JOHN ALLEN
For the Bulletin
Bill St. Amand emceed another enjoyable Homegrown music evening at Centre 64 last Saturday.
First was singer Daniel Bailey, self accompanied with some intricate piano, for three original numbers. Sun in the Fall was a pleasant tune, A Surgeon With (a Scalpel Wearing) Boxing Gloves (At Night) was amusing and last was Fast Friends, sung by a boy meeting someone and knowing right away that “you’re gonna be fast friends”.
Gordie Blake, once again with his lovely red guitar, with quiet emotion sang Gordon Lightfoot’s If You Could Read My Mind (It’s been covered by just about everyone, including, not well, by Johnny Cash and Neil Young). Next was Gerry and the Pacemakers, from 1964, Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying (The night’s the time for all your tears…For the morning will bring joy For every girl and boy). Gordie finished with another wistful Lightfoot tune Affair On 8th Avenue (The perfume that she wore, was from some little store, On the down side of town). Gordie also told a very funny story of attending his first dance at age 13 and four feet tall (i.e. short); he was too shy to ask a girl to dance, back in the days when the girls sat way over on the other side of the floor. At last a Sadie Hawkins dance was announced and “An Amazon woman 5′-6″ tall” came over and took his hand. It was a slow dance, so you got to hold your partner close. “Guess where my head was?” Ya gotta picture it. He had, shall we say, a very comfortable dance and the other guys were jealous.
John Gerlitz was next up; he is, as Bill announced, quite the guitar player. John knows so many songs that he has a hard time deciding what to perform. He covered three tunes. First was Wheat Kings by The Tragically Hip, a song about wrongly convicted “David Milgaard and his faith in himself” (Gord Downie). Search tragically-hip-wheat-kings-true-story-milgaard. Next was Running To Stand Still by U2; John finished with John Prine’s Angels From Montgomery.
Intermission in the Gallery, with the Unframed exhibit and goodies, was an opportunity to catch up with friends in the audience.
The very impressive Selkirk Jazz Choir, directed by Sven Heyde, began with Purple Rain by Prince, then Mr P. C. by John Coltrane which ends with “It was just like a movie It was just like a song When we were young”. Their last number, recorded in 1973 by Elton John, was the memorable Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The singers were subtly accompanied by drums and an electronic bass.
A new Homegrown performer was Aaron Goos (pronounced like ghost without the t). He gave three of his own songs Underwater, Shape I’m In and Two Stars. His piano playing was strong and vibrant.
Stacey Decosse followed, describing herself as “a 5′-6″ Amazon”. (We won’t go there.) She accompanied her (leaning toward Country) songs with some mean clean guitar; as Ashley McBryde sings in her 2016 number Bible and a 44 “I’m holding more than strings and wood”. Next she gave us Canadian Kathleen Edwards’ sad House Full Of Empty Rooms (You don’t talk to me Not the way that you used to…. I’ve been wondering about what we’re gonna do A house full of empty rooms). Stacey finished her fine set with Ray Lamontagne’s Jolene (Still don’t know what love means).
The last performer of a long enjoyable evening was one of the founders of Homegrown, Van Redecopp, with yet another big and lovely guitar to pick and some intriguingly delivered numbers. First was Fats Waller’s swing song Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1929), for Van’s 98 year old grandmother. Next was Randy Banchman’s Undun (She’s Come Undone); Van explained it’s about a girl who took acid (scary stuff) at a party and ended up in a coma. Crazy Love by Van Morrison (She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love) followed and the Avett Brothers’ Laundry Room (Don’t push me out Just a little longer) finished the evening.
Kimberley artists never cease to amaze and amuse. The next Homegrown evening is March 2. Come on out!
