Folk

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings originally formed in 1996 when Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson came together to record what was suppose to be a one- off tribute album to the great Canadian songwriter Willie P. Bennett. At the time, all three members were deeply committed to burgeoning solo careers that they had no intentions of putting on hold, and had no plans to turn Blackie into an ongoing concern. Now twenty years later, 8 albums , one Juno award and several Juno nominations under their belts, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings have organically evolved into one of the finest roots-oriented bands in North America. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings remains one of Canada’s greatest musical treasures.

A Note from producer Colin Linden

Brothers, fathers, heroes, friends, collaborators, peers… Kings and Kings brought us together with all of them…in the same spirit that we formed this band--by accident and with divine providence--we were blessed with visitations from some of the greatest artists in music today (and, I believe, always)…. Some of these were fellows we knew well and had made lots of music with like Bruce Cockburn, buddy miller and Keb Mo, and some were new heroes and discoveries like Fantastic Negrito and City & Colour…some were icons who I had shared some guitarring with like Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell and Eric Church and Raul Malo and some were icons new and preloved who joined us out of kindness I suppose like Nick Lowe and Jason Isbell and some were my dear pals I work on the “Nashville” TV show with --Chris Carmack, Charles Esten, Jonathan Jackson and Sam Palladio All are kings amongst men and much love to them all We were honored as always by Gary Craig, Johnny Dymond, John Whynot and the legendary Kenneth Pearson on these songs--with extra help from Bryan Owings and Kevin Mckendree and as always, the spirits of the great Richard Bell, dear Willie P. Bennett and the mighty Brian "brain" Harrison.

Hailing from what has been described as the music capital of Canada - Winnipeg, Manitoba’s Western Canadian Music Award winners Sweet Alibi have been captivating audiences since 2009 with their charming and personal performances. With 3 releases, well over 360 shows across Canada, 40 plus festival performances, and numerous radio performances/interviews, Sweet Alibi is fast becoming a well-known Roots/Pop group. Tom Power of CBC Radio 2 describes them as “If Mumford and Sons and the Supremes had a love child it would be named Sweet Alibi.” A fitting characterization for a group that blends soulful and powerful vocal harmonies with the sincerity of folk and the foot stomping energy of roots. Their newest release “Walking In The Dark” touches on the subjects of love, death and addiction. It features the two lead vocals of Jess Rae Ayre and Amber Rose. When you add the many talents of Michelle Anderson including vocal harmony, banjo and guitar talents alongside Jess and Amber's songful framework, you end up with the unmistakeable sound that has left audiences adoring this Winnipeg group. “The appeal of Sweet Alibi’s sound hinges on their ability to mix elements of folk, roots, and country, then present it in the context of a tightly-structured pop song.”- The Manitoban

However dark the muse, Jadea Kelly’s music guides the listener on a prolific journey towards light and surrender. Swelling with vocal hooks and ambient guitar delays, her most recent release, Love & Lust is an honest and compelling catalogue of infidelity, desire, betrayal, forgiveness and human frailty. Receiving the 2016 ‘Contemporary Singer of the Year’ by the Canadian Folk Music Awards, Jadea continues to spend her time living and writing between Toronto and Nashville. Her body of work has earned a number of impressive worldwide reviews and radio play, with tours across North America & Europe. She has performed at a number of Canadian festivals and high profile venues including the Calgary Folk Festival, Edmonton’s Interstellar Rodeo, Elora Ontario’s Riverfest with Blue Rodeo, The National Arts Centre in Ottawa and the Massey Hall Presents concert series in Toronto. Jadea Kelly’s ‘Lone Wolf’ has been featured on TV shows such as “Bitten” aired on the SyFy Network in the U.S. Most recently, ‘Beauty’ from “Love and Lust”, was featured as the accompanying song to a powerful final day opening montage on CBC Television, a tribute to Canadian hero Terry Fox for the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

Valdy, Paul Valdemar Horsdal, born in Ottawa in 1945, has been part of the fabric of Canadian music for four decades and counting, over 34 years, a man with a thousand friends, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island to Texas to New Zealand. Valdy is a singer, guitarist and bassist songwriter who catches the small but telling moments that make up life.

He shares his life with Kathleen, who has aided and abetted, accompanied and ably helped steer Valdy through the last thirty-three years of harsh and mellow weather.

Valdy's recent CDs, the last two of which are available on iTunes, include:

"Contenders 3", the third collaboration with Gary Fjellgaard, an awarded cowboy songwriter.

"Read Between the Lines", a 2012 release that has a broad selection of genres.

"Viva Valdy: Live at Last", a two-CD package, one live and one studio, with a total of 25 tunes and lyric booklet,

Valdy has sold almost half a million copies of his 15 albums, and is remembered for "Play Me a Rock and Roll Song", his bitter-sweet memory of finding himself, a relaxed and amiable story-teller, facing a rambunctious audience at the Aldergrove Rock Festival circa 1968, , has two Juno Awards (Folk Singer of the Year and Folk Entertainer of the Year), seven Juno nominations, and four Gold albums to his credit..

Valdy is one of Canada's influential songwriters. His own tune "A Good Song" was recorded by Quincy Jones, who actually sang lead vocal on the recording, retitled "Just a Man". "Play Me a Rock and Roll Song" has been covered by a few artists, including John Kay of Steppenwolf.

Along the way, Valdy has taken his music to a dozen different countries, from Denmark to Australia and recently New Zealand. He has been an often-invited performer at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. His man television appearances include Canada AM. Open Mike with Mike Bullard, Front Page Challenge, and he played a lead role in an episode of The Beachcombers original series.

Murray McLauchlan is one of Canada’s most highly regarded singer/songwriters, and with good cause. Over a 40-year career, he has released 18 albums and been awarded 11 Junos. His songs Farmer’s Song, Down by the Henry Moore, Whispering Rain and Sweeping the Spotlight Away are now considered Canadian standards. Murray is also a painter, an author, an actor, a radio host; he's been bestowed an Honourary Doctor of Laws and appointed to The Order of Canada. That’s quite a ride. Until recently Murray's touring had been restricted to Lunch at Allen's, whose members also include Ian Thomas, Marc Jordan and Cindy Church. But with the release earlier this year of his critically acclaimed Love Can't Tell Time, he's back on the road treating concert goers to a seamless blend of old and new.

Here’s what he has to say: “As a songwriter I know that it's not enough to sit in your kitchen and write. Your songs need to be heard. Music is a communicative art and if it isn't brought in front of people there is no way to tell if that end has been met. I like to think of a concert tour as a kind of roving gallery to test your art and your ideas. I try to do my very best to make it worthwhile for folks to be there and to perhaps look at things in a new way when they leave.”

And this, in a nutshell, is the Murray McLauchlan concert experience.

Murray McLauchlan is one of Canada’s most highly regarded singer/songwriters, and with good cause. Over a 40-year career, he has released 18 albums and been awarded 11 Junos. His songs Farmer’s Song, Down by the Henry Moore, Whispering Rain and Sweeping the Spotlight Away are now considered Canadian standards. Murray is also a painter, an author, an actor, a radio host; he's been bestowed an Honourary Doctor of Laws and appointed to The Order of Canada. That’s quite a ride. Until recently Murray's touring had been restricted to Lunch at Allen's, whose members also include Ian Thomas, Marc Jordan and Cindy Church. But with the release earlier this year of his critically acclaimed Love Can't Tell Time, he's back on the road treating concert goers to a seamless blend of old and new.

Here’s what he has to say: “As a songwriter I know that it's not enough to sit in your kitchen and write. Your songs need to be heard. Music is a communicative art and if it isn't brought in front of people there is no way to tell if that end has been met. I like to think of a concert tour as a kind of roving gallery to test your art and your ideas. I try to do my very best to make it worthwhile for folks to be there and to perhaps look at things in a new way when they leave.”

And this, in a nutshell, is the Murray McLauchlan concert experience.