By Ken Hirter

This summers Walkabout finds me in the coolest and the most colourful pocket in town, profiling Brandon Agnew, making a difference in the community and highlighting SUMMER, MUSIC and COMMUNITY.

Brandon is a Hamilton musician who makes music in various shades of blue. His new album “Mave’s Variety” with the Pockets 4 was launched & released on May 20th. “Mave’s Variety” is a collection of 10 songs written during the first few months of the COVID19 pandemic. The album is named after the convenience store on James Street North, flanked by the Portuguese &:Italian shops still selling fresh produce, plants & flowers on the sidewalk, the best olives, tarts & espresso that you’ll find here in the Steel City. As Brandon says, “It feels like the heart of downtown to me, inside the pocket of Little Portugal …I wanted to name the album after the place I was living during the time (pandemic) and it also turns out that the album is like a variety store in that there’s a variety of music on it”. The Album was recorded live off the floor with friends over a two day period in October of 2020. The band rehearsed once the day before.

I asked Brandon his favorite quote: “Done is better than perfect” 

His source of Inspiration: “Everyday people, doing awesome things.

Brandon believes in neighborhood building, tactical urbanism and gardens.

Brandon, a Board Member of the Niagara Falls Soup Kichen made a donation to the community foodbank from the proceeds of “Maves Variety”. He and The Pocket 4’s are presently working on a follow up to “Mave’s Variety” titled:  “Aquarius Moon” with release slated for early 2022. They would love to entertain at live shows in Hamilton and support other artist & causes. His music is available to stream and/or for purchase and for more information on “MAVE’S VARIETY”   you can visit www.brandonagnew.com

So with the summertime upon us, let the sun shine and let the music play; catch the vibe, strum along with the tunes in your neighborhood,  jam and sing around the campfire or simply unplug and let the music play.

I would like to thank Brandon Agnew for sharing his love of community, plants, drums, photos, family, euchre, BBQ, markets, stories and water and making a difference in his community.

Take time to enjoy summer 2021, get out and about, take in the sights & sounds and catch the colors and the merriments of summer.

See you in September and till then take care. Cheers!