Arts Scene

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com

Come and listen

Kristen Cudmore and Gregor Phillips are two Kings County natives who now play in a Vancouver-based group called Language Arts.

The group, comprised entirely of Atlantic Canadian musicians, is playing On the Verge in Wolfville Friday, Dec. 28.

Language Arts was last in Nova Scotia this past summer when they sold out at the jazz festival in Halifax, but Phillips, a Wolfville native, didn’t join until the fall.

Essentially a jazz drummer who graduated from the Capilano College program, Phillips is the seventh drummer with this young band. He says one of his best friends, the sixth drummer, went on tour to England, leaving him the spot.

“We decided to jam and see if it worked,” says New Minas native Cudmore, who wouldn’t want anybody to think they’re hard on drummers. The rest is history, as they say.

Working freelance, Phillips plays with five bands and likes to compose for films. “I have a lot of different projects on the go,” he says.

Cudmore is a classically trained guitarist who graduated from Acadia. She and Halifax-native Michael Vaughan formed a duo in 2004. Then Matt Dawson added his keyboard. After three years, the sound of Language Arts is still hard to capture.

“I’d call it indie-jazz-hiphop-folk,” says Phillips.

“It’s hard to pigeon-hole. I’d go with art-folk-bogey,” says Cudmore with her trademark grin. “You can dance, but it might be more wobbling.”

Certainly Cudmore is the emotional heart of this band. She’s the gamine front girl with the personal lyrics, but the sound is organic and open to improvisation.

Cudmore says their music-making is collaborative and they’re writing more together. She jots down ideas for songs in buses when she has to borrow pens or while out running and has to dash home to put her ideas on paper.

This past fall they played at wineries. Touring is what Language Arts wants to do, but they often have challenges and they rarely make any money.

“Our funniest story was when our tour van caught on fire 10 minutes after we bought it,” says Cudmore. Percy turned into ‘Smokey’ and after a second blaze was christened ‘Gunther’ in a bid for better luck. This winter they hope Gunther will transport them around the ski town circuit in B.C. and Alberta.

When not making tunes, Cudmore teaches guitar and Phillips can be found mixing movies and acting as a baristo. Next summer they hope to embark on a cross-country tour.

Asked about her dream, Cudmore said, “well, it would be a little bit of excitement if people recognized our music before they recognized us.”

The Verge concert starts at 10 p.m., then Language Arts is in Halifax at the Seahorse the following night.

Fabulous book review

Director Linda Moore, a seasonal resident of Kingsport, has written a super detective novel set in Halifax. After reading it, I ran out and purchased four copies to give as Christmas presents.

Foul Deeds: A Rosalind Mystery is the kind of enthralling book that you don’t want to end. Moore does what every good writer is supposed to; she uses a locale she knows well and a familiar scenario. For her, this would be Halifax and various theatrical venues.

Moore’s heroine is a criminologist who spends her spare time volunteering as a dramaturge with a semi-professional co-op theatre company producing Hamlet. Ros, who works for a crusty private eye, is investigating the death of an environmental activist.

This well-known lawyer died of what appeared to be natural causes, but his son is suspicious. Ros balances the intrigue of Shakespeare against real life foul deeds. The tension makes it captivating and the backdrop is multinational water shenanigans.

I was also charmed with Moore’s legal beagle character Harvie Greenblatt, who is a dead ringer for the young Howard Epstein, who is acknowledged for his input.

Foul Deeds is a super debut novel. I am eagerly anticipating when Ros’s next case appears in print because Moore has found herself a second career as an Atlantic crime writer. While she has worked at many theatres across Canada and is probably best known as the former artistic director of Halifax’s Neptune Theatre.

Published by an arm of Nimbus Publishing, Vagrant Press, Moore’s book sells for $17.95.

Call to artists

The Annual Acadia Art show is in its 17th year and focuses on the arts in this community. Acadia Art Gallery director Laurie Dalton says she and her volunteers are looking for visual expressions that have been produced recently, such as paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, ceramic art, sculpture and video.

“In addition,” she says, “we’re also looking for individuals who might want to present a performance, play an instrument or present a poetry reading.”

Entry forms with submission guidelines are available at the Acadia University Art Gallery and on the gallery’s website.

Works may be submitted Jan. 11–17 during gallery hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 1–4 p.m. Exhibition dates are Jan. 25 to March 28, with an opening reception Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.

Book club flick

Fundy Film begins its Winter Main Series with The Jane Austen Book Club.

Life imitates art in this adaptation of Karen Joy Fowler’s bestselling novel about a book club reading the work of Jane Austen. Each member of the group is at a different stage of life and they discover that the writer’s work is just as relevant in the 21st century as it was in the 19th. The film succeeds largely because of the strength of its terrific cast.

It will screen at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville Jan. 6 at 4 and 7 p.m. and Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. For further information, see www.fundyfilm.ca or call 542-5157. Tickets ($8) are available 30 minutes prior to the film.

Night Kitchen

Andy Flinn and Ariana Nasr have lined up another Night Kitchen concert for Saturday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m.

The talented line-up includes: Caleb Miles, Adam Bazinet,
Jamie Loughead,
Donna Holmes,
Jesse and Liam Potter and Paul
Delores Boudreau, 
Avard Woolaver, Anthony Wood,
Jeff MacLean,
Linda Fuller and Chris Robison.

It will unfold at Acadia Cinema's Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville. Tickets are $10 ($7 in advance) at the Just Us Café.

Arts series

On Saturday, Jan. 19
at 8 p.m. the Festival Theatre
will have a Halifax dance troupe onstage.

Mocean (pronounced: motion) Dance seeks to bring audiences work that engages, provokes thought, involves the emotions, and enhances the appreciation of dance.

Their appearance is part of the Acadia Performing Arts Series.

Coming up

Dec. 28

A Merry Metal Massacre with Subspecies, Come to an End, A Fatal Fascination and Black Moor; Coldbrook Lions Hall, all-ages, 6:45 p.m.

Dec. 29

A Folkin’ Great Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s work featuring Oh Dinah! and The Grass, Kingston Lions Hall, 8 p.m.

Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve party with Jim Rain and The Rebellion, Top Hat, Greenwood; 9 p.m.

Until Jan. 9

Geri Nolan-Hilfiker photos, Acadia Art Gallery, Wolfville