Don Oakie - The Coming Home Concert

THEME

The COMING HOME CONCERT will be an afternoon matinee featuring Dundas musicians performing music from singer/songwriter Don Oakie’s 2022 indie release album COMING HOME…a blend of blues, bluegrass, ballads and jazz. The CD was recorded at the renowned Kensington Sound in Toronto and at Hill Studios in Charlottetown, PEI. It features performances by twenty of the finest musicians from across Canada.

The theme of “home” and its impact for a full and contented life run throughout Oakie’s original songs. It’s fitting then, that Proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Hamilton Alliance For Tiny Shelters (HATS) to help support their efforts to provide secure shelter for those in need.

This will be one of the must-see events of the fall in Dundas and will include featuring a stellar lineup of musicians and artful on-screen imagery.

VENUE

The Garstin Centre for the Arts is a fully equipped, elegant, 150 soft seat theatre in the heart of Dundas. It is the home of The Dundas Little Theatre company. It and is named for one of the company’s founding members. The setting and acoustics make for the perfect venue.

THE MUSICIANS

Don Oakie – virtuoso guitarist and singer/songwriter. “Coming Home” will features selections from his well-received release of the same name. Don lives in Dundas

“Oakie shows he can handle lots of different roots styles, featuring his finger-picking guitar work…It’s pretty much a showcase of everything he’s soaked up and stored for decades.” – Bob Mersereau - Top One Hundred Canadian Albums - CBC contributor

Lily Sazz – Dundas resident – Pianist - Lily has, for decades, led and toured with her own bands (Trailblazers, Groove Corporation, Cootes Paradise) She is the former musical director and current keyboardist with the Women’s Blues Revue presented annually at Massey Hall) and has performed with some of the biggest names in the Canadian Blues and R&B scene.

Geoff Ball – Hamilton’s Geoff Ball is an accomplished cellist, bass player and composer. Geoff performs a wide spectrum of musical genres from classical to new age and has contributed cello and bass tracks to many recordings with other artists and his trio Euphonics. He brings technical excellence and fresh and exciting styling to the role of the cello in all genres and adds a very special sound to the ensemble, helping to set it apart.

Rob Santos – Percussionist – from Rock and Roll to sophisticated jazz, after graduating from the Mohawk music program, Hamilton’s Rob Santos has continued to pursue his love of music in many different genres and ensembles (Sylvrado, Jimmy Stahl Big Band)

Special Guest – Norm Ayerst – Dobro and Pedal Steel - Norm was born and raised in Dundas. He has played all forms of steel guitar since childhood. Norm began playing in rock bands in San Francisco in the seventies and has been part of many roots music and bluegrass bands over thedecades (Davis Payne, Rhyme and Reason) and is often sought after as a session player for other artists.

You can stream songs from Coming Home here https://donoakiemusic.com/