The Follies ‘Reborn’!
The Klondike Follies Cabaret shows will take place three times each week, beginning on June 26, 28 and 30.
Grant Simpson
Tickling the ivories under the midnight sun
Over 10-million people across the globe have been part of an art project that placed 1,890 street pianos at 75 installations in 60 cities. Local musician Grant Simpson saw that there was an opportunity to do a made-in-the-Yukon version.
Planes, burgers and pianos
The Transportation Museum has been hosting an annual spring barbecue for several years. It provides them an opportunity to highlight their summer season programming.
A funky little family
Café des Voix at Cafe Balzam at the Takhini Hot Springs on Jan 31. PHOTOS: courtesy of Elaine Schiman Café des Voix is always looking for new talent Yukon accompanist Grant Simpson helped found Café des Voix in 2016 as an extension of Jazz Yukon workshops that had been occurring since 2011 and as “a …
Meet the 2018 cancan line
The 2018 Eldorado Line: Steal Your Fella Ella (left), Last Call Liz, Razzle Dazzle Rachel, Lollipop Ginger Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous season begins in February, but for some people it is a year round commitment. The women of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Cancan Line are arguably the most in-demand group during Rendezvous, and their appearance bookings …
Augusto! Children’s Festival the First of its Kind in the Yukon
“We are proud and excited to be founding the Yukon’s only dedicated art and music festival for children,” says Darlene Sillery, one of the five main organizers of the Augusto! Children’s Festival in Haines Junction this weekend. “We have a great variety of workshops and an excellent group of presenters, including visual artists, performing artists …
Augusto! Children’s Festival the First of its Kind in the Yukon Read More »
A Feast of Jazz
After several vocal jazz workshops “There was no outlet for the singers to practice what they’d learned.” said Simpson. Enter Café des Voix
Caroline Drury takes that voice in a new direction
Caroline Drury sings “Love Potion #9.” That’s all anyone needs to know before deciding to buy her newest CD, Loving You, Loving Me. “Love Potion #9” was popular two decades before the 24-year-old former Yukoner was born. It is a fun song … but it can be something entirely different once Drury’s crystal, clear voice …
Caroline Drury takes that voice in a new direction Read More »
Making her Own Trail
“It’s sort of like a straightforward country approach to old-school, ’30s vocal jazz,” she says. “I would say it’s got folk roots, a bit of blues and bluegrass, but jazz is sort of where I draw inspiration from and is probably the top of my influences.” Producer Bob Hamilton of Old Crow Recording Studio selected …
Indian Dance + Celtic Beats
On Saturday, Dec. 17, Yukoners will have a chance to immerse themselves in an uplifting show Bhangra: The Dance of the Punjab, which will feature bhangra dancing to traditional Irish and Scottish music by the Whitehorse band Crooked Folk, as well as group dances from Gurdeep’s bhangra dance class students. The evening has been organized …
Yukon Music with a Side of Lychee
Add a fruity kick to your fall with a lychee martini! Try the cocktail at the CD release party and concert for Yukon musician Nicole Edwards. On Sept. 23 the songstress releases Genre Bender at the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse. The first single off her new CD is called “Lychee Martini” and was co-written …
Summer Fun has Begun
Look around. The birds are singing, canoes and kayaks are back on Subaru roof racks and my neighbour seems to have an urge for gardening at 11:30 p.m. These are signs of summer. It’s a change from spending much of our time inside, sipping hot tea and feeding the woodstove to living the wild and …
Life, Love and Trevor
Dogtown: the Musical, a story based on the life and fate of a local dog named Trevor, will be one of the many productions featured during the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, taking place June 9 to 18 Nakai Theatre and the Yukon Circus Society are the co-presenters of Dogtown: the Musical, which will be playing …
Whitehorse Nuit Blanche Survival Guide
I am no stranger to the all-night art festival rodeo. I’ve been to three of them, in two different cities — using all different methods of transportation. I’ve marvelled at and participated in hundreds of exhibits and meandered home in the early hours of the morning fitting in late night snacks and riverside coffees along …
Local Artists To Take Over Trolley
The second annual Whitehorse Nuit Blanche is set to transform the downtown core into an all-night art playground. Inviting the audience to become the artist, this art crawl will bring installations, performances, and other participatory exhibits to life for 12 consecutive hours during the solstice. With eight commissioned artists, a free breakfast, and numerous indie …
Puppet Dreams Coming True
Nicole Edwards was raised on the Muppet Show, and she dreamed of duetting with Kermit since she was a kid. As an adult, she decided to make her puppet dreams a reality. She debuted her new video, Lychee Martini, to a packed house at Epic Pizza last month. Diagnosed with scleroderma, an autoimmune disorder that …
These Teens Don’t Miss a Beat
Learn, listen, and play is what Jazz in the Hall events are about. On March 6 Jazz Yukon is presenting a Jazz in the Hall event featuring youth musicians. The Jazz Kids with Their Jazz Hands Project is a show with an open jam session tucked in at The Old Fire Hall. The feature performers …
Passion for Piano
A whirlwind of optimism, energy, and passion is coming from Annie Avery and Grant Simpson regarding their new album, Two Piano Tornado. After playing music together for years they finally decided to go to the studio together, following a particularly successful Arts in the Park concert in Whitehorse last summer. They’ll be celebrating the accomplishment …
Music Yukon wears many hats
He’s a promoter and an agent and a business consultant and an office manager and an investment broker. “Bag Man,” Mark Smith corrects that last one. “Really, I am just a Bag Man.” Smith’s business card actually labels him as the executive director of MusicYukon, an organization that helps recording artists with the business end …
Celebrate Gypsy Jazz with Django Week
Whitehorse is celebrating “Django Week” to honour the eccentric Gypsy jazz legend and musical genius, Jean ‘Django’ Reinhardt, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday Jan. 23. Django Reinhardt died in 1953, but his skill with the guitar and innovative style – due to his disabled fingers — still resonate with jazz musicians today. He …
He’s the Top!
For Fawn Fritzen, the idea was born two years ago, the first time she sang with music maven Grant Simpson. “We chatted a bit during the break and he mentioned that he’d been thinking of doing this Cole Porter show for dinner theatre or something. He was just kind of throwing it out,” Fritzen recalls. …
The New Old Guys
It started with an appearance at the Olympic torch-lighting ceremony in Vancouver last year. Manfred Janssen and Jim Vautour were performing the iconic “Land of Gold”, something they penned together in the late 1970s that many people consider the Yukon’s unofficial anthem. It was the third performer at that event, swing jazz pianist Grant Simpson, …
Journey Across Land & Time
It seems like an unlikely pairing: Grant Simpson (jazz musician, vaudevillian and musical director of the Frantic Follies for over 30 years), and Kate Weekes (young hippie, folksinger and member of the traditional country swing trio Home Sweet Home). He plays swing and ragtime, tickling ivories in the style of Fats Waller, while she models …
Rally Round
Kendall Sullivan knows exactly how she and her daughter contracted Lyme disease. “I was rock climbing in Banff 16 years ago.” says the one-time Yukoner. After the climb, her friend noticed a tick on her head, which they promptly removed and brought in for examination. They were told if they’d gotten the whole tick, she …
A Stage for Students
When the 44th Annual Rotary Music Festival begins on April 11, Whitehorse can expect to hear a fresh collection of musical talent from artists young and old. “This year we are running with things that have worked in previous years,” says Edith Belanger, festival coordinator. She explains the festival will become about “who the participants …