Once You’re Hooked It’s Pretty Much Impossible to Shake That Vinyl Buying Habit

In the midst of being immersed in Spring Campaign 2012 it is recommended that one take a periodic look at what else is going on in the rest of our community that supports and presents music in so many ways.

Before I join Lark Clark for a Sunday fundraising rally cry on World Spinning at 4pm, I am definitely going to take time to head to Sherbrooke Community Hall in Edmonton for the second annual Edmonton Music Collectors Show.

I was on the road when the inaugural 2011 edition of the event was produced but by all accounts it was a major success for vendor and buyers.

Many of our music traders and sellers, who could be found at the annual Pop Culture Fairs, decided that an "all music" show might be the way to go and attendance at the new event suggested that music fans were more than ready to support such a fair.


Some 40 vendors and over 600 music buffs breezed through the hall last year, buying, selling and trading music related wares.

The press release for this year’s event states:


I was introduced to one of the organizers of the Music Collectors Show one afternoon last year while flipping through vinyl at Freecloud Records, and George Gawlak told me that he felt there was room for another fair or show in our city devoted to just music.

“Not only are collectors and fans of certain styles and genres of music always on the hunt for those rare or out of print releases, we’ve seen a boom in other kinds of memorabilia,” said Gawlak.

Apparently the market for vintage tour t-shirts has taken off in a big way and younger music fans will pay a pretty good buck for a worn tee that features the logo of a favorite retro act. That means I better get my ducks in a row and book a table for next year as I have a few dozen cool concert/band/festival t-shirts that must have shrunk over time, and which I am willing to part with.

For that matter there are a few choice posters from shows of days gone by that could use new homes.

Doors at Sherbrooke open at 10am at the early bird price of $10, and after 11am the admission price drops to $5. Sherbrooke Community Hall is located at 13008–122 Avenue and for complete info on the Edmonton Music Collectors Show head to - you guessed it - EdmontonMusicCollectorsShow.com.



A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Calvin Vollrath on Points North and quite frankly it was a long overdue visit from one of Alberta’s and Canada’s finest musical ambassadors.

Well this weekend Calvin runs his annual Spring Fling up the flagpole and for the first time the three day event is being held at the new Morinville Community Cultural Centre.

The combination of great music in a setting that always provides a "down home feel" is what the Spring Fling is all about.

Spring Fling consists of three events, all showcasing Calvin’s immense talents in different musical settings and the shows also put the spotlight on many of his musical friends, some of whom travel great distances to participate in the shows.

Friday night is the "kick up your heels" portion of the program as Calvin, his fiddle and his Country Swing quintet are the featured entertainment during a dine and dance evening.

The doors open at 5:30pm, dinner is served at 6pm, and the waltzing and two-stepping begin at 7:30pm.

Saturday night is always earmarked for Calvin’s annual CD release party and this year the internationally acclaimed instrumentalist has two new offerings for us, one titled The Homecoming and the other titled Spring Fling. For this function the audience will  hear the seven piece Calvin Vollrath Orchestra that will include three Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champions, those being Daniel Gervais, Patti Lamoureux and Mark Sullivan.

The affair winds up with a Sunday afternoon Fiddle Gala/Concert at 2pm that brings Calvin and number of his fiddle playing associates together for a showcase of fiddling styles from various parts of the country.

The Spring Fling is as distinctly a Canadian musical event as you can find and for complete information on ticket prices and line-ups head to calvinvollrath.com.