Fans of live music performed in a relaxed, local venue have something special to look forward to this Saturday night.
Happenin’ Heights III is the third song-filled evening at Wired Monk Coventry in Clayton featuring up-and-coming musicians at an all-ages, licensed setting.
The Jan. 18 lineup features Joey Mullins, Matt McAllister and Nelson Padilla. The music starts at 7 p.m., and each featured artist will take the stage for 45 minutes.
The performers don’t know in advance in which order they’ll play their set – they draw straws before the show, explains organizer Greg Eymundson.
“I think it’s a brilliant idea from a business idea, you don’t have three pockets of people coming in at three different times,” he says, explaining, instead, a full crowd fills the venue.
Joe Mullins is an actor, unicyclist, guitarist, and singer/songwriter who is also a member of the band, River’s Divide. His favourite artists include The Beatles, CCR, the Police, Eagles, Eric Clapton and David Bowie.
Matt McAllister is a singer/songwriter from Abbotsford who writes songs on anything he can get, including guitar, banjo and dulcimer. His influences include Tom Waits, Radiohead, and The National.
Nelson Padilla has been playing guitar and singing for about eight years, and his repertoire is varied, from Johnny Cash to Chris Cornell and John Mayer.
The first Happenin’ Heights music showcase was held Nov. 29, and the idea has quickly gained ground with performers and audiences a like.
The concept is to take jamming to the next level of performance, says Eymundson.
“You’re not born being a rock star,” explains Eymundson, a musician who’s also who’s actively involved with the Wired Monk Coventry’s weekly open mic nights on Wednesdays.
He encourages promising artists who show up at the open mics to sign up for the Happenin’ Heights music nights, where the focus is on providing a venue for emerging and up-and-coming talents who are looking to gain experience in front of a live audience rather than just taking part in a jam session with a bunch of other musicians.
Interested performers and bands are welcome to get in touch for the next Happenin’ Heights event.
“It’s not restricted to solo artists,” says Eymundson. “It’s wide open. If you’ve got three or five people, come talk to me.”
Wired Monk Coventry is located at at 18408 64 Avenue.
For updates and more information, visit www.facebook.com/happeninheights.
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