Shadows and Light

These famous words to the old Motown song, sung by Garnet Rogers on his fourth (sellout) visit to the Evergreen Theatre, perfectly captured the mood of the audience last Friday night. Go direct to the gallery here or continue reading below image….

This seasoned skilled performer with his easy relaxed manner and cameraderie captivated his audience of fans with many of the new songs from his recently released live CD “Get a Witness” – the title track of which you can hear on the photo album of this performance. Garnet’s deceptively laid back appearance was quickly dispersed when he launched into a couple of stinging political attacks in his two pieces “Junior” and “Beyond This Wall” and the sparks really started to fly with these two latter-day protest songs. He wove his way musically, too, travelling with us through Nebraska and with spellbinding electronic wizardry through the great North in “Night Drive” and finally rounded off with a rousing version of the well-known and much loved old favourite “Northwest Passage”.

The audience was delighted when the second half of Garnet’s performance included many requests, among which a personal favourite of mine “Small Victory” and the hauntingly beautiful love song, “Here Tonight”.

Many thanks again, Garnet, for visiting the Evergreen Theatre again.

Ellie

Deep Roots 2007 Photo Galleries all online!

October 5th update: At last all of the Deep Roots Galleries are online for viewing. Click above or on the links to music galleries to find them, and enjoy the photographs of that wonderful weekend!

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The energy was palpable and the atmosphere electric this past weekend at the 4th annual Deep Roots Music Festival. According to the buzz that we heard last night the weekend was an unqualified success from the point of view of the organisers, volunteers, audience and performers.

Galleries of Deep Roots Festival

The galleries of the performances and the Festival are being prepared as I write and the first ones are available for viewing here. I hope they give all who were not able to attend a bit of a feeling of the wonderful weekend and bring back good memories for those who were there – performers, volunteers and audience members alike.

Steven

Was it really only 18 Strings and 30 fingers? Somehow it seemed to be so much more when Glenn Lévesque, Marc Morin and Sébastien Dufour, The Montreal Guitar Trio played the Evergreen Theatre August 17th.

(view gallery) This galvanic trio of vituosos from Quebec, described by the CBC as “the hottest guitar ensemble in Canada” took the theatre by storm with their “Around the World in 18 Strings” performance. Their piece “Psycho” (yes, just like the movie!) was at once discordant, seat-gripping, nail-biting, face-hiding music, the stuff of which the best horror films are made.

Next in this journey we were transported to Japan where the music spun a tale of “Hoichi”, a blind musician and his experiences with a Samurai ghost. This convergence of Eastern and Western music was a story of depth and sadness lightened by surprising bright interludes.

“Agua e Vinho” (Water and Wine) is an elegant piece of lighter tones and gentle meanderings whose darker notes lend depth and add interest while Marc Morin’s delightful arrangement of the “Barber of Seville Overture” was a joyfully unlikely melding of Italian Opera and Klesmer styles that became a flight of fantasy that invoked fond memories of Bugs Bunny (you had to be there…).

This outstanding performance whisked us then from Rio and Buenos Aires by way of Quebec to Brittany and on to India, through an evening of skillfully arranged blending of musical styles and cultures that deserved the standing ovation it received from the audience on that warm summer night. Thank you so much for a wonderful evening, Marc, Sébastien and Glenn. We hope you will come back to the Evergreen soon.

The photo gallery of this performance is now online and can be viewed on the Evergreen Theatre 2007 page.Direct link to MG3 gallery.

Ellie