Before televisions became popular in every home, people would get their entertainment fix from the Vaudeville theatre circuit. The Sherman Grand Theatre, and the Empress were the places to go in Calgary to see the stars of the day.

The Marx Brothers, Fred Astaire, George Burns, Jack Benny and more stopped in to do their act. It was the golden age of comedy and variety entertainment. Sadly, with the advent of TV people opted to stay home for the night, and Vaudeville quickly shriveled.

In Calgary, however, Vaudeville is back. The Garden Variety Show collects a cast of jugglers, magicians, musical guests and more into an evening of rarely seen entertainment.

Since last season, I’ve taken on the role of sidekick to the host of the show (James Jordan) and with my guitar, I’m also the house band. I’m the Paul Schaffer to his David Letterman.

It’s been a great learning opportunity for me, as it’s the first time I’ve been performing in an exclusively musical role. There is some video footage (sadly not the best audio recording) of me trying out an original song for the very first time. I was very happy with the positive response of the crowd.

You’ll have the chance to be a part of that crowd starting in January 2012 as we strike up the band (still just me) for season three. You can stay in the loop when you Like the Garden Variety Show on Facebook.