L
ocal boy, Rodney DeCroo will be bringing some new music and poetry to The Cultch on Wednesday, May 31st. Rodney has made East Van his home and will be showcasing songs from his new album Old Tenement Man produced by Tonic Records, now his 8th album. He will also be featuring work from his third poetry book, Next Door To The Butcher Shop published by Nightwood Editions which explores the permeability of memory and uncovers heart-wrenching beauty from shadowy grit. The Georgia Straight recently featured their Top 50 albums for each year the paper has been published for their 50th Anniversary. Rodney’s album Campfires On The Moon was featured for the year 2015 in which he’s affectionately referred to as the dark prince of East Van. It takes courage for artists to showcase their dark side and lay it bare for all to hear. We suspect his performance at The Cultch with some special guests will be a memorable evening. .Along with his new album, Rodney will be featuring a new book of poetry entitled Next Door to the Butcher Shop which we understand offers a rare, sharp, first-hand perspective of life around the edges, with dark comedy dispersed throughout.
An excerpt from Next Door To The Butcher Shop
How quickly age
descends on us. Our memories are maps
to places that don’t exist. I was an emperor
on a green lawn wearing a white sheet
and a paper crown. The birds sang my praises
from the hedges and the trees
The evening will also feature the talents of Geoff Berner and Fraser Mackenzie who join Rodney on stage. Tickets are $20 and available in advance at The Cultch OR by phone at Telephone: 604-251-1363, or you can purchase tickets at the door $25.
You are invited to a unique evening this Saturday at The Cultch. Rodney DeCroo will be screening the music video for his song “Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town”. Before we tell you about this Saturday, a little back story first. Earlier this year, East Vancouver folk singer-songwriter Rodney DeCroo and the Templeton Secondary School After School Film Program teamed up to raise $10,000 from a Kickstarter campaign. The aim was raise funds to make a music video to DeCroo’s song “Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town“. The campaign was a success and raised a total of $11,437 with the support of 155 backers. Templeton High School’s drama teacher, Jim Crescenzo, had approached DeCroo to do something with the students at Templeton. DeCroo was curious to see how a group of students from East Van would interpret the song through the lens of their own experiences. Rodney went into this wanting to teach and reinforce how art creation is transformative and a powerful vehicle for self-expression. It turned out, the students taught DeCroo a few things. DeCroo stated that he “was deeply impressed by how much they (the students) respected and trusted each other. They showed me that art is about connection, relationships, trust, intuition, authenticity, engagement and that it isn’t something that they need us to teach them. It’s always in us which isn’t to say it’s always easily in reach. But they’re artists. They may or may not have benefited from my being there, but I was reminded watching them to trust my instincts.”
ILiveInEastVan.com 