Northern Groove

Rob Szabo is back again!  Rob plays honest intense music for music lover and is returning to Fort St John to grace the Breakfast Room Stage. He is back with his new self tittled album to send shivers down your spine and string together a landscape of lyrics. Hailed as a true gifted artist with the soul of a poet, the images and poetry he creates within his songs will find a home in your heart. A mark of a true artist! You won’t want to miss this evening with one of Canada’s truly gifted musicians.

He will be at the Breakfast Room, located at the Pomeroy Hotel (next to Tony Roma’s and Chances Gaming Centre), on Saturday, April 14th. Tickets are on sale now and there is limited seating. So get your tickets soon, you won’t want to miss this show.

Tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 at the door.  They are available below online, or at the front counter at Tony Roma’s Restaurant.

For more information check out http://www.robszabo.com/

Lindsay Pratt and Naomi Shore are in a band called "Twin Peaks", and they have recently won this year's RocKIN the Peace Concert!  In the excitement of the aftermath, we've quickly organized a special show for these girls to perform at the incredible new venue, "The Breakfast Room".

These girls have been spending much time to create a fun-filled set of music filled with wonderful blended vocal melodies & harmonies.  I'm personally a huge fan of these girls, and am honoured to be able to see them at their very own show where we can enjoy their music even more than we already do!

Tickets are available online now below for $15, or at the door for $20.  Thank you for your continued support of live local music!  It's exciting to see the talent and efforts of our musical friends and family continue to grow!

The show will start at 7:30 on Thursday March 29th with an opening performer to-be-announced.

Opening for Rik Leaf is one of Fort St John’s rising stars, Chris Baumeister. Chris has been preforming since he was a child and over the years he has proven to be a true professional. His smooth voice and radiant smile makes Chris’s performance a show you will want to see again and again. He has the honor of opening for Rik Leaf in Fort St John’s best listening room, The Breakfast Room at the Pomeroy Hotel. Come join Rik Leaf and Chris Baumeister for a night of true music.

Chris will be performing a set of his own orignial tunes... many of which have never been performed in pubilc before.

Tickets are available now, and there is limited seating.  The show is on Thursday, March 15th at the Breakfast Room, located in the Pomeroy Hotel (by Tony Roma’s and Chances Gaming Centre).

Tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 at the door. They are available below online, or at the front counter at Tony Roma’s Restaurant.  The show starts at 7:30pm.

Another great night of music at the Breakfast Room featuring world travelling musician Rik Leaf.

A night of interaction and dynamic song and stories - Rik is known to ignite your imagination with his songs of inspiration and stories of his world travels. Rik has been producing music for more than 15 years and is no stranger to the life on the road. He has spread his wings and flown here to Fort St John to share an intimate night with you in Fort St. John’s best listening room venue, The Breakfast Room.

The sounds of Rik’s internationally inspired music will have you moving and feeling a warmth within that can only be described as unforgettable!  It is our honor to host him at The Breakfast Room and our gift to you Fort St John. Come out and enjoy this amazing experience surrounded by friends!

Tickets are available now, and there is limited seating.  The show is on Thursday, March 15th at the Breakfast Room, located in the Pomeroy Hotel (by Tony Roma’s and Chances Gaming Centre).

Tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 at the door.  They are available below online, or at the front counter at Tony Roma’s Restaurant.

For more info on Rik Leaf or to checkout his music checkout this link for free music.

Claire Maeryn Turner, 10 years old, loves playing the guitar almost more than she likes scoring goals in soccer games.  Three years ago she started begging her parents for a guitar and a year later, they finally agreed.  She and her mom searched for "guitar teacher in Fort St. John" and called the first name on the list, Doug Palmer.  Claire and Doug have been a jamming team for 2 years.  

Claire loves performing!  "When I am playing guitar, I feel like I can show my inner self.  I like how I can express myself with songs.  Songs are about feelings, not just music." (quote from Claire when asked why she likes music.) 

Come support Claire at the upcoming show at "The Breakfast Room", as she opens the show for fellow Fort St. John musicians, Adam Winn and Joseph Te Bulte.

It's events and opportunities like this one which makes Fort St. John feels like a pretty special community to be a part of.

Tickets for the show are available in advance below, or at the door for $20.

One of the amazing things about Fort St. John, is that I'm always meeting new cool musicians who have recently moved into town!  I met Kyle Bischke 2 weeks ago.  As a bartender at Tony Roma's, he was asked to perform a few songs at the Pomeroy Christmas Party... After hearing him, and without a second thought, I thought it would be awesome if Kyle would be intereted in opening up for the upcoming Ari Neufeld Show.

So, here's the news:

Kyle's will be performing one of his original tunes, never before heard, tomorrow night - Jan 24th - at The Breakfast Room!  He'll be playing a handful of cool covers, and setting the mood for the evenign!  Come support Kyle and checkout the amazing music of Okanagan musician, Ari Neufeld.

Tickets in advance are $15 (available online below), or $20 at the door.

The show is available to all ages, and there will be a bar available for 19+.  Food will be available and served through Tony Romas resturaunt.

Miss Quincy, The Wild Oaks, and Sasha Lewis performed a breathtaking night of music to a good crowd last weekend in the fantastic new venue, "The Breakfast Room".  Several folks were asking what the room is all about, and if it's nice... and well, I can' say a thousand words... or I could upload a few pictures.

I think you'll enjoy the pictures better.

Peter Katz is back!  We are honoured that he's back and are setting him up in the most exciting new music room in Fort St. John -- The Breakfast Room!

Starting the show will be Fort St. John's own Joseph Te Bulte -- a local musician, songwriter, and down-right nice guy.

The show is on Saturday, Nov 5th.  Things will kick off around 8:15

For more details on The Breakfast Room, check this out:
http://www.northerngroove.com/item/1643-new-venue-in-fort-st-john-the-breakfast-room

For more info on Peter Katz and why you should come -- read this full bio below:

Lyric and vocal virtuosity” (Aaron Foster –Chart Attack)

CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award Winner Peter Katz was supposed to make a solo acoustic record… but, when the likes of Academy Award Winner Glen Hansard(The Swell Season, Once), Canadian Folk darlings The Good Lovelies, and steel-town sirenMelissa McClelland agreed to sing along… plans changed.

Nevertheless, ‘First of the Last to Know’ marks the true arrival of Peter Katz, solo artist. Even with the good company on the record, Peter’s voice and acoustic guitar remain the focal point throughout. After years of touring solo while selling a full-on band record, Katz got tired of the same feedback: “We wish you would make a record that sounds like you playing live”.

Katz agrees: “My life is touring, and I’m dedicated to that, but at a certain point your record needs to do some leg-work for you. If the only way you can win someone over is live, then you need to go back to the drawing board and make a better record.”

Working with long-time friend, tour-mate, singer-songwriter and producer Rob Szabo, the two scheduled regular meetings for 4 months, looking at every aspect of Peter’s songs. “There were some definite tense moments, but I knew Rob was right and I had to put my ego aside and learn. We worked and worked and worked, just on the barebones of the songs and of the guitar and vocals, making sure every last word, every note, every groove, every picking pattern, every tempo was exactly where it needed to be. It was an amazing and awful experience,” Katz says with a smile.

When it came time to finally record, they set up shop at the gorgeous Barn Window Studio on the escarpment outside Hamilton. “I didn’t want to be in a booth and then have to try to add vibe using the computer. I wanted the space to inspire, to have its quirks and unique qualities in the moment. There’s no question when I listen to this record, I hear that it was recorded in a big, beautiful barn. I mean, I got to sing while staring out at the night through a huge glass window… You can’t get that in a booth.”

One aspect of Katz’s sound that remains true from his very first demos is his dedication to telling powerful stories. The stunning ‘Oliver’s Tune’ is inspired by a CBC interview with the late Oliver Schroer, a Canadian fiddle player who passed away from Leukemia but decided to play one final concert a month before he died. ‘The Fence’ is a haunting song that imagines the experience of Matthew Shepard, the Laramie, Wyoming student who was tied to a fence and left to die one night because he was gay. And the soaring, cathartic title track, ‘First of the Last to Know,’ explores the story of anyone working to emerge as a fully realized human being.

Expressing both aching sadness and intense joy, Katz’ songs, carried by his passionate, intimate voice, guide us through the gamut of human experience.

And if the record leaves you wanting more, he will be continuing his habit of playing 150+ dates a year. With tours already booked throughout Europe and North America in the first half of 2010, he’s likely coming to a town near you. And if he isn’t, drop him a line, he’s known for making an effort to play wherever there are eager ears.

This Friday, there is somethin' a happenin' that you will be very upset if you miss.

Miss Quincy (w. Dave Tolley), Sasha Lewis, and The Wild Oaks, are all performing in an atomosphere like none other -- in the new venue, The Breakfast Room, in the Pomeroy Hotel.

Things kick off at around 7:30PM on Friday, Oct 28th.

The venue is best explained like this:  It's like a giant living room with a bar, with all of your friends & favorite people, a fireplace and candles, listening to great music, and having a great time in a really fun night out.  Make sense?  Come check it out for yourself!

Tickets are available in advance online, at Tony Romas, and the front desk of the Pomeroy Hotel for just $15 in advance or at the door for $20.  This is not a Halloween event, so please don't show up in a costume... however, feel free to dress up in something nice!  It's a great excuse to go see our firends at Marc Joseph to be lookin' your best.

Here's some more info on the bands.

Miss Quincy does not fit the classic Singer/Songwriter mold. She plays guitar like she practices and sings songs like she means them. “Bringing a sense of the renegade women of the old West mixed with a modern independence of spirit, her extraordinary clear voice and well-crafted, memorable songs range through bluegrass and barroom blues, gypsy jazz, and something that is all of the above and yet something unique.” (Backroads Music, UK). Tipping her hat to earlier times and the rugged northern beauty that has been the backdrop of her life, Miss Quincy draws inspiration from the pioneering women who came before, the blues ladies of the 1930s, dirty guitar licks, and sweet gospel harmonies. 

Sasha Lewis -  Rock/Roots Folkstress Sasha Lewis is being called BC's little treasure. When describing Sasha's performances and recordings, adjectives like "a new and original voice in Canadian songwriting" come to mind, also, "inspiring folk-rock". Possessing a powerful range and presence Lewis has honed her distinctive songwriting abilities into a unique style that arises out of her life story.  Not only has Sasha been showcased at the Roots and Blues Music Festival but her song "Reasons" is on The Province Playlist. Lewis has been nominated for Peoples Choice at the 2011 BC Interior Music Awards, also in 2010 one of her co-written songs was nominated at the BCIMA’S in the Urban category. With her edgy vocals and thoughtful lyrics, she hits all the right emotions and pulls at the heart strings. Having a strongly developed background within her craft she has attracted a genuine and ever growing fan base of supporters who have followed her since the first strum on her guitar and stroke of her pen.

The Wild Oaks - From Salmon Arm, BC, The Wild Oaks is the song writing combination of Jacob Verburg and Jesse Clarke.  Jesse Clarke was a founding member of Old Man's Beard.  Together they write music that displays their talent as song writers and musicians. After a few jams in the spring of 2011 the boys found the musical combination incredibly creative and fulfilling. They are very excited about their new project, so look for them in a coffee house or street corner near you.