Sold out !Vince Halfhide - Friday Feb 26
In 1969 guitarist / singer / songwriter Vince Halfhide began playing blues and reggae with the Ottawa band Heaven's Radio. Work with other artists (Sneezy Waters, Missy Burgess, Toasted Westerns, Ball & Chain, Andrea Karam, the Jivewires, Mighty Popo . . . ) added elements of country, folk, R&B, jazz and African music to his unique guitar sound and established his reputation as a consummate sideman. For years Vince has appeared every Thursday night at Irene’s Pub as a member of the “All Star Blues Jam” house band. He also performs under his own name as guitarist and singer in various small group settings, mixing blues and other rootsy genres with his own songs. Vince’s solo performances – “one guy playing an acoustic guitar and singing mostly his own stuff” – might seem to fit under the “folky singer-songwriter” umbrella, but he stretches the umbrella pretty wide. His musical vocabulary leans towards Americana and the blues but is inflected by many other genres. His lyrics, simple on the face of things and full of nods to traditional sources, can change tone in an instant from funny to sadly beautiful, or from playfully ironic to plain and simply devastated. Some listeners report being surprised by the familiar, lulled into accepting the unexpected and smiling at stark truths gently delivered. |