A quick run through some of the events happening this week in the world of art, music and film.
Monday
Monday Night Film Series: Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love
Nick Broomfield (USA), 2019 English, Norwegian, w/ English subtitles 97 minutes With: Marianne Ihlen, Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, Helle Goldman, Richard Vick
Most of what we know of Marianne Ihlen, we learned through Leonard Cohen’s enigmatic “So Long, Marianne.” In his latest doc, Nick Broomfield (Whitney: Can I Be Me, Kurt & Courtney) examines the love affair between Ihlen and Cohen that began on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960.
Through never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with their friends and former colleagues, a portrait emerges of the woman behind the lyrics and the long-lasting influence she had on Cohen. Broomfield himself was inspired by Ihlen. After a brief romantic dalliance with Broomfield in 1968, she encouraged him to make his first film. They remained friends until her death in 2016, three months prior to Cohen’s death.
Much of Ihlen and Cohen’s story is made up of the time they spent apart, though Cohen continued to write to her after leaving Hydra to pursue his music career. “I was always escaping. I was always trying to get away,” Cohen expressed in an interview. The interviews in Words of Love are a tell-all of Cohen’s concerts and conquests, revealing the women in his life to be the source of many of his songs. Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love is a remarkable and rare portrait of a love that lasted a lifetime, from its intoxicating beginning to its poetic end. While the proof of it will live on in Cohen’s songs, this documentary captures the time, place, and circumstance that ignited the heart of a soulful singersongwriter.
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love | Monday Night Film Series | Tilley Hall, Room 102, UNB Campus | Sept. 23, 2019 – 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Open Mic Night at The Capital. Dylan Ward hosts this weekly event at The Capital. If you are a duo, or a band, stop by and try out a new tune in front of a very encouraging crowd. 9 p.m. No cover.
Ryan McMahon + Graeme Kennedy at Grimross Brewing Co. Over the course of his career, Ryan has toured Canada countless times, released five full-length albums, and seen his music licensed nationally and abroad. He has shared the stage with an extremely wide-variety of artists, ranging from Lisa Loeb and Buffy Ste. Marie to Nickelback and Mother Mother. Graeme Kennedy lives in Fredericton and writes some of the best rock tunes you’ll hear. 7:30 p.m.
Jenn Grant & The Great Lake Swimmers at The Fredericton Playhouse. A heralded singer and songwriter from Prince Edward Island, Jenn Grant is embarking on a new journey with her best collection of songs to date. The Juno-nominated artist’s new album, Compostela, which translates to Field of Stars, teeters on psychedelic folk and welcomes you into a balladry of melodic storytelling. Grant is joined by her talented band of players who help create the colors and textures of her captivating live show.
Toronto-based Great Lake Swimmers, have established themselves as a beloved indie folk act in Canada and beyond. Their new album The Waves, The Wake sees the group branching out to include new sounds such as harp, lute, pipe organ, woodwinds, and percussion, alongside the more familiar flecks and chimes of the banjo, piano, and electric guitar. The Juno award nominees have shared the stage with musical luminaries like Robert Plant, Feist, and Calexico, and have appeared as headliners for many of Canada’s major Folk Music festivals.
Wednesday
Book Launch & Talk: The Photography of George Thomas Taylor at Provincial Archives. Fredericton Heritage Trust and Goose Lane Editions announce a book launch and free illustrated talk by Ronald Rees and Josh Green. Parking is available. All are welcome. 7 p.m.
Thrush Hermit at The Fredericton Playhouse. To celebrate Clayton Park’s twenty-year anniversary, the album will be issued on Record Store Day for the first time as a gatefold double-vinyl package via New Scotland Records. Coinciding with this release, original members Rob Benvie, Cliff Gibb, Ian McGettigan, and Joel Plaskett will be briefly reforming for a limited run of shows in Fall 2019. For a band renowned for its raucous live performances, the anniversary is an occasion of both nostalgic reminiscence and excitement in rekindling its formidable rock power one more time. 7:30 p.m.
MusicUNB Concert: Impressionism Then & Now at Memorial Hall. Resident musician, Nadia Francavilla, does double duty in this concert by playing the violin and viola. She is joined by Sibylle Marquardt (flute) and Paul Pulford (cello) to form the Argento Collective. From Debussy and Ravel all the way to Canadian composers Harry Somers and Alice Ho, this will be an engaging musical event showcasing the transition from impressionist to expressionist movements. 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Mark Roberts & The Shore Road Drifters York County Cider. This is a five piece roots band fronted by local singer-songwriter Mark Roberts. The band has influences of folk, country, blues and rock as it rolls through a set list of Mark’s original songs and some of their favourite cover songs. Other members of the band are: Ross Beckett (lead guitar), Ollie Leblanc (bass), Mike Munro (keyboards) and Tom Blizzard (drums). The cost is pay-what-you-can. 7 p.m.
QW4RTZ at the Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne. QW4RTZ is four-man vocal group from Quebec! Their amazing voices and energy will fill the air and charm everyone from 7 to 77! This is a show for the entire family. Tickets are $33 regular, $13 for those 19 years and under, and $72 for a family of four (max of two adults), and will be sold at ccsa.yapsody.com or at the front desk of the Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne, located at 715 Priestman Street. 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Lansdown Concert Series presents Big Little Lions. The music of Big Little Lions is a blissful marriage of new folk and sophisticated pop. The award-winning songwriters have voices that blend like magic and whenever they make music together it’s the cue for a heady mixture of soul, spirit and fun. The cost is $20 per person, payable in cash or cheque at the door. For more information, call 457-0826 or email pmm56@me.com. 8 p.m. 41 Riverfront Way.
Quinn Bonnell at The Tipsy Muse Café. Latching onto the guitar at a young age, Quinn Bonnell of Burnt Church uses his fantastic instrumental ability to combine singer-songwriter stylings with blues and folk, while drawing influences from artists ranging from John Mayer, Kings Of Leon, Radiohead and Gary Clark Jr. 7 p.m. $8.
Honest Heart Collective + Snorkelers + Noble Daughter at The Capital. Anchored by four lifelong friends, Thunder Bay, Ontario’s The Honest Heart Collective was born from brothers Ryan and Nic MacDonald, a moment at a Bruce Springsteen concert, and a rotating cast of musicians made permanent. Buoyed by the backdrop of their Northern Ontario roots, the band’s debut LP tells a story of longing, deceit, and new beginnings. 9 p.m.
David Bowie Tribute and Fundraiser at Grimross Brewing Co. Fredericton area artists Misguided, My Black Ram, Joe Ross & Friends, Reynolds, Dobbelsteyn & Gloade, Mitch Rayner, Mark Currie & Mary Milliken, Hashtag This!, Don Bosse & Craig Woodcock all come together for a night of Bowie. This event is a multi-tiered fundraiser supporting Living Roots Music Festival and cancer survivor Asher Brown. Organizers will also be collecting school donations of school supplies for children in need.
Saturday
Queens County Heritage presents 20th Annual Ghost Walk & Dessert Theatre. Featuring some politicians from the past! Join us for desserts and entertainment to follow at the Court House Museum. We meet at 69 Front Street in Gagetown. Tickets are $25 each, and are reserved/paid in advance at 488-2483 or info@queenscountyheritage.com. 6:30 p.m.
O’Me Nerves Comedy presents Estrogen Invasion at Grimross Brewing Co. This show will take you down the rabbit hole into the wonderland that is womanhood! If you’re a woman, you will relate on soooo many levels! If you’re a man, put on your big girl panties and come get a reality check into the way women roll! 8 p.m.
My Black Ram and Peter Hicks at The Tipsy Muse Café. My Black Ram will debut their new material with a set at The Tipsy Muse Cafe on Saturday September 28. Opening the night is lead singer Peter Hicks, who will dive into acoustic versions of your Sleepy Driver favs. You will want to be there! — with Jason Sonier, John Heinstein and Mike Hatheway. 7 p.m.
Lulujo & Sheree Fitch Book Launch at Fredericton Public Library. Join us for a reading and signing of our new books written by award winning Canadian author Sheree Fitch! Purchase your copy of A Lulu Lullaby and Rock A Baby Jo, bring your children to meet Sheree, and get their books signed by the author and illustrator! Lulu and Jo dolls will also be for sale at the event. This is a free community event! 10:30 a.m.
Riversmoke 70’s Tribute + Royal Volts at The Capital. Rock and roll with a classic twist. Fredericton’s Riversmoke are joined by Dartmouth, NS’s Royal Volts. 9 p.m.
Sunday
Nasty Shadows Theatre Company Pay-What-You-Will performance of HOUSE at Memorial Hall. HOUSE is a sit down, stand-up, one-man comedy nightmare by Daniel MacIvor. Victor is back, after some welcoming group sessions during last month’s Fundy Fringe Festival adventure! 7:30 p.m.
Fall Hymn Sings at Brunswick Street Baptist Church. The first of a series of Last Sunday Night of the Month Hymn Sings will be offered in the sanctuary of Brunswick Street Baptist Church. The hymn sings will be accompanied by David and Leah Steeves (organ and piano) with this month’s musical guests, Maureen and Peter Steeves. Sweet treats will follow. 6:30 p.m.
This Week in Fredericton was created with notes from the Fredericton Arts Alliance‘s weekly newsletter as well as Music Runs Through It‘s weekly Fredericton music update. We encourage you to visit both these valuable community resources for more detailed information on these and other events happening This Week in Fredericton.
