Check out new Whitby music stage on St. Patrick's Day

March 12, 2010

By William McGuirk

When I heard the Wing Shack in Whitby was closing I thought, well, there goes another stage. It was not a bar I frequented but it was a house of music for many and its loss was felt. However it wasn't long before the place was scooped up and recently the Dubliner opened up in that location.

The owner, Leo O'Toole, is a chap I know well. He was behind the founding of the FitzAllsorts at JP Fitzpatrick's and his interest in local music, albeit of a particular traditional bent, continues with his new venture.

I have spoken with Leo about shows there but it was only with the intent of declining any involvement because with the shuttering of so many venues on my watch, I'm beginning to think I may be a bit of a jinx. All I offered to him was my wish the stage would have presence; that it would dominate the room and draw one's eyes and thus ears there.

He has gone beyond even that. Leo commissioned a mural for the back wall. It is a picture of Grafton Street in Dublin and any of you who have seen the Oscar-winning flick, Once, will know that Grafton is a magnet for street performers. Now, when folks take that stage, it will be as if they themselves are busking on one of Europe's great boulevards.

I would suggest to see this stage at its best, one should visit on St. Patrick's Day, next Wednesday. There is a full day of entertainment on tap (ha ha) beginning at noon and heading into the dark hours. It will be great craic but what will make it more so is that those playing on the stage will see how valued they are. Music to the Dubliner is not an afterthought but an integral and necessary part of the experience.

Review

Eccentrically We Love

The Fugitives

Universal

One of the great perks to this gig is being privy to acts of creativity that will never make it to the majority of other folks' ears. It's the opportunity to dip into channels other than the mainstream and I count myself among the lucky ones to have several of The Fugitives recordings and to have been thoroughly entertained by their live show. Last year, they performed at Coffee Culture on King Street as part of the cafe's collaboration with the Oshawa Spoken Word Collective where they previewed some of these tracks. Oh yes, The Fugitives are poets but this is not your father's poetry (unless you happen to be one of my kids which, in that case, it is.)

The Fugitives, of Vancouver, are Brendan McLeod, Barbara Adler, Adrian Glynn and Steven Charles. They augment their words with sounds. Sounds made by banjos, guitars, pianos, trombones but, nevertheless, it's the telling of stories that is their stock in trade. Much like K'naan who moved from rapping to singing, the Fugitives have a more musical approach to this disc. More songs, less speaking but the strengths are still there and this record could do for these wordsmiths what Troubador has done for the young Somalian-born rapper. On the title track they say "We are always talking but are we really saying anything?" Answer in the affirmative.

www.fugitives.ca