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Lots of laughter and country bring in April

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March is ending with a roar and that’s no joke,  with April Fool’s Day on the horizon there is plenty of entertainment happening.

Peter and the Wolves have two Lethbridge shows this week. photo by RichardAmery

Start the week tonight, Monday, March  27  at Mojos where Luke James Bruce is hosting an open mic.

 

 The Lethbridge A And District Music and speech Arts Festival winds up with  performances all week and the Stars of the Festival concert, April 1 at 2 p.m. at Southminster United Church.

 

 Music at Noon continues in University Theatre on Tuesday, with Megumi Masaki and Keith Hamel performing at 12:15 p.m.

 The Owl Acoustic Lounge’s weekly open mic is on Tuesday.

 

 Paul Holden and James Oldenburg return to the Water Tower Grill  to play some jazz music  beginning at 6 p.m.

 The Slice’s weekly open mic is Wednesday.

 Gabe Thaine hosts an open mic at Theoretically Brewing on Thursdays beginning tab 6:30 p.m.

 

 Get ready to dance at the German Canadian Club on Thursday, March 30 as the Geomatic Attic hosts a  blues and rockabilly dance party with rockabilly band Peter and the Wolves and blues rock trio MonkeyJunk. Tickets are $50. The show begins at 8 p.m.

 

 Peter and the Wolves have had a busy week in Lethbridge as they were also at the Slice, on Friday. They also play the Red Tie gala at the Coast Hotel on April 1 for the United Way which recognizes the dedication and hard work and spirit  of individuals in Lethbridge.

 Tickets are $150 for dinner, the ceremony and the show. Things begin at 5 p.m. with cocktails and a silent auction followed by dinner and then the music.

 

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MonkeyJunk celebrates 15 years with new videos, music and tour

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Get ready to rock out March with the Geomatic Attic who are going to get you dancing with MonkeyJunk and Peter and the Wolves, March 30 at the German Canadian Club.

 

Ottawa based blues trio MonkeyJunk have been putting their own unique brand on blues music for 15 years, so they are excited to be play again together in between many other projects.

 Frontman Steve Marriner has a great new solo album “Hope Dies Last,” and spends a lot of the year touring with Colin James.

 Drummer Matt Sobb also has several different projects and plays with guitarist Tony D’s (Diteodoro)  band.

MonkeyJunk return to Lethbridge with Peter and the Wolves, March 30. Photo by Richard Amery

 

 Sobb is excited about the 15th anniversary tour  with MonkeyJunk , which is just one of many plans they have for  2023 including releasing videos and a new single, due out March 24.

“It feels like it’s gone by super quick and a lifetime all at the same time. It’s kind of  strange,” Sobb said.

 

“When you’re going about your business you don’t really notice how much time goes by. But it’s kind of an opportunity to look back at all the miles we‘ve driven and all the places we‘ve been and it’s kind of fun to look back and look forward too, ” Sobb said.

 

While Marriner is also busy with other projects, Sobb and Diteodoro go back a long way even before MonkeyJunk formed.

 

“Before we formed MonkeyJunk, I played drums in the Tony D band. And Tony has fronted his own band for many many years, since the early ’80s. And so I’ve been playing with Tony since 2001. So when MonkeyJunk isn’t active I play with Tony in his band and I also play around the Ottawa scene with a lot of local bands here as well. Tony is busy continuing on with his own career. And all those things happen in between MonkeyJunk happening,” Sobb continued.

 

He noted it can be challenging to put the Monkeyjunk suit back on after spending time on other projects, but Sobb said the band has a special connection.

 

“That’s a really good question. And depending on the size of the break in between our shows or getting together the studio or what have you, it kind of varies. It’s crazy to me, well not crazy, but it’s intriguing to me how when we get together it’s like time never passed. It’s like that comfortable old sweater you just throw on and go. And it feels like time hasn’t passed at all. I think that’s the mark of a pretty good band that there’s that chemistry musically and personally and camaraderie,  just the cohesion that happens when the three of us are in a room or on a stage,” he said.

MonkeyJunk have some  big plans for their 15th anniversary including lots of touring beginning with a quick tour of Alberta, starting in Coleman at the Rumrunner, March 29.

 

“Beginning with this tour, we’re headed back out to to Alberta. Alberta’s been a great, great area for us almost since the start of our band and we‘ve played in Lethbridge many times. This show as well as I think pretty much every show we’ve done in Lethbridge has been organized and presented by the great folks at the Geomatic Attic by Mike Spencer and his crew. Mike is great. He’s always supported us and we’ve always had a great time in Lethbridge as a result. And then we’ll be playing a few other shows including one in Coleman, Alberta down near Crowsnest Pass and of course Calgary and Edmonton,” he said.

“Mike Spencer and the Geomatic Attic has always been great to us and we really appreciate their support,” he said.

 

“We really appreciate the support of live music fans in Lethbridge. We’ve always had great shows. I think it was two years ago that Mike had set up a one day festival up  and it was like on top of a parking garage and it was great. Folks came out and we had an amazing evening there. It’s always been great in Lethbridge. We‘ve made some lasting friends there and just can’t wait to get back there and see everybody again,” he said.

“We’re very excited to get back to Alberta. Hopefully the weather will be okay. We’ll see,” he said.

 

They are also releasing a series of live videos including one with harp master and multi- instrumentalist Paul Reddick, who the band has worked with for many years .


“We came up with this idea. We’re doing a couple of things to commemorate our 15th anniversary  as a band. And one of the ideas  we had was to do a series of live videos. And invite some friends and colleagues and co-conspirators and people that we have a  history with or that have been influential to us and what have you. So far we’ve released two of them. Our plan was to release 15  for the  15 years throughout the  calendar year 2023. The first one was just ourselves the three of us. The second one was with Paul Reddick,” he said.

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Lethbridge and District Music and Speech Arts Festival features live events and new concerts

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The Lethbridge and District Music and Speech Arts Festival is back, March 20-April 1 with a full line up of talented performers from Southern Alberta and Lethbridge, plus a bonus concert.

 

This year there are 3,584 participants performing solo and with choirs, orchestras, bands and choirs, performing 753 pieces. Participants mostly come from Lethbridge, but there are a few of out of towners from Cardston, Taber and even High River.

 

JAIMEE JARVIE IS EXCITED ABOUT THIS YEAR’S LETHBRIDGE AND DISTRICT MUSIC AND SPEECH ARTS FESTIVAL. PHOTO BY RICHARD AMERY

“We have a full week of bands Tuesday to Friday and a full week of choirs,” enthused Jaimee Jarvie, the new general manager of the Lethbridge and District  Music and Speech arts festival.

 

“ It’s been great. It’s been a learning curve. It’s been amazing. But I’ve been involved with the festival as a performer or teacher since I was in Grade 1,” Jarvie said.

“It’s been a little easier because I already know a lot of the students and teachers. So it’s a joy to connect with them again and getting them excited about the festival again. It’s been wonderful, ”continued Jarvie, who has performed in the festival as part of several school, university and  community choirs as well as a solo performer.

 

There are performances every day beginning at 9 a.m. at Southminster United Church, St. Augustines Church and sanctuary,  Sterndale Bennett Theatre, Casa as well as the Owl Acoustic lounge. There are no performances at the Yates Theatre.

 

 There is also a new concert, opening the festival on Wednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. in Southminster United Church.

 

The Musical Theatre Showcase Concert is March 25 at 2 p.m.and  The Stars of the Festival Wrap Up Concert is April 1 at 2 p.m.

The festival begins with Senior piano in the Casa Community Room, Monday,  March 20 and woodwind/ brass solo in St. Augustines sanctuary.

 

 The schedule and more details are at http://lethmsf.org.

Jarvie is excited to bring back handbell classes, Tuesday, March 21 at St. Augustine’s sanctuary as well as pipe organ, Friday March 24 also at the St. Augustine’s sanctuary   which they weren’t able to do because of Covid.

“ We weren’t  able to do those during the pandemic festival, but they’re back and we’re really happy about that,” she said.

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Maddie Storvold excited about playing in all female band and new albums

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Nelson/ Edmonton songwriter Maddy Storvold is stoked to play the Geomatic Attic with her all female folk trio, Saturday, March 18.

Maddie Storvold plays the Geomatic Attic, March 18. Photo by Half Moon photography

 She has been running non stop, touring, preparing  her third studio “Sunstorm” and  getting ready to record a new live album.

 

 She just released a video from the new album “Long Time Gone.”

 

“ So I have to  maximize sleep as much as I can in between shows,” Storvold said.

 

 She has been touring a lot in anticipation of the third album. She was last in Lethbridge with Jack Garton in October, but she is really excited to bring her trio including upright bassist/ mandolinist/ vocalist Jill McKenna and fiddle player/ mandolinist/ vocalist Alina Deanna to Lethbridge.

 

“ It’s been great,” she said.

 the trio is relatively new as they of joined forces late last year after meeting at festivals.

 

“They add so much to the music. They are multi-talented. They’re amazing players. Jill studied jazz music in New York City for four years and Alina studied music in the Kootenays and has an audio engineering degree,” Storvold enthused. I’m really excited to sing three part harmonies because I grew up singing in the church choir. And it’s exciting to have two mandolinists,” she continued, she said emphasizing they aren’t a bluegrass trio.

 

“Bluegrass music is about taking solos and I’m really bad at playing lead though I’m a pretty good guitar player. I like old folk singers so I like to play for the song and for the story,” she said.

“ I’ve always wanted to form an all female trio. Female musicians are hard to find. Male musicians are more common,” she said.

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About L.A. Beat


L.A. Beat is Lethbridge, Alberta's only online arts and entertainment magazine.

It is designed to support music, art, drama and other cultural endeavours in and around the city.

It will start out as an online presence and then evolve into a print edition which will be distributed at numerous locations in the city.

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