OK, so you may have noticed the renovations... the deal is... we've had a crew working upstairs on the apartments for 8 months. As the apartments were completed and readied for rent (8 x 1 bedroom, 2 bachelors... Fridge, Stove, Internet, Cable, Laundry Facilities, No Parking - ranging from $550 to $725 - Lease, first and last required)... we needed to redo some of the main building plumbing. We took the opportunity to fix the ceiling in the bar, run new electrical, new lighting, sound barrier insulation for upper floors, more plugs (for laptops, etc.)... over the next few weeks you will see all of this coming to completion and we'll have a little more comfort, a little more atmosphere, but mostly the same Townehouse that has been one of the premier venues for live music in this country for the last 20 years.
We thank-you for your patience and continued support. Except for the couple of nights in Early August (August 8th-12th), we will continue to have live music every night and attempt to provide you with the same continued service we have always provided.
MUSIC AT THE BUDDHA...
For those who haven't been downtown in a little while... you may have missed the construction zone last summer. The room that used to have The Sportsbury is now ALL Laughing Buddha... it's a great dining room that will, from time to time feature some amazing music. We're all part of this together... The Townehouse and the Laughing Buddha... We'll present the finest in roots, folk and jazz when the gig is right. I'll publish the gigs on this page so that you'll get all the info for cool gigs downtown in one stop... but you will also find the gigs listed at www.laughingbuddhasudbury.com and at our FACEBOOK page. This will be a room that will typically start at 8:00pm and will feature a dinner hour, concert seating and an intimate atmosphere. If you've been to places like Hugh's Room in Toronto, The Black Sheep in Wakefield or The Rex in Toronto then you'll understand what kind of music climate we're going to inhabit. Bookings will be done through paul@thetownehouse.com.
Sunday, August 1st - Will Gillespie and the Old World Romance - cover at the door
Part Classical String Quartet, part New Orleans Dixieland/ Ragtime, part rock band, part lonesome country. Like looking at the world from a Venetian gondola. We're in the heartbreaking business and we're working overtime.
Saturday, August 7th - Jerry Leger & the Situation - $5.00 at the door
A story teller at heart, Leger writes songs that interrogate the trials, tribulations, stories and emotions that are part and parcel of everyday life. As an album You, Me and the Horse deals with such perennial themes as love, hate, folklore and matters of the spirit, most of the lyrics inspired by personal experiences, bits of conversation Leger overheard on the street or a subway car, newspapers and/or things he has observed in his travels. For example, the lyric of the CD’s opening track, “Round Walls,” came about due to a chance encounter with an elderly woman who told Leger that her Daddy always said that “the devil can’t corner you and take your soul in a round room.” “Daddy’s Lantern” is a true ghost story that has been passed down by generations and told to Jerry by some of the family members. “Mansion Round the Bend” with its line "under Sudbury stars it don't matter where we stand, we'll see our mansion round the bend", is a gorgeous love song with the mansion serving as a symbol of what the two protagonists share.
Taken together, the eleven songs on You, Me and the Horse are rife with wonderfully crafted melodies, evocative lyrics and the spirit and energy of a young songwriter discovering his voice and honing his craft. The net result is a wonderfully refreshing tonic in troubling times.
Friday, August 13th - Exit, Stage Rusjack - $5.00 at the door
Much like that mystical, magical holiday we call Rusmas... occasionally we get together to have a party and celebrate all things Rus. In this case... Rus is going away to school for a couple years to learn how to fix and build planes. With him being a part of the music scene for some time... we don't have a problem with having a bunch of musicians getting up and having some fun on stage for the Rusnights. The Havocs (well, most of them) will make an appearance tonight... jamming The Who, Motown, their own songs... and whatever else is called for. The other folks playing will be a combination, for the first time, of the members of Pistol George Warren and The Gunners (the Bender Brothers)... to play a whole bunch of songs by Gram Parsons, either from The Byrds, Flying Burrito Bros or Solo years.
Thursday,
August 19th - Cecile
Doo-Kingue - $5.00 at the door
Soul, Versatility and Passion compose the triumviral force behind Cécile Doo-Kingué’s sound. Born in New York City, first generation from Cameroon, Cécile Doo-Kingué has lived in France, USA and is now an adopted Montrealer. This meeting of cultures is reflected in the eclecticism of her music. She has rapidly become one of the city’s most renowned musicians. Her bewitching and incomparable fretwork as well as her deep and suave voice are no longer secret to Montreal’s night-owls. Cécile has sizzled and dazzled with Montreal cult bands Dibondoko and Aliens, played or recorded with Corneille, Senaya, Tricia Foster, Montreal Jubilation Choir, Bernard Purdie, Ismael Isaac, Soul City, to name but a few, as well as opened for Manu Dibango and Youssou N’Dour. She has also done her share of mixing, including United Steel Workers of Montreal’s albums Broken Trucks and Bottles and Kerosene & Coal, producing (Dibondoko) and musical directing, including Passion Francophonie, the main show for the XIIe Sommet de la Francophonie.
"The perfect tonic for any evening, sweltering or sub-polar"- Bill Brownstein, The Montreal Gazette
On record or on stage, Cécile Doo-Kingué takes us deep into a
series of musical grooves. Her self-produced debut solo album Freedom Calling
is a smooth concoction of blues, soul and afro-folk on which one can surf to
the end of the world, life and love. From one song to the next, her mastery
is undeniable. While she tames the blues with her sweet guitar, she opens the
door to 60’s and 70’s soul, and afro rhythms. Lyrically, Cécile
is as vulnerable (Beneath the Lies, Freedom Calling), as she is socially aware
(Come Undone, Rise), seductive (Lettre à personne, What I Need) or even
funny (Ma’s Kitchen, Dachshund Blues). Regardless of her mood, Cécile
captivates you with sincerity while her sound soothes body and soul.
Grab a glass and your passport, relax and enjoy: 'Freedom is Calling'. ..
Friday,
August 20th - The
After Party - $5.00 at the door
From Winnipeg, MB, "The Afterparty" is a versatile group of music lovers that appreciates the value of song writing and form. With a unique combination of musical styles and a wide array of influences including Funk, Folk, Reggae, Afrobeat, Rock and Dance music, their sound covers a lot of ground, while remaining purely their own.
In mid 2006 the original members of The Afterparty were all playing around Winnipeg with their own bands. They would regularly attend each other's shows, and afterward would get together at after parties and jam. Original songs started to take shape and a new band was born. The Afterparty has been playing relentlessly around Winnipeg since 2006. Some highlights include: the Kwagala Foundation Benefit Show at the West End Cultural Center in Dec 2006, Shine Thru Rain Music Festival 2007 and 2008, headlining Saturday night at the Shine On Festival of Music and Art 2009, selling out the Ragpickers Annex in Feb 2009 and Feb 2010, opening for Moses Mayes in Dec 2009, as well as packing local bars and pubs regularly.
The Afterparty's live show features expressive musicianship, soulful lyrics, a fat horn section and stylish groove. The band always plays to the crowd, whether they want to dance until their feet hurt, or sit back and fall in love with the band's new and original music. The line up has evolved over the years including 20 members that have performed shows as a part of The Afterparty, representing a healthy portion of Winnipeg's finest and most exciting young talent.
Saturday, August 21st - The Nobs, Zamboni Slim - $5.00 at the door
The Nobs - it's the name that Led Zeppelin used on some dates of their first European tour because of litigation with the Zeppelin family. It's a perfect name for this trio of Kev, Rob and Pepper as they rock loud, fast and with the abandon of those young UK longhairs trying to make their way in the rock world. Another perfect after party from Summerfest... The Nobs have long been one of Sudbury's great rock and roll power trios (very occasionally with a fourth member). They bring the Canadian energy of Rush, the experience of Northern Ontario... like Charlie Angus forming a band where he writes songs with Bob and Doug McKenzie. Kevin Closs has long been a great voice in our community for songwriters... and he loves to rock the stage with The Nobs as well.
Zamboni Slim has played onstage in one form or another for around 15 years. The line-up may change a little every couple of years, but the mission is still the same... Draw a line from Chicago down to Texas... find all of the seedy blues from those regions and play those songs louder and dirtier. You get your Chess records style Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Chuck Berry rockers that influenced The Rolling Stones... you get your Stevie Ray Vaughn swamp boogie... the result is a blues band that loves it's R&B... reflections of growing up with blues records... rebelling against it with the Stones and Cream... and then putting it all into the same cauldren and stirring it up.
Thursday, August 26th - Sulphur City Blues Band, Jennifer Holub - $5.00 at the door
The Sulphur City Blues Band is electric and full of energy. Lori's vocals cut the night like Etta James and Bessie Smith.
Jennifer Holub’s songs tell stories of a haunted north and the people living in it. Her acoustic sound takes influences from the Indigo Girls, Joni Mitchell, and Sarah McLachlan. She is glad to be back to the North after studying in Kingston where she sang lead vocal and played rhythm guitar for The Opposable Thumbs, The Foodbank Buskers, and starred in Queen’s Players. She was seen this summer in a feature at the Northern Lights Festival Boreal as one of the winners of the 2010 Meltdown. She's too cool to just be a school teacher... she just had to be a rock star as well.
Friday, August 27th - Common Dread - $5.00 at the door
Our favourite bunch of house musicians return for another evening of Ska, reggae, Dub exploration, Rocksteady and more... check out Matt, Don, Chris and Bryan plus whoever they have on the revolving door of special guests on percussion, keys or horns.
Saturday, August 28th - Mac-A-Palooza - $5.00 at the door
Much as we like to rib Jeff MacIntrye for his days of bathrobe wardrobes... magic tricks... and his stint as a financial advisor, there is no doubt that one thing this city could use in its political sphere is some youthful energy. This city needs people on council who understand and can nurture the future of downtown... and who can understand that a downtown core of a city is important to the cultural identity of its citizens. All ages, genders and Races need to survive together and the more we understand eachother and live together as a community, the smoother that road is. Jeff MacIntyre is gathering some musicians together tonight to throw a party... and will probably slip a little something into your hands that will have a whole bunch of sound ideas on it... put it in your pocket and read it tomorrow when you wake-up... it's Saturday night... geez. Have a party.
Tuesday, August 31st - Daniel, Fred and Julie + Guests - $7.00 at the door
Daniel, Fred &
Julie is a very special collaboration between three much-loved musicians. Daniel
Romano sings and plays guitar in Attack in Black. Calm Down It’s Monday’s
Fred Squire sang and played guitar in legendary indie-rock group Shotgun and
Jaybird, and is a jack-of-all-trades and master of some in the Julie Doiron
band. Julie Doiron is the legendary songwriter, singer, guitar shredder, collaborator
with Mount Eerie, Gord Downie, Herman Dune, Wooden Stars, and member of Eric’s
Trip. This is a record unlike any previously heard from these fine and versatile
musicians.
Dan took the train to Sackville, NB in the summer of 2009, with a couple of acoustic guitars and a couple of folk songbooks. A tape machine was set up in Fred’s garage. A microphone was placed on the floor in front of a semi-circle of folding chairs. The weather was good that week, the garage door was open, cars would pass, as would kids on bicycles. Arrangements were made up quickly, harmonies worked out, lyrics written on long scraps of paper, verses picked and chosen. Dan and Fred playing guitars, all three singing together. The songs were put down quickly, with no overdubs or edits, and the record was finished in a couple of days.
A record of folk music, three part harmonies, guitar picking and strumming. Songs of romance, justice, murder, loafing, complaint, horses and gambling. Old songs, in the public domain. Public songs for singing together. Daniel, Fred & Julie also features two new compositions by Dan; “Runner,” a song about the eternal doomed rambling of a man, sung here spookily and powerfully by Fred, and the lamenting and beautiful, “Your Love.”
LIGHTMARES
http://myspace.com/lightmares
BUNNIES IN BERLIN
http://myspace.com/bunniesinberlin
MATT MOSKAL
http://myspace.com/mattmoskal
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 @ The Townehouse (206 Elgin St.)
19+ - 9pm - $7 at the door
map: http://bit.ly/8XVPOT
punksud page: http://punksudbury.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=shows&thread=477
facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134364106602354&ref=mf
Saturday, September 4th - Tina Roy & the Goods, Laura Willett, Sulphur City - $5.00 at the door
Recently surgically removed from Sudbury, Tina Roy returns for a rock 'em sock 'em Saturday night blowout. Tina is a bilingual Métis singer/songwriter and musician who has been continually exploring and drawing inspiration from the anatomical analogies found in the marrow of our everyday human experiences for almost as many years as she has fingers.
A professor of personifications and metaphors, her third and newest album "New Lessons in Anatomy" is a great alternative to your standard biology textbooks. Covering hard subject matter such as broken, scarred, perforated and missing hearts, weak backbones, cowardly and submissive eyes, and leaping even further into the mystical depths of alchemy and palmistry, her music will have you dissecting and remapping the inner workings of your current and/or past relationships.
Since "teaching" at Sudbury's Northern Lights Festival Boréal in 2008, Tina has been performing countless shows and handing out assignments across Western and Northern Canada, finally settling down in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Upon arrival, she was asked to share her new lessons at the T'seko Women's Festival in August 2009, and has been a part of the music scene in the capitol city ever since. Tina's laughter will surely warm you up between her bittersweet songs, but be forewarned: she may throw you a surprise pop quiz at the end of her performance. Pencils down everyone. Oh, and she wanted me to tell you that she wants to have a word with you at the end of the show.
Thursday, September 9th - B.A. Johnston, Raccoon Wedding, Matt Moskal - $5.00 at the door
CD Release Party for BA Johnston!!
This
weekend, The Townehouse is proud to be an offsite venue for the 2nd annual Sudbury
Jazz Festival... check out these performers along with so many more at Science
North... I'll see you in the front row when Oliver Jones plays... and then I'll
see you back here!
Friday, September 10th - Carlos Bernardo - cover at the door OR FREE with Jazz Festival passes!
Carlos Bernardo was born in Cardiff, Wales, in December 1971, son of Brazilian parents. He arrives in Rio de Janeiro only a few months later, and when he was 9 years old he moves with his family to Vitória, a city-island in Brazil. In the middle eighties, his passion for Rock music puts him in the way of music. He signed his first record in 1992, the Con’fusion Jazz co., taken from the name of the group he had formed one year before. In 1995 records his firs solo album, titled Pacifico.
In 1998 Carlos Bernardo made a brief apprenticeship in the Théâtre du Soleil in Paris, where he met the composer Jean-Jacques Lemêtre, which was a crucial turning point in his career. From then on Carlos Bernardo begins to glimpse the possibilities of other instruments, lutherie and the association of music with other arts. In 1999 he integrates the troupe of the Théâtre du Soleil as assisting musician for M. Lemêtre. That happened during the creation of the play “Tambours sur la Digue” (Flood Drummers) coming in Paris, Montreal, Lyon, Anvers, Basel, Seoul, Tokyo and Sydney. In 2003 Carlos moves back to Rio de Janeiro and join in the theater company AmokTeatro for creatingan performing the music for William Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Saturday, September 11th - Carlos Del Junco - cover at the door OR FREE with Jazz Festival passes!
You don't know what a harmonica can do until you've seen Carlos del Junco... Born in Havana, Cuba, del Junco (loosely translated "of the reeds") immigrated with his family at the age of one. He bent his first note on a harmonica when he was fourteen, making his debut with his high school math teacher at a student talent night. In his early 20's del Junco was immersed in a visual arts career; he graduated with honours from a four year programme, majoring in sculpture ( click here to see photos ) at the Ontario College of Art. Sculpture has definitely had an influence on his outlook on music: "Music is just a different way of creating textures and shapes."
Playing a ten hole diatonic harmonica, Carlos has developed the unique ability to play chromatically by using a recently developed "overblow" technique taught to him by jazz virtuoso Howard Levy. Overall, this approach to the diatonic harmonica, although much more difficult to achieve, is in many ways more expressive and communicative than the mechanized tone produced by the chromatic harmonica . Carlos is one of the few pioneers of this overblow method, bringing musical credibility to what has still been considered by many in the music industry - a fringe folk instrument. The sophisticated sound produced by del Junco is at once sensitive, soulful, and sexy while never forgetting the rawness inherent in blues music.
During the 80's del Junco performed with many bands including Latin/reggae/r&b band "Eyelevel", "Ontario College of Art Swing Band" with Bill Grove and he had a 6 year stint with rhythm and blues group "The Buzz Upshaw Band". With Kevin Cooke in 1990 he formed a blues/jazz/fusion band, "The Delcomos". He has recorded with Bruce Cockburn, Kim Mitchell, Cassandra Vassick, Oliver Schroer, Zappacosta, and has also worked with Dutch Mason, Hoc Walsh (Downchild Blues Band) and Holly Cole.
Friday, September 17th - The Birthday Cakes - tour return gig! - $5.00 at the door
Friday, September 24th - Shotgun Jimmie and Baby Eagle - $5.00 at the door
Saturday, September 25th - Brian Dunn CD Release Party - $5.00 at the door
Friday, October 1st - Sector 7 - $5.00 at the door - Steamwhistle night
Saturday,
October 2nd - Cuff
the Duke w/ Christina Martin - $15.00 tickets available now at The
Townehouse, Cosmic Dave's.
Cuff returns to Sudbury... it's been a long year on the road for these guys... Having spent several years carving their teeth on the road with the likes of The Sadies, Sloan, Hayden, The Weakerthans, Calexico and Nick Cave, Toronto's Cuff the Duke are poised to make the jump from indie-scene-darlings to bona-fide Canadian music icons. Their new album, Way Down Here was co-produced by Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor at his beautiful barn studio in rural Ontario and features the band's most mature, captivating and impressive collection of songs to date.
Cuff the Duke started out in Oshawa before making the move to Toronto in 2002. Their debut album, Life Stories for Minimum Wage was released on Three Gut Records, at the time one of the most exciting indie-labels in Canada. Their second and third albums, Cuff the Duke and Sidelines and the City respectively, were both released on Hardwood Records alongside label mates Basia Bulat and Hayden. Last year the band won accolades backing Hayden on his Canadian and North American tours.
Having played in venues ranging from Canada’s small clubs to many of the country's largest arenas and concert auditoriums, Cuff the Duke have earned their road stripes -- and now with the release of Way Down Here, they are sure to earn a place in the hearts of music lovers everywhere
Friday, October 8th - Matt Foy CD Release party - cover at the door.
Saturday, October 9th - The Wooden Sky, Yukon Blonde, Pistol George Warren - tickets $12.00 adv/ $15.00 door availble now at The Townehouse, Cosmic Dave's
The Wooden Sky are a Canadian indie rock band based in Toronto, Ontario. They
are currently signed to Black Box Recordings who has released their last two
records. The band 
originated
after lead singer Gavin Gardiner wrote songs for a school project while attending
Ryerson University. He formed the band with bassist Andrew Wyatt and drummer
Chris Cocca, who has left the band.[1] Their debut album, released in 2007,
is When Lost at Sea. Band members now include Gardiner (vocals, guitars, harmonica),
Wyatt (bass, vocals), Simon Walker (piano, vocals, guitar) and Andrew Kekewich
(percussion).The band is frequently joined by Anissa Hart (Ohbijou, Kite Hill,
The Rural Alberta Advantage) (cello), Mika Posen (Forest City Lovers, Timber
Timbre) (violin, viola), and Edwin Huizinga (The Mars Volta) (violin).[2]
The band recorded their second album, If I Don't Come Home, You'll Know I'm Gone in late 2008 and early 2009 in Montreal with producer Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Thee Silver Mt. Zion, Basia Bulat). This record, released on August 25, 2009, saw them push the limits of the folk and country genres that was heard on When Lost At Sea with a more sonic and multi-instrumentally layered aesthetic. They toured with throughout the summer of 2009 on their own in Canada and in the fall 2009 in support of If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone throughout North America with Elliott Brood. That Elliott Brood show was the break for The Wooden Sky in Sudbury... when they returned a few months later on their own show, they sold old and could have stuffed more in. Now since that sold out show last winter, the band has upped their ante even more by playing at River and Sky Camping and Music festival in July... meaning that you had better buy tickets early for this show as they will surely sell out fast and leave you in the dust.
Yukon Blonde - Armed with a collection of songs written in the back of the van, in venue parking lots and an icebox of a rehearsal space, Yukon Blonde went into the studio in the summer of 2009 to record their first album- which was recently released in both Canada and USA by Bumstead Records, receiving rave reviews from such publications as Exclaim, Under The Radar and Billboard.
While on tour with Jon-Rae Fletcher in the summer of 2008, the band - then known as Alphababy - realized that they needed a new change of pace. Taking some of the ideas conceived on the tour, the band returned to Kelowna, locking themselves away for half a year to write new songs in a freezing cold jam space by the Okanagan Lake. It was around this time that they partnered with long-time friend Nick Bernal of Nevado Records and began working towards releasing an album. After some set-backs that year, including the head-on collision that ended the life of their van. The band aligned themselves with producer Shawn Cole (Bend Sinister, You Say Party! We Say Die!), and recorded the 14 songs they had written.
Four of these songs became the bands debut EP "Everything in Everyway"
(Nevado, 2009) which they released under the new moniker, Yukon Blonde. Soon
after, they hit the road for a 37-date mostly Canadian tour including stops
at POP Montreal, Halifax POP Explosion and CMJ. The remaining 10 songs were
then released as the band's self-titled debut LP (Bumstead Records). With over
80 shows in the first 6 months of 2010 - including showcases at SXSW, NYC, Chicago
and L.A.- Yukon Blonde is currently busy touring North America in support of
the album.