Navan to get the blues James Doran style

a resident, with wife Diane of Kenmore where the couple purchased an historic home, James Doran has entered an agreement with O’Meara’s Pub to present the David Rotundo Band on Saturday Nov. 29 as a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

With its on-site microbrewery producing five natural house beers, good acoustics and nice-sized dance floor, O’Meara’s is an ideal blues venue, Doran said. “We stopped there one day this summer on our motorcycles. We liked the look of the place and management liked the idea.”

Should the initial outing be well received, a once-a-month series of shows will be launched in January.

The formula followed by Doran is tried and true: Present top-flight Canadian blues artists in a comfortable, danceable environment, provide a good meal, all at a reasonable price, and give part of the proceeds to a good cause.

A former resident of Smiths Falls, where he tried to establish a blues festival, the impresario launched Blues on the Rideau at Westport’s Cove Inn three years ago. Ever since, most shows staged over the fall and winter seasons have sold out.

While things are off to a slower start at the Cove this time, which Doran blames on current economic instability, he has high hopes for the O’Meara’s experiment. “With 1.2 million people living within a 30-minute drive of Navan, I would sure hope we can fill 150 seats compared to Westport’s 120 seats where the immediate population is 700.”

Winner of the 2007 Maple Blues Award for Harmonica Player of the Year, David Rotundo has been described as one of Canada’s top 10 blues performers. Last February, Rotundo and his band sold out two shows at the Cove which Doran said “blew people away.”

Doran and his wife moved to Kenmore between Russell and Metcalfe to be closer to Diane’s place of work in downtown Ottawa, more accessible to her parents in Montreal and because it was time for another major renovation project. “It’s a nice old house. We’ll be here for awhile, I’m sure.” ts for “Blues at the Brewpub” are $49 per person including full buffet with dessert and coffee. More information is available at james@choosetheblues.ca.