Entertainment

Canadian comic Derek Edwards, once described by Rick Mercer as “the funniest man in Canada,” will be wrapping up a two-year, cross-country tour with a pair of shows in the West Kootenay in mid-May.

From hit TV shows like The Simpsons and Glee to classic movies like Hot Tub Time Machine, Ivan Doroschuk welcomes all the recent pop-culture references to his band’s most famous song, The Safety Dance.

At the Rouge Gallery on Tuesday night, Alan Rinehart (left) plays an ornate lute built by Clive Titmuss (right), who himself is playing a lute, which he also built. The vihuela is a close replica of the 16th century Spanish instrumens that was an important step in the evolution towards the modern guitar. Only three original vihuelas survive, none in good condition.

From upbeat gospel and bluegrass to folk and what the group calls “contemplative originals,” the June Bugs’ poetic, acoustic music was described as “a fresh kitchen party style” by reviewers for The Hub on Ross in Red Deer, Alta.

Despite a lot of competition for places to be and people to see on Saturday night, fiddler April Verch and her band held a large crowd at the Miners’ Hall rapt with stunning displays of musicianship, dancing, and their good sense of down-home humour.

The inaugural Just Dance Festival brought 100 dancers from Castlegar and Rossland to the stage at the Brilliant Cultural Centre last weekend.

Café Books West in Rossland, B.C. will host an earring making workshop on April 20, from 4 to 6 p.m., led by Jody Pomeroy.

Alan Rinehart and Clive Titmuss, two extraordinary classical guitarists from Kelowna, will perform “Music of Old Spain from the 16th Century to the Age of the Fandango” at the Rouge Gallery on April 19.

Kai Symmington-Kruus, Brooklyn Donovan, Marley Lemieux, and Natasha Robine of the École des Sept-Sommets construct a paper-mâché animal that will soon receive a colourful finish before it is put on display with other “Magical Animals” at the Rouge Gallery from April 15 to 23.

The Japan Disaster Relief Fundraiser culminated in an evening of good tunes at the Miners’ Hall on March 31, and raised more than $2,000 for the Red Cross effort in Japan, and an additional $500 for BEAKS, the Bird Emergency and Kare Society in Castlegar.