

Do you remember the local band, Tanglefoot?  Well, two of their members, Terry Young and Sandra Swannell along with drummer, Paul Clifford have formed, My Sweet Patootie, a contemporary roots and ragtime band.  They are high energy, lots of fun with great toe-tapping music.  They have performed across Canada, the States and the UK.  Yet they come from our own Grey/Bruce!  They’ve just released their latest album, Pandemonium in August 2016.

Opening for them is, Alicia Toner, originally from New Brunswick and now making PEI her home. We’re lucky she is in town to be able to perform at our opening night.  She is the ultimate “triple threat” (what we call someone in theatre who can sing, dance and act.)  Alicia is that and more as she also plays several instruments including the fiddle.  She has performed in over 30 theatre productions across Canada and Europe.  Now concentrating on her music career, she is releasing her first album in June 2017.

Check out their Event Page for more information.

Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series

All Ages
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm

Buy Tickets

Tickets: Advanced: $20 ($17.70 +HST), Regular: $25 ($22.12 +HST)

*Advanced tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)

Get your tickets now and we’ll see you at the Hall.
New Ticket Pricing for 2017

New Ticket Pricing for 2017

Posted on by desboromh

We have made a few changes in our tickets.  We heard your suggestion about having advanced ticket pricing.

So here is what we have done:

  1. There will be 25 tickets available at the advanced ticket price of $20 ($17.70 + HST) for each show.  They are available only until the Box Office hours the weekend before the show.  It’s first come, first get and the tickets have to be paid for when they are bought.  The tickets are available online with a credit card, in person with cash/credit card at our Box Office Hours or over the phone with a credit card. There will be no reservations at the advanced ticket price.  As there are only 25, get yours early to take advantage of the cheaper price.  After that, the tickets are $25 ($22.12 + HST), same as last year.
  2. We’ve come up with a Season Pass for $140.  You can buy one pass, which means you get ONE ticket to EACH of the 7 concerts at the advanced ticket price. ($20 x 7 concerts = $140)  This must be bought before the first concert in April.  Then we will reserve you ONE ticket to each concert.  Bring your Season Pass to the concert to get admittance.  If you can’t make it, just give the Season Pass to a friend (and let us know who will be coming in your place).  The Season Pass is only good for 2017 and expires at the end of the Season.  As a bonus for buying a Season Pass, you also get the VIP treatment.  That includes a drink and snack for FREE at the Concession Stand and RESERVED SEATING (you pick your favourite seat and we’ll reserve it for you every show)

In Summary:

25 Advanced Tickets at $20 ($17.70 + HST) *Must be bought and paid for by Box Office hours the weekend before the show

75 Regular Tickets at $25 ($22.12 + HST)

Season Pass which is good for ONE ticket to EACH of the 7 concerts of our 2017 Series at $140 (which guarantees you the Advanced Ticket Price for each concert)

We have also slightly changed our Box Office Hours.  They are:
The Saturday before the concert: 10am – 12pm
The Saturday of the concert: 10am – 12pm AND 7 – 7:30pm (If the concert is on Friday, we only have the 7 – 7:30pm times)

But as always, tickets are available online or by phone and at the door.

Any questions, let us know…and we’ll see you at the Hall!

Winter Maintenance

Winter Maintenance

Posted on by desboromh

We know things have been quiet lately since our last show.  But even though we are shut down now for the season, we haven’t stopped thinking about the Music Hall.

We’ve looked over your surveys (BIG THANKS to those who filled one out), had a meeting and are starting to put together next Season!

With all the snow in December it was hard to do much at the Hall but with the milder weather in January and February, we’ve had a peek inside and everything seems good.  We’ll do some maintenance work like building some risers and various other work that needs to be done to a 130 year old building to keep it going in the spring.

As for the surveys, we aren’t able to follow all the suggestions (though we did discuss them all) and are trying to implement some of your requests.  One thing we are able to do is bring you advanced ticket prices.  More on that in our next post.

We’ve also been busy finding musicians for the 2017 Concert Series.  It’s actually a really hard job as there are so many great musicians out there that we wish we could bring them all!  So far, we’re very pleased with the musicians we’ve got coming.  You won’t want to miss any of them.  Stay tuned for the announcement of our line-up in a few weeks!  And save-the-date: Saturday April 22, 2017 for our Opening Night!

 

October: Mark Reeves and Jayden Grahlman

Posted on by desboromh

We thought it would be appropriate to end our season with the artist who started it all: Mark Reeves.  Joe and Phil saw Mark’s concert at Greenbank back in 2015 and after talking with Mogens and Cathy, the folks who started Greenbank Folk Music Society, they thought, “Hey, we could do this” and thus began the dream of The Desboro Music Hall.  So since Mark Reeves kind of helped start the beginnings of the idea, it’s fitting to have him come and close our first season at The Desboro Music Hall.  Joining him is Jayden Grahlman, a local talented musician.

mark-reeves-logo

If you have never been to a Mark Reeves concert, you have missed out.  He calls himself a “roots artist” with influences of blues, folk, gospel and rock.  (For all those who say they don’t know what “roots” music is, they should come on out to this concert and discover what “roots” is.)  He is a one man force.  His live shows are high energy with guitar interspersed with harmonica.  His connection with the audience is what makes his shows so intimate and enthralling.  Those who have seem him come back again and again because they know they’ll be in for a good time.

“Fans of Lovett and Martin Sexton will eat up Reeves’ hard-earned positive vibe, rock solid rhythmic groove and kick-ass Motown horn section which adds a pleasant double-espresso kick to the mix.”

jayden-grahlman

Jayden Grahlman is a local musician from Owen Sound who you might have seen on stages at various places.  He loves music and wants to share his love of it and you can feel it when he performs.  He’s more than capable of matching the energy of Mark Reeves.  You’ll come away from his show feeling happy and glad you spent that time with him.

Don’t miss our last concert of the Season.  This is it.  If you miss this one, you’ll have to wait until next year!

So come on out on Saturday October 1, 2016
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm
All Ages

If you want to read their bios and hear some songs, go to their Events Page

Tickets available:
Buy Tickets online
Box office hours (Saturday Sept 24 and Oct 1: 9am – 12pm)
Phone/text Joe Klages (519) 377-2358
At the Door (if there are any left) the day of the concert