It is time to give the Lonesome Ace Stringband some love tonight as they are on a Western Canada tour and are touching down at the Big Yellow Merville hall.
The Lonesome Ace Stringband brings grit, skill and abandon to old-time, Appalachian folk songs and fiddle/banjo tunes. The songs and tunes are of life and all of its occasions: festivals, dances, wars, parties and funerals.
The band members are Chris Coole on banjo, John Showman on fiddle and Max Heineman on bass. All three are from The Foggy Hogtown Boys, the band that rocked the Merville hall two years ago with a bombastic blast of bluegrass.
With two albums under their belts, they are now on the road bringing old-time music to today’s old souls and new ears. Their records are done live to tape with no overdubs. They stand right next to each other, playing just like they would be if they were jamming or doing a gig.
Chris Coole is a crackerjack banjo picker who has been on the old-time and roots music scene for going on 20 years.
John Showman is known as one of Canada’s finest fiddle players. He’s a strong and versatile musician known for his work with the FHB, New Country Rehab and Creaking Tree String Quartet.
Max Heineman’s powerful and unique voice carries the listener straight to the heart of the music. His bass playing supports and compliments the music perfectly, both driving the rhythm and gliding right along with the melody to give the trio its distinctive sound.
The Aces can slide between being a bluegrass band or an old-time band with remarkable ease and authority. Even a casual listener can tell that the Lonesome Aces owe as much to the country music that happened pre-1945 as to the golden age of bluegrass.
The Big Yellow Merville Hall is right on the Old Island Highway, between Campbell River and Courtenay. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert will start at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets at the door are $15 adult and $10 youth. In advance at The Music Plant, Campbell River.