Singer cuts winter’s chill with warm vibe

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This article was published 07/01/2019 (2780 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BABY, IT’S WARM INSIDE: People are invited to sit back, relax and enjoy the sounds of New York loft parties, Brazilian beaches and Cuban salsa nights when Amber Epp plays the Grant & Wilton Coffee House on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Epp has a new album out, called Inside Outside, and will play this unique concert venue in the lower level of Temple Shalom (1077 Grant Ave.) with guitarist Keith Price, bass player Gilles Fournier and percussionist Eric Platz.

Grant & Wilton is 14 years old, and one of the longest-running coffee houses In Winnipeg. The seating wraps around the stage in a long crescent moon-shaped design, so no one is far from the stage, and musicians often talk with the audience. Plus, there’s a kitchen, with coffee and tea brewing, to go with “treats” at the break. It’s part of the ticket price of $15 in advance (call 204-488-0207) and $17 at the door. Lineups for door tickets start at 7 p.m.

These once-a-month Saturday night concerts, dubbed “date night” by regulars, got started by accident in 2005 by two musical friends, David Au and Phil Spevack.

“David was the inspiration and I was the perspiration,” Spevack says.

The two figured they needed 40 great songs to do one two-hour show. “But we found we had 78 songs we wanted to do,” Spevack says, laughing.

So, it soon became two concerts, with friends to help.

“The friends thing got so totally out of hand, we started having jams,” Spevack says.

Over the years, that morphed into monthly concerts with well-known feature acts — but still keeping the jam at the end for anyone who wants to play and sing.

 

LJUNGBERG’s CARTOONING 101:

A special 10-week cartooning course with artist Jon Ljungberg starts Wednesday from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at Forum Art Centre (120 Eugenie St.).

Ljungberg was a longtime morning TV host, and has always been a children’s book illustrator and comedian. Yours truly once took a caricature class with Ljungberg, who is a talented teacher with a lot of tricks and shortcuts.

Psst! You can sometimes catch him at the Silver Heights Restaurant & Lounge, sketching caricatures with the bar patrons. Ever the funnyman, he likes to joke: “I look forward to doing you — in the cartoon way!”

Ljungberg actually started out as an Elvis impersonator, and sketched caricatures, notably in Los Angeles, where he also worked in animation for Hanna-Barbera. To register and to check out course details, visit forumartcentre.com or call 204-235-1069.

SECRET CINEMA:

Like surprises? Need a mid-winter jolt? Check out Secret Cinema with the Laundry Room Theatre on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m.

Here’s how it works. Secret Cinema has an archive of 16-mm film prints that are selected by guest curators. The film titles are kept secret until the night of the screening. This month, the evening of a pop-up movie theatre is curated by filmmakers Ryan Steel and Allegra Chiarella.

The screenings take place at the Black Lodge Studio 304 of the Winnipeg Film Group, in the Artspace Building at 100 Arthur St. Admission is by donation.

 

MUSICAL SAW WORKSHOPS:

You can learn to play a carpenter’s saw, which can make the sound of a woman’s singing voice. Offering instruction is Grant Simpson, who has moved to Winnipeg after years of performing onstage in Whitehorse and across Canada.

“It does sounds like a woman singing, and one man said to me he found the sound both beautiful and disturbing,” says Simpson, who began playing the saw in 1980, and also plays piano, guitar and banjo.

People have picked up the musical saw for fun, but some players have even fronted full orchestras as guests. Online, you can hear everything from classical music to the theme from The Simpsons performed by buskers in New York subway stations.

Simpson plays at house concerts in Winnipeg and across Canada, and uses more mainstream musical instruments when performing at senior centres in town.

In the musical saw lessons, he promises beginners they will learn how to create a sound, to play alone, then with another person and then “fun songs for a saw orchestra.”

Workshops take place Jan. 12, 19 and 26 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Crescent Fort Rouge United Church (525 Wardlaw Ave.) To see how much you like it, Simpson says you can take one, two or all three lessons for $20 a pop, and you don’t even have to bring your own saw. To book a lesson, visit homeroutes.ca and click on Community Workshops.

Got tips? Cool events happening in your world? Been rubbing shoulders with the stars? Email Maureen’s Tips at mscurf@shaw.ca.