Courthouse Concerts Heat Up in August
There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight is the title of a popular song from the late 1800s. It could also be the motto for the Sherbrooke courthouse during August, as they present one of their most ambitious schedules yet. The courthouse will host five regular Thursday-night concerts, four Tuesday-evening ceilidhs and two Monday-night celebrity concerts.
The concerts kick off on Thursday, Aug. 1, with Rachel and Ray, the Matties, who perform a mixture of country and traditional music. This Antigonish County brother and sister team were featured artists at the 2002 Stan Rogers Folk Festival and are winning new fans wherever they appear.
Other Thursday concerts in August will feature classic country, with Bob Moser and Old Country on Aug. 8; eclectic roots music with Donald Saaf and Dan Zanes on Aug. 15; folk and traditional with Steve Wright and Chris Lumsden on Aug. 22; and folk, traditional and Celtic music with Lenny Mason on Aug. 29.
A new offering on Tuesdays in August is Ceilidh at the courthouse with Troy MacGillivray and Friends, starting on Tuesday, Aug. 6, and running until the first Tuesday in September. Mr. MacGillivray will share his talents as a pianist, fiddler and dancer and will be joined by musical guests each week.
The first of two special celebrity concerts will take place on Monday, Aug. 19, as Ontario-based singer/songwriter Rosalee Peppard performs as part of her summer-long tour of Nova Scotian heritage sites. Rosalee's pride in her folklore-rich Maritime heritage has blossomed into the creation and release of her new CD, No Place Like Home.
Rosalee's songs weave a poetic female perspective of Canadian history, transporting listeners by poignantly connecting the present with the past.
The second celebrity concert takes place Aug. 26, as Pictou County's Dave Gunning returns to Sherbrooke Village for the first time since shooting his popular video, Here She Comes A Runnin', which used the historic village as its setting. Mr. Gunning, who spent much of this spring and early summer touring across Canada with Stompin' Tom Connors, was also a featured performer at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival. He was one of the performers invited to take part in the Sunday-afternoon mainstage performance of Singing Stan, during which his version of Field Behind the Plow brought the house down.
All courthouse concerts begin at 7:30. Admission to the Thursday- night concerts are $6 in advance and $9 at the door. Other concerts are priced individually. For information, call 1-888- 743-7845.