POSTPONED Due to the COVID-19 pandemic

www.tfrostmusic.com

POSTPONED due to the COVID-19 pandemic

***POSTPONED***

I’m afraid we're going to have to postpone Friday's event with The Northern Appeal and “The Locals” (Rebekah Hawker, Basset, and The Pairs), in order to try and help "level the curve" of the Covid-19 pandemic. We'll keep an eye on how things unfold over the next little while, and let you know when we're able to make it work again!

May I encourage you all to visit each of the below websites, and buy music, magazines, and other merch directly from these artists, to help make up a bit of the loss of income they and all performing artists will be losing over the next while? I know we're all in precarious situations at the moment, but performing artists get hit first when these events occur – and we're not known for having much of a safety net, in terms of savings, insurance, or EI qualifications.

If you are able, would you also consider making a donation to the Unison Benevolent Fund? It assists fellow musicians with financial assistance, counselling and health services, and many other services that will help the performing community keep their heads above water.

Stay safe and healthy, everyone! And if you're healthy, please be sure to check in on those who might need a little assistance – from dropping groceries at the front door for someone, or just using the dreaded telephone to make sure they're okay. We're all in this together – even in isolation.

Original Post:

The Take Note! Music House in collaboration with The Northern Appeal presents an evening of music and poetry, "The Locals x The Northern Appeal" on Friday, March 20 at 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:30).

The night will feature readings from The Northern Appeal’s new poetry ‘zine "Heirlooms", as well as music from "The Locals" – touring artists Rebekah Hawker, Basset and The Pairs.

The Northern Appeal (www.thenorthernappeal.com)

The Northern Appeal is a biannual, non-profit, literary journal native to the Simcoe County and Muskoka region of Ontario. Founded by Victoria Butler and Will Crosson, the journal showcases poetry, short stories, photography and artwork from northern Ontarian artists and writers.

The Northern Appeal helps foster a culture that is encouraging and supportive of artists and writers, turning our community into a space where artistic talent and literature can grow (and creatives will feel less pressure to move away in order to find an artistic community). The Northern Appeal wants the voices of small town Canadians to be heard.

Heirlooms

"Heirlooms" is a new poetry ‘zine being launched at this event, created by the editorial team of The Northern Appeal – Victoria Butler, Emily Lemen, Caitlin Helinski, Adam Lawlor, Veronica Doran-Heath and Jacob Hopper.

Rebekah Hawker (www.rebekahhawker.com)

Rebekah Hawker's lyrics and melodies are a serious affair, evoking powerful images that resonate unbiasedly, they speak of a life lived, giving authenticity to the ups and downs strewn throughout her musical tales. Humble, self deprecating, earnest and consistently hilarious, Rebekah smiles often and easy, and it takes only one look through a typical crowd to see that it’s contagious.

Basset (www.bassettheband.com)

Fronted by Yasmine Shelton and Sam Clark, Basset’s inventive style borrows from across the musical spectrum, featuring fiddle, mandolin, and cello alongside commanding lead vocals. From tender ballads to driving blues, Basset charms audiences with their infectious love for each other and the music they play.

The Pairs (www.thepairsmusic.com)

The Pairs don’t quite fit any particular genre and they like that! With three unique songwriters at the helm, The Pairs create a diverse repertoire using their individual lives as inspiration. Employing music as a tool for sharing stories of life’s challenges, hope and hilarity, The Pairs inherently connect with the audience through their emotion-full performances. Powered by 3 classically trained vocalists and a former punk rock drummer, their unique blend of harmony and rhythm will hug your eardrums and inspire you to dance!

The Take Note! Music House in collaboration with Coachinghouse Music & Arts presents the eclectic musical stylings of Frizzen Spring on Friday, February 28 at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00). Requested donation is $20, with all proceeds going directly to the artist. You may reserve your seat by emailing concerts@takenotepromotion.com or calling 705-305-1687.

Frizzen Spring (www.frizzen-spring.com)

Led by Marilyn Reesor and Alyssa Wright, Frizzen Spring is a musical fusion collaborative, presenting eclectic and engaging music unbound by constraints of genre. Classical training, jazz sensibilities, a pinch of folk, dash of pop, sprinkles of avant-garde. An ever-changing chamber ensemble of performance artists, improvisors, multi-instrumentalists and singers who bore easily and like shiny things.

FRIZZEN - steel part which the flint scrapes to fire a flintlock rifle

FRIZZEN SPRING - outside spring which controls the frizzen position, either keeping the gunpowder safely inside or creating the spark required to shoot everything forward

Will there be a spark…?

ZipBang, where will the spring send them next? This month, it’s to the world of “February Blue” – what could that mean? An evening of The Blues? Heck, no – that would require far too much consistency. Although there will definitely be some bluesy flavours in the mix, there will also be Klezmer showtunes, theatrical tangos, a waltz or two, do-you-even-know-how-many-songs-and-pieces-have-the-word-blue-in-them?!?, and maybe they’ll even play music in other colours because NOBODY PUTS FRIZZEN SPRING IN A CORNER!!!

The comedic, casual banter between these musical friends belies the intensity of their performance as a virtuosic ensemble. Marilyn Reesor is a concert pianist and organist, fiddle player and singer. Alyssa Wright a solo and ensemble cellist and singer-songwriter. They’ve also been known to play the accordion, double bass, grandfather clock, and didjeridu, not to mention furniture and other household items.

From their touching duets of Joni Mitchell’s “River” and the traditional “Carrickfergus”, through transcendent renditions of tangos by Piazzolla and serenades by Rachmaninoff, to theatrical and avant-garde arrangements of well-known classics, their performances are not easily defined, nor is their style easy to pin down – other than music they have fun playing, and pushes them outside the box, or sometimes even the warehouse in which that box is stored.

They are creativity personified, always exploring and experimenting, taking their audience with them through rabbit-holes and worm-holes and landing them gently with smiles on their faces. Promise.

The Take Note! Music House presents wild flatpicker and classic country songwriter Mike T Kerr on Wednesday, January 15 at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30). Requested donation is $20, with all proceeds going directly to the artist. You may reserve your seat by emailing concerts@takenotepromotion.com or calling 705-305-1687 (yes, the phone is working again – it’s a Christmas miracle!). The address is given upon reservation – downtown Barrie, near the courthouse.

“Classic and simple and full of melancholy delivered with a grin. Danny Gatton meets Hank Snow. What more do you need?” [Campbell Woods]

Mike T. Kerr (www.miketkerr.com)

“A swordsman with the guitar and a charming songwriter.” [William Prince, Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter]

Mike T. Kerr is a wild flatpicker and ambitious country songwriter of Canadian heritage and American citizenship. During his time at Berklee College of Music in Boston and in over 10 years of performing, he's lived his life through many historical and contemporary musical styles. Always curious to dig up not only a song's history, but the shape of the world at the time, Mike plays passionately and openly while interpreting the great guitar players of the past. A Danny Gatton lick or Django Reinhardt tune is never far from his fingertips.

"Mike is an incredibly engaging performer – present with the audience and entertaining as hell! He is truly a master guitar player – whether solo or in a band context, his playing is astonishing." [Matthew Smith, Managing Director, Club Passim (Cambridge, MA)]

Born in Michigan and raised in Ontario, Quebec and Virginia, it's hard to pinpoint exactly where Mike is from. He now hangs his hat in Toronto after being on the road since 2016.

Mike had a brief but boisterous stint based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. There he fronted The Franklin Brewery Boys, a bluegrass and hot swing ensemble nominated as Halifax's "Best Country Band" in The Coast in 2017. He has appeared on award winning albums by Nova Scotia's Ryan Cook, Thomas Stajcer, and Willie Stratton. Mike has performed at such NS festivals as Deep Roots Music Festival, Full Circle, Folk Harbour Festival, and In the Dead of Winter. In 2018 Mike was nominated by Music Nova Scotia as “Musician of the Year”.

Currently residing and gigging in Toronto, at venues such as The Cameron House, The Dakota Tavern, and The Local Pub, he can be found playing original country music almost any night of the week, or lending his guitar skills to Canadian folk singers such as Corin Raymond, Campbell Woods, and more. Around Ontario Mike has toured with William Prince, Irish Mythen, and most recently, Bill Poss.

Mike T. Kerr spends his summer on festival grounds, performing under his own name and accompanying his friends. He has performed at Mariposa Folk, Trout Forest, Vancouver Island Music Festival, the Fred Eaglesmith Charity Picnic, Wild Mountain, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Americanafest, and many more.

The Country Casanovas, featuring Mike and some of Toronto's brightest young country stars, play The Cameron House on Queen St West on the first Saturday of every month at 10pm.

"I love the timelessness of Mike's tunes. You feel like you are listening to a classic country hit when country was at its finest. Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming!" [Dana Sipos]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5uCbMt5Ogpx4ugyLLQGHrw/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miketkerrmusic/