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.