SHANE KOYCZAN, Canada’s most exciting performance poet to take stage in Kelowna

Presented by Ryan Donn Productions

 KELOWNA, BC (March 5, 2012) – At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the world was introduced to the poet of our generation as he brought the 55,000 seat house to their feet with his tear-jerking homage to Canada entitled “We Are More”.  Spoken word virtuoso Shane Koyczan has emerged in a new wave of 21st century poetry that dares to belong to the people, and speak directly to them in their own voice.  Bringing his rhythmic verse to the ROTARY CENTRE for the ARTS on Sunday, March 18^th at 8:00PM, Koyczan will navigate his audience through social and political territory with a furious honesty and tender humanity.

You only have to hear Shane Koyczan read once to be hooked – humane, furious, sexy, political, tragic and so funny you’ll be laughing through your tears. With musical accompaniment by ‘The Short Story Long’, Shane moves from subdued, deep, sad, love poetry to power chord hip-hop meta-meter.

Powerfully engaging and authentic in attitude, Shane Koyczan’s explorations are relevant to our times in the way that Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Gord Downie, and Leonard Cohen are to theirs.  But unlike the musicians that he’s often compared to, poets rarely infiltrate pop culture.  As Winner of the US Slam Poetry Championship and the Canadian Spoken Word Olympics, Koyczan is truly an extraordinary talent that has blown the dust off of the designation “poet”.

“Shane Koyczan is electrifying. It’s a rare poet who can make his audience laugh and cry; this is a writer who will break your heart then heal it.” ~ Val McDermid, author of The Grave Tattoo

“I got a call from Shelly at the RCA mentioning that Shane wanted to perform in Kelowna but they couldn’t find a promoter. After having him at Global Music Fest last year it was a no-brainer. Shane is amazing and our city needs to hear what he has to say. His words and passion are inspiring. I’m looking forward to catch his show with the full band” Ryan Donn

Now the multi award-winning spoken word performer breathes life into the new genre of talk rock with his band ‘The Short Story Long’. A trio whose musical range stretches from folk to funk, from ambient to rock, showcasing all of the beautiful in between, have along with Koyczan created a whole new style of song/verse.

Shane Koyczan performs in the Mary Irwin Theatre at the Rotary Centre for the Arts located at 421 Cawston Avenue on Sunday, March 18 at 8:00PM for one night only!  Tickets are priced as follows: $20 General Admission, $16 Students/Seniors (INCLUDES ALL TAXES AND SERVICE CHARGES).

Tickets available through Select Your Tickets: (250) 717.5304 or visit www.selectyourtickets.com

Good Lovelies    “Toronto-based folk-roots, flirty bluegrass and western swing all girl  trio”
Date: March 11 2012 Sun @ 6:30PM 
Tickets:  $30 Adults $10 Students  www.selectyourtickets.com

Rotary Centre for the Arts, Kelowna

Steven Page    “Former Barenaked Ladies frontman, here one night only with acoustic duo.”
Date: March 17 2012 at 7:30PM
Tickets:  $30 Adults $10 Students  www.selectyourtickets.com

UBUNTU ~The Cape Town Project “This international collaboration of Canadian and South African artists traces the ties that bind us all, with spirited storytelling, music and dance.”
Date: Fri-Sat Mar 23/24th  7:30PM
Tickets:  $30 Adults $10 Students  www.selectyourtickets.com

The High Bar Gang “Roots Supergroup including Shari Ulrich and Barney Bentall featuring gospel, bluegrass, traditional country and Appalachian folk songs.”
Date: Sat April 14 2012   7:30PM
Tickets:  $30 Adults $10 Students  www.selectyourtickets.com

The RCA presents The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Project

“Things Bout Comin My Way”

Date: Jan 27, 2012 7:30PM

  Price: $30 per adult / $10 per student  

  “I knowed the Mississippi Sheiks. Yessir. Walked ten miles to see them play. They was high-time….makin’ them good records, man.”- Muddy Waters

The songs on this project come down to us from a world long gone. Between 1930 and 1935, Sam, Lonnie and Armenter Chatman, the three sons of slaves who along with Walter Vinson made up the core of the Mississippi Sheiks, created some of the most memorable blues rants and square dance hollers ever conjured up. They were a top selling act, and were one of the first acts that appealed to both white and black audiences in the south-no small feat in those days!

The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute project represents the fruition of a long-time dream by producer Steve Dawson. Steve Dawson is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist. Specializing in slide and finger style guitar, pedal steel, lap steel, banjo and other instruments, he is in demand as a performer, session musician and producer.

The band includes some of the greatest artists in the blues genre, including triple Juno awarded Jim Byrnes with his evocative smoky vocals and Del Rey who became a blues artist after actually meeting bluesman Sam Chatmon. Her guitar playing combines country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie through the sensibility of an autodidact trailer-park esthete. Keith Lowe is on bass and Geoff Hicks on drums.

The Sheiks sound was part country and part apocalyptic blues, which these talented artists will redefine.   “I was looking for good interpreters who could capture the essence of the songs rather than just recreate the original song” says Dawson.   

  Date: Thurs January 19th 2012 7:30PM

Evening Show Price: $30 per adult / $10 per student www.selectyourtickets.com

This Dance-Until- You- Drop Marathon has rolled into our humble City!  In a world reminiscent of 1930s, reflecting the economic hardship of our present time, this full-length theatre production is chalk-a-block with swing dance, cabaret, live music, puppetry and surprise. Haunted by their own hallucinations, inner voices and deepest desires, the hidden worlds of the contestants come to life before our very eyes.

Hard Times Hit Parade features several dancing couples, as well as vaudevillian band Maria in the Shower playing popular songs from the ’30s and original compositions in a similar vein. “The band is very much part of the action,” stresses director Kat Single-Dain. “And the audience is involved as well, because it becomes the dance-marathon audience. The narrative is about a trio of organizers-the referee, the emcee, and the band leader-who travel the country setting up these events.”

The Rotary Centre for the Arts is transformed into a Depression-era dance hall for the show dubbed Hard Times Hit Parade where our audience will experience 5 and a half months of dance marathon in one night. The longest dance marathon on record lasted 157 days. We encourage everyone to show up wearing “Dirty Thirties” vintage threads, a fedora or your dancing shoes.

Multi award nominated and critically acclaimed tribute to the legendary Mississippi Sheiks, Things About Comin’ My Way comes to Kelowna

Jan 27 @ The Rotary Centre for the Arts – 7:30 pm Tix $30 adults / $10 students

MISSISSIPPI SHEIKS TRIBUTE

The Mississippi Sheiks were a groundbreaking string-band that recorded throughout the 1930’s. Essentially a family band, the founding members of the Chatmon family, plus their friend Walter Vinson, created some of the most stirring ensemble music of the era. They were a top selling act, and were one of the first acts that appealed to both white and black audiences in the south—no small feat in those days! They performed for President Roosevelt, and played countless barn dances, juke joints, house parties, concerts, and anywhere else that would have them.

In 2009, Steve Dawson put together the award-winning “Things About Comin’ My Way”—a Tribute to the Music of the Mississippi Sheiks. 17 artists performed 17 songs re-imagined in a modern context. The CD led to a large concert in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, which spawned the DVD “Live in Vancouver”.

Steve Dawson has again assembled a crack house-band to guide you through some of the greatest music you’ve never heard. The featured artists are some of the greatest in the blues genre, so the music you’ll hear at this concert will be an incredible and unique experience and will incorporate this great material with some spontaneous collaboration.

The Thomas Alan Budd Foundation presents the Gala for the Arts fundraiser Saturday, November 19th.

Join Andy and TJ of 101.5 EZ Rock for this tropical night out filled with Island Music and exciting ports of call.   Enjoy dancing to the captivating high energy Latin band, Mazacote. This exciting 6 piece band with sizzling brass, hot percussion and great vocals, will bring together the rhythms of the Caribbean and Latin America!

Polynesian Dancers will shake things up with full tropical expression.  The Anna Jacyszyn Trio will be featuring the fabulous Stu Goldberg on piano in the jazz lounge upstairs and Kinshira Performance Troupe will have plenty of roving visual appeal and surprises throughout the night.  Stu Goldberg will finish the evening with beautiful jazz styling as you enjoy dessert and conversation. The performers are chosen to give an authentic tropical feel with entertainment available in every room, akin to the diversity that a cruise ship would provide!

Enjoy fine Okanagan food and wine as well as casino games and a photo booth.  The Martini bar at the Gala for the Arts is sponsored by the Wilden Group of Builders and will have Spirit Bear flowing with Urban Distilleries support. Urban Distilleries is a new small batch micro-distillery that produces top-shelf Gins, Vodkas, Rums, & Whisky including the signature “Spirit Bear” line.

We’ll have a short and exciting rapid fire auction with auctioneer Mike Odenbach from Western Star Auctions. Bid on unique one of a kind items like: Holiday Park Resort Annual Week of Timeshare Ownership in a Luxury 1 Bedroom Vacation Condo.

The red carpet is being rolled out, get on your creative formal wear and support creativity and expression in the arts.

Who thought supporting the arts could be so much fun?

Tickets: $125 each or 6 for $600 at   www.SelectYourTickets.com  250-717-5304

Check out the excitement at last year’s gala!