Newt's rock 'n' roll weekend planner, Vancouver edition, February 27 to March 1

I've always liked Sam Roberts--beard or not--but if you were planning on seeing his show at the Commodore on Friday--with guests the River and the Road and Pigeon Park--tough titty. That one's sold right out, my friends. The good news is he's playing the same place again on Saturday.

Say what? That sucker's sold out too? Well, ain't that a bummer...

....not too much of a bummer, though, because there's another recommendation for VanMusicCity on a Friday night. I've always liked Fred Eaglesmith as well--at least I did when I interviewed him back in 1999, and I reckon I still would, unless he ignored my advice and went changin'. He's also pulling off a two nighter, playing tunes from his latest album, Tambourine, at St. James Hall. From all accounts--or Eaglesmith's, anyway--the new disc is quite the rockin' affair.

“When I put the songs together for Tambourine, I was thinking about the days when there were five push buttons on an automobile radio,” Eaglesmith said to somebody on the Internet. “Everyone was listening to AM stations and, at any given time, one of those five buttons was playing a song worth listening to. The album is a walk through the garden of rock ‘n’ roll. The music’s roots are firmly dug in the mid-to-late '60s. The primary essence is 1966--the year that gave us Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde and Question Mark & the Mysterians.”

After rocking out on Friday night you're gonna want to sleep in on Saturday before psyching yourself up for the trek out to the Langley for the 8th Annual Fraser Valley Acoustic Guitar Festival. That's happening down at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and features--as well as noted Greek guitarist Antigoni Goni--special guests Les Finnigan and Jeff Bowman.

Bowman I remember from my youth in Chilliwack because he played in a wedding band with my buddy Scotty Bad and was known around town as a smokin' player and a great guitar teacher. I definitely could have used a lesson or two myself.

To close out the rock 'n' roll weekend I've got a couple of options. If you're not guitared-out by Sunday, head over to the Electic Owl to see Tommy Castro and the Painkillers, with guests the Harpdog Brown Band. Castro knows his way around a Strat just as well as Jeff Bowman, I bet, and without all that theory to distract him from wailing blues licks.

My other option for Sunday night would be to go see the 8:45 screening of A Girl Walks Home at Night at the Vancity Theatre. Even if you're not a big horror fan I bet you might like Ana Lily Amirpour's film about a vampire who haunts the desolate streets of an Iranian ghost town. I haven't seen it yet myself, but I've heard great things. And since it scored a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes I doubt it'll suck, although there could very well be some sucking.