New Brunswick born Calgary based country singer Julian Austin entertained a good sized crowd at Casino Lethbridge, June 6 with some original songs and a lot of countrified classic rock hits.
 I arrived in the middle of “If Houston Don’t Want You,” from his CD “One To One,” for which he filmed a video on top of Lethbridge’s old firehall a few summers back.

 He laughed “I’ll  do the other song now,” as he dedicated his countrified version of  Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” to all of the ladies in the room, most of whom got up and danced.

 He was impressed by this and told them “instead of playing songs nobody knows,  I’m going to play some songs everybody know.”
 He followed it up with a whimsical cover of “Cover of the Rolling Stone,” changing the verse about teenage groupies into a verse about cougars and had the audience singing along with it.

He followed up by having his band play a few bars of  the Eagles’  Desperado,” which segued into “Take it Easy.”
He ended his show with an original song he wrote “He’s Got What It Takes” in New Brunswick while trying to get a record deal, which was met with great response, then introduced his band, and himself as Jason McCoy.

“Unless you kind if  liked me, then you can call me Julian or Jules, that’s what my friends call me,” he laughed before giving a salute to soldier and veterans.
 He was called back for an encore of “Take the  Money And Run.”

The Lethbridge Jazz Festival explores the many different facets of jazz music, June 13-15 at numerous venues across the city. The festival features all kinds of jazz from salsa to gospel including approximately 1,000 performers from seasoned pros to enthusiastic newcomers.
 The fun began June 9 with a jazz gospel service at Southminster United Church.

“We wanted to have something for everybody,” summarized Lethbridge Jazz Society president Don Robb.
“It’s come together really well. We’ve had a lot of great support from the community,” he continued.

The first big event is June 13 with the Lethbridge Big Band and Friends who officially kick things off at CASA at 7:30 p.m.
Another popular event of the festival is the Young Lions  concert  which is  June 14 at 1:30 p.m. at CASA featuring school bands from eight Southern Alberta schools. There will be bands from R.I. Baker School, The  Magrath High School Jazz band , Gilbert Paterson Middle School, Catholic Central, Wilson Middle School, Raymond High School as well as bands from LCI and Chinook High School.
This year there are several familiar faces including Tommy Banks and Vern Dorge who played the festival last year. Plus there is a lot of local talent including Paul Kype and Texas Flood who play the Slice, June 14.

 There will even be more local talent playing the “Suppertime Jazz” program throughout the week at a variety of venues. The Mocha Cabana features Dale Ketcheson, June 13-15; Plum features James Oldenburg and Paul Holden on June 14 and Sheldon Arvay and Don Ponech on June 15; The Cotton Blossom Lounge hosts Cal Toth and Anna Vanderheide on June 13 and 15 and Joe Porter and Joel Goodfellow on June 14; Herb Hicks and Ernie Block play the Streatside Eatery on June 14 and 15; The Telegraph Taphouse features pianist Randy Epp on June 13 and Sheldon Arvay and Scott Kanashiro play the Coco Pazzo on June 13.

Bluesman Jack Semple will play progressive blues at  CASA on June 15, while Calgary based salsa band the Pana Band will get your toes tapping at CASA, June 14. If you haven’t danced enough, Hippodrome will be playing with teen duo Luke and Tess and Central Alberta quirky jazz combo the Polyjesters and Slide Zone for a free outdoor show on the plaza outside of CASA from 1-4:30 p.m., June 15.

Carstairs based jazz and roots band the Polyjesters have been together since 1999. They are excited about coming to Lethbridge.
“I don’t think we’ve ever played Lethbridge as the Polyjesters,” said stand up bassist/ vocalsit Jason Valleau.
“ We’re still there, we all got day jobs that have to do with music,”  Valleau said, who along with his brother Sheldon on baritone ukulele and vocals, guitarist Aaron Young, fiddler Drew Jurecka and drummer Jon May make up the band.

“We’re like stubborn dogs chewing on the same old bone, he said adding the Polyjesters have backed an array of musicians like Ian Tyson and Cindy Church.
“So we keep sharp by learning how to play other people’s music,” he said.

It is all about jazz music this week as most of this week’s big events are related to the Lethbridge Jazz Festival, taking place all over the city June 13-15. Some of the big names include Saskatchewan bluesman Jack Semple playing a later show at CASA, June 15 and Carstairs folk/ jazz combo the Polyjesters who are at the Slice earlier that night. Local blues band Paul Kype and Texas Flood are part of the jazz festival as well, playing the Slice, June 14.

Some of the bigger names playing this year’s festival include pianist Tommy Banks and saxophonist  PJ Perry who play June 14 at the Yates Theatre.

 Dallas based singer Rosana Eckert will be playing with Vern Dorge and local trio HBO3 at the Sterndale Bennett, June 15. And if you want to dance, The Pana Band Salsa Orchestra is coming from Calgary to get your toes tapping salsa style at CASA, June 14.

But for something a little different, the Owl Acoustic Lounge is hosting Edmonton folk/ punk songwriter Ghost Factory who plays, June 14.

The Owl also goes a little country on June 15 with Vancouver based southern fried country/ roots/ rock band the Real Ponchos coming to town.

Rosana Eckert is excited about visiting  Lethbridge for the first time for the Lethbridge Jazz Festival.
 She plays a show with HBO3 (Paul Holden, James Oldenburg and Brad Brouwer) and Vern Dorge, June 15 at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre.
“ I might also be making cameos on other stages,” said the Dallas based singer.
She is excited about singing with new people.

“It will be a little bit of traditional jazz and  more contemporary jazz,” Eckert said, who teaches at her alma mater The University of West Texas.
“I also like to write so there is a lot of storytelling. I like to arrange music, so I like to take some of the ingredients and incorporate them into the music,” Eckert continued.
“I’m just excited to meet some of the local musicians and make music with them so I’m excited about that,” she said. She sent recordings  to them to learn.
“We might also snag a rehearsal in there,” she added.

“ The style people will hear will be a range from swing to Brazilian, funk and a little bit of New Orleans jazz,” she described.
She has been singing professionally for approximately 17 years.