Posted: July 22nd, 2011 | Author: Blackbox Squeezebeard | Filed under: Show announcements and recaps | Tags: ArtsWells, Ballgag n' Chain Gang, Blackberry Wood, festival, Fish & Bird, Geoff Berner, High Society, Jeff Andrew, Jeremy Stewart, Joey Only, John Pippus, Linda McRae, Mind of a Snail, Namgar, Nice Verdes, Raghu Lokanathan, T. Nile, Unitarian Church of Vancouver, wedding, Wells | 1 Comment »
At the time the performance was a bit of a headache — a beautiful historical chapel in a refurbished ghost town, but one mysteriously without electricity to even out our disparate sound levels. (Little did we realise, the entire district was temporarily without power. Worst of all, the ice cream in the coolers was starting to melt and being given away for free!) But we’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of that set, first on the inside cover of last year’s festival program, and now again, thrusting us front and centre on Page A8 of the July 22, 2011 edition of the Vancouver Sun:

Did You Know: The Creaking Planks are a duo? It’s going to be very awkward breaking the news to the other dozen or so of us… I suppose this is why it is so vital we publish our book, that at least one other print source compete with this bold claim from our newspaper of record. That said, it’s nice to be considered the epitome of what a Vancouver-based folk ensemble looks like. (And it will be nice to Mike Fawcett to get credit for that photograph as well.)
We’ll be playing at the ArtsWells festival this year at 8:30 pm at the Downstairs Hall on Saturday, July 30th. Unlike last year, we’re not playing any other shows up there, but the festival is of course very worthwhile with sets from our friends in Blackberry Wood, Fish & Bird, the Joey Only matrimonial band, Raghu Lokanathan and Jeremy Stewart, Nice Verdes, Namgar, Mind of a Snail, High Society, Linda McRae, T. Nile, Jeff Andrew, John Pippus, and of course Geoff Berner.
Blackbox Squeezebeard (or, after last year’s fundraising depilation, “Airbeard”) will be hosting the Accordions in the Round session noon to 1 on the 31st also at the Downstairs Hall, and the Rev. Lucian Rumblebucket will be teaching a washtub bass workshop at 2 pm in the school.
But first, we’re playing for a private wedding party July 23rd!
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Posted: July 29th, 2010 | Author: Blackbox Squeezebeard | Filed under: Show announcements and recaps | Tags: ArtsWells, Barkerville, BC Musician, Johnnie Ninety-Nine, Prince George, Raghu Lokanathan, Sunset Theatre, Valemount, Wells | 1 Comment »
Did you see our Church set from last year’s ArtsWells festival in the Barkerville ad on the inside front cover of this year’s Summer Festival BC Musician issue?

Look a bit more closely…

Well, we had so much fun at last year’s ArtsWells Festival at Wells and Barkerville, BC, we’re going back this BC Day weekend. Around 1:15 pm Saturday, July 31st, the Creaking Planks will be performing at the Sunset Theatre for just about an hour, following Blackbox Squeezebeard’s hosting the “Bellows on Fire” accordion workshop at noon at the outdoor stage.
You’ll see more Planks at the festival, including Blackbox hosting the mainstage Saturday night (featuring our friends from Fish & Bird, Geoff Berner, and The Burning Hell!) and being ritually shorn at Sunday’s 1-Minute Play Contest to further fundraise for the festival beyond what we raised hosting the WellsAid concert earlier this summer… the question on everyone’s lips is of course Will he have to be issued a new pirate codename?
Following the ArtsWells Festival, while we’re all up in thar part of the world we’ve planned to join our favorite songwriter in his hometown, turning the tables, and join Raghu Lokanathan for a show in Valemount Tuesday, August 3rd, at the Anglican-United Church hall (1175 7 Ave).

The next day, Wed, Aug 4th, the Creaking Planks swing over to Prince George’s ArtSpace (above Books & Company, 1685 3rd Ave) to play a show with Johnnie Ninety-Nine, our most northerly gig yet!

Posted: July 27th, 2009 | Author: Blackbox Squeezebeard | Filed under: Show announcements and recaps | Tags: Ana Bon-bon, ArtsWells, Barkerville, Blackberry Wood, Fish & Bird, Geoff Berner, Jess Hill, Joey Only Outlaw Band, Linda McRae, Living Closet, Rae Spoon, Raghu Lokanathan, Shayne avec y grec, Tenbrooks Two, Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, Wells | 2 Comments »

Blackbeard Squeezebox has been several years running with his bit on the side, the Joey Only Outlaw Band, but finally this year he gets to reconvene with his old Living Closet cronies with the jug band of the damned in tow! ArtsWells, BC’s biggest little indie arts festival takes place over the BC Day long weekend in the little town of Wells, BC (and neighbouring historical Barkerville) in the Cariboo, from Friday July 31st through Monday August 3rd. Sharing various stages with us at various times are a whole bevy of buddies both accordion-slinging and non-; a partial look at the stellar line-up this year includes such friends as Ana Bon-Bon, Blackberry Wood, Geoff Berner, Jess Hill and Raghu Lokanathan (we’ll be playing a show with him in town the following week) and luminaries such as Fish & Bird, Linda McRae, Rae Spoon and the Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra!
We’re slated to be performing an afternoon set at the Barkerville venue Saturday (2-3 pm) and in the downstairs of the main hall Monday afternoon (3-4 pm) but you’ll be finding various and sundry Planks all over the festival grounds, nosing out jams and sating our hunger for knowledge at workshops like the accordions in the round session Saturday at noon or Dr. Steelhand’s slide guitar workshop Sunday morning (11 am-1 pm) in the school classroom! (Our regular hunger will be sated by Martin in the kitchen, no doubt!)