Folk

Carmanah has never been afraid to reach deep into the music archives for the gritty vintage flavours that influence its modern sound. The band consistently delivers a dynamic and well-balanced performance that features Laura Mina’s soulful lead vocals supported by strong male harmonies, multiple lead instruments and a driving rhythm section. Poignant songs explore love, nature and the issues of the world. It all adds up to what New York producer Gus Van Go has approvingly coined, ‘West Coast Soul’.

Carmanah is on the (Vancouver) Daily Hive list of musicians to watch for in 2017 and has shared the stage with many acts including Ziggy Marley, Spirit of the West, Shakey Graves, Clinton Fearon, Said the Whale and Current Swell. At home in Victoria British Columbia, the band consistently draws a large enthused crowd and has sold out venues such as Sugar Nightclub, with a capacity of 600. On their travels both near and far, and consistent with their values, the bandmates lessen their ecological footprint by fuelling their tour vehicle with used vegetable oil procured from restaurants along the way.

The band’s first commercial album, produced with Gus Van Go and Werner F. at Vancouver’s Warehouse Studios, is slated for release Fall 2017. Carmanah gratefully acknowledges Creative BC and Factor for their crucial financial support.

The Ennis Sisters have weathered a lifetime of phases, and a series of musical explorations together. Their latest album, Stages, is a return to their roots – singing contemporary folk songs with a traditional Irish Newfoundland twist.

“That’s all we knew growing up,” says Maureen Ennis. “Newfoundland is a very unique province and because of this, we have a different perspective of our surroundings.

“We identify very strongly with coming from an island in the middle of the North Atlantic. There is definitely a ruggedness and a tenacity that comes with being from a place like Newfoundland.”

With multiple accolades – a Juno Award, SOCAN Award, multiple East Coast Music Awards, and Music Newfoundland and Labrador Awards, The Ennis Sisters, comprised of Maureen, Teresa and Karen Ennis, are world renowned, celebrated songbirds. With their buttery harmonies, and voices as powerful as the Atlantic, it’s in their bones to sing.

Stages is a love letter to old world Newfoundland with a modern flair. Songs like “Dreaming My Dreams With You,” “The Pines,” “Rock Yourself On The Ocean,” and “Out From St. Leonard’s,” conjure up the island’s otherworldly beauty, deep rooted history and seasoned resilience.

Stages“The name represents the workstations that our forefathers toiled over when the fishery was alive and well in Newfoundland,” says Teresa. “It also represents the way we’ve made our living, having built our career performing music on so many stages around the world, and we’ve gone through so many stages to get to this point in our nearly 20 year musical journey, personally and professionally.”

Recorded over a month at The Sound Solution in St. John’s, Stages is an 11-track collection of contemporary folk songs charting life cycles, love, and loss, produced by Maureen Ennis and Billy Sutton. Stages features the island’s finest musicians, including: fiddle player Emilia Bartellas, Craig Young on dobro, Paul Kinsman and Louis McDonald on piano, percussionist Greg Hawco, piano accordionist Catherine Allan, Glenn Simmons and Jason Whelan on electric guitar, Joel E. Hunt on mandolin, as well as a string ensemble, comprised of Heather Kao, Kate Read, and Theo Webber.

After wading in and out of pop and country waters, with albums such as The Fortunate Ones (2012), Lessons Learned (2009), Be Here For Awhile (2007), Can’t Be The Same (2003), Ennis Sisters (2001), Three (2000), Christmas On Ennis Road (1998), and Red Is The Rose (1997), The Ennis Sisters took a break, and returned with Stages: a homecoming.

“I think we lost ourselves a bit along the way and it was really necessary for us to take a hiatus in order to regain our focus,” says Maureen. “We’ve come to realize that we feel most satisfied singing songs inspired by our roots, especially when we sing them together. Stages is a direct reflection of that.”

The Ennis Sisters were born and raised on Irish Newfoundland tunes. Their father is a traditional button accordion player, and mother grew up on the southern shore of the Avalon, surrounded by music. Throughout the Ennis Sisters’ childhood, if their parents weren’t making music, it was coming through the radio – particularly the Irish Newfoundland radio shows, which aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

“There was just no escaping the Irish Newfoundland, Traditional music growing up,” says Karen. “When we first began singing for an audience, these were the songs we sang. It’s what came easiest and most natural, and still does.”

Maureen plays Stonebridge Guitars
Karen plays Michael Burke Whistles

Stephen Fearing was born in 1963 in Vancouver, British Columbia and grew up in Dublin, Ireland where his schoolmates included future members of U2. In 1981, he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and immersed himself in the music scene, learning the fundamentals of song writing and performing, while washing dishes to stay alive.

By 1984 he was back in Vancouver, determined to become a professional musician. In the years since, he’s been named as one of the finest songwriters in Canada and has built a national – and international – audience for his music, doing it old school through countless performances at intimate venues and on the concert stages of festivals and theatres across Canada, the US, the UK, and Europe, with appearances at major events like the Reading Festival and WOMAD, to name just a few.

In 1996, Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson formed a new band called Blackie and the Rodeo Kings to record a tribute album of songs by Willie P. Bennett. Nine albums and one JUNO Award later, the band has become one of the most respected names in North American roots-rock-Americana music.

Their musical collaborators are many, but to name a few – Emmy Lou Harris, City and Colour, Keb Mo, Exene Cervenka, Holy Cole, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Sam Phillips, Pam Tillis, Vince Gill, Cassandra Wilson, and Serena Ryder.

In 1998, Stephen Fearing met Andy White backstage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and a fast friendship was formed. In addition to his own work, White is known for his collaborations with Van Morrison, Peter Gabriel, and Sinead O’Connor. As the duo Fearing & White they have released two critically-acclaimed albums and toured throughout Canada and the UK.

Fearing moved from his home in Guelph, ON in 2008, and headed to Halifax, NS. He completed work on Blackie and The Rodeo Kings’ Polaris Prize-nominated Kings and Queens (which featured duets with 14 iconic female singers including Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, and Roseanne Cash). He also got remarried, became a father, and still managed to tour relentlessly.

Fearing has released ten albums as a solo artist, featuring musical guests including: Bruce Cockburn, Margo Timmons, Richard Thompson, Shawn Colvin, and Sarah McLachlan. When not working behind the microphone, Fearing spends time producing records including Suzie Vinnick’s JUNO Award-nominated album Happy Here. “With producing, I really enjoy collaborating with other artists. It’s a blast and, as a bonus, gives me a chance to learn and expand my skill set.” Like the guests on his albums, the many awards and nominations that have come his way over the years speak to the respect he has earned among his peers, presenters, and critics.

The JUNO Award-winner also shares his knowledge and experience with fellow musicians through songwriting workshops. “The classes dovetail nicely with performing,” he said. “My students are from all walks of life and I enjoy helping to coax them out of their comfort zones to create songs they might not have otherwise found.”

Through a life of many relocations and countless months on the road performing, Fearing has become a gifted storyteller and true musical nomad with the ability to enthrall audiences of all sizes and attitudes. “Getting on stage is the fun part, especially when the adrenaline kicks in,” he says, with a broad smile. “People want to escape and be taken on a journey. I build my shows so they do just that.”

Séan McCann bought his first guitar in 1989 which he affectionately calls "Old Brown". Old Brown has been around. He was there for the first song Séan ever wrote. He was there as Séan founded the acclaimed and multi-million selling band that would change his life. He was there to hold Séan up many a night as he struggled with alcoholism, and he has been there to help guide Séan out of the darkness with music as his medicine.

John Lennon once sang "You can live a lie until you die. One thing you can't hide is when you're crippled inside." After exiting the internationally renowned folk group Great Big Sea and publicly admitting a secret past in which he used alcohol to mask the pain of sexaual abuse by a priest, Séan stopped lying to himself and found his truth and his voice. With the release of his 5th solo album, "There's a Place", he continues his journey as a singer, songwriter, and now a sought-after speaker and mental health advocate with Old Brown by his side and a simple message: "You are not alone."

His 2014 album "Help Your Self" was a battle cry; a line in the sand which announced that he was ready to change and it resonated with people in a way Séan never could have expected. It helped him understand that he wasn't alone and that telling his story could help others as much as it helped him. 2015's "You Know I Love You" was inspired by the love he found in sharing that story and an attempt to find a new and real connection in a world that had turned inward to its smartphones. Now comes "There's a Place", produced by Jeremy Fisher and featuring the beautiful voice of Nova Scotia singer/songwriter Meaghan Smith, a collection of songs from a man who is trying to keep his head up when we are tempted to keep them buried in our screens; it's the story of a man no longer crippled by a lie and who has changed his narrative by not letting his history define him and never forgetting ...... that he is not alone.

TICKETS AVAILABLE FRIDAY DECEMBER 15 AT NOON.

Children under 12 months may sit on laps. All other children need their own ticket.

Since 1978, Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison have been pre-eminent in all aspects of family entertainment across North America as members of the trio “Sharon, Lois & Bram”. Together, the threesome produced over twenty recordings, beginning with their iconic 'One Elephant, Deux Elephants', three song-books, six national TV specials, sixty-five episodes of The Elephant Show, and fifty-two of Skinnamarink TV. They have appeared in every major concert hall in Canada, and many in the United States including Carnegie Hall, The Lincoln Center and the White House in Washington just to name a few. They have received countless awards, including Gold and Platinum Records and JUNO awards for Best Children’s Album. To date, they have sold over 3 million albums worldwide.

Sharon and Bram have carried on together since Lois Lillenstein stepped aside from performing live in 2000. This incarnation of one of North America’s most popular family acts ranges from a “sweet and simple” folksy duo performance to a larger production featuring members of the versatile Skinnamarink Band.

A Sharon and Bram show is a sing-along concert for the entire family, featuring such well-loved favourites as “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain", “Five Little Monkeys", “One Elephant", “Tingalayo", and, of course, “Skinnamarink".
“We love singing with our audiences; the sound of families singing together and the expressions of delight on the faces of parents and children as they share the music, bring us deep satisfaction”, say Sharon and Bram.
Sharon and Bram, with Lois, have supported many social welfare programmes in Canada and the US, such as school breakfasts for learning, encouraging parents to inoculate their children and, internationally, as Goodwill Ambassadors for UNICEF in North and South America, for which they received the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award.

For their years of work providing the best in participatory music for children and their families, Sharon and Bram have been inducted into The Order of Canada, the highest honour in the country.

This show is 19+ ONLY!

Since 1978, Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison have been pre-eminent in all aspects of family entertainment across North America as members of the trio “Sharon, Lois & Bram”. Together, the threesome produced over twenty recordings, beginning with their iconic 'One Elephant, Deux Elephants', three song-books, six national TV specials, sixty-five episodes of The Elephant Show, and fifty-two of Skinnamarink TV. They have appeared in every major concert hall in Canada, and many in the United States including Carnegie Hall, The Lincoln Center and the White House in Washington just to name a few. They have received countless awards, including Gold and Platinum Records and JUNO awards for Best Children’s Album. To date, they have sold over 3 million albums worldwide.

Sharon and Bram have carried on together since Lois Lillenstein stepped aside from performing live in 2000. This incarnation of one of North America’s most popular family acts ranges from a “sweet and simple” folksy duo performance, to a larger production featuring members of the versatile Skinnamarink Band.

A Sharon and Bram show is a sing-along concert for the entire family, featuring such well-loved favourites as “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain", “Five Little Monkeys", “One Elephant", “Tingalayo", and, of course, “Skinnamarink".
“We love singing with our audiences; the sound of families singing together and the expressions of delight on the faces of parents and children as they share the music, bring us deep satisfaction”, say Sharon and Bram.
Sharon and Bram, with Lois, have supported many social welfare programmes in Canada and the US, such as school breakfasts for learning, encouraging parents to inoculate their children and, internationally, as Goodwill Ambassadors for UNICEF in North and South America, for which they received the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award.

For their years of work providing the best in participatory music for children and their families, Sharon and Bram have been inducted into The Order of Canada, the highest honour in the country.

Recipients of twelve award nominations, including seven for the 2013 album, Chasse-Galerie (The Flying Canoe), Quebec’s MAZ have set themselves apart with their winning mix of folk, jazz and electro, which is inspired by tradition, but reaches for new and unbounded territories. For the band’s third and latest album, titled ID, the music is sung and danced – "speaking to the heart, body and soul – without losing the mind!"

Roger Lévesque of Penguin Eggs Magazine praises the group’s music as “uplifting stuff, old and new, rustic and high-tech all at once.”  Marc Maziade (electric guitar, banjo, foot percussion, programming and vocals), Pierre-Olivier Dufresne (violin, mandolin, foot percussion and vocals), Roxane Beaulieu (keyboards, vocals) and Hugo Blouin (double bass, keyboards and vocals) are brilliant musicians who, on stage as MAZ, form a deeply palpable connection, offering trance-inducing grooves, engaging sound textures and frenzied foot stomps.

MAZ’s 2012 debut release, Télescope, laid the groundwork for the band’s unique style, which combines traditional Québécois music, modal jazz and electronica. Through this album – often described as futuristic – MAZ already began to reveal their modern take on Québec’s past and present, earning them five award nominations, including one in the JUNO’s instrumental album category.

In a March 2016 interview with Vancouver’s The Georgia Straight (“Quebec’s MAZ aims to build cultural bridges”), Marc Maziade said: “The core is to try and start from French-Canadian traditional music.  But there’s this big question about blending or melding in my mind—I didn’t want to force things together quickly and go, ‘Here you go! French-Canadian music with an Arabic twist!’ What I wanted to do was reflect on our French-Canadian traditional music heritage, but reflect on it from a universal perspective. So the idea was to meld French-Canadian music, which implies spending time with its rituals and cultures and history, and then melding it with what we have inside — things like rock and jazz and electronic music, which stretch out to a universal identity.”  Marc went on to explain, if that blending of different influences has a spinoff effect, it’s to make a regional musical tradition accessible to those outside of Quebec’s borders.

The past year was full of milestones for MAZ, the highlight being the ensemble’s participation at WOMEX’17 in Poland.  Selected for an official showcase from amongst thousands of applicants, MAZ shared their music and projects with 2500 professionals from 90 countries.  2017 also included the premier of a new show at Montreal’s L’Astral on October 21st, and a celebration of Canada150 in Ghana (West Africa).  And 2018?  The new year kicked off with a busy international touring schedule for the band, including a January appearance at the 30th Internationale Kulturbörse (IKF) in Freiburg Germany and, immediately afterwards, a stop in Shanghai, China for another major showcase event.  While in London, they will be giving several school shows as well as a general audience concert at The Aeolian.

The Great Canadian Fiddle Show preserves and celebrates Canada’s rich musical heritage through traditional fiddling and step dancing. Visiting the breadth of Canada’s diverse regional styles, the show captivates audiences with energy and mastery. The Great Canadian Fiddle Shows provides fiddle-frenzied and family-friendly entertainment for music lovers of all ages. The show is filled with both musical excellence and a deep sense of Canadian musical tradition.

“A must see show indeed.” – CBC Radio 2

Get ready to tap your toes to irresistible Old Time melodies as you’re swept across the nation.

Lindi Ortega gives fair warning: “Don’t come any closer to my heart /If you’re afraid of the dark.”

However, that shroud is slowly lifted in Liberty. As the narrative unfolds in this concept album, a central character emerges – one who finally sheds the darkness of her past and emerges into the light. As melodies and tempos change throughout Liberty, her journey carries her steadily forward. Listen closely and you’ll find Ortega’s experiences in the lyrics too.

“I think the most important thing for me was that I ended on a very positive note because I've had so many people tell me that my songs helped them through really hard times in their life,” Ortega says. “That struck a chord for me, because just like everybody else, I have had hard times in my life, and continue to have pockets of difficult moments here and there. If I can provide some sort of solace with my music, then that gives me every reason to make music. I wanted this record to be all about helping people through the darkness.”

The melodies and arrangements of Liberty draw on the epic work of Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone, who became one of Ortega’s musical obsessions during the writing and recording of Liberty. Moreover she enlisted Nashville producer Skylar Wilson (Justin Townes Earle, Rayland Baxter) when she discovered their shared passion for Quentin Tarantino movies. It is fitting that NPR’s All Things Considered has described Ortega as “genre-defying in both her music and her personal style.”

During the sessions at Battle Tapes studio in East Nashville, Ortega and Wilson scaled back the boot-stomping, throwback country approach that she’s known for, instead polishing a set of music that reflects her lineage. Her father is Mexican; her mother is Irish. The sonic landscape of Liberty is enhanced by Nashville band Steelism, known for their dramatic blend of pedal steel guitar and electric guitar, as well as Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy on harmonica.

In 2017, Ortega opened select dates for Chris Stapleton and Dwight Yoakam. In addition, she married Canadian musician Daniel Huscroft and relocated from Nashville to Calgary. Liberty concludes with “Gracia a la Vida” from the pen of Chilean composer Violetta Parra. The title translates as “Thank you to Life.”

“Even though I always tried to have a silver lining, whether it's by making my songs tongue-in-cheek, or writing some dark lyrics to happy music, there's always been an element of balancing light and dark on my previous albums,” Ortega explains. “But this is a full story, and I wanted everybody to be able to take something away from it at the end of the day.”

The mercurial, 5x JUNO-nominated/7x Canadian Folk Music Award winning mando maestro Andrew Collins finds himself – through no actual fault of his own – at the epicentre of Canada’s burgeoning acoustic/roots music scene. He didn’t invent it – but he's certainly a major contributor, having co-founded seriously noteworthy Canadian bands like the Creaking String Quartet, the Foggy Hogtown Boys and, more recently, the Andrew Collins Trio.
As Collins gathers up innumerable awards and nominations by these various ensembles, Collins, who’s comfortable on mandolin, fiddle, guitar, mandola and mandocello – is zeroing in on the work he does with his beloved trio: fellow string guru Mike Mezzatesta, whose versatility and mastery shine through on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and mandola, and in-the-pocket James McEleney, holding it down on the bass, mandocello and vocals.

Showcasing a popular collision of folk, trailblazing roots, bluegrass, and jazz, not to mention a dizzying number and energetic interplay of instruments on stage, Collins and Co. appear to live by the old adage, “idle hands are the devil’s workshop” likely keeping them just ahead of his grasp. Their dynamic genre hopping show is further propelled by Andrew’s captivating lead vocals and James’ soaring harmonies.

Andrew's career as a solo artist is no less impressive. The Central Canada Bluegrass Association nominated him five times as Mandolin Player of the Year, which he secured in 2005.  His debut solo album, Little Widgets (2005), is a self-produced collection of genre-bending originals that earned him a Canadian Folk Music Award for Pushing the Boundaries in 2006. In 2007, Andrew took a different track and collaborated with world-renowned Celtic musician, Brian Taheney, to release Mando Lore, an all-traditional, all-mandolin-family compilation of Celtic and Old Time gems.  His next solo album, Cats and Dogs (2011), continued to build his catalogue of feisty originals, garnering a JUNO and CFMA.

Taking musical cues from David Grisman, Andrew, now joined by Mike and James, have ventured even further down the path of Trailblazing Roots and beyond – melding multiple genres while tastefully showcasing each of their boundaries – all towards extrapolating brave new musical worlds. Nothing less will do.

Light of touch, fast of wit, copiously imaginative, and a musical scholar of the highest distinction, Toronto mandolin virtuoso pulls out all the stops”
Toronto Star

“To call Andrew Collins a master of the mandolin would be putting it mildly.... artfully arranged string music perhaps best described as 'chambergrass' shines through – 4/5 stars"
Exclaim! Magazine

“Boundaries? What boundaries? Mandolinist Andrew Collins ignores them all!”
Penguin Eggs