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Posted By JOHN EMMS

Before the Rock Report: It has been on the back burner for a few weeks now, but as I was about to send in this column, the lineup for Blues & Brews 3 Maximum Hot November Nite was finally confirmed late Tuesday.

It may get cold outside but get on the dance floor Saturday, Nov. 15 when Soul Doubt, The Shaftmen and The Barrelhouse Blues Band will be packing fans in for more than three hours of hard and heavy Soul, R & B, Blues and Texasstyle party music at the McIntyre Auditorium.

Soul Doubt will be going the route of their torrid 12-piece horn-style cover material, Kap's Barrelhouse Blues will be linking together heavy guitar-dominated Chicago and Texas Blues, while The Shaftmen, who have just finished recording their second album with Juno Winner Jack De Keyzer, will play rockin' originals from both discs plus popular covers of artists like Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones and CCR.

Ticket prices will soon be announced. It's a licenced event so expect this to sell out all 400 seats.

Now the Rock Report.

I have been asked at least 100 times why can't we get regular big time concert activity in Timmins, as they do in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and North Bay. On a few other occasions, I get asked why can't we do more for the arts in Timmins.

However let me ask this first. Are people in Timmins audiences really interested in Broadway stage plays such as Hairspray, or Gypsy? Or would we go see David Copperfield, Martin Short, Wayne Newton, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Great Big Sea, Anne Murray, Pat Benatar, Kenny Rogers, or Blue Rodeo?

Better yet would our young people fill up a venue to see Rise Against, Nickelback, Finger Eleven, Killswitch Engage or Three Days Grace?

What if our priorities in Timmins are different than those of our sister cities here in the North. Is that not OK? I believe there is a middle ground.

I have for many years off and on in this column pledged the need for a 1,000 to 1,200 seat Community Arts Centre. Folks, you could generate an awful lot of money by having events in a venue such as this. it would create jobs, be a source of community pride, and you could host tons of events in every genre of entertainment or social activities.

In the same month you could have recording acts from headbanging to blues to country, You could have a Broadway play or you could host the National Ballet of Canada.

Take your pick.

Let me play devil's advocate and say somehow I don't think Timmins people would come through for this type of venue.

Here are the facts on the other Northern cities.

As far as getting Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Elton John or John Mellencamp -- just to name a few -- who have or will be in our region I would first say there is no inside venue big enough. Seating capacity in the Sudbury Arena is 4,700 with a full capacity of 6,000. In North Bay, the arena's total capacity can accommodate more than 4,000. In the Soo, the arena capacity is 3,900 people while up in Thunder Bay, Fort William Gardens' capacity for concerts is 4,200 people.

The McIntyre Arena holds approximately 2,200 people. This would mean ticket prices would be higher.

However, you have to remember Thunder Bay has a state-of-the-art Community Auditorium which holds 1,500 people. North Bay has the Capitol Arts Centre, which holds 994 people, while Sault Ste. Marie Canuck music fans can go over to Michigan to Kewadin Casino. Meanwhile, Sudbury has, over the years, featured some of biggest names in the world.

It sounds bad but it's just the facts.

For a start I do not blame the promoters. Timmins is a very tricky city. From what I see, if I break it down to simple terms, in the summer Timmins residents' weekends are made up of going camping, fishing, or visiting Sudbury to shop.

The fall months are taken up hunting and squeezing in extra camping days.

That leaves winter, which means taking the kids to hockey, snowmobiling, skiing or taking a winter vacation somewhere warm, etc.

In spring, around April, you open up the camp. Yes we love our camping. OK, you get the picture. Timmins is not exactly an easy place to promote as a concert or arts centre.

I know what your going to say. Don't residents of other Northern Ontario cities do the same activities? Probably.

But somehow we are different up here in Timmins. I can't explain it.

According to Marc Duciaume, a local businessman, people have found November is a great month. You have closed your camp, hunting season is slower, and Christmas parties have not begun. People seem to be looking for a great Saturday Night party.

Other Timmins residents I talked to also thought March or April may be a good time, because it's a transition month before the May Run. Other people I have talked to at concerts or events say without hesitation: "John, the majority of Timmins residents just simply don't care."

But maybe some do.

Personally through the years The Porquis Blues Festival, thanks to people like Peter Sabourin (SAB) and now Ben Lefebvre and Don Elliot, is something I look forward to every year.

Not only that but I believe Porquis has become the coolest rite of summer passage. Long before I played there as a musician, I volunteered to MC the shows on numerous occasions and wrote tons of articles on the festival.

I believe in it.

That goes ditto for Timmins Rib Fest and The Paper Fest concerts Lee Purdy helms up In Iroquois Falls. They are both good for the region. If I may add, people have no clue how hard volunteers work at these events.

I have been asked is there room for another blues and roots event? The McIntyre Arena's name has come up. Personally, if the city and local businesses get behind it in a big way and you had headliners (e. g. Downchild Blues Band, David Wilcox, Ricky Paquette) plus six or seven local support acts, I would say give it a shot.

The staging is there, the weather is not a problem.

Let's be honest, arena acoustics can be tricky. I believe sound techs would have to work hard to get a good pristine sound in the arena. For example, there were a few problems with the acoustics even when Alice Cooper's world tour made a stop in Timmins, despite the fact Cooper employs world-class specialists in sound and lighting far above the average rock concert.

But I have total confidence it can be accomplished.

However, I have to stress, local business and corporate sponsorship at least on the money or on the in-kind end would be key to another day-long event.

On the other hand, it's obvious the local talent is very good. In fact, either by themselves or in a support position to a recording act I have witnessed local bands that have had incredible one-hour-plus sets that the audience went crazy for.

On a few occasions, many fans wanted to know if the local artists were going to get back up and play again.

I like the idea of The Shania Twain Centre outside concerts in August and it's a great showcase for local and

regional talent. But personally I would go more in the Blue Rodeo or Tragically Hip area for a headliner.

In the end I'm very proud of our heritage and culture. With our own band, we try to use our mining theme in our artwork, the songs, and T-shirts or caps. That old distinctive guitar stuck through a mining headframe goes round the world via our website or our MySpace page. It's a sense of pride if I'm on holidays in another country or it's mentioned in a radio interview, or the band plays an occasional out-of-town gig.

Sure it's just a small thing, but people get a kick out of it.

We say "yup, were from Timmins, land of great hockey players, Shania Twain and of course mining that ol' golden ore."

Now if Shania, Steve Sullivan or any mine executive is reading this we can reached at ...

Till next week folks!

John Emms is a local musician, songwriter and performer.

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