Here it is mid – August, Old Home Week is underway. The Gold Cup & Saucer Parade is coming up and Close To The Coast is just a week away from starting. Good times on PEI indeed!

You will notice our web site has had a makeover. Things look differently but it’s still the Sandbar Music site. We have made some changes in the way you buy music on the site. The biggest thing is you will notice how simple and fast everything is now when making a purchase. No more registrations, you just put your music in the cart and proceed to checkout. We have much work to do in adding new features and ideas but the basic site is still the same with a new look.

You will also notice that for a lot of the older product, we have gone to variable lower pricing meaning there are some great buys on that product. We will also be enhancing our free music section meaning more music to give away. Stay tuned.
 
A couple of September shows at Harmony House you need to put on your calendar are coming up September 5th and and September 11th. Catherine MacLellan and the Provincial All-Stars will be performing at Harmony House on September 5th with very special guests Olympic Symphonium. Only once before did these two acts play a PEI show and that was at the Guild a while back. The show was a full house and the audience reaction to Olympic Symphonium was very positive. We think it will be the same at Harmony House. So consider this a heads up to get your tickets early.

Also coming up on September 11th will be the double bill of Meaghan Blanchard & her band and the Haunted Hearts. Meaghan has done a couple of songwriter events at Harmony House this summer but this will be a chance for Meaghan & her band to entertain and showcase her many talents in a different way. The Haunted Hearts have come together in the bars of Charlottetown so this is a chance to strut their stuff in a soft seater. Should be a good one. Another September 11th show that should be fun takes place at Babas. It is the official launch of the Sidewalks first EP, “Better Late Than Never”. Battery Point will open the show.

Two other concerts of note coming up in the month of August include the first ever  Indian River Festival appearance for Meaghan Blanchard. She appears with the Grass Mountain Hobos and the Saddle River String Band. That happens Friday night August 21st. Show time is 8 PM.

The following week at Our Lady Of Assumption Church in Stratford as part of the Canada Games cultural component you will be able to enjoy a concert on August 27th at 8 PM that includes Catherine MacLellan, Nathan Wiley and Meaghan Blanchard. Given the acoustics in this church, from all reports this should be a real audio treat. Mark it in your calendar now.

August 24th Close To The Coast kicks off its week long showcase and party with Disco Rockin’ Llamas, Battery Point, Tim Chaisson & Morning Fold, Fugato and Dave Marsh & True Love Rules. There’s been some buzz about this band around Halifax and we are about to find out if it was justified. For those who do not know, Dave Marsh is Joel Plaskett’s drummer and True Love Rules is a new project he has created to keep him occupied when he is not touring. It should be a good night of music and a great opening night party. Music starts at 10 pm and goes until 2 am. As it has been for the past 8 years, admission is just eight bucks. A change to the Tuesday night line up has just been announced. The Get To Get Got will not be playing that night. In their place will be the Arkestrals. So mark your scorecard.

The nationally televised (TSN) Opening Ceremonies for the Canada Games are now history but the PEI production was first rate. Excellent performances from the Grass Mountain Hobos, Two Hours Traffic and Meaghan Blanchard were highlights of the production. There was also John Connolly popping out of a cultural smorgasbord/cake that he helped create that featured a full compliment of Aboriginal music and dance, Acadian music and dance and Scottish fiddle music and dance to perform his very own high energy version of Sunbird complete with go-go dancers who only moments before in their kilts were dancing a highland fling. If you have never seen kilted go-go dancers then you need to go to the TSN web site and check out out the broadcast. It made for quite a sight on stage! And if they repeat the production on TSN, be sure to catch it. I should warn you the first part is pretty slow as the various provincial teams are shown coming into the arena and being seated. After that you see the diversity of what PEI has to offer culturally and musically.

Critical praise and positive feedback continues to come in for the “Little City” album from Chas Guay. Doug Gallant at the Guardian says, ”If this record doesn’t grab you right away, give it time, it will grow on you.” He adds, “He writes in such a way that you really want to know more about the characters he has written about.” Pick up a copy and find out for yourself.

The album will be available soon at fine download stores everywhere. It will also be available soon from Sandbar Music. Watch for further announcements concerning a launch show and the vinyl version of Little City.

We would like to welcome Gadelle and Vishten to our site. Both albums are available for download only. They are also available at fine download stores everywhere including iTunes.

Showcases coming up for Sandbar artists include the Music PEI International Showcase Sept 28th & 29th. Other showcases include Meaghan Blanchard at the Atlantic Film Festival September 24th, John Connolly and Meaghan Blanchard at Contact East October 1st and Oct 3rd respectively and Catherine MacLellan at CAPACOA in Calgary on  November 9th.