Sarah Rennie –
Looking for a way to start 2018 in high style? How about sharing a midnight toast at Grove Hall with Lee-La Baum and the members of The Damn Truth, the area’s favourite breakout band poised for an epic new year of their own.
With the release of the video for their new single “White Lies,” a spot on the Rock Legends Cruise 2018, with the likes of Sammy Hagar, Bad Company, and Steppenwolf among others, as well as a US tour, The Damn Truth are on a trajectory to stardom. One of their last stops before heading out on the road will be Grove Hall for a New Year’s Eve celebration where they will share the local stage with guests Po Lazarus and The Sick Things. Tickets for this event are available for $25 online at www.grovehall.ca. They include free munchies and bubbly and a guaranteed rocking ringing in of 2018.
Reputation as a rural venue
The owners of Grove Hall relish the opportunity to bring such high quality “city” talent to the Valley, and this will mark the third time the Damn Truth will grace the stage. “It is always fun” says Tina Bye, of booking such acts. “I don’t know how many times each season I get asked – ‘how did you get these guys to come out here,’” she says of the Hall’s growing reputation for staging Montreal quality shows with the bands and musicians to match.
Exceptional year ahead for arts and culture hub
The team at Grove Hall is also looking forward to an exciting New Year, and if the past 12 months are any indication there will be no slowing down for the local arts centre. Fresh off the stop by CBC’s Still Standing in early December, which will feature an episode on Huntingdon sometime soon, Grove Hall is cementing its place in the Valley as a rejuvenating hub for the arts and culture in the region. Valley fans can look forward to the upcoming play already in rehearsal, “Comedy of Tenors,” which is the sequel to the hilarious “Lend Me a Tenor,” performed in 2015. As well, 2018 will feature collaborations with the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent to bring back world-renowned local artists the Quatuor Monteregie string quartet as well as Jordan Officer.
Finally, with the help of the MRC’s FDT grant program, Grove Hall now has the capacity to stage professional shows of all sort outdoors with the purchase of a huge tent. This could also mean the possibility of bringing Grove Hall to different communities. Fans will have to stay tuned in 2018 to see how these plans may develop.
