The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Wednesday, June 28, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER B5 Local couple sing at Waterfront and launch CD By Carol Baldwin ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR M usic has always been a big part of Bemie and Mary German's lives. Now, the Oakville couple, who sang at the Waterfront Festival on the weekend, are ready to launch their When You're In Love will be launched at a CD release party at the Avalon in Oakville Town Centre II on Sunday, July 23rd, beginning at 2 p.m,, with the band playing at 3 p.m. The songs on the CD are all originals, written by Bemie and recorded in a Killbride studio. Bemie, who plays bass as well as rhythm and lead guitar on the CD, is accompanied by a drummer and a keyboard player, as well as a bit of background harmonica in one particular song. "Bemie sings some of the songs, and I sing some of them," Mary said, noting that the CD incorporates a variety of genres from Chicago blues and light rock to Celtic and country. The lyrics also include a range of topics and life situations from that first kiss to dealing with the death of a loved one. For instance, said Mary, When / Was a Boy is about a man who realizes how his late father continues to influence him: "how a father's love can be everlasting...still there even after death." Harmonica music can be heard in the background because, she added, Bemie's dad played the harmonica. "My dad would get out the harmonica when we were growing up and play all of our favourites," he said. "Mary's dad was a square dance caller and her mom played accordion." That harmonica obviously influenced Bemie, musically. But so did The Beatles and The Eagles. However, he admits to adding a bit of a Celtic or country flavour to his compositions. Mary agrees, referring to the music on the CD first CD. "One of the original reasons for going into recording was to approach other people who would be interested in doing the songs," she said, explaining that introducing a song on a CD rather than sheet music is more sensuous and immediate. "Bernie really is a talent," she boasts. `These songs and melodies just come to him, and I think they are just beautiful." Although the CD is independently produced, the Germans take their music so seriously that Mary has quit her job to market and distribute the CD and book live performances. At the CD launch on July 23rd, the couple will be joined by John and Cyn D Jamieson on key boards and vocals, Larry Moore on mandolin, Steve Manning on bass and Ted Hesketh on drums. When You 're In Love is available in Oakville at HMV, Sam's, L'Atelier Grigorian, Hi-Note Music and Recordings. New Jazz Festival Photo by Peter J. Thom pson Bernie and Mary German performed at the Oakville Waterfront Festival on Friday on the Coronation Family Stage and again on Saturday on the Bronte Broadway Stage. Their first CD, When You 're In Love will be launched at a CD release party at the Avalon in Oakville Town Cen tre II on Sunday, July 23rd, beginning at 2 p.m., with the band playing at 3 p.m. At the launch, the couple will be joined by John and Cyn D Jamieson on keyboards and vocals, Larry Moore on mandolin, Steve Manning on bass and Ted Hesketh on drums. as "light rock/pop," and tagging the second song, Summer Winds, as representative of their style. A favourite of Mary's is a song that was inspired by a card accompanying a bouquet of flowers Bernie once gave her. The card read, You are my everything. "I said, `What a great idea for a song. You have to write a song about this.'" So he did. Mary said one of the great things about recording original songs is that the musicians can take creative licence with the interpretation of each song. Now in its eighth year, the Oakville Jazz Fes tival is on the move to a new look, a new date, a new home and a new sponsor. The date of the original festival has been changed to the weekend of Friday, Aug. 25th to Sunday, Aug. 27th, to allow sponsors and orga nizers to ensure that his year's programming will be comparable to previous years. In keeping with the spirit of change, artistic director Jim Galloway has added blues to the program. `T he two are a good blend," he said. `They appeal to a huge range of music lovers." The new-and-improved Oakville Jazz and Blues Fest will entertain music lovers at the Oakville Entertainment Centrum, off Winston Churchill Boulevard, just north of the QEW. Rain did not deter avid fans C o n c e rt R eview By Kym Funnell OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Not even a steady stream of pour ing rain could dampen the spirits of the fans that turned out to see Chantal Kreviazuk on Saturday night at Coro nation Park. Waterfront Festival-goers waited patiently through the initial drizzle (and minor delay) to see this talented Canadian with her grand piano take the main stage; and it proved well worth the wait. Kreviazuk dazzled the crowd with many hit songs, and a few of her own personal favourites. With almost every song she took a moment to explain its origin, why she wrote it and for whom. One emotional moment came as she told the story of a good friend who's life ended early, and how it inspired her to write one of her per sonal favourites, M. She said of another of her favourites, Until We Die: "Its sincerity and depth is reaffirmed to me every time I play it live," she said at an ear lier interview. "Ultimately, the song feels like it existed and it was simply channeled through me." The emotional honesty and passion that resounded through the park on Saturday night was a testament to that quote, as her voice reached the hearts of many in the crowd. "She has simply a phenomenal voice," exclaimed one thrilled fan, Kerry-Lee Cowan. "I came in from Toronto to see her live, and she didn't disappoint." Many of Kreviazuk's fans showed their devotion as they stood through the pouring rain, not missing a beat of her melodic voice. Joking about the weather, the performer was deter mined to put on a great show and "have fun with us," which she suc ceeded in doing. Umbrellas and all, people swayed and moved to the music, singing along with this well-deserving Juno-award winning Winnipeg native. (Kreviazuk took the award for Best Female Artist and Best Pop/Adult Album at this year's Juno Awards.) From the young age of three, Chan tal has had a special affinity for the piano. When asked when her career really started for her, she responded: "I don't feel my career ever started at any age, but that my life in music chose me, because I have been both singing and playing the piano and liv ing my life through music, since I can actually remember." Experiencing Kreviazuk live sheds insight into the passion and sincerity that is expressed on her albums. The warmth of her songs and the honesty with which she delivers each note made the rain seem to evaporate as she embraced the crowd with her extraordinary talent. n k SA LE P R IC E S END SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2 0 0 0 , W H IL E Q U A N T IT IE S LA S T G e t out of the heat Air conditioners on sale Save *100-300 KENMORE® 10,000 BTU WINDOW AIR CONDITIONER Electronic controls plus remote. Cools approximately 4 0 0 sq. ft. Features 3-speed fan, adjustable thermostat and 2-way air deflection. #35510. Sears reg. 7 4 9 .9 9 . Save *150 599" ALL PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONERS ON SALE Choose from Kenmore and Delonghi portable air conditioning units with dehum idifier features. Featuring: Save $300. Delonghi® 7 ,5 0 0 BTU portable air conditioner w ith 2-speed fan and adjustable air flow. 24-hour tim er helps save energy. # 3 5 3 3 6 . Sears reg. 1 4 9 9 .9 9 . ALL KENMORE HORIZONTAL ELECTRONIC-CONTROL AIR CONDITIONERS ON SALE Featuring: Save $100. Kenmore 6 ,2 0 0 BTU horizontal model with 3-speed fan and remote control. #35506. Sears reg. 5 99 .99 . 4 9 9" Plus... save $100. 8 ,0 0 0 BTU air conditioner. # 3 5 5 0 8 . Sears reg. 6 4 9 .9 9 . 549.99 1199" Visit Sears Oakville Place NP0651 200 M o n .-F ri. 9 :3 0 a m -9 ;0 0 pm . S at. 8 :0 0 a m -6 :0 0 pm . S u n .11 a m -6 pm . Copyright 2000. Sears Canada Inc