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09 Nov 03 - 08:55 AM (#1050585) Subject: Toronto: Fines and Wheatley From: black walnut 2 Toronto (perfume-free) House Concerts: Jan. 10 - RICK FINES "January Blues" Feb. 14 - KATHERINE WHEATLEY "February Fervour" At the home of black walnut. I met Rick Fines at The Woods Music and Dance Camp 2000 when he was on staff. What an incredible blues player and singer...and what a wonderful fun person! This summer Rick was performing at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival, and I asked him there if he would be interested in doing a house concert in Toronto - yesterday we set the date. I am absolutely thrilled! A couple of years ago I was going through some pretty serious voice problems. I decided to ask the person with one of the best voices I've ever heard to give me some guidance. That voice belonged to Katherine Wheatley. Poor Katherine - she tried to teach me guitar as well, but I'm afraid the gap between her skills and mine was just way too big! Her songwriting is beyond words....I can't wait to hear her again. ~b.w. |
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07 Jan 04 - 02:23 PM (#1088063) Subject: RE: Toronto: Fines and Wheatley From: black walnut I just remembered this thread. Rick Fines and his bass player Richard Simpkins are performing in my living room this Saturday night. And there's quite a waiting list. House concerts are fun. You spend a few weeks getting it organized, and hope for a full house, and then when it's sold out, and you have people begging us to let them in - to find chandaliers for them to hang from - the excitement just keeps rising. JeffM and Rick Speyer are opening for this one. Two of my very talented musical friends. We don't do many house concerts here, and it's unusual for us to have them so close together on the calendar, so we're organizing the Wheatley concert at the same time, but it's not been onerous. Actually it's been almost easier to do them really close together than a few months apart. Katherine's concert is almost sold out now too. Michael Bolton (not that one, the other one) is going to open for Katherine...it's on Valentine's Day so he's going to sing "silly songs of love and heartache". We can fit max 40 people into our little semi-detached house (the living room and dining room join together with a wide door between them). There are quite a few places to hear folk now in the city (Toronto) but this is so different. We ask people who are top of the ladder musicians, usually with whom we have some personal connection already, and generally if they live outside of the city, so that each one is a very special event. Rick Fines will be only our 4rth house concert. I wonder how many of you ever host, or ever go to house concerts? I'd be interested to hear. Personally, I think they're magic. So small, intimate, acoustic, and full of energy. Now, if I could only squeeze in a few more chairs.... ~b.w. |
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07 Jan 04 - 02:26 PM (#1088065) Subject: RE: Toronto: Fines and Wheatley From: GUEST,Steve Latimer Black Walnut, I won't be able to attend, but some friends of mine saw Rick recently and raved about him. |
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08 Jan 04 - 08:10 AM (#1088607) Subject: RE: Toronto: Fines and Wheatley From: black walnut Do you know where they heard him, Steve? I heard Rick again this past summer at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. He was an unknown going in, but throughout the weekend, everybody was talking about him. Besides doing his own sets and songs, he casually backed people up throughout the weekend at the workshops, and they loved it. He's such a good listener, he's creative on his feet, and he's not pushy or arrogant at all. At the end of the Festival, Rick was spoken of as a highlight of the weekend. ~b.w. |
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08 Jan 04 - 08:24 AM (#1088614) Subject: RE: Toronto: Fines and Wheatley From: Peter T. Go if you get a chance. I had a great time when Eileen McGann came. I am particularly envious of anyone with such a nice music room. Next time I get the chance to go, I will bring my knitting...... yours, Peter T. |
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08 Jan 04 - 11:45 AM (#1088717) Subject: RE: Toronto: Fines and Wheatley From: black walnut Thanks Peter. But if you bring your knitting, you'll need 3 seats - one for you and one for each needle. ~b.w. |
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11 Jan 04 - 04:13 PM (#1090521) Subject: RE: Toronto: Fines and Wheatley From: black walnut Holy smokes....that was one Excellent Night (last night)!!!! ~b.w. |
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12 Jan 04 - 10:20 AM (#1091108) Subject: RE: Toronto: Fines and Wheatley From: Mooh b.w. ...Glad you had a good show! I drove as far as the train station in Stratford last night, through white-outs and drifting, to retrieve my kid. No way could I have gone further, that's why I stay close to home this time of year. Don't you just love house concerts though? Everyone remembers each other better somehow, and the vibe is hard to beat. You'll love Wheatley (as you know). When she played here folks raved about it for weeks. Peace, Mooh. |
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12 Jan 04 - 12:55 PM (#1091234) Subject: RE: Toronto: Fines and Wheatley From: black walnut Absolutely, Mooh! House concerts are unbelievably special. I totally understand about the winter driving problem (I used to live in the snowbelt). I was just happy that it wasn't snowing or raining here on Saturday night - so that people we coming in with DRY coats and DRY boots! I wrote a little review of the house concert for Maplepost, and so I'll copypaste it here for you at the Mudcat. This is what it said: We had a house concert here in our home in Toronto last Saturday night, with RICK FINES and RICHARD SIMPKINS. I can't begin to tell you how wonderfully magical it was to hear them play that evening. Both of them remarked that it was a good and different experience to perform an acoustic concert - Rick seemed to be surprised at how quietly and delicately he could play and still be heard easily, right to the back of the room - our music room is blessed with very good acoustics. Richard's bass fiddle bow had broken right before the concert, but no matter - he plucked brilliantly the whole night, and what a treat it was to hear him share solos back and forth with Rick. I don't need to tell anybody on this list that Rick's songs are amazing. They always reach right into the heart. Everyone in the audience was hanging on every word and every note, the whole evening. We were sold out at about 40 people. The concert began at 8:00 (with a short opening act by Rick Speyers, Jeff Morrison and myself), and ended just before 12 midnight. I think that Rick Fines and Richard Simpkins might have kept on playing even longer - but a few people, including Richard, had parked their cars in places that would be ticketed after 12am, so we called it a night. We don't host many house concerts in our home, but previously we've hosted for Eileen McGann and David Francey (with Dave Clarke), as well as a fund-raiser for The Woods Music and Dance Camp Scholarship Fund. On Feb. 14 we're hosting one for Katherine Wheatley (with Michael Bolton opening). Now we can add the Rick Fines / Richard Simpkins house concert to the list, as yet another one that we will treasure in our memory banks for the rest of our days. Thank to all who performed, and thanks to a great audience as well! ~Debbie (black walnut) & Bill (husband of black walnut) |