Sarah Hamilton

Harold Dickert Article

http://www.guitarjustice.com/1505.html

An Alfie Christmas Song

Christmas Time With Pat Black

Duane Rutter Featur set

Thanks to Duane Rutter for an excellent feature set of masterful guitar and song writing.

Alf does Stones in my Passway

A great performance of Robert Johnson's Stones in my Passway, on Scot Hamilton's 1940 Kallimazo. Thanks To Hamilton Blues Lovers AKA Lou

Duane Rutter Featuring this weeks HGA meeting

This weeks HGA meeting, Dec. 10 at the pheasant plucker, 20 Augusta St. Hamilton, featuring Duane Rutter.

Check out Bear on the pole for a sample of thoughtful lyrics punctuated by masterful and artful guitar licks.

Chris Cowsill vid via Hamilton Blues Lovers

A film from Lou at Hamilton Blues Lovers

Thomas Radcliffe Feature Clip

Thanks to Scott and Jennifer Hamilton for recording this visit from Thomas Radcliff.

Alfie " You Walk On"

Chris Cowsill Feature set

Thanks to Chris for bringing an excellent feature set to the club. Check out this arrangement of Norwegian Wood.

Chris Cowsill feature set

This weeks HGA meeting, Nov.26, featuring  CHRIS COWSILL

Graduate of Mohawk Music, music teacher , band front man and one time cruise musician, Chris plays an eclectic mix of  soul full melodies. I really like his seventies singer / songwriter tunes and of course, his Robert Johnson stuff, but I'm a real sucker for those old blues numbers.

This link to "gravity" is an excellent example of Chris's lead guitar skill, rhythm groove and vocal ability.

Gonna be scads of fun,
see you Monday,

Mark

HGA Nov.12 featuring Darcy Wickham

This week's Hamilton Guitar Assoc. meeting at The Pheasant Plucker, 20 Augusta st. Hamilton, show starts at 8:00. Featuring the exceptional, multi style guitar picking of, musician, teacher, song writer.and friend of the HGA, Darcy Wickham.

Click for a vid of Darcy doing, "Malahat Highway"

A cool Alf and Gary jam

Online open mic via SOUNDCLOUD

This is a recording posted to our soundcloud by John Harris.

Follow the links to our listening room page to contribute to the online open mic.

We want to hear what you've been working on.

 

Open mic , Oct 15, 2012

It's great to see and hear friends like Albert Pasqua again.

This weeks HGA meeting , oct 1,   8:00 at the WINKING JUDGE,  25 Augusta Street, Hamilton.

Featuring  the fingerstyle guitar of visiting performer  Thomas Radcliffe  , hosted by ALFIE SMITH.
( Check out this link for an artful piece performed on the spanish ``LAUD`,  `Perfect Love Song (for META)`.)

If you`re like me and...... have been longing for those old days of SOFGA.... and

 have determined that the plucker doesn`t have nearly enough beer taps...and

 thought,...why doesn`t Alf host more of these shows..

 you are going to be pumped for this weeks meeting.

First meeting of 2012

Come out everyone to the annual ,    HGA first meeting of the year,  2012

Mon. Sept. 17 ,  at the good ol Pheasent Plucker, 20 Augusta Street, Hamilton

             7:30 sign in, show starts at 8:00

Hope you`ve had a great summer of,  playing  campfires and patios, festivals and bush parties, droped charges and bail money,    and completed all your  community service during the amazing  weather.

We have a great year planned and featured performers at the ready.

Here`s a calender with dates for the club ( after Monday)
See you Monday,
Mark

Mike Anderson Feature set..Grand Finale

HGA... Sofga meeting

Mon. May 28 ,  at the Pheasant Plucker, 20 Augusta Street, Hamilton

             7:30 sign in, show starts at 8:00

    Another year has come to and end. Time to come out and bid all your friends adieu till fall.  This is the last meeting until September and  like last year, we'll finish off the season with an  anticipated feature set from "Slappy" ,... "Iron" Mike "Mikey" Anderson.

   Apparently Mike has squandered an entire year learning, studying and playing the piano of all things. Help me put him firmly back on track as a guitar musician, looking forward to an illustrious career of bar food, stale draft beer and pass the hat pay structures.

 Check out this vid of doing Mike doing a Don Ross tune.

    As I've said before, Mike is the best, young progressive style player I've  seen. I'm pretty sure,  after Monday, you'll say the same.

See you tomorrow,

Mark

Sarah Beatty and GAry White

Here is a cool "sound man view" video and great original  song from Sarah Beatty with  lead by Gary White from our last meeting. Keep an eye out for Sarah's upcoming CD release at Artbar.




Remember, the next meeting featuring Mike Anderson is the final one until fall.

A Good May 24th Song

This one is from a few weeks back. It's got a lot of campfires and cowboys and  makes a good May 24 song to sing to the family around the fire. I hope everyone, including the Hamilton family, had a good long weekend and kick off to summer.

This week join us for a set featuring KILLER LEAD MAN....  GARY WHITE ....

and that Purveyor of the Hard Blues,  ALFIE SMITH.

THE THRILL IS GONE with BOB DOIGE   (be sure to hang in there for the rippin guitar solos)

 Hey everyone, the guitar season is starting to wind down and there are only a few meetings left.  Our last meeting was a farout jam session with our old buddy Po Cholly. Even more open mic highlight vids to follow.

See You  Monday,

Mark

An ideal selection to go along with a PO Cholly night

Pasta and Hot Sauce

Sometimes the club is like some thick Italian pasta, just waiting for a little hot sauce. We had an awesome open mic featuring the Hamiltons, Greg, Katie, a cool electronica set from Moira, Carl Logan doing a new Springsteen cover and a great feature performance by our friend (and blues hero), PO CHOLLY. Catch this jam with Cholly, Alf and Katie.

HGA Presents PO CHOLLY April 30 @ the pheseant plucker

POOR CHARLIE

Ultimate Storyteller, Showman and Bluesman

Born & raised in Montreal, Charlie Robertson spent the War years (WW II) with his father’s relatives in North Carolina.  It was there, at an early age that Charlie was absorbed by the Blues, a lifelong affair.  Subsequent visits to his cousin John Peden’s famous club, “The Sidetrack” over the years saw Charlie playing with legendary players such as Doc & Merle Watson, Son House, Bobby Blue Bland and Otis Redding.  As a schoolboy in Montreal during the 50’s, Charlie spent many hours at the Esquire Show Bar, Rockhead’s & the Harlem Paradise where he was welcomed by acoustic and electric jazz & bluesmen, Howlin’ Wolf, Frank Motley & his Motley Crew, Dizzy Gillespie  & Bo Diddley.

During the 60’s & 70’s Charlie performed the blues and ran coffeehouses in BC and Ontario where he worked with Richie Havens, Joni Mitchell, Elvin Bishop, Big Joe Williams, Bukka White, Paul Butterfield, Mississippi Fred McDowell and Tom Rush.  He hosted university concerts with Buddy Guy, Little Walter, James Cotton and their bands.

His academic career saw him teaching classes in Popular Culture and Creative Writing.  He developed the first post-secondary Canadian Literature Class.  He also worked in the communications field and helped develop the College of Integrated Studies at the University of Waterloo.

For 40 years, Charlie has been an itinerant bluesman, traveling the globe playing the blues, hosting concerts and conducting workshops.  In recent years, Charlie has performed frequently at such festivals as the Harbourfront Jazz & Blues Festival, the Mariposa Folk Festival, our own Mill Race Festival of Traditional Music and festivals in the eastern US.  He has also performed at City of Waterloo music festivals, the University of Waterloo Blues Fest and Kitchener’s Blues, Booze & Barbecues.  He has played the blues with the Gypsy Kings in France, tango bands in Argentina, reggae players in Jamaica, and flamenco dancers in Spain, where his passion for the blues has always erased national and political borders and brought strange bedfellows together to share the music.  He may still be seen at universities and his favourite cafes when time permits.  Charlie performed at the 10^th Anniversary celebration for Voodoo Healin’ Blues Radio and at the Grand River Blues Society tribute concerts at the Cambridge Arts Centre.  Poor Charlie is currently based in Muskoka where he can be found playing the blues wherever music lovers meet for cool drinks and hot licks.

Beverlie Robertson, feature performance

A clip from Beverlie Robertson's endearing  feature performance.




Thank you Beverlie, for the music, song and stories.

A Captivating Acoustic Jazz Performance

Mon. April 16 ,  at the Pheasent Plucker, 20 Augusta Street, Hamilton

             7:30 sign in, show starts at 8:00

   This week, the  HGA is proud to present Beverlie Robertson ,

singer, musician and author . She sings traditional & composed folk music, playing 6 & 12-string guitars, dulcimer & autoharp.

  As long as I've been a member of The Hamilton Guitar Club, I've always made sure to see Beverlie's feature night (which has become an anticipated annual event).   Her music strikes me as  genuine, and distictly canadian, folk music and brings feelings of nostalgia and hope. She brings a connection to those traditions that many of us at the HGA emulate in our own music at each meeting.  In performance, her press quotes put it best. "... She charms the audience.."   with a lovely voice, guitar playing and stories.

 Check out Plains of Waterloo , and the other tunes and photos at this link, you'll see what I mean.

See you on Monday,

Mark

Visit from a wandering bluesman

Return of the Nylon Crew

Next Meeting

Monday, April 2,

The Pheasent Plucker, 20 Augusta St. Hamilton

show starts at 8:00,

featuring  singer/songwriter 

                      John Baptista

Russ Burns. on wings

Scot Hamilton unveils slide version of Born To Run

Reading Week Visits

This weeks clips feature visits from returning students Sarah Hamilton and Mike Anderson. There is no better way to spend a Familty Day evening than share in some of the successes of our young friends.

Every so often at the club,.... the joking subsides for a moment.... someone puts their head down and plays something like this, a piece that captures our art.

HGA... Sofga meeting

Mon. Jan. 23 ,  at the good ol Pheasant Plucker, 20 Augusta Street, Hamilton
             7:30 sign in, show starts at 8:00
HGA is happy to announce the birth of the healthy and rather awake EVELYN CHRISTIAN SMITH, to proud , (and now pretty tired) parents, Alfie and Nicole. Congratulations, well done , good on ya... and all that.

Hey everyone, I must apologize for the late email, I have to blame it on my old friend Glenn Fitick.

See you tomorrow,

Mark