Postponed Vancouver concert prompts musician to play free pop-up show
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
American musician Jonah Kagen was looking forward to opening for singer Sam Barber at an Aug. 11 show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Unfortunately, the show was postponed due to Barber having a vocal injury.
Article content
Article content
Rather than lose a great opportunity to introduce local audiences to songs from his debut album Sunflowers and Leather, the singer-songwriter decided to head down to David Lam Park and play a pop-up solo show for anyone who showed up.
Article content
Article content
'Sam's bus didn't even make it up to Vancouver due to his vocal injury and just headed straight to Portland from Tacoma,' said Kagen. 'I went kind of rogue, to be honest, heading up to town on my own to do a lounge earlier in the day at the PEAK FM. During that time, I kept getting social media messages asking about the show and wasn't in any position to comment officially, which was a bit awkward.'
Article content
She wasn't thrilled by the idea.
Article content
'She wasn't too happy about it, being concerned for my safety and all,' he said 'But I felt that I had to do this and give those people who had travelled distances to see the show to get a chance to see me, at least. I'd done this sort of thing in the past, but it's all on a much bigger scale now.'
Article content
Following his song God Needs the Devil from his 2024 EP reaching No. 1 on American alternative radio, Kagen is in new territory with his full-length debut Sunflowers and Leather. But new songs such as Candy Land, The Reaper and Burn Me, which features Sam Barber, were all going to be making their first live appearances on a Canadian stage at the postponed performance.
Article content
Article content
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jonah Kagen (@jonahkagen)
Article content
'All I really cared about was getting people who wanted to hear me to get a chance to do so,' he said. 'I posted some messages and a few hundred people came down and we took pictures and had a great time. They even pushed me to FaceTime Sam, who gave everyone a wave.'
Article content
Article content
All told, it was a memorable introduction for Kagen to local audiences. He had a great time in Vancouver.
Article content
'I took an Uber from my Airbnb down to the park, got out and said 'hey' to everyone there and played,' he said. 'All told, it was probably about seven or eight songs over 40 minutes. Then I stuck around to talk to people, waited until they all left and took an Uber back to my room and then headed down to Portland the next morning.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Review: Blueridge festival honours 'Three Queens' with special concert
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. It hardly seems possible, but one of Vancouver's newer classical endeavours, the Blueridge Chamber Music Festival, is now in its fifteenth season of using innovative, quality music to enliven late summer. This year a quartet of concerts clearly defined the festival's mission: a program of works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an almost forgotten star of the late Victorian era; a program of very demanding music by the dean of contemporary German composers, Helmut Lachenmann; and a program of new works by local composers Jordan Nobles, Jennifer Butler, and Mary Jane Coomber. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Particularly noteworthy was the Aug. 13 concert, held downtown in The Annex, dubbed 'Three Queens,' which focused on music of Violet Archer, Jean Coulthard, and Barbara Pentland, important Canadian women who died within a few weeks of each other in 2000. Blueridge commemorated the 25th anniversary of their passing with an unusually well-curated event, combining performances of Coulthard's three piano trios with Archer's final string quartet and Pentland's 1983 Piano Quintet. Although these exemplary works were written within a fifteen-year period by composers in late maturity, three very different and still underrated musical personalities were revealed. Coulthard's Lyric Trio launched the program, an elegant, often touching piece of great appeal. Two members of the Microcosmos String Quartet, violinist Andrea Siradze and cellist Zolton Roszy joined Coulthard specialist pianist Jocelyn Lai in a performance that was as fresh as it was charming. Lai gets the balance between lush lyricism, sparkling keyboard figurations, and formal rigour just right. To conclude the first half of the program, the same performers tackled Coulthard's one-movement Legend of the Snows, an evocative proposition created for a trio of young Canadian musicians, Desmond Hoebig, Gwen Hoebig, and Jon Kimura Parker, who all went on to have sterling careers. The second half began with another Coulthard trio, The Birds of Lansdowne, played by violinist Marc Destrubé, cellist Zoltan Rozsnyai, and pianist Jane Hayes. This is something of a sport in the extensive Coulthard catalogue, a work suggested by the avian paintings of J. Fenwick Lansdowne that weaves recorded birdsong through the musical textures. While ultimately a minor Coulthard, it demonstrates the concern for the environmental issues, which became an ongoing thread in her later compositions and certainly appeals to green-conscious listeners. Archer's Third String Quartet, heard in the first half of the concert, is an intense and ambitious proposition. Archer's early works often demonstrate her lineage as a student of Hindemith; her third quartet takes up where Bartók's celebrated series of quartets leaves off. The work has a certain austerity, pandering to neither players nor audience, but what a finely thought out work, and what a strong, committed performance by the Microcosmos. The program ended with one of Barbara Pentland's last works, her Piano Quartet, yet another work of outstanding quality. Pentland was one of the few women to participate in and learn from the famous Darmnstadt summer music sessions, and for about a quarter century her music reflected the then-potent influence of Anton Webern. By the 1980s as the serial ice age was melting into postmodernism, Pentland found a more relaxed, richer idiom, rife with exceptional textures. The quartet still counts as 'difficult' by many standards, but despite a certain loquaciousness it's always impressive, and was performed with integrity and high style by the Microcosmos with the third pianist of the evening, Manuel Laufer, an evening that defines the value and rewards of a festival setting. Concert three of this year's Blueridge festival is Lachenmann at 90, tonight, Aug. 14. The festival winds up Friday, Aug. 15, with Happy Blueridge Birthday. Both programs run at 7 p.m. at The Annex. Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances.
The Province
2 hours ago
- The Province
Review: Blueridge festival honours 'Three Queens' with special concert
The Aug. 13 concert focused on music by Violet Archer, Jean Coulthard, and Barbara Pentland, important Canadian women who died in 2000. The full cast of Wednesday's concert. Photo by Courtesy of Blueridge Chamber Mu Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors It hardly seems possible, but one of Vancouver's newer classical endeavours, the Blueridge Chamber Music Festival, is now in its fifteenth season of using innovative, quality music to enliven late summer. This year a quartet of concerts clearly defined the festival's mission: a program of works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an almost forgotten star of the late Victorian era; a program of very demanding music by the dean of contemporary German composers, Helmut Lachenmann; and a program of new works by local composers Jordan Nobles, Jennifer Butler, and Mary Jane Coomber. Particularly noteworthy was the Aug. 13 concert, held downtown in The Annex, dubbed 'Three Queens,' which focused on music of Violet Archer, Jean Coulthard, and Barbara Pentland, important Canadian women who died within a few weeks of each other in 2000. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Blueridge commemorated the 25th anniversary of their passing with an unusually well-curated event, combining performances of Coulthard's three piano trios with Archer's final string quartet and Pentland's 1983 Piano Quintet. Although these exemplary works were written within a fifteen-year period by composers in late maturity, three very different and still underrated musical personalities were revealed. Coulthard's Lyric Trio launched the program, an elegant, often touching piece of great appeal. Two members of the Microcosmos String Quartet, violinist Andrea Siradze and cellist Zolton Roszy joined Coulthard specialist pianist Jocelyn Lai in a performance that was as fresh as it was charming. Lai gets the balance between lush lyricism, sparkling keyboard figurations, and formal rigour just right. To conclude the first half of the program, the same performers tackled Coulthard's one-movement Legend of the Snows, an evocative proposition created for a trio of young Canadian musicians, Desmond Hoebig, Gwen Hoebig, and Jon Kimura Parker, who all went on to have sterling careers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Coulthard expert Jocelyn Lia. Photo by Courtesy of Blueridge Chamber Mu The second half began with another Coulthard trio, The Birds of Lansdowne, played by violinist Marc Destrubé, cellist Zoltan Rozsnyai, and pianist Jane Hayes. This is something of a sport in the extensive Coulthard catalogue, a work suggested by the avian paintings of J. Fenwick Lansdowne that weaves recorded birdsong through the musical textures. While ultimately a minor Coulthard, it demonstrates the concern for the environmental issues, which became an ongoing thread in her later compositions and certainly appeals to green-conscious listeners. Archer's Third String Quartet, heard in the first half of the concert, is an intense and ambitious proposition. Archer's early works often demonstrate her lineage as a student of Hindemith; her third quartet takes up where Bartók's celebrated series of quartets leaves off. The work has a certain austerity, pandering to neither players nor audience, but what a finely thought out work, and what a strong, committed performance by the Microcosmos. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The program ended with one of Barbara Pentland's last works, her Piano Quartet, yet another work of outstanding quality. Pentland was one of the few women to participate in and learn from the famous Darmnstadt summer music sessions, and for about a quarter century her music reflected the then-potent influence of Anton Webern. By the 1980s as the serial ice age was melting into postmodernism, Pentland found a more relaxed, richer idiom, rife with exceptional textures. The quartet still counts as 'difficult' by many standards, but despite a certain loquaciousness it's always impressive, and was performed with integrity and high style by the Microcosmos with the third pianist of the evening, Manuel Laufer, an evening that defines the value and rewards of a festival setting. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Concert three of this year's Blueridge festival is Lachenmann at 90, tonight, Aug. 14. The festival winds up Friday, Aug. 15, with Happy Blueridge Birthday. Both programs run at 7 p.m. at The Annex. Read More Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances. Vancouver Whitecaps Local News Homes Vancouver Whitecaps News
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
The end is near: Megadeth to release final album and embark on farewell tour
NEW YORK (AP) — Call it a symphony for dissolution. American thrash metal giants Megadeth have announced their forthcoming album will be their last. They will also embark on a farewell tour in 2026. 'There's so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,' Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine shared in a statement Thursday. 'Most of them don't get to go out on their own terms on top, and that's where I'm at in my life right now. I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them.'
