Music

From rocking Halifax’s Marquee Club to performing for the masses at Massey Hall or touring the country with his father, Joel Plaskett has forged a reputation as one of Canada’s most engaging performers and respected singer-songwriters.

Plaskett’s songs are a perennial part of the national playlist, a fixture on “best of” lists, and the soundtrack to the lives of faithful fans across the country and around the world. His accolades over a quarter century include a Juno, numerous East Coast Music, Canadian Folk and Music Nova Scotia awards, and two Polaris short list nominations.

THE COMIC STRIPPERS

A Male Stripper Parody and Improv Comedy Show

Canadian Comedy Award Winners - Best Live Production

The Comic Strippers are a fictitious male stripper troupe, played by a cast of some of Canada’s best improvisational comedians. These guys try to be sexy… it just comes out funny. Constantly grooving and gyrating, in between scenes they banter with the crowd and perform their sexylarious twist on improv sketches. They sing, they “dance;” these guys are oiled up and ready to make you laugh. Women often say the most attractive thing about a man is his sense of humour - so ladies, these stripped-down comedians are sure to make your head explode. And not to worry, gentlemen, this is definitely a parody of male strippers. “A show suitable for both men and women… an entertaining ride where anything goes.” - Rip It Up Magazine

Semi-undressed and completely unscripted, The Comic Strippers take off their shirts and take on your suggestions to create a whole new genre of comedy.

WARNING: No extreme nudity, just extreme hilarity. A show for all genders… 19+ only

Fresh from sold out shows in Vegas, Australia and across Canada and Canadian Comedy Award Winners for Best Live Production, The Comic Strippers are:

Roman Danylo - For five seasons, Roman starred on CTV’s Comedy Inc. As a stand-up comedian, he has appeared on Just For Laughs and The Debaters.

Chris Casillan - An improv comedy vet with The Vancouver Theatre Sports League, Chris is also a Canadian Comedy Award winner with his sketch comedy group Canadian Content.

Michael Teigen - As well as being a professional improviser and theatre actor, Michael has been in over 30 television shows and over 40 feature films.

Pearce Visser - Pearce is a 25 year veteran of improv, performing and teaching across Canada and the globe, is in the Cirque du Soleil talent roster, and can be seen occasionally on film and tv.

★★★★★ “Extremely funny comedy show that showcases their mercurial improvisational talents.” - UK Fringe   Review
★★★★ “A high- energy evening that never loses pace.” - Adelaide Now
“One of the most hilarious shows I've ever seen.” - Vancouver Sun

George Canyon rose to becoming one of Canada’s hottest Country Music stars in the early 2000’s and has won countless accolades and awards, including Juno Awards, CCMA Awards, and ECMA Awards to name a few. He has been inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame, recorded 12 albums, and was presented a certified Platinum Award for his debut album ‘One Good Friend’. With country iconic hits like Just Like You, I Believe in Angels, Drinkin’ Thinkin’, Daughters of the Sun, I Got This, I Want You To Live, Slow Dance and many, many more, he is also a highly regarded humanitarian, strong supporter of the military, and, most important, a proud father and devoted husband.

Canyon’s tireless work as spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and his ongoing support for Canada’s Armed Forces has earned him much National and International recognition. Among them, he was honored with the Humanitarian Award by the Canadian Country Music Association, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, and was also made the first ever Colonel Commandant of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets by the Honourable Peter MacKay, former Minister of National Defense.

Outside of his music and charitable work, many people might also recognize George for his numerous roles on the big screen. From Charlie Wells in the hit television show Heartland and the head forest ranger in Trailer Park Boys, to Bull Shelton in the Hallmark Channel’s highest-rated original Christmas movie “One Starry Christmas”. George also guest starred on stage in the musical production of Grease in 2018 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto.

Among his many identities, Canyon is also a proud Canadian and huge hockey fan, and roots for his team, the Calgary Flames, for which he is in his sixth season singing the national anthem during the home games.

George released his new memoir on November 8th, 2022 with Simon & Schuster Canada, titled ‘My Country’ - a heartfelt and candid memoir charting his humble beginnings in rural Nova Scotia, the hard-won success he found under the bright lights of Nashville, Tennessee, and the life lessons learned on and off the road that ultimately led him home. His latest single, sharing the same title, is available now on all streaming platforms.

Welcome to TedxDundasPlaceYouth, an independently organized TED event in London. Our team brings together speakers from diverse backgrounds across the city to share their ideas and insights, aiming to inspire the future leaders of tomorrow. Our event will delve into a range of topics, including entrepreneurship and business, the arts, life sciences, and more. Speakers include renowned professors from Ivey and Western, accomplished musicians, and talented local youth. Join us to hear their stories and embark on a journey of exploration into your next chapter.

'Ruzz Guitar's Blues Revue' are one of the UK’s premier, Big Band Blues sounds...

Hailing from Bristol UK and lead by Gretsch endorsed guitarist Ruzz Guitar... Ruzz Guitar's Blues Revue brings together the multiple influences in Ruzz's musical journey and combines them into one project to create the sound that he's always heard in his head and wanted to capture live.

Bring together the Big Band Swing of The Brian Setzer Orchestra, blend it with the Texas Blues of Jimmie Vaughan and throw in a few other influences from artists such as B.B.King, Ray Charles, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and you'll get an idea of the sound that Ruzz Guitar's Blues Revue put out!

Since the band started in 2014 they have been going from strength to strength.

- They have opened for, and shared the stage with, many well-known artists such as Andy Fairweather Low, Dr Feelgood, Innes Sibun (Robert Plant/The Innes Sibun Blues Explosion), Jon Amor (The Hoax), Pete Gage (Dr Feelgood), Kirk Fletcher (The Fabulous Thunderbirds/Joe Bonamassa/Solo), The BlockHeads (Ian Dury & The Blockheads), Bill Kirchen, Darrel Higham (Imelda May/Jeff Beck/Solo), Kid Ramos (James Harman/The Fabulous Thunderbirds) and Junior Watson.

- They have self-released four albums and released one with Rhythm Bomb Records, all of which have amassed multiple plays on multiple independent and internet radio stations around the globe including “Hank’s Americana Radio” and 90.1 FM KPFT “Howlin’ The Blues” broadcasting out of Houston Texas, BBC Radio Wales during Adam Walton’s “BBC Introducing” Show, BBC Radio Wiltshire during Sue Davies’ show broadcasting from the UK and Banks Radio Australia to name a few.

- The 2018 album release (“The Heist” – November 2018) features special guests Pete Gage (The Jet Harris Band/Dr Feelgood/Solo) & Tommy Harkenrider (from USA), received rave reviews and reached number 25 in the IBBA 2018 Top 50 album chart. 2020 saw the release of their “Live at the Louisiana” (February 2020) and “The Instrumental Sounds Of…” (December 2020) albums.

- They have played all over the UK and had very successful tours of Europe and the USA.

- Ruzz has also been honoured by being officially endorsed by Gretsch Guitars (September 2016). In March 2017, he was made the “Featured Guitarist” on the official website for Gretsch Guitars (www.gretsch.com)

- September 2017 saw Ruzz used as the front cover image for UK Rock’n’Roll Magazine with a three page feature on the band and 2020 saw the band receive a two page feature in the 'Blues In Britain' magazine.

- Ruzz won the 'Guitarist Of The Year' award and was nominated 'Artist Of The Year' (came runner up to Jimmie Vaughan) in The Blues Lounge Radio Show 2021 Awards.

POSTER CREDIT - MARC AUDET, OTTAWA GIG POSTERS

Martha Wainwright is beginning again.

The beguiling performer and songwriter returns with Love Will Be Reborn, out in August. Not since 2012’s Come Home to Mama has a Martha Wainwright record been so full of original written material. Wainwright’s fifth studio album follows recent years of loneliness and clarity in search of optimism and joy.

Wainwright wrote the first song—and what would become the title track— of the record a few years ago. It was a very dark time, she says, but the positivity and luminosity of “Love Will Be Reborn” signalled what was to come. The song simply poured out of her.

Much of Wainwright’s songwriting since 2016’s Goodnight City felt too raw. “There were several years where I picked up the guitar, and I was so, so sad and depressing. I would just put it down because I was terrible.” Before writing it out, or writing through it for catharsis, Wainwright had to live it. Album opener “Middle of the Lake” reinforces Wainwright’s path forward as she sings over voltaic chords and percussion, “I sing my songs of love and pain / Winds of change or simply singing, I'm singing in the rain.” Her work never shies away from an existential throbbing wound. “There are a couple major subjects on the record. From what I can tell, there's really dark and then light,” she says,” It really is reflective of a very difficult period of divorce. Then, after that, it’s meeting somebody new and amazing. And so you hear certain songs about this new love.”

Wainwright enlisted Canadian producer Pierre Marchand for Love Will Be Reborn. “Hole In My Heart” is an upbeat song, with Wainwright singing, “I got naked right away when I saw you / My love was like the rain when I saw you,” as is the track, “Getting Older,” which is about aging and new love. Other songs, she says, “represent me trying to shake away the past a little bit, the ball and chain of that anger, try to escape from it.”

There is no song more gripping than “Report Card.” The song is stripped to essential instrumentals punctuating her anguish. Wainwright expresses on the sombre track a feeling of deep loneliness, evoking emotional nuances particular to parents and individuals separated from their children because of custody arrangements.

Martha Wainwright's role as an artist has always been to embrace her wildness and sketch out her raw depth. This edge is what makes Wainwright uncompromisingly herself and continues to draw in an audience two decades on. To begin again does not mean starting over. This process of rebirth honours the past to move forward. Love Will Be Reborncaptures Wainwright’s heart in transition. In an effort to rise out of some painful depths, as she says much like a phoenix from the ashes of an existential twilight, Wainwright bore witness to what her heart endured to find a new joy once more.

BEN CAPLAN is a Canadian singer-songwriter and entertainer known for his energetic live shows and award-winning studio recordings. Perpetually on tour since 2011, Ben has played nearly 2000 concerts in 28 countries in that time. His 2018 project Old Stock was both an album and a highly-acclaimed musical theatre production which has toured the world since 2017, including a 7-week Off-Broadway run which garnered 6 Drama Desk Award nominations, a NYTimes Critic’s Pick, and numerous other international accolades.

His newest project, Hold On!,  is a diverse cycle of songs with a full new band of collaborators. Blending old world folk traditions with electronic instruments and sound design, Ben Caplan and the band have created a futuristic nostalgia with one foot in the past and the other stretched across the abyss of the end of the world. The show, with its energetic frenzy and moments of unexpected tenderness, lives somewhere in the space between theatre and music. It’s a kind of cabaret to mourn and celebrate the end of the world.

Caity Gyorgy (pronounced George) is 2 time JUNO award winning Canadian vocalist who is known for singing bebop and swing music. She has performed at popular clubs and jazz festivals across Canada, Mexico, Japan and the USA and has worked and recorded with incredible musicians including Christine Jensen, Pat LaBarbera, Jocelyn Gould, Ira Coleman, Joe LaBarbera, Allison Au, and Bryn Roberts, to name a few. She has released several albums of original and standard music. Her albums "Now Pronouncing: Caity Gyorgy" and "Featuring" received consecutive JUNO Awards for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Her next album "You’re Alike, You Two”, a collection of Jerome Kern songs performed with pianist Mark Limacher, will be released on July 21st, 2023. She is currently signed to La Reserve Records.

London based guitarist Andy Cloutier has been performing music in a variety of styles for over 15 years. As a performer of classical music, he studied classical guitar with Robert Kubica at the University of Western Ontario, where he also focused on studies in music theory and composition. He has received awards and scholarships from the University of Western Ontario, the London Kiwanis Festival, and the OMFA provincial competition. He has also participated in public master classes with world renowned artists, including Pepe Romero, Manuel Barrueco, Roland Dyens, Pavel Steidl, and the Assad Brothers.

As a performer of popular music, Andy has been actively involved in London’s music scene since the early 2000’s, playing and recording with numerous bands and ensembles. Honours include awards from the London Music Awards, and the Jack Richardson Music Awards.

Andy currently resides in London, where he maintains an active private teaching studio, and works as organist and music director at Strathroy United Church.

Andy performs on guitars built by Canadian Luthier Bruno Boutin (2009), and Japanese Luthier Masaru Kohno (1982).