Chris Spedding may not be a household name to this generation raised on Drake, Taylor Swift and Rhianna, but to the rock intelligentsia, he is well known in the business. For almost 40 years Spedding, in addition to recording numerous critically acclaimed solo LPs, has been renowned as the session guitarist for many acts in addition to being his own artist. When needed to fill an essential guitar part either on someone’s album or on tour, Spedding is the go-to guy. The people that this British veteran has played for and/or produced reads like a who’s who in popular music: Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, Jack Bruce, Dusty Springfield, Nina Hagen, Marianne Faithfull, Paul McCartney, Roy Harper, John Cale, Chrissie Hynde, Robert Gordon, the Sex Pistols, Laurie Anderson, and the Bay City Rollers. When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame starts nominating people for the sideman category, Spedding’s name should be on the top of the list.
Join comedian Susan Stewart for a night of laughs and inspiration! After enduring a mental health crisis in 2023, Susan is sharing her story to reduce stigma, normalize experiences such as depression and anxiety, and help people see the humour in their struggles.
Susan is also a speaker and author of 3 books including her latest title, You Gotta Laugh: Wisdom About Not Taking Life (Or Yourself) Too Seriously. Susan's podcast, Still A Hot Mess, and comedy album, Relentless, are available on iTunes and Spotify. You can learn more about Susan at susanstewart.ca.
Howl-o-ween with SheWolves of London, a ghoulish event!
Original songs, powerful covers and engaging banter, maybe a surprise or two!
Prizes for imaginative costumes and makeup, feel free to scare us!
Devil's night has nothing on SheWolves of London!
SheWolves of London is a dynamic group of talented women presenting original songs and select covers that incorporate their passion, humor and conviction.
With five accomplished songwriters, and four strong vocalists, SheWolves of London focuses on rich harmonies in support of the lead.
Featuring Cheryl Lescom on vocals and percussion, Sarah Smith on guitar and vocals, and Chuckee Zehr on keys and vocals, accompanied by Alison Dale on bass, saxophone and vocals, and Dale Anne Brendon on drums, the ladies draw the audience into their world with each song.
Each member of SheWolves of London has a well established and long musical history, with multiple CDs having been released over the years by the individuals. Recently released music is 'Well Played' by Cheryl Lescom, 'Laugh Lines & Crows Feet' by Chuckee Zehr, 'Songs From When The World Went Still' by Sarah Smith. Dale Anne Brendon recently recorded and toured with Randy Bachman and has enjoyed a long connection with the Stratford Festival.
Bringing these five strong women together has created a powerful fusion of story and song, all presented in a unique musical experience.
Cheryl Lescom has been part of the Canadian music scene for over 45 years. Starting off in 1975 with several of her own bands before becoming a back up singer for Ronnie Hawkins and touring with Long John Baldry.
To date, Cheryl has released 6 CDs. Cheryl's newest release with the Tucson Choir Boys, 'Well Played' was released in October 2020 on Busted Flat Records.
As the late, great Long John Baldry once said, "Cheryl Lescom has one of the best and biggest voices in Canada. I've had many great singers wit me over the years and Cheryl is by far one of my favourites.!"
Sarah Smith, Vocals and Guitar
There are few artists who exude the depth of passion, spirit and talent as London, Ontario's Sarah Smith does on a stage or in a recording studio. Music is more than a vocation for Smith: it is her calling. The combination of her extraordinary personal magnetism, breathtakingly emotive voice and empowering music has created an impressive following of devoted fans and true buzz on the Canadian independent music scene.
Smith lives music, loves music - it imbues every fibre of her being and the result of this all-encompassing devotion to her craft is a catalogue of compelling songs that are deeply personal and revelatory, and mesmerizing in their soul=bearing sincerity - especially in a live setting.
Chuckee Zehr, Vocals and Keys
From blues to rock, with a taste of R&B, gospel, and classical, Chuckee's musical character has been influenced by many. She has performed in many bands, theatre productions, and studio works. Whether in a small, intimate solo/duo setting, or with a full band in a large venue, Chuckee likes a personal connection with the audience, delivering her songs with passion and emotion, as well as humour and fun.
Chuckee released her fourth original album in December of 2020 "Laugh Lines and Crows Feet." Currently, she is the Musical Director of "Inspired by Janis" and "The Woodstock Experience"; two successful musical productions.
Dale Ann Brendon, Drums
Originally from London, Ontario, Canada, Dale Anne plays Classic Rock with the North American touring act Jeans n'Classics (rock band plus symphony orchestra) which has taken her from Jacksonville, Florida to Anchorage, Alaska, with many other cities in between. Dale Anne's classical music career has included playing percussion with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra London Canada to name a few, providing an opportunity for her to perform with world-class artists such as Marie Osmond, Rogers Hodgson of Supertramp, Harry Belefonte, Mel Torme and more! Dale Anne is also a dedicated educator and clinician and in addition to having a full roster of private drum students, has performed educational clinics across Canada with the help of the products she endorses: Sabian cymbals, Yamaha drums and Promark drumsticks.
Alison Dale, Bass, Saxophone and Vocals
Alison Dale is a multi-instrumentalist and artist-educator based in Stratford. She has played bass with Nylon Grooves, New Tribe, Downie Street Collective, Pam Gerrand, and Brenda McMorrow. Alison has performed at numerous venues, including the Stratford Festival and other music and arts festivals. In 2019, she was named an Exceptional Caregiver by the Room 217 Foundation for her music care work with special needs adults. Alison is the founder of Soul Fire Creative, an agency committed to wellness through the arts.
"Undeniably, One of Canada's Hottest Comedians"... CBC
Derek Seguin is one of the most sought after stand-up comedians on the international circuit. He has performed at the prestigious invitation-only Just for Laughs festival an impressive 11 times as well as appearing numerous times at every other major festival in the country, making several television appearances along the way.
At a past Just for Laughs festival, GQ Magazine's Comedy Editor reported about JFL that: "Montreal-comic Derek Sequin stole one of the most star-studded gala shows last year from host Whitney Cummings. This year, he appeared in The Nasty Show and proceeded to steal that too. A true star and Montreal's pride and joy."
The Montreal Gazette enthused that: "Derek Sequin earned a standing ovation for his set during the ninth Just for Laughs gala...had me gasping for air, I was laughing so hard at the detailing of his second date with his Newfoundland girlfriend...What made it great, however, was not the boldness of his material but that he described it all in such childlike wonder. Brilliant." He has also appeared on CBC Radio's "The Debaters" more than forty times and is one of the show's fan favourites. Undeniably one of Canada's hottest comedians, he fittingly walked away with the top prize of Sirius XM's Canada Top Comic competition a few years ago; a contest that spanned the entire country with finalists from every major city.
In March 2021, it was announced that Derek's latest album, PanDerek - 1st Wave had been nominated for a Juno award. Yet another milestone in an illustrious and hilarious career. Whether he's ragging on politics or describing life with his children, he brings us into his perspective without preaching any selfish point of view. His undeniable charm makes him simply fun to watch and listen to and is in large part why he is one of Canada's most "in demand" comedians. The quintessential performer, Derek is a stand-up comedian, actor, host, narrator, voice actor and most importantly, father of 3 beautiful children...and all this, in both English and French (especially the "papa" part). A consummate professional, Derek is at home on stage in a comedy club, conference centre, theatre, arena, school or arts centre. He tailors his sets for all audiences and can work clean or filthy. There is no evening that won't be livened up by the addition of Derek's natural charm, honed comedic genius and warm, witty banter.
After eight weeks of fierce competition, jaw-dropping punchlines and unforgettable performances, London's Next Best Comic has arrived for the grand finale! Starting with 80 hopeful comedians, we have whittled it down to the final 10, each bringing their unique flavour of humour to the stage. This is the comedy showdown of the year, one you absolutely can't miss!
The top five (5) comics will be selected to perform in the Festival in our club show series.
First place will receive $500 and the opportunity to open on Saturday night for K. Trevor Wilson at Centennial Hall!
This hit after hit show is a true Johnny Cash experience that celebrates the music and life of 'The Man In Black' and his fun-loving wife, June Carter. This concert covers the entire career of Johnny Cash from the 1950s at Sun Records to 2003 with the American Recordings label and includes Johnny's biggest hits Ring of Fire, Boy Named Sue, I Walk The Line, Folsom Prison Blues, Hurt and the famous duet Jackson sung with June Carter amongst many other classic songs.
The concert performance features Ward Cornforth as a 1960's era Johnny Cash and includes duets performed with Johnny's life-long partner June Carter. Ward Cornforth and his band accurately recreate Cash's biggest hits with the distinctive sound of Cash's signature backing band, The Tennessee Three.
The show is a fun, toe-tapping trip down memory lane. Ward incorporates historical accounts and personal anecdotes about the Country Legend and American Poet, who left his mark upon many millions of fans, in this not-to-be missed musical event.
Colin Linden’s tale is the stuff of legend, the kind told in the Coen brothers’ O Brother Where Art Thou or Inside Llewyn Davis, both of which featured his guitar playing on the soundtracks. That film would begin with an 11-year-old meeting his musical idol Howlin’ Wolf at a matinee show in his native Toronto, accompanied by his mom, who took a picture of the two during a nearly two-hour long conversation before the gig, the legendary bluesman idling over coffee and cigarettes.
“I’m an old man now, and I won’t be around much longer,” Wolf told him. “It’s up to you to carry it on.”
Linden still carries that frayed photograph in his wallet, along with a Sears 5/8” socket wrench in his pocket to play slide guitar. He has taken Wolf’s plea seriously, performing since he was 12 years old, leaving home as a teenager to travel the south at the invitation of Mississippi Sheiks delta blues guitarist Sam Chatmon which took him to Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Memphis and Hollandale, Mississippi, meeting and visiting the sites of his heroes – Brownie McGhee, Muddy Waters, Sippie Wallace, Tampa Red, Blind John Davis, the Rev. Robert Wilkins, Sleepy John Estes and Son House, visiting the landmarks and juke joints, many of which he’s played in during the course of a 45-year career producing and playing blues and roots music. As a singer/guitarist, he’s accompanied everyone from Bruce Cockburn (as his producer and touring musician) to Bob Dylan, Greg Allman, Rihannon Giddens, Pistol Annies, John Prine and more.
He was the main contributor to the music for the Nashville TV show and subsequent live tours. Along the way, Linden played on over 500 albums and produced 140, including his first-ever actual Grammy in 2020 for producing Keb Mo’s Oklahoma, winner for Best Americana Album. He has also nabbed a staggering 25 Juno Award nominations and nine wins.
Linden’s latest solo album, bLOW, the first outside artist on longtime friend Lucinda Williams’ Highway 20 label distributed by Nashville-based Thirty Tigers, is his 14th in 40 years, but first electric blues release. The title song comes from being stuck inside a flimsy motel after a casino gig somewhere in Oklahoma or Texas as a tornado was about to hit, waiting for the walls to cave in, with his wife, the novelist Janice Powers, providing not only the opening verse quoted above, but the gurgling Hammond B3 organ left to him by his former bandmate, the late Richard Bell, played, in her own words, “like a deranged church lady.”
Linden willingly took the torch from Wolf, launching a career that has seen him not just as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, but as a producer, sideman, film/TV music supervisor and score composer. Meeting T Bone Burnett through artist Sam Phillips – who was the opening act for Bruce Cockburn, with whom Linden was playing – was another life-altering event, leading him to gigs with the Coen brothers and the Nashville TV series.
“I couldn’t ever have had a better mentor as a record producer and music maker,” says Linden about his longtime friend.
Although following in the footsteps of his heroes was the beginning of Linden’s story, with bLOW he continues a journey that began even before he met Wolf. That magic moment and so many others continue to live on in the music.
Operation Walk Canada is excited to host their 11th annual fundraising concert: The Crooner Show performed by Rick Kish and Connor Boa on Tuesday, October 1st, 2024 at The Aeolian Hall. This event will give people in developing countries the opportunity to live a full life again. Since 2006, Operation Walk has been travelling to Guatemala and Ecuador to provide hip and knee surgeries to patients who have no access to care.
This concert is for anyone who enjoys a simple, upbeat evening out with friends and colleagues. From Sinatra to Bublé, The Crooner Show celebrates songs made famous by some of the greatest crooners of all time. Guests can sit back (with their complimentary glass of wine) and take in two hours of great stories and swingin’ tunes in this high-energy trip down memory lane. The cost to attend this event is $150 and includes a chance to win a door prize.
Jake Vaadeland is a self taught multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Saskatchewan, Canada. His traditional sound and unique style could be defined as a blend of Bluegrass and 50s Rockabilly. Jake strives to write and play with a focus on storytelling and messages that he hopes his audience can relate to, all packaged in foot stomping, high energy performances with The Sturgeon River Boys.
In 2022, Jake received 2 Saskatchewan Music Awards, including Album of the Year for his album Everybody But Me, along with Roots/Folk Artist of the Year. He followed that up in 2023 by once again winning the Roots/Folk Artist of the Year. He was awarded four 2022 Saskatchewan Country Music Awards, including Fans Choice Entertainer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Alternative Album of the Year & Emerging Artist of the Year, and again followed up in 2023 by winning the Alternative Album award for the 2nd year in row. Jake was also nominated for Roots/Folk Artist of the Year at the 2023 Western Canadian Music Awards.
Jake had another big year at the 2024 Saskatchewan Country Music Awards, taking home 4 awards including Male Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Video of the Year & Interactive Artist of the Year. He was also nominated for Best New Touring Artist at the Canadian Live Music Industry Awards and is nominated once again for Roots/Folk Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards.
His new album, Retro Man…More And More (Expanded Edition) was released in April, 2024, This was followed up in May, 2024 when Jake joined Platinum selling Canadian country artist, Tebey for the release of their single, Wake Me Up (the Bluegrass Rendition). These releases are being supported by extensive tours in Canada, USA, UK and EU. Jake Vaadeland & the Sturgeon River Boys have developed a reputation as one of the hardest working independent bands in the business. True road warriors, they are passionate about taking their music directly to their quickly growing fanbase around the world.
In support of the London Pregnancy and Family Support Centre.
Join the Rhythm and Grace family band for an evening of vibrant Celtic music and dance and uplifting Gospel songs. Husband and wife, Alex and Miriam, and their nine children, ages 7-22, have shared fiddling, step dancing, and Gospel songs from Newfoundland to BC, and helped produce a children's television series. This is an all ages, fun and engaging concert for families, grandparents, and all who love Jesus. In addition to step dancing, the children play piano, fiddle, Irish whistle, bass, and their dad backs them up on the guitar.
Pastors are warmly welcomed and will be honoured in a special way. There are a limited number of complimentary tickets for Pastors which can be obtained by emailing the band at info@rhythmandgracemusic.com.
A number of the children have received noteworthy awards, including honourable mention and 2nd place overall at the Ontario Provincial Music Festival for piano, 3rd place overall for violin, and the Royal Conservatory of Music National Gold Medal for Piano. Most of all, the family home is filled with music from morning till night with the children spending hours together every week composing and arranging music that will get your hands clapping, toes tapping, voices singing, and all of our hearts filled with gratitude!
