Bill Monahan
Fans of live music have a lot to look forward to this week in Meaford, where music will be everywhere downtown.
One of the best performers in the area, David J. Russell, will be spending some time in Meaford this week. He is always very busy performing at venues all around the Bay, so Meaford is lucky to have three chances to see him this week.
On Tuesday night he co-hosted the open mic with Chris Scerri at The Leeky Canoe. This has become the place to be on Tuesday nights, where every week seems to bring something really special.
Russell performs at this week’s Terrace Thursdays at Meaford Hall. It is already sold out, and although you might be tempted to stand in the parking lot just to hear the music, you will have another chance to see Russell at The Leeky on Saturday night, when he will be joined by Chris Scerri and Victoria Yeh.
As always, two more open stages happen one after the other on Wednesday night, so it’s possible to catch both. From 6:30, join Eric McCauley at Captains Corner and later head up to Ted’s Range Road Diner for their Wednesday night jam session where the joint will be jumping until the wee hours.
As the week goes on, it just keeps getting better. Dairy Queen has joined the local businesses which are featuring live music, celebrating this Thursday with music from 6:30 to 10:00, with performances by Doug and Heather Brown, and Scott Almond. This ties in with Dairy Queen’s Annual Miracle Treat Day, where the proceeds from all Blizzards sold across Canada are donated to area Sick Kids Hospitals. It’s a unique way to enjoy live music on a hot summer night with a cool Blizzard.
If you want something stronger after your Blizzard, you’ll find Beaker Granger performing at The Leeky Canoe from 9:30 onwards. This venue is leading the trend to bring more live music to downtown Meaford, and it looks like the idea of three nights in a row of live music, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, may become the new normal for them. When you include the Tuesday open mic, that makes four days a week that you can enjoy live music there.
By Friday things really get exciting with the latest in the Meaford Summer Concert Series happening at Market Square beside Meaford Hall, from 7 p.m. to 10. The Honeyrunners from Toronto will be bringing their great feel-good music to Meaford, with the added bonus of Victoria Yeh, the amazing and versatile violinist who adds a whole new dimension to any songs she performs. But that’s not all. To celebrate International Youth Day, the show will include young local talents who were part of this year’s GBSS Idol: The Ted Brownlow Band, Cry For Ophelia, and Max Breadner. Anyone who attended any of the GBSS Idol shows knows that despite their youth, these young artists are capable of moving you with their talent.
After the Market Square show on Friday, The Leeky Canoe brings back Meaford’s favourite imports, Tyler Yarema and Gracie. They have performed at Meaford Hall and they blew away the audience on Canada Day in the first of the Meaford Summer Concert Series. They have both dropped in several times to do impromptu performances at The Leeky, but this is the first time that they will be doing an entire evening there. It’s probably a good idea to get there early to get a good seat because both of these artists have built a pretty sizable following here in town.
On Saturday night, August 13, Eric McCauley will be playing at Captains Corner from 6:30 to 9:30. You may have seen him perform a few songs when he hosts the Wednesday night open mic there, but this is a chance to hear him present a much larger chunk of his repertoire, which ranges through the entire pop music spectrum. And as always on Saturday nights, when things wind down at Captain’s Corner they start to heat up at The Leeky, this week with David J. Russell. He’ll be joined by Chris Scerri and Victoria Yeh. If you missed Victoria in the big Friday night show at Market Square, you will want to be sure to be at The Leeky on Saturday. Her ability to improvise on the violin to songs of any style means that her contribution to a performance raises it to a ‘whole other level’.
It doesn’t stop there. Sunday morning will be another open stage at The Barn on Higway 26, where there is always an ineffable magic in the air, and where this month you have the added treat of knowing that you will hear at least a few songs from host Luke Martin.
And the Sunday night Friends of The Libraryconcert, starting at 7:00 pm at the Rotary Harbour Pavilion, may be the best yet in this series, with singer Wayne Fennell from Owen Sound. His repertoire ranges from folk to pop but what is really impressive about him is his vocal talent. You’ll hear his versions of songs that are not often covered because they are so challenging for a vocalist, and you will be impressed.
For more Meaford Music news, check out the new Meaford Live Music website: www.meafordlivemusic.com.
