GEORGIA HATHAWAY
THURSDAY, 18 APril 2024 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Georgia Hathaway, superb multi-instrumentalist and profoundly satisfying vocalist, returns to celebrate the release of their new EP, Between the Green. Georgia’s songwriting is inspired by wild places, geographical and emotional, and their meditative, bluesy lyrics tell stories of both natural landscapes and well-imagined lives. Many of you will fondly recall Georgia’s fabulous performance here with their band The Wilderness Inside in 2023, and will already know what a treat it is for us to host this special solo show.
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CHIE & KEITA
FRIDAY, 12 APRIL 2024 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Hanawa Chie is one of Japan’s leading tsugaru shamisen players, and she brings a distinctive delicacy to the more percussive, baritone nature of this style of shamisen. Kanazashi Keita is a celebrated wadaiko percussionist, known for the gracefulness he has cultivated through his practice of kendo and traditional Japanese dance. They have formed their duo especially for this Vancouver visit. Given the expansive musical imagination and genre-defying versatility of both players, expect a performance that transcends the traditional Japanese folk music in which they are rooted.
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ARTEMIS MUSICIANS’ SOCIETY
SATURDAY, 30 MARCH 2024 | DOORS AT 18:30, MUSIC FROM 19:00
Join Artemis for an evening of live world premieres as Artemis presents a collection of works written specifically for them. Repertoire includes works by Jennifer Butler, Jeffrey Ryan, Maria-Eduarda Mendes Martins, Nova Pon, Anna Pidgorna, Jaelem Bhate, Anna Hostman, Mathieu Lussier, Bruce Russell, and Jocelyn Morlock. Intimate and personal, these commissions for small ensemble will feature Morgan Zentner (oboe/english horn), Renz Eulric Adame (oboe/english horn) and Artemis’ founder and musical director, Katelin Coleman (bassoon). Your generous contributions at this gift economy performance will go to the Tsleil Waututh Nation Community Society as a part of Artemis’s thoughtful efforts toward reconciliation.
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P.W. BRIDGMAN: AN AFTERNOON OF READINGS
SUNDAY, 24 MARCH 2024 | DOORS AT 15:30, READINGS FROM 16:00
Join a distinguished assortment of local writers and artists, who will read from the poetry and fiction of P.W. Bridgman, as we anticipate Bridgman’s forthcoming collection, The World You Now Own, a hybrid volume that combines new poems with a novella in verse. It will be released by Ekstasis Editions in the spring of 2024. You may be thinking: isn’t this celebration just a little premature? That’s just how we roll at Notional Space.
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TOM RICHARDS PRESENTS “SHORELINE”
FRIDAY, 22 MARCH 2024 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Tom Richards is a musician with a kaleidoscopic range of work. He brings his latest creation, Shoreline 3, to Notional Space. This third instalment of his Shoreline series involves a fully interactive performance experience, immersing the audience within a tightly crafted dronescape, bathing the room in sound, and inviting audience participation both digital and organic.
Tom is joined for this performance by violinist Georgia Hathaway, whose bright, nimble voice bridges the worlds of folk, classical, and improvised music, visual artist David Ballantine, whose projections and light-work will augment the piece, and poet Kimberly Ivany, who will read.
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THE ELLIOT FREEDMAN GROUP
FRIDAY, 15 MARCH 2024 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Composer-guitarist Elliot Freedman fronts a nimble, sensitive ensemble. The rich, sweet tones of Elliot’s baritone guitar accentuate his instinctive harmonic vocabulary and fondness for unique chord voicings. Along with vibraphonist Nick Apivor, pianist Dan Reynolds, bassist Dan Howard, and drummer Paul Mason, Elliot presents an uncompromising, non-canonical jazz of lyrical melodies and complex harmonies, detailed interplay and exciting improvisation, propelling rhythms and rich textures, collaborative creation and individual expression.
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CUORE PIANO TRIO
THURSDAY, 29 FEBRUARY 2024 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
We were super-lucky to catch these guys at the 2023 PRISMA Music Festival and are very excited to have them at Notional Space. Think Cream, think Nirvana, or (for you Canadians) think Rush — Cuore are the hot new power trio. Zuzanna Budzyńska on violin, Jadwiga Roguska on cello, and Szymon Ogryzek on piano will rock your socks off with a repertoire of classical chamber music masterpieces and, perhaps, less-well represented and modern compositions. Their performance here will be fresh from their late-2023 Warsaw studio sessions for a forthcoming album, featuring the works of 20th Century composers.
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DRUMPLAY
SaturDAY, 3 FEBRUARY 2024 | DOORS AT 14:30, MUSIC FROM 15:00
Cleveland-based world/jazz ensemble, Drumplay, has been performing for over thirty years in a rotating collective. Drumplay creates “rhythmprovisations”, fusing elements of Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Middle Eastern motifs, and spoken-word, all within a jazz sensibility. No two gigs are ever alike — so come hear something guaranteed to be unique!
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VIPER CENTRAL
SUNDAY, 3 DECEMBER 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Come celebrate the release of Viper Central’s latest video, while the band rips through two sets of classic and original bluegrass and Old Time music.
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VANCOUVER SINGING CIRCLE
SATURDAY, 2 DECEMBER 2023 | SINGING FROM AT 16:30
Join community-builders V6V Collaborative for an afternoon of impromptu jamming and collective intelligence building. Circle singing is a spontaneous vocal jam (you can think of it as an improvised, collaborative choir of sorts). It’s one of the earliest forms of music-making and is practiced by cultures all over the world.
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THE LIMINAL
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, 23 & 24 NovEMBER 2023 | DOORS at 19:00, PERFORMANCES FROM 19:30
Returning to IndieFest after a sold out premiere, The Liminal is an immersive performance experience that gathers storytellers of diverse artistic disciplines and lived experiences to reflect on themes of transformation. Conceived and directed by multidisciplinary theatre artist Stephanie Wong, in partnership with re:Naissance Opera and the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, this evening features a collision of theatre, dance, music, digital media, food, and community; and it concludes with a musical performance by Tonye Aganabe.
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BEAU WHEELER
FRIDAY, 17 NovEMBER 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
The great and powerful Beau Wheeler is back, doing what they do best: delivering intimate musical messages to the heart by pounding them into the ribcage and searing them into the brain. Beau will be joined by the inimitable Vancouver guitarist Jesse Waldman.
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TANGLEWOOD
FRIday, 3 NOVEMBER 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Vocal trio Tanglewood brings an eclectic tapestry of warm harmonies, rich rhythms, and precision delivery. The voices of Karla Mundy, Noa Neuman Spivak, and Emily Villavicencio blend together seamlessly to deliver an unforgettable musical experience that incorporates folk, bluegrass, jazz, French Canadiana, and global music traditions. They will be joined by special guest Andy Hillhouse on guitar.
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EAST VAN GOGOS: SMALL CHANGE FOR BIG CHANGE
SUNday, 15 OCTOBER 2023 | DOORS AT 13:30, THEATRE + MUSIC FROM 14:00
The East Van Gogos (“grandmothers” in Zulu) present an afternoon of theatre and music in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, which assists grandmothers in 15 African countries caring for children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. Gina Stockdale will perform her play “Hired Help” and The Soda Crackers will play a set of bluegrass, country, and swing.
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BIG BIRD BUS BENEFIT
FRIday, 18 AUGUST 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC + Poetry FROM 20:00
Monica Lee has a great evening of music and poetry planned for you: Arsenic & Old Lace, Marin Patenaude, Leah Nichole Barley, CR Avery, Couch Choir, Lindsay Robertson, Johnny D Trinh, Ashley Richelle, Chris Dawson-Murphy, Jesse Waldman, Bryony Ollier, Kyrst Hogan, and The Monica Lee Band! Brad MacNeil will MC. The special occasion? To give you a chance to help fund the recent emergency engine transplant on her big yellow bus. Come experience how good mutual aid feels when we live in supportive community together!
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NAOMI ELIANA POMMIER STEINBERG
TUESday, 8 August 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, WORDS and MUSIC FROM 20:00
Acclaimed storyteller Naomi Eliana Pommier Steinberg is serving-up an evening of tales (tall, medium-sized, and intimate) from her remarkable travelogue, Goosefeather: Once Upon A Cartographic Adventure, which chronicles her year-long, 56,000 km flightless journey around the world. Her extraordinary adventure offers touching reminders of our membership in the global community and the ways in which the important narratives of our lives are cast just as meaningfully in familiar, prosaic contexts as in far-away, exotic locales. Naomi’s stories will be punctuated with musical interludes, with Gregory Coyes’s joining her onstage.
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GEORGIA HATHAWAY and THE WILDERNESS INSIDE
Sunday, 23 July 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
The Wilderness Inside combines the meditative, bluesy folk songs of Georgia Hathaway (dobro, guitar, fiddle, vocals) with the terrific musicianship of Kathryn Merriam (harp, vocals), Tristan Murphy (accordion, saw, vocals) and Elena Spanu (violin, vocals). Georgia’s songwriting is inspired by the wild places, in us and beyond us, and the band creates a sound that is both haunting and joyful.
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DON McGLASHAN and ANITA CLARK
FRIday, 21 July 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Just off the stage at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Kiwis Don McGlashan and Anita Clark will give a more intimate performance at Notional Space. Don, now a Vancouverite, has been a songwriting and alt rock legend in his native New Zealand for decades. Anita adds a bold, airy, ambient, deeply lyrical vibe with violin, synth, environmental samples, and voice.
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SCOTT COOK & PAMELA MAE
Wednesday, 12 July 2023 | DOORS AT 19:00, MUSIC FROM 19:30
Join celebrated songwriter Scott Cook for this Vancouver stop, as he tours his seventh album, Tangle of Souls, across North America. He describes it as “equal part introspection and insurrection”; and we’d add that these beautiful songs are tightly, smartly written and performed with a spare, intimate directness. Scott will be joined on upright bass, banjo, and vocals by his partner, Pamela Mae.
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FRANK PATRICK with REBECCA JENKINS
Thursday, 6 July 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Award-winning songwriter Frank Patrick brings his unique, rootsy, “transglobal rhythm and song” to Vancouver, in collaboration with local songstress Rebecca Jenkins.
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HOW TO CLEAN A FISH by Esmeralda Cabral
Thursday, 8 June 2023 | DOORS AT 19:00, Words FROM 19:30
Join us to Celebrate the Launch of Esmeralda Cabral’s new book. She’ll read from her work, as will some of her talented friends. How to Clean a Fish is an inviting family travel story about an extended stay in Portugal, full of food and cooking adventures, language barriers and bureaucracy, and that irresistible need to connect with the culture of our birth. By exploring the intricacies of adapting to a culture that is at once familiar and foreign, she reveals that the search for identity and belonging is a universal story.
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ZACH KLEISINGER & EMMA WORLEY
Thursday, 1 June 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Join Zach Kleisinger & Emma Worley for an evening of storytelling and song-sharing. Featuring performances by Zach and his band and Toronto’s Emma Worley, the event will traverse each artist’s version of alternative folk. Two great artists, one intimate stage.
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GILLIAN MORANZ
Friday, 28 April 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Alberta-born artist Gillian Moranz celebrates her latest catalogue while sharing some of her own best kept secrets. The night will offer an exciting and dynamic alchemy of music, art, poetry, and performance featuring some of East Van’s most dangerous talent. Gillian will be accompanied by a full band wrecking crew featuring Noah Walker, Steve Huston, and Jodie Ponto, with an appearance from very special guest Isabeau Leone. It has been nearly five years since Gillian has made a ruckus in East Vancouver — so this little party seems long overdue.
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ARTHUR ARNOLD, Cello and MOIRA HOPFE-OSTENSEN, Piano
THURSday, 13 APRIL 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
From Seoul to Spokane, Arthur Arnold has spent the past 20 years conducting symphony orchestras all over the world. Amidst the recent volatility of wars and pandemics, he has found comfort in reconnecting with his roots as a cellist. Join us for an intimate evening of cello and piano, performed in collaboration with Dr. Moira Hopfe-Ostensen. You will also hear stories from Arnold’s decade-long tenure as music director of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and learn more about his passion project: the Pacific Region International Summer Music Association (PRISMA) Festival & Academy.
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CIRANDA: A Dance Party Fundraiser Benefiting RAVEN Trust
SunDAY, 2 April 2023 | DOORS AT 14:00, MUSIC FROM 14:30
Dance to the Brazilian rhythms of Ciranda in support of RAVEN Trust, which defends indigenous interests in environmental and land rights cases within the Canadian justice system. Ciranda plays the hottest, coolest choro, forro, samba, bossanova, and more. Shake it for a great cause! (For those who prize booty stability during an axé, there will be plenty of seating.)
This event will be ticketed, all proceeds going to RAVEN Trust’s support for Gitxaala Nation: $20 in advance, $25 at the door. “What!?!” you say? “Events at Notional Space are never ticketed!” You are almost right. We are a non-transactional, gift economy space. But since this is a pure fundraiser, and the proceeds benefit indigenous environmental activism, this qualifies perfectly as gift economy. They want tickets, they get tickets.
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ANGELA FAMA’S DEATH CONVERSATION GAME
Thursday, 30 March 2023 | DOORS AT 18:30, Event FROM 19:00
This event is a cross-disciplinary exploration of thoughts and feelings about death, starting with a musical performance by Cassidy Waring, singing candid songs about her personal experiences with mental health, grief, trauma and self-destruction, followed by a shared interactive Death Conversation Game session with facilitator Angela Fama, and wrapping up with a live healing soundscape by Faye Mallett. Grim? Not at all. It should be an engaging and fascinating evening.
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MERIVAL + TROLL DOLLY + DAWSON GOOL
Friday, 17 March 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Toronto’s Merival brings a sweet, storyteller’s voice and vaguely confessional writing to lushly unhurried songs. As she sings in one of them, “If I knew you, I’d write you a song with fewer words.” We are lucky to get to know her; but we’ll take the beautiful songs just as they are, thank you. Vancouver songwriters Troll Dolly & Dawson Gool will open.
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ART & CRAFT SOCIAL
THURSDAY, 16 March 2023 | ART MAKING 18:00 – 20:30
Art & Craft Social is a free community event bringing together a diverse group of artists, makers, designers, and craftspeople of all levels of experience to share and create in a social setting. Bring a small creative project – drawing, painting, stitching, crocheting, collage, etc, to work on at Art & Craft Social. The Social provides an opportunity to meet new people, get inspired, and learn something new through exposure to the creative work of each person’s project.
Because space is extremely limited, you must RSVP on Art & Craft Social’s Eventbrite listing in order to attend.
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An Acoustic Evening with
JESSE WALDMAN and BETH SOUTHWELL + JESS HILL
FRIDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2023 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Jesse Waldman and Beth Southwell are kindred spirits who share a love of acoustic folk songs. Their musical connection started as East Van roommates over 15 years ago and they have been singing together ever since. They’ve performed together at major festivals, pubs and living rooms across BC, presenting both original compositions and thoughtful interpretations of other artists’ work. They have both played at Notional Space with other bands, but this will be their first time headlining here. We are delighted to have them.
Vancouver singer/songwriter Jess Hill will open the show.
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OLIVER SWAIN with ASHLEY WEY
FriDAY, 25 November 2022 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Oliver Swain continues his celebrated “chamber folk odyssey” — a creative, genre-bending approach to roots music — at Notional Space. Oliver is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter, whose music combines the erudition of an ethnomusicologist, the whimsy of a stand-up comedian, and the rousing urgency of a social activist. He is joined by pianist, vocalist, composer Ashley Wey.
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ART & CRAFT SOCIAL
THURSDAY, 1 December 2022 | ART MAKING 18:00 – 20:30
THIS EVENT IS AT CAPACITY AND THE WAIT LIST IS FULL. Thanks to all who have shown interest. If you were lucky enough to get a space and will not be able to make it, please contact the organizers promptly so that someone else my take your space.
Art & Craft Social is a free community event bringing together a diverse group of artists, makers, designers, and craftspeople of all levels of experience to share and create in a social setting. Bring a small creative project – drawing, painting, stitching, crocheting, collage, etc, to work on at Art & Craft Social. The Social provides an opportunity to meet new people, get inspired, and learn something new through exposure to the creative work of each person’s project.
Because space is extremely limited, you must RSVP on Art & Craft Social’s Eventbrite listing in order to attend.
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WE HAVE NEVER LIVED ON EARTH: Book Launch and Readings
SUNDay, 6 November 2022 | DOORS AT 19:00, Words FROM 19:30
Montreal writer Kasia Van Schalk introduces her hot-off-the-press eco-feminist novel, We Have Never Lived on Earth, to Vancouver. Currently a finalist for the Concordia First Book prize, the interlinked stories follow a young Canadian immigrant as she learns to navigate the dispiriting challenges of contemporary social architectures, while heedless environmental destruction provides context, mirror, and model for the process and consequences of her alienation.
Kasia will be joined by writers Brendan Bowles and Suzannah Showler, who will read from their recent work.
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SPEAKER FACE + DAYS OF LAVENDER
Thursday, 3 November 2022 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
Speaker Face combines lush keys and electronica, the earthy timbres of violin, unhurried beats, and sumptuous vocals for a sound that is fresh and mesmerizing. It is the new project from Trent Freeman and Eric Wright, of the Juno Award winning band The Fretless, and singer Ruby Randall. This is not a return to trip hop; it is the sensuous new edge of post-rock – and it promises to be a fabulous evening.
Days of Lavender, the new duo project of producer/bassist Stephen Clarke and vocalist/co-producer Daniela Mae, will open for Speaker Face. They bring gospel and roots sensibilities to an 80s synth pop and contemporary electronica sound in a unique, trancy vibe.
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BEAU WHEELER + DREAM HEAVY
WednesDAY, 2 NovEMBER 2022 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
The great and powerful Beau Wheeler is back, doing what they do best: delivering intimate musical messages to the heart by pounding them into the ribcage and searing them into the brain. We love Beau. You love Beau. Come.
Opening for Beau will be Dream Heavy, the new folk-metal project of the Dunster, BC band Samson’s Delilah. Heavy. Heavy. Dreamy.
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ART & CRAFT SOCIAL
Thursday, 27 OCTOber 2022 | ART Making 18:00 – 20:30
Art & Craft Social is a free community event bringing together a diverse group of artists, makers, designers, and craftspeople of all levels of experience to share and create in a social setting. Bring a small creative project – drawing, painting, stitching, crocheting, collage, etc, to work on at Art & Craft Social. The Social provides an opportunity to meet new people, get inspired, and learn something new through exposure to the creative work of each person’s project.
Because space is extremely limited, you must RSVP on Art & Craft Social’s Eventbrite listing in order to attend.
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QUARANDREAMS: Book Launch and Poetry Reading
FRIDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2022 | 19:00 – 22:00
Come join photographer Maggie MacPherson and a group of local poets — including Vancouver’s Poet Laureate, Fiona Tinwei Lam — to celebrate the completion of a 2-year creative collaboration entitled “Quarandreams”. This collection includes the poetry of twenty BC writers, which interpret Ms. MacPherson’s abstract images as a device for exploring and assessing the psychological and social repercussions of the global pandemic.
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JOHN BOUTTÉ QUARTET
WEDNESDAY, 6 JULY 2022 | DOORS AT 16:30, MUSIC FROM 17:00
It is a great pleasure to present the vocal wizardry and ebullient sweetness of John Boutté, whose astonishing concert on Sunday night closed the 2022 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. John’s deft warmth is perfectly mirrored in his superb band, with Caleb Tokarska on guitar, Nobumasa Osaki on bass, and Luis Melgar sitting in for the first time on piano.
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ZINNIA + YAWN
Tuesday, 28 June 2022 | DOORS AT 19:00, MUSIC FROM 19:30
Toronto’s ZINNIA finally comes west, after their 2020 tour was… ummm… postponed by the global pandemic. Rachael Cardiello’s experiment in thoughtful, expansive pop writing earned a place on CBC’s “Best Lyrics of 2019” list, following the release of ZINNIA’s debut record, Sensations in Two Dot. Come welcome the full-colour sound of this five-piece band to our post-plague revival.
The evening will open with a set of synthy dreampop by Yawn, a project of Vancouver songwriter and artist Julia McDougall.
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MONICA LEE + SARAH WHEELER
SUNDAY, 10 NOVEMBER 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
Do Vancouver music celebrations get better than this? Probably not. Monica Lee drops a new single and Sarah Wheeler drops a birthday. The house will rock.
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SALT THIEF + NAOMI KAVKA
FRIDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
Salt Thief is a punky, rootsy masterstroke of fun, powered by viola-toting brothers John and Tony Kastellic, and featuring Ross Christopher Fairbairn on upright bass. Prince George singer/songwriter Noami Kavka will open the evening with her deliciously matter-of-fact Canadiana folk stylings.
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FEAST FOR THE PEACE: HONOURING THE PEACE RIVER VALLEY
SATURDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2019 | 19:00 TO 22:00
A crew of young artists and anti-Site C activists travelled to the Peace River Valley in July 2019. Their intention was to offer solidarity and art for people defending the river and Treaty 8 rights. They’ll share what they learned and experienced on that extraordinary trip.
The evening is a potluck feast! Bring something delicious to share. It is also a fundraiser for West Moberly First Nation’s litigation to protect the Peace Valley from obliteration by the Site C dam. We encourage everyone to stand in solidarity with them.
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CORRINA KEELING’S “BODIES OF WATER”
SATURDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2019 | DOORS AT 19:30, PERFORMANCE FROM 20:00
Musician, writer, and graphic artist Corrina Keeling presents a multidisciplinary project which asks questions about our origin stories across bodies of water. The show is a collection of new and ancient songs and poems from Jillian Christmas and Corrina Keeling, brought to life through music, movement, live digital painting, and voices of the community.
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SCOTT PAULLEY: CD RELEASE PARTY
FRIDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, PERFORMANCE FROM 20:30
Join Vancouver’s Scott Paulley in celebrating the release of his first solo recording, Oh My Darlin’. Scott has written for a number of Canadian bands, but generally likes to perform his songs of lost love, long nights, and endless adventure in small, acoustic settings.
Franki and Blue — Cellist Franki Lemon and Guitarist Blue Morris — will open for Scott.
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THE ARTEMIS MUSICIAN’S SOCIETY: ON LONELINESS
TUESDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2019 | DOORS AT 18:30, PERFORMANCE FROM 19:00
Artemis is a performing ensemble dedicated to serving the interests of survivors of sexual violence, by featuring their professional musical talents on stage. Join Morgan Zentner, Jimin Joanna Lee, Chronfused, and Katelin Rose Coleman for an evening of music, both contemporary and classical, as they illuminate the survivor’s journey from isolation into togetherness. Artemis: On Loneliness is a musical and artistic exploration of solitude, the self, collectivity, and the power of community.
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VAN AFRO CONNECT PRESENTS: QUEST
FRIDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, FILM & CONVERSATION & LIVE MUSIC FROM 20:30
Afro Van Connect hosts an interactive screening of the Jonathan Olshefski film, Quest, documenting the courage, dignity, and inspiring generosity of a working-class, African-American couple as they struggle to nurture both their family and a community of hip hop artists in their home music studio. The film will be following by an evening of discussion and live music.
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SAM SHOAI | ORLA SHIELDS | CÉLINE HODLER
THURSDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2019 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Local songwriters Sam Shoai, Orla Shields, and Céline Hodler present an acoustic evening, with styles spanning folk, rock, jazz, and indie genres.
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LEAH BARLEY: music video release concert
SUNDAY, 25 AUGUST 2019 | DOORS AT 19:00, MUSIC FROM 19:30
Come celebrate the release of Leah’s new music video, “Daddy”. The evening will entail a performance by Leah and her backing band; violist John Kastelic and multi-instrumentalist Ross Christopher Fairbairn, a screening of the video, and Q&A with members of the cast and crew.
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SAMBA NIGHT: Sending Cosmo on a Clowns Without Borders Mission
FRIDAY, 23 AUGUST 2019 | 19:00 TO 22:00
Cosmo (aka Melissa Aston) will be joining Clowns Without Borders in Brazil to perform for indigenous populations displaced by agriculture. And you can participate in her mission of good will. By dancing with us.
To help raise funds for Cosmo’s adventure, she and friends are hosting a samba party. Come hang with clowns, learn to samba, rock to the Carnival Band, and support Cosmo’s good work.
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PERFECT PITCH: a Karaoke Benefit for Good Pitch Vancouver
TUESDAY, 6 AUGUST 2019 | 20:00 TO 23:59
Karaoke: the national sport of the Philippines. Beer: the official sport of Vancouver. Together. You know you want it!
Illustrious karaoke DJ Gezelle Dee spins the [whatever-one-spins-for-karaoke] and False Creek’s own Faculty Brewing pours the brainiest of beer in what promises to be the most fun Tuesday night of the summer. Don’t ask your mom if you can stay-out on a “work night”. Just come.
This evening of raucous song-demolition… errr… ummm… song-styling will benefit Good Pitch Vancouver, a singular organization leveraging the social impact of Canadian-made documentary films with a creativity and reach that even the filmmakers themselves frequently cannot imagine. If you cannot join us for this vocal abattoir, we urge you to learn more about Good Pitch and to lend them your most generous support.
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TONYE AGANABA, CORRINA KEELING, and EARNEST ICE CREAM: a Benefit for Good Pitch Vancouver
WEDNESDAY, 10 JULY 2019 | 19:00 TO 22:00
How often do you get the warm deliciousness of Tonye Aganaba and Corrina Keeling, and the chilly deliciousness of Earnest Ice Cream in the same room? You’ll have to ask Tonye and Corrina — who are, fortunately for them and us, often found in the same room — about the nature and extent of their ice cream habits. But we’d wager that YOU don’t often have the chance for this tasty triple-threat.
This evening is a benefit concert-cum-pig-out for Good Pitch Vancouver, a singular organization leveraging the social impact of Canadian-made documentary films with a creativity and reach that even the filmmakers themselves frequently cannot imagine. If you cannot join us for this benefit concert (and ice cream!), we urge you to learn more about Good Pitch and to lend them your most generous support.
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BOOK LAUNCH: Bill Arnott’s Gone Viking: A Travel Saga
MUSIC: Bill Arnott and Michael Averill
THURSDAY, 4 JULY 2019 | DOORS AT 18:30, MUSIC & READING FROM 19:00
Join bestselling author, poet, songwriter Bill Arnott to celebrate the publishing of his new travel memoir, Gone Viking: A Travel Saga. Bill treks the globe in the wake of the Vikings, finding adventure and hilarious misadventure.
The evening will also feature live music with Bill and Michael Averill performing work from their collaborative CD, Studio 6.
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ROBERTALANFUTUREHEARTS & TEN MOON
TUESDAY, 18 JUNE 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
robertalanfuturehearts is a unique project, presented by a group of forward thinking jazz and folk musicians from West Toronto and East Gothenburg: The sound of human interaction snapped to the grid of music and language. Led by Robert Alan Mackie, Canadian double bassist and writer, their performance features spoken word poetry, free improvisation, and the rhythmic sensibilities of traditional music, combined in an immersive, wholly contemporary experience.
robertalanfuturehearts will be joined by Ten Moon. whose music places fantastical lyrics within dreamy soundscapes.
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GEORGE FAMILY SUNDANCE FUNDRAISER
FRIDAY, 24 MAY 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
Murray Porter, Dalannah Gail Bowen, Buckman Coe, Oceanside Dakota, and MC Ostwelve headline this musical fundraiser in support of the 2019 George Family Sundance. The George Family have been heroic in protecting the land and water in T’sleil-Watuth traditional territory. Come show your appreciation for their tireless work.
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ILLITERATTY
SUNDAY, 5 MAY 2019 | DOORS AT 18:30, MUSIC FROM 19:00
Earle Peach, Albert Klassen, Kirsten Daub, Natalie Philp, Simon Kendall, and Wesley Skakun play a diverse repertoire that is deeply musically literate, drawing on diverse “metafolk” traditions and genres; and their tight instrumental interplay and complex vocal harmonies are anything-but-ratty.
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BLACK DOG STRING QUARTET
FRIDAY, 3 MAY 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
Violinists Elyse Jacobson and Molly McKinnon, Violist John Kastelic, and Cellist Doug Gorkoff comprise one of the hottest ensembles in Vancouver. Black Dog String Quartet will premiere John Kastelic’s songs for voice and string quartet, and will be joined by special guest Tony Kastelic. Erasing the lines between classical music and contemporary folk music, these latest songs sparkle with ingenuity, thoughtfulness, and lyricism. As a counterpoint to the songs, the group presents Brahms’ stunning String Quintet #2.
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GABRIEL DUBREUIL TRIO: with Madeleine Elkins and Chad Galpin
SATURDAY, 20 APRIL 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
Violinist Gabriel Dubreuil is an astonishingly delightful and versatile musician. If you were lucky, you caught his electrifying show here last year with cellist George Crotty. He returns to Notional Space with guitarist Madeleine Elkins and bassist Chad Galpin. Gabriel calls their instrumental bent “swing-grass”; but The Celtic Connection considers their sound to be “a hot example of Celtic music and jazz fused together by superb musicians.” Come try to peg their virtuosic interplay for yourself… if you can.
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Re:Sisters + Fraser Union + What It Is! = benefit concert for WISH Drop-In Centre
SATURDAY, 6 APRIL 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
Three great groups, one great cause. Come support WISH Drop-In Centre, which helps street-based sex workers on the DTES meet their basic daily needs.
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BONFIRE NIGHT BENEFIT FOR AUNT LEAH’S PLACE: BLUE DIRT GIRL, SARAH WHEELER, REID JAMIESON BAND
FRIDAY, 5 APRIL 2019 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
blue dirt girl is the latest musical project of singer, songwriter, guitarist, and Vancouver indie mainstay Kathryn Sutherland. The Notional Space show will feature Albert Klassen on bass and Jason Overy on drums, along with special guests Sarah Wheeler and Reid Jameison.
This show will be a benefit concert to support Aunt Leah’s Independent Lifeskills Society, helping to prevent children in foster care from becoming homeless and mothers in need from losing custody of their children. The event is graciously co-sponsored by Luppolo Brewing Company, on tap for the evening. It will also be advanced ticketed by blue dirt girl — which is a nice way to show your support for Aunt Leah’s House if you cannot attend — so be sure to check the full information at the link below.
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MOIRA SMILEY
SUNDAY, 31 MARCH 2019 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
The great American composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Moira Smiley will present her solo show “The Voice Is A Traveler”, interweaving arresting original songs with American and European folksongs that speak of journeys and border-crossings, both geographical and metaphorical, and with stories that underscore the longing that drives the peripatetic life. Moira will be joined by special guests Rene Worst and Jen Scott.
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CITIZEN JANE
FRIDAY, 29 MARCH 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
We love Citizen Jane. And we love the way songwriter, guitarist, mandolinist, and lead singer Reenie Perkovic and violinist extraordinaire Lea Kirstein describe their unique indie-folk sound: “Two parts daydream, one part grunge.” Their debut album, “In the Storm” has received excellent notices and their live performances display both polished, sophisticated musicianship and compelling, raw emotional resonances.
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DANIELLE KNIBBE
SATURDAY, 16 MARCH 2019 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
At Notional Space, we don’t play favourites; but sometimes favourites play Notional Space. Danielle is, quite frankly, one of the most brilliant young songwriters in North America. Her compositions are presented in arrangements that feel simultaneously spare and lush. The offhand rawness of her gorgeous vocals are backed by intricate harmonies, always delivered with deft understatement. With bassist Connor Walsh and guitarist Bryn Besse, Danielle is touring her just-released “The Ribcage & The Heart”, the follow-up to her astonishing 2016 debut album, “Some Curious Birds”.
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FUNDRAISER IN SUPPORT OF SUTIKALH AND ULLUILSC ST’ÁT’IMC LAND PROTECTORS
SATURDAY, 9 MARCH 2019 | 17:00 TO 22:00
Come celebrate and support the defense of traditional St’át’imc territory and help to fundraise for Sutikalh and Ulluilsc camps. Many wonderful artists have either created pieces for this event or are donating existing work for auction. The inimitable Ostwelve will MC, and there will be food, drumming, and many other activities.More Information
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THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR PROJECT
SATURDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2018 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
One Guitar. One Week. One Song. Six Songwriters.
The Acoustic Guitar Project is a global music platform and concert series, taking place in 50 cities around the world, that inspires musicians to write an original songs and record them in one week. One songwriter starts the cycle with Vancouver’s special guitar, writes a tune, and passes it off to the next artist when their week is up. The project culminates with all five songwriters coming together for a show to share their fresh works and stories behind them. This is that show.
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DISNEY MATINEE: Benefit Concert for Music Heals
SUNDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2018 | DOORS AT 13:00, MUSIC FROM 13:30
Kids love the songs from Disney films. Adults love the songs from Disney films. Who else loves them? Musicians do! (You know musicians: they often look like adults, but are really kids.)
In this special matinee concert, local artists — including Julia Spitale, Shera Kelly, Michael Averill, Natalie Ramsay, and many others — have worked-up covers of their favourites. So come — and bring a kid or two with you!
This show is a benefit in support of Music Heals which raises money and awareness for music therapy programs. Consider giving generously, even if you cannot attend.
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DAUGHTER OF THE MOON
SATURDAY, 10 NOVEMBER 2018 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
Daughter of the Moon — none other than Vancouver’s sublime songwriter Natalie Ramsay — celebrates the release of her new album. Come celebrate with her.
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IAN JANES
SATURDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2018 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
We are delighted to welcome back this great Nova Scotia songwriter. Ian’s East Coast Music Award nominated album”Yes Man” has received wonderful notices from the music press, as has his latest single, “Can’t Remember Never Loving You”, which was originally heard in the TV show “Nashville”.
Ian’s performances are stunning. His exceptionally strong songwriting might fit comfortably into a country genre, but the magic happens when these gorgeously crafted songs are married with his love of delicate jazz chords and a voice that is pure blue-eyed soul.
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DIEMM: “Ten Thousand Miracles” Album Release Concert
WEDNESDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2018 | DOORS AT 19:00, MUSIC FROM 19:30
We are delighted to welcome back Diemm, the brilliantly introspective poet and Celtic harpist who played an absolutely transcendent show here in June. This concert is special: it celebrates the release of her “ethereal, neo-classical chamber folk” album, Ten Thousand Miracles. Her band will include bassist Oliver Swain and percussionist Ben Johnson.
Come enjoy the music and pick-up the new album.
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ACQUA: Music for Cello Octet and Dancers
SATURDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 2018 | PERFORMANCES AT 19:30 AND 20:45, DOORS 20 MINUTES IN ADVANCE
The Allegra Chamber Orchestra presents the premiere of “Acqua”, by Composer-in-Residence Elizabeth Knudson. The work was conceived for cello octet and four dancers (Paula Pacheco Ribeiro, Oksana Maslechko, Alex Shigetomi, and Marie Taylor), with original choreography by Linda Arkelian. The performance is made to be viewed from above, so most of the audience will occupy the mezzanine; but there will be seating for those for whom standing would be a challenge.
Also featured on the program will be music for water percussion, performed by percussionist Katie Rife.
There will be two performances of the program one at 7:30pm and another at 8:45pm. Space is limited, so please reserve well in advance.
If you reserve a space and find that you cannot come, please cancel your reservation or advise us so your space can go to someone else.
In keeping with both the water theme and the gift economy nature of Notional Space, Allegra Chamber Orchestra will be regifting all your financial support from the evening to the intrepid Coast Protectors — so please give generously.
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DON ALDER
FRIDAY, 6 JULY 2018 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Vancouver’s internationally acclaimed fingerstyle guitar legend returns home after a three month European tour to blow down our house. Don picks, strums, beats, and cajoles an orchestra-worth of sound from an acoustic guitar. Like superman, he bends steel (strings) with his bare hands.
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RAHMA HADDAD’S EVENING OF MIDDLE EASTERN DANCE
MONDAY, 21 JUNE 2018 | DOORS AT 19:30, DANCE FROM 20:00
Join Rahma Haddad, special guest dancers Caroline Heleczi, Carla Naar, and Devorah (Deborah Kerr), and Rahma’s students for and evening of Middle Eastern dance and music. While the dance performances are choreographed to prerecorded music, Oudist Serwan Yamolky and drummer Tim Gerwing will perform a live set of Arabic music.
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IAN JANES
SATURDAY, 16 JUNE 2018 | DOORS AT 20:00, MUSIC FROM 20:30
The great Nova Scotia songwriter will take a break from Los Angeles, where he is recording the follow-up to his East Coast Music Award nominated “Yes Man”, to join us in Vancouver for an intimate, soulful evening.
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ANNA BAIGNOCHE + ANDY TABB WELCOME BAND
SATURDAY, 9 JUNE 2018 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Anna B and Andy T bring their great bands and beautiful voices for a great evening of acoustic music. Anna’s jazzy, folky repertoire is well-informed by her academic depth in ethnomusicology; but she plays straight from the heart. Andy writes and renders traditional-feeling Americana with great sensitivity, virtuosity, and creativity.
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DIEMM + TOM VAN DEURSEN
MONDAY, 4 JUNE 2018 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
What do Diemm and Tom have in common? The both call Kaslo home and they both write beautiful songs. You may know Diemm as the brilliantly introspective poet and harpist who played an absolutely transcendent show here last November. You know Tom as the guitarist and songwriter from Vancouver’s The Boom Booms. The two will play an acoustic evening of original compositions and collaborations.
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RAIN COAST CHOIR + JOSHUA WOOD + SINÉAD SANDERS
THURSDAY, 24 MAY 2018 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Joline Baylis directs this rock-and-roll community choir, which brings tight four-part harmony arrangements to contemporary music. Join them, along with Joshua Wood and Sinéad Sanders, for a rollicking end-of-term performance.
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THE BURYING GROUND
THURSDAY, 3 MAY 2018 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
The Burying Ground formed in 2014 as a duo, but Woody Forster and Devora Laye frequently perform their tight, torchy, old-timey Americana with a complement of wonderful instrumentalists — from strings large to strings small, from trumpets to tubas. This event is a fundraiser to get them on their way to their first European tour.
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EAST VAN GUITAR NIGHT
SATURDAY, 14 APRIL 2018 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Local guitarist Alexander Flock presents a line-up of virtuoso musicians representing guitar styles from around the world. Joining Alex on stage will be Les Finnigan, John Gilliat, and Rossi Tzonkov.
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LOOSE ROOTS: Gabriel Dubreuil & George Crotty
SUNDAY, 25 MARCH 2018 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Violinist Gabriel Dubreuil and cellist George Crotty met as students at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Their music is rooted in Celtic fiddle tunes, but featuring a jazzy spontaneity and the intimacy of chamber music.
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Allegra Chamber Orchestra: WISH Drop-In Centre Benefit
FRIDAY, 2 MARCH 2018 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
Vancouver’s sensational all-woman chamber orchestra is back at Notional Space, along with a lineup of very special guest artists, for an International Women’s Day concert. Proceeds from this event will go to Music Heals Canada to benefit the music therapy program for women at the WISH Drop In Centre on the downtown east side. Advanced tickets are required, as space is limited.
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The Acoustic Guitar Project
17 NOVEMBER 2017 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
One Guitar. One Week. One Song. Five Songwriters.
The Acoustic Guitar Project is a global music platform — and concert series — that inspires musicians to write an original song and record it live in one week.
The Guitar Project takes place in 46 cities across the globe. This concert presents the 2017 work made by Vancouver’s five songwriters.
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Dawna McLennan
10 NOVEMBER 2017 | DOORS AT 7:30, MUSIC FROM 8:00
Dawna McLennan brings her unique “ethereal, neo-classical chamber folk” to Vancouver for an evening of music and poetry. Dawna is a harpist, poet, and songwriter whose words and music are both introspective and designed to foster introspection in her audience.
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Peace Poppies present an Evening of Song & Poetry
9 NOVEMBER 2017 | DOORS AT 7:30, MUSIC FROM 8:00
The collective that works to imbue each year’s Remembrance Day with wishes for peace — and not simply valourization of war — will bring together pacifist poets and musicians in celebration of hopefulness.
Performances by the Left Coast Labour Chorus; Re:Sisters; Jim Edmondson & Madeleine DeLittle; Ruth Walmsley and Friends, Bill Hood & Georgina Arntzen; plus poets Christopher Levenson, Leslie Timmins, Ken Klonskey and others.
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Re:Sisters + Fraser Union + What It Is! = benefit concert for WISH Drop-In Centre
3 NOVEMBER 2017 | DOORS AT 7:30, MUSIC FROM 8:00
Three great groups, one great cause. Come support WISH Drop-In Centre, which helps street-based sex workers on the DTES meet their basic daily needs.
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Emily Chambers with Alexander Flock; plus, special guest sets by Dawn Pemberton, David Ward, and Terrence Jack
22 OCTOBER 2017 | DOORS AT 7:30, MUSIC FROM 8:00
Come celebrate the work of videographer Michael Clarke, the visual force behind of Emily’s new music video and her wonderful VanJams project.
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Farnaz Ohadi
18 OCTOBERBER 2017 | DOORS AT 7:30, MUSIC FROM 8:00
Acclaimed singer Farnaz Ohadi, along with Spanish guitarist Peter Mole, present an evening of Persian Flamenco. The duo will be accompanied by Flamenco dancer Andrea Williams and Persian classical dancer Fereshteh Zakeri.
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C.R. Avery
3 OCTOBER 2017 | DOORS AT 8:00, MUSIC FROM 8:30
Living in East Van, but celebrated far-and-wide for his imaginative, idiosyncratic poetry and music, CR Avery is a Neal Cassady or Tom Waits for a new generation. He concludes a mini-tour with this hometown show to highlight his new book (“The Black Water Under The August Moon Parade”) and vinyl (“All the Angels Didn’t Scare Me”).
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blue dirt girl: Aunt Leah’s Place benefit
22 SEPTEMBER 2017 | DOORS AT 8:00, MUSIC FROM 8:30
blue dirt girl is the latest musical project of singer, songwriter, guitarist, and Vancouver indie mainstay Kathryn Sutherland. The Notional Space show will feature Albert Klassen on bass and Jason Overy on drums.
This show will be a benefit concert to support Aunt Leah’s Independent Lifeskills Society, helping to prevent children in foster care from becoming homeless and mothers in need from losing custody of their children. The event is graciously co-sponsored by Luppolo Brewing Company, on tap for the evening. Along with the blue dirt girl trio, the evening will feature a poetry performance by #ThinkingShip and music by ukuleleist Moira Chicilo.
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Mohsin Zaman
6 SEPTEMBER 2017 | DOORS AT 8:00, MUSIC FROM 8:30
Alberta’s great singer/songwriter has had an amazing year: he performed at the Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Calgary Folk Festivals; was appointed “Artist-in-Residence” with the Edmonton Folk Festival; and was voted Edmonton’s Male Artist of the Year. He’s making his first trip to Vancouver to play St. James Hall — but we are lucky enough to get him the night before. This Wednesday night show promises to be something very special.
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Danielle Knibbe Trio
1 SEPTEMBER 2017 | DOORS AT 8:00, MUSIC FROM 8:30
With bassist Connor Walsh and guitarist Bryn Besse, Toronto songstress Danielle Knibbe presents her compositions in arrangements that feel simultaneously spare and lush. The offhand rawness of her affecting vocals are backed by intricate harmonies, delivered with deft understatement. Her 2016 debut, “Some Curious Birds”, displays the breadth and intelligence of her songwriting and gives a strong sense of the natural virtuosity her band exudes in live performance.
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James Stuart Ferguson Band
25 AUGUST 2017 | DOORS AT 8:00, MUSIC FROM 8:30
James — along with bandmates Taylor Pawsey and Dave Julé — is releasing his debut EP and we are celebrating! Come join the party, and take-in the solid songwriting, excellent musicianship and polished vocal stylings of these Richmond, BC up-and-comers.
Songwriters Zach Kleisinger and Bre McDaniel will open the festivities.
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Kate Reid
18 AUGUST 2017 | DOORS AT 7:00, MUSIC FROM 7:30
Slam poetry meets folk music and LGBTQ-themed tunes in celebrated queer-musical-activist Kate Reid. Her work is smart, funny, and biting; but it is also poignant and sweetly lyrical in the finest singer/songwriter tradition.
Julia Spitale
11 AUGUST 2017 | DOORS AT 7:00, MUSIC FROM 7:30
Come Celebrate the release of Julia Spitale’s great new album, “Good Again”. The record is cool for any number of reasons, not the least of which is Julia’s terrific songwriting talent. But it was also recorded and mixed (by Vancouver’s great Michael Averill) exclusively at the Vancouver Public Library!
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And the other great shows?
Sadly, the migration of this website from one server to another didn’t go so sweetly, and we’ve lost the archives of the early performances, from Railtown Sound System inaugurating Notional Space on 21 July 2015 through early-August 2017. Oh well.