Tripalady New Year’s Eve Dance

It was near dusk when I spied the elf clambering down my drainspout, looking tired and a little hot (“It’s like the tropics around here!” he exclaimed).  Naturally, I invited him in for a cold glass of nog.

“So, what are you doing in Wolfville?” I asked.

“Roof checks,” he replied, waving a can of fluorescent spray paint.  “We don’t just wing it on the night, you know.  Lots of work.  Still, it’ll soon be over, and then we can kick back.  Blitzen and I are going out dancing New Year’s.  TripALady’s playing the Old O Barn here …”

“Really?  You know about them?”

“Come on.  Santa?  Naughty?  Nice? We know everything.”

“Oh.”  I paused, momentarily disturbed.  “Yeah.  Right.”

“ It should be a good time.  I love those twin fiddles.  There you are, bopping along to Human League – we all dig that stuff, everyone in the shop had Walkman’s, back in the day – and then … Whoosh! The reels kick in.  Or they hit some harmonies.”  His already-bright eyes glittered.  “It’s a blast.”

“That does sound like fun,” said I.

“And it’s good for the soul to dance on New Year’s.  The hustling’s all done ” – he rattled the spray can – “and dancing makes you joyful to be alive!  You go out with people you love, and celebrate future and past.  It’s an act of hope.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.  Besides,” he added with a sudden leer, “I heard Lee Aaron was at their Hallowe’en Dance.  Well, anyway, happy New Year to ye.”

“Merry Yule to you!”

And to you all.

TripALady plays the Old Orchard Inn Heritage Barn in Greenwich on Saturday, December 31.  Doors open at 9 pm, with music carrying on past midnight.  Tickets are $15 advance, $20 at the door, available from Box of Delights in Wolfville or from Aspinall Pottery at the Wolfville Farmers’ Market.  697-2271 for more info.  This is a licensed event!

Caleb Miles: Strange Weather

Album Review by Laura MacDonald 

Caleb Miles plays with his hat low and his fire high. It is a sensory experience to hear him perform the song ‘Silver Spoon,’ a dark blues in the murder ballad vein, about a servant girl hanged for allegedly stealing a piece of prized cutlery. Picking it on his shiny National Reso-phonic steel guitar, he and the song seem to exude wet storyteller smoke and ancient outlaw wisdom. This song along with eleven others make up his new album Strange Weather, and are a stunning arsenal of dark, lyrical, playful, wickedly good songs, set to be performed live at his CD release concert on December 17th.

Caleb wrote every song, sings and plays every single instrument on the album, and even recorded and mastered it himself. Far from sounding indulgent or cut-and-pasty, the songs instead achieve the radiant cohesiveness and robust energy of a live band. Caleb Miles is a masterful musician and songwriter, with his songs huddling conspiratorially around a rich subject area of Jericho and the jack of diamonds, black moons and gin, honey and jive. His lyrics are clear and classic while at the same time cerebral and poetic.

The album seems to cover every vintage sound of 60s and 70s music, from psychedelic rock and dreamy jazz, to feel-great pop and folky roots numbers. It sounds like The Beatles dressed in leather, Tom Petty on peyote, Led Zeppelin in the good ole days. Caleb proves himself to be a twelve-trick stallion who runs the gamut of musical styles and moods, covering with tasteful wit the themes of death, lust, and the apocalypse.

The music rocks hard with tracks like ‘Long Way Down,’ gets funky with ‘Story Never Told,’ is haunting and primal on ‘Oh Sadie,’ is achingly catchy, and orchestral at times; it descends into madness with ‘Ace of Spades’ and ‘Voices in Your Head,’ and rises sweetly at the end with the arrestingly gorgeous ‘Laughing Water.’ His songs creep up on you in the best way, and have a way of filling out a room, dripping green rhythms into every nook and cupboard.

In order to perform the album, a band of surrogate Calebs will join the real McCoy for his CD release concert: Ryan and Scott Hupman, Bob Federer, and Mike Carroll. To hear Caleb Miles’s songs, you’d swear he’s sold his soul to the Devil, or at least made some deal with the Prince of Darkness at the crossroads of Albuquerque and Portland. But see him live, and it’s obvious the soul is still present. Maybe he just sacrificed some voodoo juice to a passing desert oracle, or is channelling some mountain moon prophet. Either way, the show is sure to be one of the best of the year.

The CD release concert is Saturday, December 17th, 8pm at the Al Whittle Theatre. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at The Rolled Oat Café, or online at www.calebmiles.net. CDs will be on sale at the concert for a special price of $10.

Fezziwig – Snow White & the Seven Dudes

Actor Thea Burton loves delving into different characters, using stereotypes to break down stereotypes, making connections between people.

That energizes her. “And, where else do adults get to tap into their inner child by playing dress-up and make-believe.”

She plays the storyteller in this year’s panto Snow White & the Seven Dudes. Ray Baltzer, who used to play Mr. Fezziwig, says that “the rush of seeing this overwhelmingly complex and confusing imbroglio come together in the last seven days before the curtain goes up, year after year, is enough to keep me coming back.”

“So many people working on different aspects, but all working together in a common cause to achieve a most worthy goal is quite impressive and extremely exhilarating,” he says.

The 17th annual production of the Fezziwig Society, a hilarious new pantomime for family audiences, runs in Wolfville from Nov. 17 – 19.

There are a slew of princes, all attempting to wake Snow White, while the seven Dudes, played by both well known and lesser-known local dudes (and a dudette) all pine with love. Halifax actor Jeremy Webb has delivered a brand new take on a familiar fairy tale story that will be sure to delight audience members of all ages.

Children and youth from the area support the adult cast. Snow White, herself, is double cast with Sonya Marinkovic and Kate Corrigan sharing the central role. The production will include songs and dance numbers in a variety of pop styles.

Show time for Snow White and the 7 Dudes in Wolfville’s Festival Theatre, will be 7 p.m., with a matinee Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students/seniors and $12 for adult seats, available at Box of Delights in Wolfville or at the door.

SLOW MOTION Food Film Fest returns to Al Whittle Theatre Wolfville Nova Scotia November 10-14, 2011

“This three-day festival offers cinephiles, foodies, chefs, students and food lovers from all walks of life a chance to see all kinds of films about food and wine; shorts and feature lengths films, locally produced and international favourites, new films and classics.” organizing director Michael Howell

29 FILMS, 13 COUNTRIES, FILMMAKERS ATTENDING FROM AROUND THE GLOBE.

Make it a gastronomic weekend with great food from local restaurants, farm markets in Greenwich, and the Wolfville Farmers Market every Saturday morning and Wednesday evenings. Visit Atlantic Canada’s culinary epicentre here in Wolfville, NS

The inaugural event (held in 2009) attracted over 1,000 participants and early indications are that the 2011 fest will be larger in terms of attendance.

TICKETS FOR ALL SCREENINGS AND SPECIAL EVENTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT TICKETPRO.CA OR TICKETPRO LOCATIONS IN ATLANTIC CANADA. VISIT WWW.TICKETPRO.CA TO PURCHASE TICKETS

For a complete schedule:  www.slowmotionfilmfest.ca