The Tragically Hip released their latest CD last Tuesday. When the sales charts came out this past Tuesday the collective music industry waited to see how many copies the new CD would sell as they undoubtedly would debut at #1.
The new CD sold a respectable 29,000 copies. Meaning it debuted at #2. The #1 selling CD this past week in Canada sold a staggering 109,000 copies. Fully 4,000 more CDs than the previous top selling CD in Canada this past year, which was Coldplay, selling 105,000 for X&Y [pictured]. The #1 album was I Think Of You by Gregory Charles.
This fellow Canadian artist, I am betting, has you scratching your head saying asking, "Who the heck is Gregory Charles?" I felt the same way, so please follow the bouncing ball.
Gregory Charles has won numerous national piano contests beginning at a very early age. By the time he was in college in Montreal he was acting on a popular Quebec TV show. He then began his career in radio hosting a popular daily talk show. From there it was on to hosting a TV game show and finally ending up hosting a late night talk show on television. Charles, in 1998, went to work playing piano for CELINE DION. In 2001 he returned to Montreal to host his own weekly show on Radio-Canada. Gregory Charles then launched his own variety television show and released his debut CD in 2004, which brings us up to where we are today. This amazing story truly is a clear indication of how insular and huge the music industry in Quebec is. Oh, those Montrealers, they have a different word for everything. The Hip have a series of sold out shows coming up at the Commodore Ballroom. The band will launch their real cross-Canada tour on Jan. 8 in Victoria. The tour then moves on to Kamloops on Jan. 10. All the towns that got the advance cool shows will not see the arena show, at least in the early stage, with the exception of the Air Canada Centre Of The Universe Show.
The Grey Cup this year will be held in Winnipeg on Sunday, Nov. 19. NELLY FURTADO will provide the half-time entertainment, EVA AVILA, the 2006 Canadian Idol, will start the proceedings by performing O Canada. Over the course of Grey Cup Weekend there will be no shortage of fine Canadian entertainers shaking it up. THE TREWS, THREE DAYS GRACE, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, SAM ROBERTS, 54-40 and TOM COCHRANE performing with the Winnipeg Symphony is a sampling of the talented line up. On the actual day of the game the schedule of activities lists "Party With The Pipe Band" (which is the Winnipeg Police Band) as starting at 1 p.m. and going to LATE!
The next couple of weeks see a number of amazing shows in and around our area. PAVLO, "The Lord of the Strings," is an incredible guitarist and vocalist who possesses an amazing sound he proudly refers to as "Mediterranean music." It would be short selling his sound and show to simply refer to it as a classical guitar concert. I urge you to check his website at www.pavlo.net to sample his vocal and musical stylings. Pavlo will appear with his band at the beautiful Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey. Tickets may be reserved by calling 604-507-6355.
JASON MITCHELL, the same night, will debut material from his next CD as well as a great cross section of the music he has dazzled local audiences with over the past number of years. Mitchell and his band of merry men perform at the newly re-opened White Rock Playhouse on Johnston Road. JORDAN CARRIER will open the concert. Tickets for this show may be purchased or reserved in advance by calling the Beecher Street Caf‚ at 604-538-1964.
The Beecher Street Caf‚ itself has an amazing artist named PETUNIA PETUNIA performing in the cozy confines on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Petunia Petunia stunned the sparse crowd at the restaurant when he performed there this past summer. A performer you simply don't want to miss.
JAMES HUNTER is the only reason I can think you would miss Petunia. Hunter is an artist I have been raving about for the past couple of months in this column and he is finally arriving in Vancouver at Richards on Richards on the same night as Petunia (Nov. 8). VAN MORRISON describes Hunter this way: "James is one of the best kept secrets in British R&B and soul - check him out!" We will indeed Van, tickets available through Ticketmaster. For you Van Morrison fans, circle Saturday, Nov. 18 on the calendar. Van The Man will be appearing that evening on Austin City Limits on KCPQ TV.
Tonight (Saturday) "A Little Night Music" is taking place at the Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Vancouver on Burrard Street. THE SURREY CHILDREN'S CHOIR, under the direction of STEPHEN HORNING, will perform with THE VANCOUVER CHILDREN'S CHOIR as they offer up a spooky Halloween concert for the whole family. Showtime is 7:30.
Canada Calling - Wood Buffalo National Park, which straddles the Alberta-Northwest Territories border, is home to the world's largest free-roaming herd of bison. The park is also the largest park in all of Canada. It is bigger than Switzerland.
Chesney's Chestnuts - Why is that people believe you when you say there are four billion stars in the galaxy, yet they have to touch something that says Wet Paint, to see if it's true?
Source: http://www.thenownewspaper.com
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