First off I would like to thank all of those who supported us through 2007. This was a year that brought many positive changes to the former “Café On King”. The walls got brighter and the space got bigger. With the addition of Chef John Wellwood the food has become a major attraction. There is no finer venue in Cambridge to see & hear some of the best entertainment in the region. With our new stage, lights and sound system “The Groove” is quickly becoming a hot spot for musicians & music lovers alike.

Chef, John Wellwood has always got a number of great creations on the go. For complete menu items please visit www.thegroovekitchen.com

With the cold days of January now upon us you can’t go wrong with any of John’s daily soup selections.

We are now open on Wednesday evenings for “Pasta Night” and will be offering a free bowl of soup with your purchase of any pasta entrée.

To take advantage of this offer, please present the coupon at the bottom of this newsletter.

Mo’ Kauffey please!! With a generous side of Max Bent.
By Stephanie D.

The headline on Mo’ Kauffey’s myspace page reads; “Folk-n-blues you can use”. That not only embodies his natural ability to poke fun at himself, but it actually rings true when describing his music. A fusion of Bob Dylan, Roger Miller, and Robert Johnson, sprinkled with lots of driving guitar solos, it calls to mind the spirit of roots country and blues. Sometimes effectively sweet and simple, (“Railroad song”), sometimes intricate and harmonica infused (“Sitting in LA), but always indicative that this bearded dude has the heart and soul of music beneath his skin. And that’s a refreshing thing.On Saturday Jaunary 12th, Mr. Mo’ Kauffey, who resides in Guelph, but originally hails from Colorado, will grace the stage here at The Groove Kitchen, along with his partner in crime, Max Bent...Ah, speaking of Max, let’s take a stroll over to his myspace page, shall we?

The first track listed is called “Heroin hill”, and it immediately reminds me of the honest, blue-eyed soul of The Animals’ “To love somebody”. Max’s grainy yet somehow pure voice perfectly suits the classic rock sound, and the choir-like chorus harmonies add an unexpected gospel feel and they fit brilliantly.

Next, “Deadman walking blues” is lyrically somber, but musically, anything but. A shout out to death row, it’s an all out country/rock explosion, complete with fresh bursts of harmonica.

I could go on, but I’d rather leave the rest of the tunes as a bit of a mystery, so that you guys are pleasantly surprised on the 12th, when you will all be in attendance, of course…right?

So, we’ve got two music veterans, both from good old Guelph, and both coming to The Groove Kitchen to undoubtedly melt our faces off with their assault of blues, country, rock and soul.

But what’s the story behind the music?
Mr. Kauffey himself was kind enough to allow me to pick his brain for a while.
Here is our exclusive interview:

Mo’ Kauffey: My hometown of Pueblo, Colorado had no acoustic music scene and I didn’t care to 'join a band' and play just rock and roll for money. I had a group of friends who all played guitar and we would get together two or three times a week and play at each others houses and play the music we loved. So, I did continue to play (and write some) music through that time period, while starting a new career as a house painter to pay the bills, eventually running my own painting business. After all those years doing that (and a couple of back injuries) I decided it was time for a change. This was in 1995 and an acoustic music scene had started becoming a reality where I was living in Colorado. Since that was the only other thing I loved to do and had 'trained for,' I decided to give it a go.

SD: Do you remember that first performance? What was it like, where was it, what happened, how did it shape you as an artist?

MK: Yes I do. It was at the Cantina at Southern Colorado State College and I was nervous. The audience wasn't paying much attention, but there were three important people there who were. My friend who got me the gig, the only guitar player in town that I wanted to take lessons from and play like, and the mother of one of my friends (who was way cool). Sounds crazy but these folks stuck around and encouraged me and that's what mattered to me at the time.

SD: You play around 150 dates a year. Where do you get the energy?!

MK: You have to stay focused, but music is one of the things that feeds my soul. When the audience is into what I am doing I feed off of that. I still have a painting business (which I try to keep part-time), but I have to keep a balance, as painting is very physical. But, you have to do what you have to do to pay the bills.

SD: The CD's you've released have been independent. Is Canadian independent music important to you? Why?

MK: This digital music age we are in has been very good for independent artists; it has made it feasible for the ‘indie' artist to get their music out there.

SD: What inspires you to write songs?

MK: I never know where the inspiration will come from, sometimes a conversation, something I have seen or done, sometimes just an idea I want to communicate. Sometimes the words come first’ sometimes the music.

SD: What can the audience at The Groove Kitchen expect on January 12th?

MK: Max Bent and I have been performing together for about four years now. He is one of my favourite guitar players. We know what to expect from each other and the show is like two old friends having a musical conversation on stage. We cover a lot of musical territory with a sound that is uniquely ours. I guess in a nutshell it is vocals from the heart and rhythms from the soul, and solos form either heaven or hell, depending on how you look at things.

Before I let Mo’ off the hook, there is just one more thing I need to ask. Something that I’ve been curious about since the first time I heard him play.--

SD: Your real name is Gary Wickizer. How did the name Mo' Kauffey come about?

MK: I was looking for a stage name, something people would have no trouble pronouncing, something fun. One of my sayings is: If you can't have no fun, then it ain't no fun! I am proud of my heritage as a Wickizer and my family is proud of my career as a Kauffey. Oh...yeah...and I drink a lot of good coffee.

I think it would be too easy to tie in a plug for the Groove Kitchen’s amazing coffee to that last response, and you guys know how great it is anyway, so we’ll see you on January 12th!

Les Picard is a jazz/folk/soft rock vocalist and guitarist with well-crafted songs that flow like silk and wrap the ears up in a very pleasant audio experience.

Bitten in his early teens by the music bug, performing at local dances in Quebec, Les has blossomed into a gifted songwriter over the years, and currently has his musical camp set up in the Kingston area.

Influenced by Carole King, James Taylor, and Kris Kristofferson, to name a few, his songs are a blissful blend of a handful of musical styles, and his live show is sure to be a bright and shining reflection of that.

That’s why The Groove Kitchen and Music room is proud to present Les Picard on Thursday January 10th at 9 pm. Check out some of Les’ work at esnips.com/web/LesPicardGuitaristSinger/

There’s a theory out there that all flower children either grew up to be yuppies, or remained as they were; tree hugging, flower sporting, peace loving, gentle souls.

If this theory has any shred of relevance, Doreen Gurski is the prime example of the latter category. Which is just as well, because the idea of doing a story about yuppies frankly doesn’t excite me much.

The singer (amongst other things) of Kitcheners psychedelic rock outfit The Reserves peppers her vocabulary with words such as “groovy” and “trippy”, smiles widely at strangers, and embodies a non judgmental free spirit that is just as present in the music of The Reserves as it is in Doreen’s daily presence.

I’d been planning a post-show interview (The Reserves take the stage at The Groove Kitchen and music room this Saturday January 5th), but ironically, I’ve bumped into Doreen here while doing some last minute touch ups on the very newsletter you’re reading now.

In other words, opportunity has presented itself, so I’ve decided it’s the perfect chance to ask her a few questions before we unleash the full-blown story and review in our February issue. And what better place to conduct such a thing as the very venue in which The Reserves will play less than 48 hours from press time?

Stephanie D: Who are your biggest musical influences?

Doreen Gurski: Annie Lennox, Bono of U2, and Pink Floyd.

SD: Who are some of your favourite Canadian artists?

DG: Well, I love Tom Cochrane, always have. I like a lot of local artists, I really like Super Marine, we’ve played with them, The Shady Jays, I like them too. Sean Kellerman, he’s really something else. I’m just starting to get to know artists around town; there are so many great ones.

SD: What do you think about the atmosphere here at The Groove Kitchen, and how do you feel about your gig coming up here on Saturday?

DG: I’m really excited! We’ve played here before, and now it’s revamped, and I love the 50’s feel, the avant-garde feel of it. The menu is great, my family and I just had a wonderful lunch here, and I’m just really pumped up about it!!

Be sure to pick up a copy of the February issue of In The Groove for the full-length feature on The Reserves, and we’ll see you on January 5th for their performance (which also includes a set from Toronto rap artist Runaway.)