Fans of the Boathouse in Kitchener will know that it closed rather abruptly in September of 2013. After a bidding competition to operate the venue and several lengthy delays, the Boathouse is open for business – and music. I only realized it had re-opened its doors this month when I went to see Kate & Rich cast their Klezmer-infused accordion and clarinet spell on a packed house on January 28th. While enjoying the show I learned that the Boathouse offers a weekly open mic as well as a regular roster of live performances.
The staff is friendly, the food is good (drink menu is full of music-themed concoctions), and there is plenty of talent at the Thursday night open mic. There is a rotation of musicians that take on hosting duties. This week it was Jeremy Stuart. Doors open at 8pm, sign-up starts at 9 pm. This week, the music started sometime after 9 and it was characterized by its diversity, including hip hop performer aNaTomy , bluesy/country singer & guitar play Joshua David and the sweet saxophone sounds of Samson Grey.
Sitting at the table with my trio comrades, we weren’t sure our style was going to fit with the loud ambient sound of the busy venue and plugged in performances of the other musicians. But we received a heartwarming response to our combo of three part harmony, guitar, uke & washboard. We definitely want to go back for some possible musical collaboration.
A couple of open mic suggestions from this fun-packed evening: Imbibe on Sunday evenings and Maxwell’s (in its new location). One adventure leads to another…
[The Boathouse, 57 Jubillee Drive, Kitchener; every Thursday 9ish – 1am; $2 cover; licensed]
