While there are a couple late week shows worth checking out, there are some good ones throughout the week.
First and foremost is the launch party at the Slice for new record label/ musician’s collective Esper Records, March 26.
Local bands Church ( Leigh Doerksen and Dan Puurveen) as well as Jesse and the Dandelions and The New Weather Machine, will be showing what they can do as well as showcasing the three bands on the new label. They will also be videotaping the show.
Doors open at 8:30 p.m. with the bands taking the stage at around 9:30 p.m.
Doerksen also has a busy weekend as he is playing with Brenna Lowrie at Cudos, March 25.
Another big show on March 26 is Saving Abel, who break in the new stage at the Stone. The Corinth, Mississippi based band have a modern radio friendly sound reminiscent of everyone from Nickelback to Incubus and even the Black Crowes. Their latest radio single and the title of their latest CD is “Miss America.”
Other singles they have released are “the Sex Is Good,” “Addicted,” and “Mississippi Moonshine.”
Tickets cost $30 for the show, which begins at 8 p.m.
A big show for budding talent is Lethbridge Has Talent, which takes place March 26 at the University of Lethbridge gym. Doors open with the silent auction beginning at 5:30 p.m. followed by the talent show at 6 p.m. The silent auction ends at 8:30 with the event ending at 9 p.m.
Admission is five dollars for students, $10 for adults or a $20 family pass with all of the money going to Kids Help Phone.
Also on the weekend are a couple excellent classical and jazz concerts.
The University of Lethbridge Jazz Ensemble will be performing at Southminster United Church. They will be playing a variety of composers’ works including Thelonius Monk, Count Basie and Stan Kenton.
For later week shows, the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra winds down their season March 28 at Southminster United Church with “Shadowcatcher.” The second last masters series presentation features Eric Ewazen’s newly composed brass quintet concerto “Shadowcatcher” a swell as Stewart Grant’s Jaï: Symphoni Overture, John Barry’s Dances with Wolves Concert Suite and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 (Jupiter) in C Major K551.
Monday, March 28 is a busy day for everybody, not only do colourfully costumed upbeat folk group Maria in The Shower return to the Slice, but Vancouver bagpipe powered Celtic rockers will be tearing up Essies as well.
And another Sunday show at the Slice features the return of Chris Gheran, We Are the City and Aidan Knight.
In the same eclectic, strange, folk cabaret vein, Blackberry Wood returns to the Slice this week for a March 24 show
More and more people are showing up to “open for the bands” at Average Joes. This Thursday is the last chance to compete for a chance to open for Dr. Hook, and take home a lot of other cool prizes. This past Thursday, Average Joes was filled with St. Patrick’s Day revelers quaffing green beer and sporting an array of green.
The bands continue to show improvement, though not a lot of them would be a good fit for a Dr. Hook show. So I voted for a new blues band called In Da Groove, who definitely had the groove going on, heating up the rowdy crowd with a version of Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Working,” followed by an obscure Powder Blues band song called “Thirsty Ears” and then a Jimmy Vaughan song. They had superb groove going on and some excellent harp.
Dalliance Elixir were back again to play some laid back jazz pop.
One band who impressed me, but wouldn’t be a good fit for Dr. Hook, was Gravity Crash, formed out of the nucleus of Sevendaysin with a new bassist (Charlie Christensen) and guitar player.
They had an upbeat modern rock, but not grunge rock, sound, and a lot of charisma and activity on stage.
Also in the band wars vein, if you play country music and want a chance to perform on the same stage as Terri Clark, Gord Bamford and Ian Tyson, make sure you are at Boss Hog’s Country Saloon on Thursday for open auditions for the Canadian Country Music Weekend just outside of Fort Macleod this summer.
There will be two different chances to audition, March 24, March 31 with the finals on April 14.
Last , but not least, Lethbridge College is hosting the LCSA beer and music festival in the Barn. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. March 25. There will be live performances by the Lethbridge Irish Dance Association, Hibikiya, Metis juggler Roy Pogorzelski plus the U of L Trinidad Steel Drums and the Hungarian Trio. Admission is five dollars.
