Thank you everyone !
Matt Storch

Yours truly will accompany Carlos Benevides on his big afternoon radio show Thursday, January 8th @ 4:00pm. Tune in to 107.5 Dave FM or listen online at www.davefm.com This is going to be a lot of fun. You could help raise awareness of The Groove Kitchen and our band Matt Storch & The Usual Suspects by calling in to say hi or log on to Dave Fm and comment on my very own Big Afternoon Radio show Blog. You will also get a chance to hear our recently recorded original “Crazy Bout’ You Baby” . Please go on line and request it through the comments page on the blog. Thank you everyone !

This month the Groove Kitchen walls will be transformed by our friends and neighbors at Lucky Souls Tattoo. This colorful exhibit is going to jump off the wall. These guys are also great performers and songwriters. Check out their band West Memphis Suicide www.myspace.com/westmemphissuicide

Lucas Stagg is a powerhouse as a solo artist. Don’t under estimate the level of entertainment that will be happening this Saturday, January 10th as Lucas performs with his full band. These guys are going to have a great time and I’m certain you will too. Check out some of these reviews. "Lucas Stagg is a roots rock hopeful to watch" Neil McDonald - Exclaim! Magazine "Name-checking this material influence-wise would include some fine artists such as Joe Ely, Townes Van Zandt and John Prine. Lucas Stagg measures up well against such vintage stuff while projecting its own clear style, no mean feat in itself. Whether it’s the James Burton chug of ‘Hell Bent’ or the straight-up country cautionary tale 'Doin’ Time’, the order of the day is sharp playing, strong clear vocal harmonies and melodies that stick in the mind." Rod Nicholson - Scene Magazine " Lucas Stagg has refined his craft, (and his new band), into the well-oiled machine that has been burning down crowds nightly." Patrick Finch - Echo Magazine Visit: www.lucasstagg.com for more information.

Thursday, January 15th will feature the Dan Murphy Jazz Trio as part of our efforts to bring you more jazz ! Many of our patrons have suggested that they would like to see more jazz shows. Here is your chance ! Call now for dinner reservations. The show starts at 8:00pm

Singer-songwriter, and Cambridge resident, Andrew Butcher will play a solo evening at the Groove Kitchen & Music Room, Thursday, January 22. Also an actor and stuntman, having appeared in such hit shows as The Border and Flashpoint, Andrew's shows are standing-room-only. So come early... Andrew has just completed some impressive studio work and plans on releasing his first CD. Check out the tracks at www.myspace.com/andrewbutcherband I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Andrew at the 2007 Toronto Festival of Beer. We had a great time and I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve this time. Show Time – 8-11pm

Artist David Fox, who’s art has graced our walls through the month of December has organized an event featuring local bands from their Fauxtown Record Label. Come out to help them celebrate their first anniversary ! On Saturday, January 24 @ 8:00pm.

Everyone in the tri-cities has been morning the loss of Fiddlers Green. Now is your chance to get a piece of the old days. Come out and see Flash Johnson, January 31st @ 10:00pm Hamilton, Ontario based rock combo Flash Johnson are an incredibly tight, energetic 3-piece cover band that never ceases to get the masses on their collective feet when they start to blast. For the past 4 years, Flash Johnson has been blowing the doors off every club they have been booked into. They play a fantastically cool mixture of more recent alternative covers along with choice classics by such diverse artists as Badfinger, the Beatles, Black Sabbath, and those are just the ones starting with B. Everything is delivered in a fun and upbeat fashion. With a revolving repertoire of over 250 songs, things never get tired. One of the keys to the success of this fine group is spot-on harmony vocals courtesy of brother’s Paul Mallard (Guitars, Vocals) and Jeff Mallard (Drums, Vocals). In addition, both brothers are ridiculously proficient on their respective instruments. Rounding things out, Mark Costa “The future of 5 strings” is gaining quite a reputation for his relentless, punishing bass assaults. In addition, his session work with hard-rockers “Tailgunner” is well documented. The Mallard brothers and Costa met and formed Flash Johnson while attending the prestigious Lou Diamond Phillips School of Acting in the summer of 2001. After ditching their studies and spending countless hours in the ol’ quarry mining up their favorite rock hits, the trio won rave reviews at their early gigs and never looked back.

The Groove Kitchen & Music Room has clearly made it’s mark on the music scene. However, don’t underestimate the level of Chef John Wellwood's culinary expertise. The Groove has been wowing restaurant reviewers since the beginning. Following our recent honor of being awarded 3rd tastiest dish in Nightlife’s Best 8 of 08’ publication I want to take this opportunity to share some feedback from one of the areas most critical reviewer.

The Groove really cooks - November 06, 2008 Drew Edwards for NightLife While food and certain genres of music have always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship -- crooners in the supper club, the string quartet of fine dining establishments to name a couple -- pairing cuisine with rock 'n' roll music seems, at first blush, a bit of an awkward mix. The exalted sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll troika does not generally include a nice pork dish or some handmade ravioli. But the Groove Kitchen and Music Room in Cambridge -- some would insist on calling it Preston -- brings together one of the city's only remaining live music venues and fuses it with a surprisingly ambitious menu that delivers because of its homecookin' sensibilities. If the stage at the front of the restaurant, the various pieces of music paraphernalia covering the walls and the condiment trays themed like 45-records didn't tip you to the music theme, the menu should do the trick. The pages are ingeniously stuck inside retro album covers: mine was a Cat Stevens (looking very Yusuf Islam in training in this picture), while my dining companion's was Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells Story. It's a gimmick that isn't going to work with CD covers 20 years from now, though perhaps by then I'll be able to download menus at Apple's iMenu store. While the Groove Kitchen's look, feel and menu covers might be retro, the food itself is a remix of the tried-and-true as well as the more innovative. Each dish has a musical theme -- Spinning Wheel bruschetta, Cheech and Chong nachos, that sort of thing -- and there is a wide enough cross-section for most palettes. Read more >> Call now to book a reservation and find out for yourself what your taste buds have been missing!

Blues Legend, Michael Pickett Thursday, February 5th. Tickets $10 It exists at the crossroads. Where the steamy, rural, Mississippi heat meets the stinging cold of urban Toronto; a place on the musical landscape that roots singer/songwriter Michael Pickett calls home. Pickett's unique fusion of sensibilities, driven by his thumping delta guitar rhythms, muscular harmonica and gravel and chains voice is, at once, traditional and relevant. Never content to merely be a musical archivist, Pickett effectively deconstructs and reconstructs those seminal blues, born on the delta, to serve his own singular purpose; writing songs that are authentic both in substance and performance. After 30 years, Michael Pickett is at a place in his career which he arrived at honestly. An acknowledged harmonica virtuoso, Pickett has led, and performed with, roots/blues bands clearly recognized for their significant contribution to a venerable musical art-form. But that was never enough for Michael. He has a voice. A voice that, without the adornment of a band, ought to be heard. Raw. Honest. And dripping with sly insights. Accompanied only by his guitar, rack harmonica and sensual expression, Michael Pickett is a performer who has stripped away the frills, to arrive at a place that belongs entirely to him. Welcome to Toronto, Mississippi. B.Pulford Get a glimpse of what you can expect for this great live performance: www.michaelpickett.com www.sonicbids.com/michaelpickett www.youtube.com/michaelpickettsolo www.myspace.com/michaelpickettsolo www.cdbaby.com/all/mpickett www.itunes.com

Valentines Day – Saturday, February 14th It may seem a bit early but Valentines Day will be here before you know it. Last year the Groove Kitchen sold our early. Don’t hesitate to call and make reservations for you and your significant other. More details will follow regarding our special Valentines menu and Entertainment Booking. Sweet Dreams !