Video!

Check out the new video link on the sidebar!!

Made in Manitoba Concert

Borderline Drive shared the stage with a number of very talented Manitoba musicians last night as part of CFAM's 50th Anniversary Concert. The performers included CFAM's Michelle Sawatzky, Corinna Siemens, and Sarah Morgen, The Country Hearts, Steve Bell, and of course Borderline Drive. (as pictured below in that order.) They played for a full house at the PW Enns Centennial Concert Hall in Winkler.

Your next chance to see Borderline Drive is at the Bluegrass Gospel Night this coming Saturday, March 31st, also at the PW Enns Centennial Concert Hall. Click here to order tickets.

Look for Borderline Drive at this year's Winkler Harvest Festival! They are scheduled to play Sunday, August 12th, at 8 pm.

Winnipeg

The band (and their families) travelled to Winnipeg yesterday to join Alvin for his last day of teaching Bluegrass Banjo for Beginners at the Folk Exchange. It was a chance for the students to learn what the roll of the banjo would be in a band setting. It was also neat to hear the students play. I was amazed at how well they could play after only 6 weeks of classes.

We ended off the day with a jam at the home of Aaron and Kim Burnett. Aaron is a children's entertainer, and has previously played in bands with Alvin. Both John and Alvin will be joining Aaron on stage for his sets at the Winnipeg Folk Festival this year.

Hope to see you at some of the upcoming gigs!

Borderline Drive performed at the Glencross Church, south of Morden last night as part of a fundraiser for Children's Camps in Cambodia. A very worthy cause, and a good evening filled with a variety of gospel music, as well as a presentation on the camps.

Can you pick out Borderline Drive's #1 fan in these pictures? :)

Just a note, tickets for the upcoming CFAM Anniversary concert at the PW Enns Concert Hall can be picked up free of charge at their studios in Winkler or Altona. Click here for more info on that concert.

As well, we are hoping to add a Borderline Drive video or two to the blog in the near future....stay tuned!

March

BD will be playing three dates this month. Check the schedule on the side bar for details.

Also, the Performers page on the Sandy Creek Gospel Jamboree site has been updated. Click here to view. It seems they're having some difficulties on the page, but it gives you an idea of who will be there. Looks to be a very talented line up...should be an uplifting weekend!

Link

Here's a link to The PW Enns Centennial Concert Hall. BD will be playing two dates here in March.

Bluegrass Gospel Music Night

Click on the poster to view a larger image.

1 year

since Borderline Drive played their first gig!

They played the Winkler Senior Center last Valentine's Day.

There have been a few changes since then.

For one, Kayla has joined on bass. (and she's doing great!!)

They've also decided on a band name, and are now no longer known as Alvin and the Chipmunks!

I'm really looking forward to spring and summer so I can see them perform a little more often! (and of course, so I can take more pictures...they're all pretty good at putting up with me and my camera! :)

Fundraiser

Borderline Drive will be playing at a Cambodia Fundraiser at the Glencross Church, (in the Morden, MB area) on March 11th. The exact time is yet to be confirmed. They will be one of several groups performing that evening.

Borderline Drive is sheduled to play at Grunthal Gospel Night on April 13th, 7:30pm. Maybe we'll see you there!

2 more dates have been confirmed!

March 23rd - CFAM Anniversary Concert, P.W. Enns Centennial Concert Hall, Winkler. Time TBC.

June 30th - Haskett Homecoming. Time TBC.

An update

Something has come up, so Borderline Drive will not be at Grunthal Gospel Night on March 9th. At this point I'm not sure if it will be rescheduled or not.

They WILL be part of the Gospel Bluegrass Night to be held at the PW Enns Centennial Concert Hall this year. It takes place on March 31st. Borderline Drive will perform along with several other local bluegrass bands. In past years this event has been held at the Reinland Community Center. It should be a good one!

The gig

at the Senior Center went well...considering John and Mark are still both battling colds, and they haven't had much of a chance to practice lately. They were the last of 3 bands performing tonight. It's a pretty relaxed atmosphere to play in, so if the laughs were any indication, I think they had a good time on stage!

From an audience point of view, I think they sounded great!

Oh, and I can't resist mentioning that John got a few comments on his handsome look today with the shirt he was wearing! ;)

And Kayla got some extra applause at the end when the MC mentioned she seemed to be the one that kept the group together. How did he know? He's never even been at a Borderline Drive practice. She's the mature one that keeps the boys in line! :)

New Dates

Borderline Drive will be playing 2 local dates in the near future.

January 19th - A fundraising event at the Winkler Senior Center. Supper at 5 pm with the program to follow. March 9 - Gospel Night, Grunthal MB - 7:30pm.

Update

Here's a practice photo from a couple of weeks ago.

Which reminds me, today was supposed to be practice, but Mark was suffering from lack of sleep, fever and tonsillitis so it got cancelled.

Now what kind of an excuse is that? :)

Here's your chance

If you've ever considered taking up the banjo, here's your chance. Alvin will be teaching Bluegrass Banjo for Beginners at the Folk Exchange in Winnipeg starting February 10th. The workshops will run one hour a week for six weeks. You'll learn everything from how to tune your banjo, to how to pick some basic banjo tunes. There's a chance you might even be treated to a visit from the other members of Borderline Drive during one of the workshops. For more information, click here.

And here's someone that took advantage of Alvin's banjo expertise at BD's practice yesterday. From that close up, you'd think he must have learned something!

Schedule & Contact Info

I added a schedule on the sidebar. The only date that's been confirmed so far is the Sandy Creek Gospel Jamboree in Saskatchewan. (I haven't figured out how to create a link to their website on the sidebar, but it worked on this post. Check it out if you're interested.) There are a few other tentative dates, but I'll post those as they are confirmed. As well, contact information has been added in a seperate sidebar.

It's almost here...

Wishing you a Christmas filled with peace and joy as you celebrate the birth of our Saviour! Merry Christmas from our families to yours!

Singing for Supper

Borderline Drive was part of the "Singing for Supper" evening with Tom Jackson on Dec. 4th. http://www.singingforsupper.ca/ The event took place at Buhler Hall in Gretna and featured the MCI Choir, Borderline Drive, and of course, Tom Jackson. BD learned a number of Christmas songs just for the occasion and had a great time performing them. I must say, that was definitely the best version of "Jingle Bells" I've ever heard. Their time on stage just seemed so short, but I guess maybe I'm a little biased! :) Tom Jackson and his band also put on a great show! The story of Christmas really came through!

Here's BD on stage. I couldn't seem to get a clear picture of them there. Even so, they look pretty spiffy, don't you think? :)