April Verch Trio Bluegrass concert to set stage Jan. 13
NEW YORK MILLS — Bluegrass music sensation April Verch will be joined by her band mates Cody Walters on claw hammer banjo and upright base and Hayes Griffin on guitar for a concert at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center.
Admission is $15 in advance or $18 at the door. Student admission is $8. To reserve advance tickets call (218) 385-3339.
April Verch, doesn’t just perform music, she exudes it. The internationally renowned Canadian fiddler, singer, songwriter and step dancer has a passion for performing and her goal is to touch the lives of those who are listening at any given moment. “
The world is this amazing puzzle that we can’t fully understand and music is the joy that pulls it all together and helps us make sense of it,” Verch said in an email release.
Dirk Powell, a multi-instrumentalist, who’s worked with Jack White, Joan Baez, Riverdance and the film Cold Mountain, is awed by Verch’s ability to play any kind of roots music as though it was her native tongue.
“She’s so fluent in the language of music that she never needs to imitate,” Powell said. “She hears the heart of it and lets that become part of her core. April’s just got that, man; she’s always speaking the language for real. She is a rare mix of all the technique and super-flashy things, along with the deep soul and tradition that comes from having grown up with the music.”
On her eighth CD, “That’s How We Run,” Verch explores the Southern mountain traditions known as old time music, but she brings her Northern roots with her. Through sinewy old time American reels or crisp Canadian hops, singing the happy Ontario chestnut “Moonshine Mac,” Verch was born to traditional music, in Canada’s Ottawa Valley. She was a local star at 4, step dancing with her sister and winning awards at contests. The fact that they were for “Youngest Competitor” didn’t dampen her child-eyed enthusiasm. She became the first woman in history to win both of Canada’s most prestigious fiddle championships, the Grand Masters and Canadian Open; and when Canada hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics, she was asked to represent her country’s music at the opening ceremonies.
Ottawa Valley music is a foot-stomping, open-minded fusion of Irish, Scottish, French, German and Polish influences, sprinkled with tangy spices of American country music. The twang of the banjo and the driving Franco-Celtic pulse of the fiddle are as ingrained in Verch as snowbound winters and Saturday dances.
The April Verch Band have toured across Canada, the United States, the U.K., Europe, Australia and China. Together they have established a reputation as consummate performers with boundless energy on stage that inevitably brings audiences to their feet.
Concert scheduled to support homeless
New Pathways and the Interfaith Hospitality Network will be hosting a concert at 7 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Franklin Auditorium in Brainerd.
This event will feature Pastor Key Lane and local musicians.
A free will offering will be taken during the event geared to support efforts to serve homeless families in need in our community.
Tango to be offered in Crosby
CROSBY — Unlimited Learning will be hosting a dance class on tango from 1:30-4 p.m. Jan. 10 at Heartwood Senior Living Center in Crosby.
Tango is a dance originating in Argentina and Uruguay in the late 19th century. Enthusiasts now circle the globe from South America to North America, Europe and Finland where local adaptations continue to shape this complex dance.
Two talented dance instructors will lead a lively discussion of the dance, the music and the poetry of the tango. They will conclude with a demonstration and an opportunity to experience the dance. The instructors are Peter Truran, visiting University of Minnesota scholar and dancer and Sylvia Horwitz, photographer, human rights activist and dancer.
This class is part of Unlimited Learning’s schedule and the cost is included for members. Cost for non-members are $6.
For more information about Unlimited Learning programs, contact Larry Foote at (218) 678-3034 or go to www.unlimitedlearning.net.
20th annual Great American Think-Off question released
NEW YORK MILLS — “The Nature of Humankind: Inherently Good or Inherently Evil?” is this year’s Great American Think-Off question, reprising the first annual Think-Off when the same question was asked and, for the only time in Think-Off history, resulted in a draw. Think-Off organizers decided to revisit the nature of humankind issue again this year, seeking a clearer answer. We are asking everyone to offer their thoughtful replies to this essential problem.
The Great American Think-Off is an annual people’s philosophy contest that is open at no cost to anyone who wishes to engage with fellow
Americans to address an enduring question about our core beliefs. The debate was established to provide a national forum for citizens to discuss these essential questions.
To enter the competition submit a 750 word essay by April 1 to Great American Think-Off, New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, through the mail at P.O. Box 246, New York Mills, MN 56567; or email to nymills@kulcher.org (no attachments); or through the online form at www.think-off.org. The four finalists will be notified on May 1 and invited to participate in the great debate to be held before a live audience June 9 in New York Mills. The four final essayists will each receive a $500 cash prize and travel expenses to the debate, and the winner will be chosen by the audience.
Paul Bunyan Playhouse announces auditions for casting 2012 Summer Season
BEMIDJI — Paul Bunyan Playhouse is holding auditions for the 2012 summer season from 4-10 p.m. Monday in the Historic Chief Theater, 314 Beltrami Ave., Bemidji.
Actors should prepare a one minute monologue of their choosing however materials will be available for a cold reading should it be necessary. If auditioning for a singing role, prepare 32 bars of a song that showcases the voice. Auditions for the Suessical musical require dancing.
Casting for the 2012 season includes plays of “Spitfire Grill,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music,” “Dixie Swim Club” and “Suessical.”
For more information call (218) 751-7270.
The legendary voice of Supertramp to perform
HINCKLEY — Universally recognized as one of the most gifted composers and lyricists of our time, Roger Hodgson helped to define a generation of progressive rock. Hodgson and his band will perform at 8 p.m. March 2 at the Grand Casino Hinckley Events and Convention Center.
Tickets are $20, $30 and $35. To purchase tickets, visit the Grand Casino Hinckley or Grand Casino Mille Lacs box offices, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, contact any Ticketmaster outlet, or visit grandcasinomn.com.
Hodgson co-founded Supertramp in 1969 and for many fans was the heart and spiritual force behind the band until his departure in 1983.
He wrote and sang the enduring rock standards that made Supertramp famous, such as “Breakfast in America,” “It’s Raining Again,” “School,” “Dreamer,” “The Logical Song,” “Give a Little Bit,” “Take the Long Way Home” and “Fool’s Overture,” to name a few.
Hodgson continues to tour worldwide, to the delight of audiences around the globe. His 2012 World Tour will kick off in February in Southern California. His most recent album, “Classics Live,” is a collection that was recorded in concert during his 2010 world tour.
