Our workshop and concert with Chris Coole and Arnie Naiman was a rousing success; we honestly had no idea that there were so many eager students in and around our neighbourhood. Chris and Arnie have expressed the possibility of another workshop, so stay tuned to our homepage here and we'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, another exceptionally talented individual is slated to take the MITW stage: Jude Vadala is a woman of many musical talents, being an accomplished singer, guitarist, mandolinist, pianist, fiddler and autoharpist; she can in all likelihood play almost every instrument we could put in front of her. Taking the forefront, of course, is her clear and cutting voice, purveying lyrics of the ups and downs of everyday life over novel arrangements employing all of her numerous strengths. She is an accomplished globetrotter, having shared her music with people around the world, including at such prestigious venues as the River Run Centre and Hillside. Now at last we're proud to welcome her to Music In The Wood. To see and hear more of Jude, check out http://www.myspace.com/judeland
Now, the show starts on February 11th at 7:30pm. The usual concert designs apply: tickets are $20 each, and there's 25 tickets to be had so make your move quick. There will be music aplenty, as well as a brief intermission with nommables, drinkables and...uh, conversables. See you at the show!
We are pleased to announce that banjo heroes Arnie Naiman and Chris Coole have agreed to be teachers and players at a special workshop-show combination. They will be teaching a beginners' class and and advanced players' class, which will covering everything between basic clawhammer action to whatever magical banjo tricks the pair can pull out of their hats, and requests will be welcomed. After class, those who have opted for it will enjoy fine dining and sparkling conversation around the MITW table, and finally Naiman and Coole will treat us to a concert. You needn't be a student to come enjoy the show. Packages are as follows, in order of duration:
-Lesson-only package: a seat in either the beginner or advanced class, from 3:30pm to 6pm. $30.
-Lesson, dinner and show: a seat in one of the classes, a seat at the dinner table, and finally a seat at the concert. All this lasts from 3:30pm until whenever the concert concludes. $50.
-Show-only package: a seat at the concert, consisting of two 45-or-so minutes sets with a brief intermission for coffee and cakes. From 7:30 until concert's end. $20.
We request that you book your place(s) in advance; we can't guarantee a spot for you if we don't know you're coming. You can pay in advance by Paypal or cheque. Paypal transactions can be sent to hugh@midnightspecial.ca . Cheques can be made payable to MidnightSpecial Enterprises and mailed to:
Hugh Hunter
PO Box 701
Rockwood ON
N0B 2K0
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us with one of the methods listed on our Contact page. We hope to see you there.
Mac, December 7, 2011
Many thanks to Great Wooden Trio and their special guest, Ian Reid, for treating us to a heartwarming show this month. Look for parts of their performances to be uploaded soon on the upcoming Music In The Wood Youtube channel. And more tangibly, you can turn your anticipation towards the next house concert. December's concert will feature Alfie Smith and Nicole Christian. Smith is a legendary singer and player, and Christian is no slouch either, so we were delighted when they agreed to take part in our concert series. If you're not familiar with Alfie Smith's work, you can take a look through http://www.alfiesmith.org and get acquainted. This show is set for December 10th at 8pm. Admission is the usual $20, and the capacity is the usual 25 seats. Order now in order not to miss this chance to see a pair of excellent musicians in such a cozy setting.
We really love that November and December are busy months for us for more than purveying our products (though we relish that opportunity too, see below). We have not just a house concert, but also a workshop and Christmas concert on the agenda for your holiday pleasure. For the workshop, renowned folk singer Eileen McGann will be sharing her songwriting wisdom with students. Her talents are better heard than read about it, so check out her website, http://members.shaw.ca/emcgann/ , to do so. The workshop takes place right here at Music In The Wood on November 26th at 2pm. Tuition for the whole thing is $30, which we believe is a steal considering the calibre of our gracious instructor. Call or e-mail us to reserve your spot.
Our celebratory Christmas concert features perennial favourites Second Wind. They will combine their fabulous vocal harmonies and instrumental talents with carols new and old to create a truly heartwarming event. Admission to this concert is a foody or monetary donation to the local food bank. And we did say "celebratory", so we'll be making a jam and potluck party out of this. That being the case, we encourage you to bring some finger-friendly food to contribute to the appetites and atmosphere. The concert begins on December 2nd at 8pm. For the price of admission, you get a one hour concert with the lovely Second Wind, a crowd-sourced buffet, and a chance to show off at the open mic after intermission. As usual, you can phone or e-mail us to get yourself a spot. We hope you'll come contribute to the holiday fuzziness with us.
You might not know it from all the concerts we host around here, but we're also a music supply store. Fancy that, eh? We know you know a musician, because everyone does. In fact, it might even be you. So consider us for supplying the troubadours in your life (whether somebody else or your own self) with items that keep them happily strumming (or blowing, or bashing) away. Of particular note is the fact that all non-consignment items are 15% off their label
prices for the month of December. We can also provide gift certificates in any amount you prefer, and layaway is available for all items, so come check out what we have in store. We'd be glad to have helped you avoid a trip to the meat grinder that is the holiday season mall.
-Mac, November 22, 2011
An unshakeably dedicated crowd welcomed Ian Reid to our stage this month, and Ian and we thank them for that. Now we hope to see the same enthusiasm as Great Wooden Trio sojourn into Rockwood for us. Presenting a novel mix of inspirational story-telling, spoken and sung lyrics and top notch musicianship, the four (go figure) members of the trio hail from all across southern Ontario, and they forge ancient myth and legend, personal accounts and introspective thought into gripping tunes. You can find out more about the Trio by visiting their webpages here:
www.thegreatwoodentrio.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/thegreatwoodentrio
Come out to see them, and maybe you'll get a chance to ask them yourself why the math of their name doesn't seem to work out. The show is set for November 12th at 7:30pm. There are 25 tickets available, no more and no less. As usual, along with an excellent performance you can count on complementary coffee, tea, cookies and pastry during intermission. For more info or to pre-order your ticket(s), please phone or contact Wendi using the info provided on the Contact page.
-Mac, October 22, 2011
We give great thanks to Katherine Wheatley and the devoted concert-goers, without whom we wouldn't have had such a lovely time on September 10th. So, great thanks, and we hope all our paths will cross again. The next concert in the series will be happening on October 8th. This month's show stars the ever-gigging and engaging Ian Reid. Ian is one of the icons of the Halton and Wellington folk scenes, known for turning our everyday happenings and emotional interactions into catchy, heartfelt music. Ian has an almost magical ability to remove the traditional distinctions between performer and audience; hearing him, you feel more like a friend trading stories of the passing days than the one-way receiver of information that many musicians expect audiences to be. Also, he probably doesn't know it, but my sources tell me that he's the patron saint of the local Cult Of Ukulele chapter, thanks to his talents on the instrument. If you'd like to know more about Ian, take a gander at:
http://www.ianreid.com
Come see Ian Reid at MITW to reduce the chances of being hexed by said cult. The concert goes forth on October 8th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20 each. Our room isn't getting any bigger, so as usual there are only 25 tickets to be had. There will be tarts, cookies, coffee, tea, conversation, and probably even some music. To pre-order your ticket(s), please phone or contact Wendi using the info provided on the Contact page.
- Mac, September 24, 2011
Hello again, world! We haven't spoken in a little while, but it's for good reason. Unlike you lucky people who get to swim and drink iced cappucinos all summer, we've been hard at working negotiating with the House Concert beings, and after much deliberation they've decided to let us continue our Concert series. You owe us big time, world, but don't sweat it. We were happy to look after it. The upcoming house concert, on the night of September 10th, will feature Katherine Wheatley and her striking vocal style, original arrangements and, given her history in the geology field, probably an awesome rock collection. She's a fine enough performer that I'm even going to do the honourable thing and not make a horrible pun about her rocking out at MITW. To learn more about Katherine and hear what she's been up to lately, visit her website at: http://www.katherinewheatley.com/
Now on to the next exciting live music prospect. There's a good chance that if you're reading this, you've heard all about Nabi, but if you haven't, allow me to enlighten you. Nabi is typically called a singer-songwriter, but such a label is thrown around so often these days that it can't hope to describe the calibre of her talents. Yes, she sings with power and writes with passion, but she also plays guitar with uncommon and beautiful technique. Last time I saw her, she was also taking to the piano like a mole to loam. She probably won't be happy with that analogy, but it's true, and you people probably guessed my attitudes toward common and clichéd labels earlier. Her lyrics are poetic, yet as easy to relate to as breathing. And if you aren't sold already, she also makes some pretty epic hats and other wearables.
So, we are pleased and honoured to announce that Nabi will be the talent at this month's MITW house concert. Her music, humours and hats will be available for your enjoyment on May 14 at 7:30pm. Get your tickets fast, because there's only 25 available. Just like last month, coffee, tea, local deliciousness and sparkling conversation will be included in admission and available to all audience members. Tickets are $15 each. To pre-order, please phone or contact Wendi using the info provided on the Contact page. See you on the 14th.
You can get more information about Nabi here:
http://www.myspace.com/nabi
http://www.facebook.com/nabifanpage
- Mac, May 2, 2011