Piano, Pints and Mr. Paul Klein

A renowned spot for live music, Boundary Bay’s Beer Garden packs the locals in all summer long…but when winter rolls around, the taproom becomes the place to be. For several years running, Boundary has offered weekly piano concerts in the taproom with musicians Paul Klein (Tuesdays from 6-8) and Aaron Guest (Wednesdays from 6-8). Additionally, the first Tuesday of every month is Jazz Night (from 8:30-11) with Jennifer Scott, Jud Sherwood and Rene Worst (with open mic at 9:30). Did we mention its FREE?

For ten years, Klein has been provided the folks at Boundary Bay with his swanky tunes, and just this month, a beautiful Steinway piano was donated to Paul to be housed in the Boundary Bay taproom for weekly entertainment.

Since I was in my early 20’s, I have wanted to play piano in a restaurant, bar. My idea was formed early on, where I spent my “formative”  years in Minnesota where I saw a blues legend from Minneapolis, Willie Murphy, play a honky tonk in a small, but famous Minneapolis bar. The upright piano was about 6 feet off the floor, on a small platform where Willie would play and shout the rockin’ blues for partons, who danced and sang along below. At 22, I realized I wanted to be a musician and began studying different styles in earnest. Almost 30 years later, when I walked into the Boundary Bay, I noticed an upright in the corner, and approached Janet to play weekly. That was over 10 years ago and I have been playing weekly since then. 

Recently, Mr. Klein made a trek to Bainbridge Island to collect a very special Steinway piano that would replace the old one in the Boundary Bay Taproom: One of my transplanted Minnesota college friends had moved to Bainbridge Island years ago and bought an older vintage Steinway upright for his mother to use when she visited. As soon as I saw that piano, I fell in love with it. I have stayed in touch with him and recently asked him if he still had the piano. His mother can’t visit any more, so it has been sitting un-played in his living room. He quickly offered the piano for our use at the Boundary Bay, so I decided we could move it and enlisted the help of Mark Ashworth, another musician and dear friend to help us move it. Moving that piano down a flight of steps nearly killed three movers and us, but we managed to stuff it in Mark’s extra high van. It was a fun day adventure to Bainbridge and back and now this great piano has a new home in the tap room!  Boundary is honored and excited to home this exquisite piece. More importantly, we’re are grateful for folks like Paul who generously offer their extraordinary talent and selfless spirit.

Klein further exhibits his musical expertise as a music teacher at Kulshan Middle School, a 32-year band member of The Atlantics, and also accompanies the Kulshan Chorus (who will be be traveling to Costa Rica to sing this summer!). Paul also directs a men’s choir at the Congregational Church where he leads a gospel inspired service once a month. Additionally, he plays solo piano at the Jansen Art Center in Lynden and the Edison Inn.

10 years strong, Paul Klein plays every Tuesday from 6-8 in the Boundary Bay Taproom. “Big thanks to all the Bbay folks and Janet and Ed, who have given me a chance to have a steady gig there for so long!” Cheers, and a THANK YOU from the Boundary Bay staff. There’s nothin’ like a bustling Boundary taproom, piano, pints and all…

 

Boundary Bay Brewery Tickles the Ivories

For years now, our customers here at Boundary Bay Brewery have enjoyed weeknight music from the weekly Jazz Jam on Tuesdays and Paul Klein on Monday nights.  In this New Year, we’ve decided to woo you all the way to mid-week with live music in our tap room!  Aaron Guest will be playing the piano every Wednesday night from 5-7 pm.  The performance is in our tap room, so 21+ only please!

Here’s what Aaron had to say about his style of music:

“I have been playing piano the better part of my life, many years of that were classical and improv training. I spent a small part of my lessons learning Scott Joplin‘s ragtime style, and find myself using that sound often at Boundary Bay, mixed with old blues and country/bluegrass songs I know. I have a passion for traditional American music, and have played guitar and sang in some old timey groups around the Northwest. It’s fun to translate these songs onto piano, and I think that style fits well with Boundary Bay beer drinkers. I also play favorites of the 60’s to the present, anything from The Beatles to Paul Simon to Radiohead. I mix in originals and improvisations here and there. Over the last few years, I have developed two distinct styles of piano playing, one more ambient, reminiscent of Sigur Ros, Album Leaf, and Radiohead, while the other is the honkytonk, ragtime, bluegrass style of the early 1900’s. I definitely lean heavier on the older style at Boundary, it’s more appealing to the atmosphere there.”

See you there tonight!  I’ll be the one with the big ole pint of Cabin Fever in my hand!

Monday Nights at Boundary Bay Brewery

The Gallus Brothers

Are you looking for something to do on Monday nights to ease the horrors of starting yet another work week?  Has the pinch of the recession got you down?  Well, look no more!  We’ve got not one but TWO great acts happening weekly here at Boundary Bay Brewery on Monday nights…FOR FREE!  Each Monday evening, at 6:00 pm, Paul Klein will be tickling the ivories in our Tap Room.  His bluesy ragtime tunes are a great way to end a long, dreary  Monday and he’ll get you nice and warmed up for the Gallus Brothers who perform at 8:30 each week.

The Gallus Brothers play goodtime ragtime blues with a guitar and a suitcase! Don’t miss this unique blend of blues, ragtime and early 20th century pop music. Hicks, the “suitcase player,” has created a musical contraption that boasts a variety of sound-makers ranging from bells and whistles to rhythm bones and an old banjo head that he plays brushes on. The Gallus Brothers also take performing a lot further than most duos, incorporating balancing acts and other tricks into its act to liven up the crowd. This is just plain fun!

Paul Klein