raintree CD release celebration -Songs of Eden

Saturday, November 25th, 2006
Iron Works Pub (Almonte), behind Thoburn Mill and near waterfall by railway bridge
8:00 pm, $10 cover

Finally... after a few winters of wood-shedding and musical "alchemy", raintree releases a new album of world-folk music . The long awaited CD, entitled "Songs of Eden", is an unusual and hypnotic blend of Celtic and African music.

raintree and friends are celebrating their CD release with a live performance on Saturday, November 25th in Almonte - including several new songs from the CD, far-out songs from the raintree back catalogue, and a few strange traditional and cover tunes thrown in for good measure. The band line-up includes Ian Douglas (piano, drums, vocals), Steve Reside (guitar, vocals, percussion), Greg T.Brown (violin, concertina, vocals), and Julie Larocque (vocals, percussion) along with a few special guests. It should be a great night, and we'd love to have you join us.

Seating is very limited, so please contact either Steve or Ian to reserve your tickets soon!

Tickets available from Steve and Ian or from the Iron Works Pub (613-256-7840)

Posted by Chris at 9:51 AM | Permalink

Le Jazz de Sylvie
Vocals: Sylvie Grenétte
Piano: Jean-Pierre Allain
Bass: Bob Langley

A last minute cancellation by Scott Poll and the Pollcats (who promise to come at a later date) gives us the opportunity to invite singer Sylvie Grénette this month.
Sylvie began singing when she was three or four years old and hasn't stopped since.
As a young student, she was always part of the school choir, sang and listened to music practically everyday at home and still remembers her brother asking her to stop singing along to tv commercials! She also participated in many plays, shows and talent contests where she would often be in the winning category. She took private lessons for a few years and carried on to be the lead vocalist of several musical Rock groups, mostly in the Ottawa area. After wanting to expand her horizons, she put together her own Swing/Blues project which brought her to some of the most exclusive clubs in the area. Sylvie finally found her niche in the traditional Jazz genres of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. She now has a trio and will often bring in other featured musicians to join her for special venues. She is well-recognized for the passion she demonstrates while singing and for virtually living the lyrics of the songs.
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Posted by Chris at 2:12 PM | Permalink

CBC Radio movie critic Robert Fontain will join us in the backroom of The Ironworks for movie trivia.

ROBERT FONTAINE IS a film critic whose passion for the cinema is infectious. Until now, his lively commentary was only available to listeners of CBC Ottawa's All in a Day. With this collection, Fontaine brings his exuberant, imaginative voice to the printed page in a selection of expanded and revised film reviews comprising a life-long love affair with the movies.

"Put aside your preconceptions and get ready to re-evaluate every movie you've ever seen." — Ken Rockburn

Robert Fontaine

Author

Born into a French-Canadian family
of musicians and film buffs, Robert Fontaine demonstrated an early aptitude for drumming. Eventually tiring of the sounds of pots and pans, his parents gave him a real drum set for his eighth birthday.

Playing in bands through his high-school years, Robert became a professional musician in 1980 after a brief career in the public service. During the next three years, he toured Eastern Canada and the Maritimes in various jazz, rock, and blues groups. Back in school by the mid-eighties, he graduated magna cum laude in 1986, obtaining a degree in communication from the University of Ottawa. It was during his years at Ottawa U that he developed a love of radio, hosting various music and public affairs programs on university radio. It was also during this time that he began to obtain work as a freelance writer-broadcaster, reviewing records, writing articles for French daily Le Droit, and covering the Ottawa International Jazz festival for CBC Radio as well as for the French-language network, Radio-Canada.

A guest appearance on the popular CBC drive-home program, All In a Day, in 1992 led to his being offered a regular slot as a movie critic on the show. Over the years, his insightful and often cheeky film reviews have become a weekly highlight for many CBC Radio listeners.

As well as being passionate about movies and music, Robert is a devoted baseball fan. Married, he lives in Gatineau with his wife, Sylvie, and their teenaged son, David. "Annie," their very large (but gentle) dog, has been known on occasion to dine on remote-control units.

Posted by Chris at 7:30 PM | Permalink