Bluesman Brandon Isaak and partner Cindy Mae have moved from Surrey to Vancouver Island, but he’ll be back in the South Fraser area soon enough with a Nov. 17 gig at White Rock’s Blue Frog Studio, backed by The Saints of Swing.
In August, the seaside city is also where Isaak opened for Colin James in front of nearly 12,000 people during the last of the Concerts at the Pier for 2023.
“We bought a house in North Cowichan between Victoria and Nanaimo,” Isaak reported. “We are thrilled and loving the lifestyle over here.”
Dubbed “Yukon Slim” for his Whitehorse roots, Isaak can also be thrilled about his new album, One Step Closer, released in September. It’s a further exploration of classic blues with modern twists, in New Orleans-ish collaborations with David Vest, Al Pease, Darryl Havers and other musicians.
The sounds echo those of 2021’s Modern Primitive, an album Isaak recorded with bassist Keith Picot at Vancouver’s Rosewood Hotel Georgia. The 11-song LP took shape on the evening of Oct. 10, 2019, in the penthouse suite, previously visited by Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and other music legends.
During the pandemic Isaak kept busy sculpting a side career with his “Mini-Legends,” made-to-order clay figurines that resemble Bob Marley, R. L. Burnside, Johnny Cash, Sonnyboy Williamson, Robert Johnson and others.
“I’ve not done any for a while, as I’ve been so busy with the new album, but I have a few new orders so I gotta break out the clay again,” Isaak explained.
‘BARNBURNER’ OF A HOCKEY SONG
Local band Trigger Mafia rocks a new hockey-heavy anthem called “Barnburner,” to be released Dec. 20 on a new EP. The song drives hard to the net with “three minutes of pure, energetic game-time motivation that will ramp up the team and put the audience into a frenzy.”
Reels posted to Facebook tease snippets of the song and lyrics that name-check hockey stars past (Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Rocket Richard), current (Sidney Crosby) and future (Connor Bedard). A video for “Barnburner” was filmed at Langley’s Sportsplex rink not long ago.
A few weeks from now, the four guys of Trigger Mafia (guitarist/singer Shawn Meehan, bassist Jay Wittur, drummer Rod Senft and keys player Karl Oystensen) are booked to open for Darby Mills Project Dec. 8 at Vancouver’s long-established Roxy Cabaret. Tickets are $22.60 on eventbrite.ca.
BEER AND BANDS
In Cloverdale on Saturday night (Oct. 28), beer-loving peeps will be dressed for Halloween (or not) during the second Brewhalla event at the Agriplex. Thirty-plus brewers and other beverage makers will be in the arena along with diverse bands for the dancing, including Side One, Frankie & The Juicebox, Antonio Larosa, TriloJay and Sadé Awele.
The beer festival is planned by Red Door Events and presented by The Property Twins, led by Chris and Jamie Ruscheinski, the brothers who stage the annual Gone Country benefit concert in Cloverdale every July.
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HOLIDAY SOUNDS
More music is promised at this year’s Surrey Tree Lighting Festival & Holiday Market, now that the event has been stretched from one day to two.
Nov. 25-26 at Surrey Civic Plaza, the 13th festival will feature free live entertainment on four stages booked by MRG Events in tandem with the city’s special events department.
Daily from noon to 8 p.m., festival-goers can expect holiday-themed concerts by Warren Dean Flandez, Dane Warren’s Come Fly With Me tribute to Michael Bublé, Josh Bogert, Phat Santa Swing, Beauty Shop Dolls, Ranj Singh, Westcoast Harmony Chorus, YVR Pop Choir, Pat Chessell & Friends, Langley Ukulele Ensemble and others. The full list is posted on surreytreelighting.ca/performers.
Last year the festival drew a crowd of over 20,000 with a day of entertainment, children’s activities, food trucks, rides, photos with Santa and more.
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