Toronto's HOTCHA!, with Beverly Kreller on vocals, bodhran, accordion, guitar, kazoo, mouth trumpet, spoons and Howard Druckman on vocals, guitar, slide and harmonica, will be here Feb. 12 for the Home Routes Concert Tour Thompson stop.
Show time in the basement Bijou Room at the Thompson Public Library is 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $15, said Lisa Evasiuk, who is also co-ordinator of the Reel North Film Festival.
She has teamed up with library administrator Cheryl Davies to bring the tour here. "The cost for each show is $15 and every cent goes to the amazing musicians who come to us from all over Canada," Evasiuk said. "I supply a bed and a meal (for free); Cheryl is supplying the basement Bijou at the library (for free) as our 'living room' for the up close and interactive acoustic event (of which there will be six in total). You buy a ticket, supply your time and sit back and totally enjoy the music while visiting with the musicians."
HOTCHA!'s music has been described as "rustic, rural songs of work and faith, delivered with a vintage vibe and the energy of a runaway train a distinctive musical blend of old-time western, bluegrass, early swing and country gospel.
"If you could take a picture of HOTCHA!'s music, it would be a grainy, sepia-toned portrait of Depression-era musicians with nothing but an old Sears-Roebuck guitar and a nickel in hand for the jitney dance. If you listen to HOTCHA!'s music, you'll hear a unique combination of accordion and bodhran (Celtic drum) alongside gritty guitar, wailing harmonica and soaring vocal harmonies."Homes Routes is a not-for-profit organization. The chairperson is Derek Black, a 25-year veteran of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, including eight years as its board president. Black plays guitar and sings as well.
Other board members include Chris White, artistic director of the Ottawa Folk Festival, who is also a songwriter; Troy Greencorn, artistic director of the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia; Manitoban Steve Schellenberg, a songwriter who is the artist representative on the board; Robert Lyons of Regina, an owner of nightclubs and restaurants, who is also described as "a very decent lyricist and guitar player and an old hand at producing house concerts" and Les Siemieniuk, general manager of the Calgary Folk Festival and a long-time broadcaster including producing CBC Radio's Simply Folk.
