UPDATE Nov 7th, 2014

A big thanks to the 45 people who came out for Bob Bossin‘s Davy the Punk show at Cranberry Hall tonight at the end of a busy week of live music in Powell River. From the laughter, applause and spontaneous singing from the audience at the start of the evening, there was no doubt everyone had a good time. Bob demonstrated once again his tremendous storytelling and musical skills with only his voice, a hat, an unamplified guitar, and a batch of family photos as he recreated the Toronto of his childhood and shared stories about his family, most centered around his father’s exploits in the horse-racing underworld, and the attempts of the various police forces who tried (unsuccessfully) to apprehend him. Bravo Bob for bringing Davy the Punk‘s world to Powell River.

Songs and Stories of Davy the Punk- Bob Bossin

A one-man musical about cops and gamblers, grifters and grafters, fathers and sons. Indie music pioneer Bob Bossin’s hunt for his outlaw father is by turns fascinating, comic and poignant. “So illuminating, hilarious and outrageous, it’s worthy of a Mordecai Richler novel,” says Andreas Schroeder. “Bossin is funny, informative and inspiring at the same time,” said Pete Seeger.

The father Bob Bossin knew growing up in Toronto in the 1950s was a quiet, conservative booking agent for mainstream night clubs. The father he later discovered was Davy the Punk, a pivotal figure in Canada’s gambling business of the 1930s and 40s. Davy Bossin’s battles with the law created precedents that affect us to this day.

Bob Bossin first came to musical prominence in the 1970s as the founder of Canada’s legendary Stringband. In the late 1980s, he toured his one-man musical, “Bossins Home Remedy for Nuclear War” for 200 performances across Canada, as well as in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. “Davy the Punk”, the book, was published this March by The Porcupine’s Quill.

“A memoir of a childhood that is the stuff of dreams and movies. With a songwriter’s ear, a performer’s sense of timing and a poet’s grace, Bossin brings Davy the Punk to life, spinning his tales tall and true to the circle of small time Jewish hoods in 1940s Toronto, mesmerizing them and us with his magic.
– Si Kahn, musician, author, playwright

“Only a handful of song writers have created a body of work that constitutes a portrait of our country. Stan Rogers did that. So did Gordon Lightfoot. And so does Bob Bossin.” – Stuart McLean

“What Lou Reed would sound like if he lived on Gabriola Island.”
– Jeff Goodes, CBC Radio

For more information, including a trailer, see www.davythepunk.com

Presented by Pat Buckna
Tickets $15 in advance until Nov 4th, $17 at the door.
Available at BREAKWATER BOOKS in Powell River