Whitewater Wednesdays Columnist Barry “Jack” Jenkins keeps close tabs on the Yukon music scene. He is also the co-host of the event Whitewater Wednesdays along side Peggy Hannifan.
On some days, the wind blows from the north. A Whitehorse legend that drifts down the road is this: music and art are taught with passion and respected for their true value. Are there really open mic nights happening all over town? Was it true that graffiti doesn’t get covered up after two days? After …
The music scene in Whitehorse is really something. Full of fresh, creative musical sounds that come straight from the heart and soul of artists who discovered their own voices inside the warmth of their homes in the dead of winter. The diving board for many of these discoveries is Peggy Hanifan and her Wednesday open …
Andrea Burgoyne has only been in Whitehorse since August, but she’s already made her mark here. She’s worked as the theatre programming intern at the Yukon Arts Centre, produced the last Longest Night concert and thrilled the crowd at Flipper’s Pub with her performances at Whitewater Wednesday Jam Night, with her wild guitar strumming and …
Angel Hall has only recently started coming into Peggy Hanifan’s Whitewater Wednesday Jam Night at Flipper’s Pub, but she’s already making an impression. She stands tall and confident at the mike and captures the crowd with a unique guitar style and quirky songs, including The Mothership, a surf-rock song she’s recording for Yukon Women In …
Deep down in the cockles of my President’s Choice Deluxe White Cheddar macaroni and cheese clogged heart, there’s a yearning for some recognition. But not for myself. My need to perform is juxtaposed with my general shyness and predilection for reclusivity. I’m talking about a group of young folks out there that I can be …
Everyone at Whitewater Wednesday (and its spin-off Saltwater Saturday) knows that any band with Rick Sward is guaranteed to be fun … and The Sophisticated Cavemen is no exception. They prove this by switching from jazz standards like All of Me, to bluegrass like Johnson Grass Farm, to reggae, The Israelites, and finally to Stan …
Ben Hermann stuffs his pipe, his new vice, with natural tobacco. His dog, a German shepherd named Sussa, lies down on the sidewalk beside us outside Baked Café on a rare, dry, summer Sunday afternoon. “I got her from the pound, I’ve had her since New Year’s, not long after she’d been dropped off there.” …
Joe Bishop is more than a reality TV subject. The former stampeder of History Television’s Klondike: The Quest for Gold is returning to the Whitehorse music scene, playing a mix of songs from his CD with Kendall Sullivan and cover songs like Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. Bishop and Sullivan were the first musical act I …
Regulars to Whitewater Wednesday Jam Night might remember that during the summer, Alex Poitras played wild traditional Québec songs that got the audience (the French section anyway) singing along. Since then, he acquired three housemates who have become bandmates. Before coming to Whitehorse, Poitras played in a French band in Yellowknife. “They needed someone to …
The thing I like most about Baked Café is it has the most-talented baristas on staff. Miriam Cook is no exception. As a singer-songwriter in Fire Escape (formerly The Secret Project) and as a solo artist, Cook stands out from the Whitewater Wednesday crowd. “I love Miriam,” Peggy Hanifan says, “she’s got the nicest voice.” …
Whitewater Wednesday isn’t just a night for tour-seasoned musicians. It’s also for people who are just starting to play their first songs. Lisa Vollans, a close friend of mine, is one of those. She’s starting to relax and enjoy performing songs like MGMT’s Time to Pretend, and The Moldy Peaches’ Anyone Else But You. And …
Back on my 40th birthday, earlier this summer, I had a pleasant surprise: celebrating at Flipper’s Pub, on a Saturday afternoon, I heard a fabulous new jammer and a newcomer to Whitehorse, Jasmine Netsena. Singing some folk-country songs, she took over the stage and held us in amazement. “I started playing guitar and singing four …
Jordan Schmidt hasn’t been playing guitar for very long, but it doesn’t show. He’s moved from a few house jams and informal functions to the Whitewater Wednesday stage, and he owns it. “I’ve only been playing two years,” he explains, leaning on his arm and pushing his curly mop up off his eyes. “I was …
Home-schooled in an outfitters camp, in Swift River, raised in a fundamentalist family and painfully shy, Trevor Dolhan may seem like an unlikely rock star. But listening to him perform on Whitewater Wednesday, singing soulful acoustic folk or “out-Axling” Axl Rose, and you know Dolhan is the real thing. “I’ve come a long way,” he …
Often Whitewater Wednesday Jam Night attracts musicians who are just passing through or are in the Yukon for only a short time, but want to share their talent. Adrienne Levay may only be here until the end of the summer, but her singing and guitar playing is leaving an impression. Originally from Edmonton, Levay is …
No concerts in town, you say, and since when do shows happen on weeknights? Consider checking out an open mic night.
If all the people who have played at Whitewater Wednesday Night Jam, Dan Halen has the coolest name. And it’s his real name. “Write me a cheque and we’ll find out,” the finger-picking blues/jazz guitarist and onetime Trapper Dan jokes with me over matcha lattes. Originally from Winnipeg, Halen got interested in music while working …
I first heard Andrea Burgoyne at the Whitewater Wednesday Jam about two and a half years ago. Since that time, I’ve had the privilege of watching her develop her indie folk style, trying out new songs and adding them to her repertoire. This effort has culminated in her first solo EP as brigs, One Step, …
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Gordie Tentrees was one of the first Whitewater Wednesday jammers I ever saw. Back in 2000, shortly after I moved to Whitehorse, Tentrees was still finding himself. But after a couple years of dedication and perseverance, he became a great player and singer-songwriter, taking inspiration from folk country legends such as Fred Eaglesmith and John …
Gordie Tentrees has come a long way from his first Whitewater Wednesday Night Jam performance at The Backwater Lounge, now Flipper’s Pub. He’s released two albums, has toured most of North America and, starting in early November, has launched his first European tour. Before leaving, Tentrees came out on Wednesday nights to jam with his …
“I’m going to play some songs Wayne Garrett has never heard before,” Angel Hall announces from the Whitewater Wednesday Jam Night stage, introducing her lead guitarist. “That way everyone can appreciate his musical genius.” And we do, as Garrett keeps up with her, effortlessly improvising riffs that match her songs perfectly. Garrett is simply an …
Regulars to Peggy Hanifan’s Whitewater Wednesday Jam Nights at Flipper’s Pub are familiar with her song, My Favourite Son. More recently they’ve also been able to see and hear the subject of that song, Patrik R.J. Lethbridge. As The Secret Project, Lethbridge has been performing regularly at the jam and recently at the Folk Society …
It’s Brendan O’Donovan’s turn. He takes the Whitewater Wednesday Jam Night stage and plays a variety of genres, from Ween to Tom Waits, then invites his friend Steve McGovern to join him in a cover of The Flightof the Conchords’ Business Time, a true crowd-pleaser. O’Donovan, at 19, has just begun his musical career, playing …
