Open jamming means that our host with the most, Dave Balfour, will play all night and will invite people up on stage to join in. It’s a great time for both audience and musicians!

Musicians: Bring your instrument of choice (including drums - small stage sized set please) and approach Dave to quickly let him know that you’re there and you would like to join in on the jam. He’ll do his best to rotate you in if at all possible. This is a great event and is catered to most levels of playing. Jamming is fun and helps build your skills. It’s great when it all gels together and it’s entertaining when it doesn’t (doesn’t happen to often!).

Audience: It’s a Wednesday night, it’s the middle of the week. You’re looking for something to do -maybe meet some friends or take in some entertainment. O’Reilly’s Pub in Perth has your answer. The Open Jamming experience with Dave Balfour is a night of amazing music and it’s all FREE. No cover. The music ranges from classic rock to folk to MILD country to blues to hits of today and beyond. It’s a night of fun and friends, music and mayhem.

The show starts at 8:30pm so both musicians and audience should arrive early for easier setup and best seating. There is a great food menu and drinks so don’t hesitate to come for supper or snacks and drinks prior to the show!

Brock Zeman

August 31@ 8:30PM September 7, 14, 21 & 28 @ 8:30PM

Brock Zeman may only be twenty-five years old, but already he’s released three previous albums with his signature roots style, and been praised by critics for the maturity of his vocals, the depth of his storytelling and his impressive live performances – which he shares with audiences widely and regularly, across North America and Europe.

His fourth album, Welcome Home Ivy Jane, produced by Keith Glass of Prairie Oyster fame, along with Zeman and Steve Foley at Audio Valley, cements Zeman’s talent as a songwriter who balances the grit of everyday life with a lyrical heart. Sung in his deep, rich and twangy vocals and backed by a first rate band, Zeman is, as one reviewer has said, “certainly a rising star” (Atlantic Seabreeze).

Zeman’s vocals often illicit immediate comparisons to Americana greats; Country Music News has said that Zeman has “a voice that begs to be compared to Steve Earle” while Rootshighway claims that “Brock Zeman should have been born in Austin Texas.” But it is Zeman’s songwriting that makes the comparisons to the great singer-songwriters stick.

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TwoTwentyTwo - $3 cover

Formed in 2005, Two Twenty Two is the magical combination of two established solo singer songwriters. Amanda Brewer and Warren Muzak have brought very different songwriting styles together to create a sound which ranges from traditional country, to folk and blues, to modern rock and jazz. Brewer’s sweet melodies are paired with Muzak’s driving rhythms and their powerful voices weave together to draw listeners in to stories of love, loss and life on the road.

 

 

Ambre McLean - $3 cover

Category: Blues | Country | Folk | Jazz | Music | Pop

September 4 @ 8:00PM

Ambre McLean has created a sound that is entirely her own incorporating a number of her influences including jazz, country, blues, folk and pop.

“She must have been born to it” says CBC 3’s Craig Norris. “Ambre’s a brilliant player, a brilliant songwriter and a brilliant performer.”

In 2009, Ambre won 1st place in Guelph ’s first singer/songwriter contest. She also maintains the tri-cities ECHO award (People’s Choice) for best singer/songwriter.

Ambre has recently partnered with Canadian Indie label Busted Flat Records (Matt Andersen, Jay Semko, Brock Zeman). Ambre’s latest full length “Murder at the Smokehouse - a musical novella” is due for an October 2010 release. Busted Flat will also be re-releasing Ambre’s 2007 full length CD “I Wonder If.”

To appreciate Ambre McLean is to see her perform live. Her piano work is a bit funky, yet haunting. Her breathy voice is ethereal and mesmerizing, she truly is a decadent pleasure captured on the stage.

McLean’s rich vocal styling’s have often been compared to Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos. She’ll dazzle you on piano or guitar - a little bit blues ‘n jazz, a little bit pop and all soul.

The Avenues (formerly the county boys) - $3.00 cover

Category: Acoustic | Country | Music | Pop | Rock

September 18 @ 8:30PM & October 16 @ 8:30PM

The County Boys forged their sound years ago in a Peterborough kitchen. As a three piece; guitar, bass and banjo, they have created a sound that will make you get your dancin’ shoes on. Their three part harmonies are the main ingredient mixed with a sound that is somewhere between bacon and carrot. The band has many flavors as each member writes and sings their own songs. Together they have thrown hillbilly, country, punk, pop and some other ingredients in to the pot and come out with something they can call their own.

 

Alan Rhody

Category: Acoustic | Music

Wednesday September 22 @ 8:30PM

 

 

Alan Rhody is one of today’s more effective and respected solo acoustic artists in that great expanse known as the singer-songwriter.

“Boxcars Of Memories”, the latest of his eight album releases, showcases his “pull you in” story telling, his uncommon honesty and poetic tenderness, as well as his deepseeded kick-out-the-jams side. His emotive guitar playing and wise and rugged vocals also demonstrate why this collection is destined to further validate his already solid reputation. Whether singing the disc’s six new originals (including a co-write with Tom Russell) or the four covers by Paul Siebel, Bob Dylan, Freddie Pompeii and Kris Kristofferson, his singing, playing and message all shine.

In the Kentucky native’s thirty-year career, he’s played virtually every kind of venue, be it festival, listening room, concert hall, night club or workshop. Rhody or his music have also been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered as well as CBC and CTV Networks in Canada, AAA, Americana and satellite radio.

After an eight-year Canadian residency, plenty of road work and two singles on London Records he returned to the U.S. in 1977 and settled in Nashville. His original songs were immediately picked up by other artists in country, folk, and bluegrass as he continued to travel and perform. He put out his own debut album, Stop The Rain in 1981, introducing his music to new audiences across Canada and the southeastern and midwestern U.S.