Entertainment

There will be a free CD release party and jam night, Sept. 8 at The Boardwalk Pub, 1691 Lakeshore Blvd. (at Woodbine Beach). Local musicians Keith Sutcliffe and Daniel Vaughan – along with friends and bandmates – will be playing songs from their new CDs The Road Trip (Sutcliffe), and Twelve Guitars (Vaughan). The Road Trip features 12 new songs with the theme of travelling. It is being billed as “the soundtrack to your summer roadtrip.”
For more information visit www.keithsutcliffe.com.
After the main performances, the pair will open up the stage to other musicians who may want to jam along. So bring your guitars along, and enjoy the good music, good food, and good times. The party runs from 8 p.m. until midnight. Copies of the two new CDs will be available for purchase at the gig.
For more information call The Boardwalk Pub at 416-694-8844.
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Ten Feet Tall, 1381 Danforth, continues with it fall line-up of the best jazz east of the Don River. Saturday nights is the Live Cabaret Series where up and coming musicians try out their chops for a live audience. And then there’s the popular Sunday Afternoon Jazz Matinée Series where some of Toronto’s top jazz players and singers perform from 3:30 to 6:30 in the afternoon. There is never a cover charge, but you should be sure to arrive early. Ten Feet Tall is a popular restaurant as well, and fills up quickly.
Live Jazz Matinée – Sundays 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Sept. 11 – Steve Koven Trio
Sept. 18 – Kingsley Ettienne
Sept. 25 – Debbie Fleming
Live Jazz Cabaret Series – Saturday 8-11 p.m.
Sept. 10 – Samantha Clayton Trio
Sept. 17 – Donna Goldberg Trio
Sept. 24 – TBA
And don’t forget the Thursday evening jazz jam hosted by Brendan Davis. Drop in to hear some great players in a jam format. Or come down and join in.
For more information call Ten Feet Tall at 416-778-7333, or visit www.tenfeettall.ca.
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Fresh from his appearance in the Guild Festival’s premiere performance of Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard, James R. Woods will be appearing in the upcoming Hart House Theatre’s first Toronto production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Sept. 23 through Oct. 8, at Hart House Theatre on the campus of the University of Toronto. Woods will be playing the role of the husband, Norbert, in this “bizarre trailer park love triangle.” Also starring, as Jeannie, his wife, is Beach actor/singer Janice Hawke.
The Great American Trailer Park Musical – written by Daniel Nehls – tells the story of Norbert and Jeannie who live in a trailer park. Norbert works in a highway toll booth, and Jeannie stays at home to look after their newborn. When the baby is kidnapped, Jeannie turns agoraphobic and refuses to leave the trailer. One night Norbert goes to a strip club, and meets Pipp (Kelly McCormack)), a stripper who is running away from her murderous, magic marker-sniffing boyfriend (Dora-nominated Justin Bott).
“It’s Desperate Housewives meets South Park,” explains Woods quoting the New York Sun. Despite its bizarre gothic-sounding plot, The Great American Trailer Park Musical is full of wonderful songs. For more information on the show – and to hear sound clips – visit the official site at www.trailerparkmusical.com.
The Great American Trailer Park Musical runs evenings at 8 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 8. Tickets cost $25 for adults, and $15 for students and seniors, and can be ordered by calling the Hart House box office at 416-978-8849, or on line at www.harthousetheatre.ca.
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On Oct. 1 the Beaches Rec Centre will be the venue for a special fundraiser for Stella Joy. Stella is the two-year-old girl who has recently been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. This fundraiser will raise money to help support Stella’s family as they continue to provide care for their little girl.
In June of this year Stella’s mothers, Aimee Bruner and Mishi Methven, noticed that Stella was experiencing balance problems, and suspected an ear infection. Doctors at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children were able to diagnose the problem as brainstem glioma, a tumor that has wrapped itself around her brainstem. There is no cure for this tumor and it is always fatal. Even treatment can be more negative in terms of her quality of life. Her mothers have taken leaves of absence from their jobs to care for Stella, and recently accompanied her on a trip to Sesame Street Land in Pennsylvania. For more information on Stella Joy visit the website at www.stellabrunermethven.com.
The Fundraiser for Stella Joy will take place at the Beaches Rec Centre, 6 Williamson Rd., from 1:30 to 5 p.m. There will be music, games, crafts, and a silent auction. The entrance fee is $5 per person. Donations for the silent auction are welcome, and can be dropped off at the Beaches Rec Centre, or at Community Centre 55.
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The Green Dragon Restaurant & Pub, 1032 Kingston Rd., is hosting a special Terry Fox Run fundraiser, Sept. 17, beginning at 6 p.m. This fundraiser is in support of the Green Dragon Team who regularly enter the Terry Fox Run, Woodbine Section (Sept. 18).
There will be bands, guest artists, a 50/50 draw, and raffles for items donated by local businesses. Everyone is welcome to either come and support the Green Dragon Team, or join the team and participate in the next day’s Terry Fox Run.
For more information call Rod Scott at 416-690-1217, or email rodandbarbscott@rogers.com.
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Beach singer-songwriter-guitarist, Mark Battenberg, has just released a three-volume collection of his poetry. The three volumes are: The Ancient (and other poems), The Song of the River Spirit, and The Hidden Pass. They are published by Scarecrow Publishing.
The Ancient (and other poems) is a collection of 27 poems including the title poem, The Ancient (“Alone it seems/I stand here/Gazing across the empty hills”), These Shoes (“These shoes I wear have walked many roads”), From My Eyes to Your Eyes (“In the depth of these eyes is a lover/Who will guard your secrets for all time”) and the witty Essence of a Friend (“Should flatulence be weighed like gold/What wondrous treasures you must hold”).
The Song of the River Spirit is a collection of poems and stories,many of which made up part of his recent concert performances and formed the basis for a CD of the same name.
The Hidden Pass is a long poem, told in rhyme, of a mystical journey taken by the narrator as he enters a familiar part of a local park. He enters numerous portals which lead him on a quest to fulfill the destiny of a parallel world. As Battenberg explains in his introduction, the poem comes from his walks with his son in the soon-to-be-filled-in Quarry Lands park. (“Deep below the city lights/There was a little hidden pass/That led me to a timeless land/Of flowers, woods, and wild grass.”)
You can purchase these volumes by calling Mark Battenberg at 647-340-1708, or through www.battenbergmusic.com.
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Frank Wilks (Buffalo Springfield Revisited) is pleased and excited to be once again performing with his brother, John. The Frank and John Wilks Trio will be appearing at The Salty Dog, 1980 Queen St. E., Sept. 17, beginning at 10 p.m.
“We have Angel Marr on drums, and he rocks!,” said Wilks. “So try to come out to this event. It will be fun.”
For more information call The Salty Dog at 416-849-5064.
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The regular Open Stage for the Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar group continues every other Tuesday at Ten Feet Tall, 1381 Danforth Ave. It’s a chance for those interested in this style of guitar playing to get together, jam, and trade licks with others, regardless of their skill levels. There is no cover charge so bring your guitar and join in.
For more information call Dunstan Morey at 416-785-9903, or visit www.fingerstyleguitar.ca.
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The Serenata Singers is looking for male voices to fill out its tenor and bass sections for the upcoming season. This seniors’ choir, led by Audrey McLeod, and accompanied by Stan Farrow, practises every Wednesday morning in the Wilmar Heights Centre, 963 Pharmacy between Eglinton and Lawrence, from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. There are two concerts which will end the season next May, and the Serenata Singers performs regularly at various seniors’ centres in the area.
If you are interested in auditioning (ability to sing, both melody and harmony, and read music at a basic level) drop by the Wilmar Heights Centre on Sept. 14, at 9:45 a.m. You can meet the other members, get a sense of the type of music they perform, and the camaraderie of the group. For more information call Audrey McLeod at 416-497-5952, or email her at audrey.e.mcleod@sympatico.ca.
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Canadian singing-songwriting superstar, Russell de Carle will be appearing in a special concert to kick off the fall schedule at Acoustic Harvest, September 17, at 8 p.m.
Russell de Carle is a founding member, bassist, and lead singer for the Canadian supergroup Prairie Oyster. Prairie Oyster has sold millions of recordings, won several Juno Awards, and been touring the world for many years. De Carle’s distinctive rockabilly twang was a a big part of the band’s signature sound. That and his excellent songwriting ability.
As a solo artist, de Carle has appeared on CBC’s Songwriter’s Circle, opened for Merle Haggard, toured with Bluebird North Songwriters Circle, and was a featured guest on the popular Vinyl Café with Stuart McLean. He has also won two SOCAN Song of the Year Awards.
Russell’s latest recording, Under the Big Sky, features 11 unique songs – nine of which are original – which explore the roots of de Carle’s musical style and influence. For more information visit www.russelldecarle.com.
Tickets for Russell de Carle are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students and are available at the door. Acoustic Harvest is in the basement of St. Nicholas Church, 1512 Kingston Rd. just east of Warden. For more information call 416-264-2235, or visit www.acousticharvest.ca.

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