The Two Whales Avenue

As a huge fan of bluegrass music I have a keen ear for good old time bluegrass. From Clarence Ashley to Doc Watson to The Stanley Brothers I have listen from the best to the best when it comes to great down home bluegrass. I have stomped my feet to the the fiddle and the banjo many of nights singing along to bluegrass from the 1920's and up. It's hard to find a good bluegrass band in a province that is surrounded by traditional celtic music and what i call lovers of covers, people who don't understand music unless they have listened to it while growing up or they heard it on the radio, something that I pride myself on being not part of. My ears are always open to new music and music that is written by people for people, music from the heart and soul of musicians that lived and are writing directly about their life for people like me. Tonight me and my dear friend Harv took a trip to Port Rexton, a local town outside of Bonavista most famous for their theatrical showings. But tonight a local coffee shop called Two Whales Coffee Shop was hosting a bluegrass band straight from Ontario to play a modest show. As we walked into the place it was a great feeling of walking into someones house, since the coffee shop was actually someones house years ago and renovated into a coffee shop, not much renovation mind you. but it was defiantly warming and hospitable. Me and Harv (owner and operator of Walkhams Gate Pub and Coffee Shop in Bonavista) sat down in the back of the 20 seat kitchen which I was happy to see. It was a great feeling of walking into someones kitchen getting ready for a traditional Newfoundland kitchen party of years ago when friends and family get together to play music well into the night. Tonight was no different. The band was called The Avenues and they will not disappoint us on this night. They were a 3 piece band that ripped through two sets of songs and played not only two cover songs, that I know of , Wild Bill Jones and John Prines' Please Don't Bury Me,  that sounded like it just came off the radio but they also performed original songs that sounded like they were written by bluegrass/country greats. They even had a little bluesy twist onto the songs with the uptempo feel, which I couldn't get enough of being a huge blues fan that I am. After listening to the band that night I came home and slipped on Muddy Waters Country Blues record on vinyl and got taken back to earlier that night. The Avenues were a great band and a great bunch of people that will be playing at various bars and pubs in St Johns this week such as The Rose and Thistle and The Levee. I highly recommend keeping an eye out for them this week and and weekend and catching their show, they will keep you dancing throughout the night and wont disappoint if your a true music fan. Me and Harv walked away happy with what we heard. Thanks Two Whales Coffee Shop for bringing good music to rural Newfoundland that we deserve and hunger for. 

A Pocket Full Of Picks At The Pub

A night full of anticipation and hearing this and that about a performer that I was told was going to blow my socks off, we filled the beer coolers to the gills and made sure no one was gonna be cut off from their favorite liquor. The smell wiffs in from the windows of the fish plant just down over the hill running full blast after the crab fishery has opened. The smell of money surrounds Bonavista like the perfect green fog. Tonight though was the night that I was waiting for a long time, Dave White. a good friend of mine and great musician in his own right, drags out a musician that I've been hearing about ever since I started working at Walkhams Gate Pub, Carl Peters. The night started off slow with only the slot tappers gluing their eyes to the screen wishing for lady luck to be a friend tonight. It was a typical Newfoundland night with fog slowly creeping in off the water and hindering Dave's driving abilities coming out from St.John's. But he arrives and sets up the system to kick off the night. Dave rushes home to take a quick shower while Carl arrives and makes some tweaks to the system before the show starts. Dave shows back up and shows off his acoustic guitar, personally signed by Peters himself, in the flesh. Then Carl pulls out his own signed Dave White acoustic guitar. Then I heard why everyone had nothing but praise for Carl Peters. The echo from his guitar bounced off the walls and got stuck in your ears. Carl and Dave played effortlessly perfect together and sounded if they were playing together for a lifetime. They traded between playing lead guitar and lead vocals. With harmony that only strengthen each others vocal ability they ran through a gauntlet of classic rock songs from Tom Petty, Steve Earle, Tragically Hip, etc even throwing in a few 90s hits that Dave has been performing since his illustrious Maybe Fog days. I was especially impressed with Carl's own interpretation of the Big Bill Broonzy song Before You Accuse Me, made popular by Eric Clapton on his album Unplugged. Carl's interpretation of the song was the perfect mix between blues and acoustic rock. Throughout the night Dave and Carl kept everyone dancing in front of the stage and singing right along with them through each and every song. Not only was I impressed with Carl's playing but also how nice of a guy he was, gracious was not a strong enough word. I kept his energy up with tequila, beer and double espresso shots and him and Dave kept the energy up of the crowd that showed up at the pub that night. It turned out to be a perfect night with everyone leaving feeling drunken and still hyped up from the great music. I now have another favorite performer at the pub alongside Steve and Bob, Chester and Marcus, and Dave White. Now I'll add Carl Peters to the list. If your ever downtown St. John's and you hear Carl Peters is performing tonight at a certain time, run don't walk. You will be pleasantly impressed with the fast fingers and the glowing echo his his guitar as well as the strong bluesy voice of Carl Peters and the silky smooth voice and always full of energy Dave White, the man who eats , sleeps, breaths and bathes in music.

The Energy Of Cocker

I first landed eyes of Joe Cocker on an old episode of Saturday Night Live. He performed a Traffic cover song called Feeling Alright, one of his most popular songs. In the middle of the song he was surprised to see legendary comedian John Belushi join him on stage impersonating him, lip syncing along. Later Joe would say that Belushi did a better Joe Cocker than Joe Cocker. It was a turning point in Joe's career after he was in huge debt to A&M records. He would then embark on a huge world tour. But how can a man with such a gritty, drity, thunderous voice not become looked up to and gazed upon, alcoholism plagued Joe's life for many years. But he battled back and still performs to this day. In this video Joe plays the famous Woodstock festival, he was actually thought to be a roadie when musicians saw him backstage because of his hippie/hobo look. He did not look the part of a fantastic singer but boy did he ever perform. Theres no way you can walk out of a Joe Cocker show and be disappointed. He does do alot of cover songs but he has a nack for making those cover songs his own. Im sure many people thought Feeling Alright or With A Little Help From My Friends or The Letter were Joe Cocker songs. He has covered a humongous array of different bands such as Traffic, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Leon Russell, Chuck Berry just to name a few. Every performance Joe gives it his all, the energy he releases is second to none. The movements of his body can be looked upon as abnormal but he gets really into the music, so much that the music moves him in ways that no one else can really comprehend. Hes a musician true and true, lived the life more than once and came back to punch it in the face. I am a huge Joe Cocker fan and even today you can see him at a show and lay it all on the line, he still has the voice to move you or stand you still.