Music

Jenn Grant expands to a galactic realm never before explored by the songwriter with Paradise. While Grant’s 2014 JUNO twice nominated (Songwriter & Contemporary Album of the Year) Compostela, focused on Jenn’s own personal experience of loss, this time Grant points the compass towards the epic and intimate and explores a new depth of sound.

“I wanted to explore new soundscapes,” Grant explains when describing how piano came to be the primary song-writing instrument. Grant created new shapes and colours with an array of new instrumentation and song collaboration with producer Daniel Ledwell. “I thought about my singing much more. I feel like I am a completely different artist from when I began performing. I don't feel like I really heard my own voice until recently. 

Paradise feels personal and emotive, but it was born from a vantage point of watching as the world flexes amidst great joy and sorrow. Through her lyrics, Grant tells us of the world she watches from a distance, touching on global themes like love, growth, faith, longing, sex, death and reinvention. 

With the International success of Compostela, Grant spent three years touring the world and playing to over 300 audiences, both festivals and in concert settings with sold out shows from London to Vancouver. Finally coming off the road, Grant retreated to the secluded studio by her home in Lake Echo, Nova Scotia. What emerged was Paradise- an album that sees a new dimension in Grant’s songwriting with new depths of sonic beauty and melodic landscapes, touching upon balladry, R&B and electronic music along the way.

Paradise’s songs reach out with world-weary awareness, that’s most evident on lead single “Galaxies,” a song that is the aural equivalent of star-gazing. “I pictured people standing at the edge of the earth, hands outstretched, asking, ‘What is bigger than us, than any of this?’” Grant says.

Jenn Grant’s voice and songwriting has been celebrated the world over by critics and industry alike. Described as one of the 'best singers in the world' by her ongoing collaborator, Buck 65 (CA), “captivating' by The Line Of Best Fit (UK), and “work of a painter born in paradise” by The Sydney Morning Herald (AU).

Résumé:
Dans son tout nouveau spectacle, la pétillante Anne-Lune reçoit la visite de son ami Balthazar, qui peut découvrir son univers. La chanteuse profite de l'occasion pour aborder le thème de l'estime de soi: que faut-il faire, pour connaître sa valeur et avoir davantage confiance en soi?

Avec des chansons super rythmées portant des titres comme J'ai ma place, On est tous différents, Fier de soi, On n'est pas des robots et Je danse ma vie, parions que les enfants, les adultes et même Balthazar repartiront sur le chemin de la vie avec un baluchon rempli de précieux outils!

Spectacle adressé au jeunes de 2 à 8 ans. Apportez toute la famille pour seulement 10 $ (15 $ à la porte)

Réservations: 519-673-1977 x3823 ou culture@ccrlondon.on.ca

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***This show is entirely in French***

Synopsis:
In her new show, the vibrant Anne-Lune's friend Balthazar comes to visit. The singer takes this opportunity to discuss self-confidence: what do I have to do to know my value and have better self-confidence?

With super rhythmic songs such as J'ai ma place, On est tous différents, Fier de soi, On n'est pas des robots et Je danse ma vie, you can bet that kids, adults and even Balthazar will have a backpack full of precious tools to help them on life's journey!

Target audience: 2- to 8-year-olds. Bring the whole family for only 10 $ (15 $ at the door)

Reservations: 519-673-1977 x3823 or culture@ccrlondon.on.ca

Valdy, born Valdemar Horsdal in Ottawa, Canada has been part of the fabric of Canadian pop and folk music for almost 40 years. A man with a thousand friends, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island to Texas to New Zealand, he’s a singer, guitarist and songwriter who catches the small but telling moments that make up life.

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, Valdy has sold almost half a million copies of his 13 albums, has two Juno Awards (Folk Singer of the Year and Folk Entertainer of the Year), a total of seven Juno nominations and four Gold albums to his credit.

Valdy’s recent CDs include “Contenders”, a collaboration with friend and fellow singer/songwriter, Gary Fjellgaard, with whom he has an absolute blast touring, and a solo release, “Viva Valdy: Live at Last”, a two-CD package, one live, one studio, with a total of 25 tunes, and a lyric booklet.

One of Canada’s most influential songwriters, Valdy’s composition A Good Song was recorded under the title Just a Man by the venerable Quincy Jones ( he sang lead on the recording!). Play Me a Rock and Roll Song has been recorded 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 been an often-invited performer at the prestigious Kerrville Festival in Texas. His past television appearances include Canada AM and Open Mike with Mike Bullard. Valdy has also been a panelist on Front Page Challenge, and played a lead role in an episode of The Beachcombers original series.

In 1969 the greatest music festival ever happened – Woodstock.

2019 marks 50 years since then and we invite you to come back with us to that incredible time in music history. The audience is encouraged to dress the day and inspire.

Featuring performances by Cheryl Lescom, Rick Taylor, Chuckee Zehr, Steve Toman, Grant Heywood and Marc Shickluna!

Chic, sophisticated. Elegant, distinctive. Perhaps a little jazzy; a guilty pleasure?  Uptown Affair!

For Valentines – songs of love and heartbreak. New takes on romantic standards and broadway classics, under the musical direction of John Brocksom, with special guest Paul Langille.

Music for dancers, songs for lovers, performances to move you. Uptown Affair!

For the better part of two decades, Toronto’s Enter The Haggis has combined bagpipes and fiddles with a rock rhythm section to create a distinctively eclectic sound, praised by The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and Canada’s Globe and Mail. Their songs offer singalong melodies and deep, meaningful lyrics which tell the stories of everyday hard working people, often faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Signature songs like “One Last Drink”, “Gasoline”, “Down With The Ship” and “Lancaster Gate” have had hundreds of thousands of plays on social media, appeared in Hollywood movies, and have been performed and recorded by artists around the world.

Enter The Haggis is clearly comfortable on the stage and develops an easy rapport with audiences, sharing the stories behind their songs and laughing through tour anecdotes. The show is exciting and dynamic, featuring unpredictable and spontaneous moments. One song might feature drummer Bruce McCarthy taking a drum solo on Trevor Lewington’s guitar strings, while the next song breaks down into a fierce battle between fiddle and harmonica. Sometimes during an encore, the band will leave the stage entirely to perform acoustically standing on chairs in the audience.

Enter The Haggis’ commitment to putting on a great show every single night has made them a favorite at festivals and performing arts centers across the US and Canada. As a result, ETH shows have become an annual tradition on some of the most prestigious stages on the continent. The band has also brought hundreds of fans on eight tours of Ireland, forging deeper friendships with their supporters while exploring ancient landmarks and natural wonders across the country. The next trip is planned for October 11th–19th 2019.

Enter The Haggis has appeared on “Live with Regis and Kelly” and “A&E’s Breakfast With The Arts”, and was the feature of an hour-long PBS concert special which aired for months on more than eighty affiliate stations across the US. The band’s legions of die-hard fans (the self-described “Haggis Heads“) have crowdfunded the last four ETH albums, and played a huge part in propelling the most recent full-length record to its debut at #9 on the national ”Billboard Heatseekers" chart. The group’s friendly, welcoming attitude is responsible for the close relationship it has with its supporters, and all five band members truly enjoy taking time after every show to meet with people one on one.

Enter The Haggis is currently trading off between touring and working on its tenth studio album in Toronto.

For the better part of two decades, Toronto’s Enter The Haggis has combined bagpipes and fiddles with a rock rhythm section to create a distinctively eclectic sound, praised by The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and Canada’s Globe and Mail. Their songs offer singalong melodies and deep, meaningful lyrics which tell the stories of everyday hard working people, often faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Signature songs like “One Last Drink”, “Gasoline”, “Down With The Ship” and “Lancaster Gate” have had hundreds of thousands of plays on social media, appeared in Hollywood movies, and have been performed and recorded by artists around the world.

Enter The Haggis is clearly comfortable on the stage and develops an easy rapport with audiences, sharing the stories behind their songs and laughing through tour anecdotes. The show is exciting and dynamic, featuring unpredictable and spontaneous moments. One song might feature drummer Bruce McCarthy taking a drum solo on Trevor Lewington’s guitar strings, while the next song breaks down into a fierce battle between fiddle and harmonica. Sometimes during an encore, the band will leave the stage entirely to perform acoustically standing on chairs in the audience.

Enter The Haggis’ commitment to putting on a great show every single night has made them a favorite at festivals and performing arts centers across the US and Canada. As a result, ETH shows have become an annual tradition on some of the most prestigious stages on the continent. The band has also brought hundreds of fans on eight tours of Ireland, forging deeper friendships with their supporters while exploring ancient landmarks and natural wonders across the country. The next trip is planned for October 11th–19th 2019.

Enter The Haggis has appeared on “Live with Regis and Kelly” and “A&E’s Breakfast With The Arts”, and was the feature of an hour-long PBS concert special which aired for months on more than eighty affiliate stations across the US. The band’s legions of die-hard fans (the self-described “Haggis Heads“) have crowdfunded the last four ETH albums, and played a huge part in propelling the most recent full-length record to its debut at #9 on the national ”Billboard Heatseekers" chart. The group’s friendly, welcoming attitude is responsible for the close relationship it has with its supporters, and all five band members truly enjoy taking time after every show to meet with people one on one.

Enter The Haggis is currently trading off between touring and working on its tenth studio album in Toronto.

Sarina Haggarty has been making music for as long as she can remember. As a young child she would regularly improvise songs while pretending to play guitar. At age four, she began learning cello with an old converted viola. From there, she branched out to piano and vocal lessons. At age 10 she taught herself guitar and has been refining her music ever since. Once a regular fixture around London Ontario’s Convent Garden Market, Sarina would regularly spend time on the weekends busking in front of the market or performing at local events. She has performed the national anthem for the London Lightening, performed on Canada Day in Harris Park, various local open mic nights and regularly uses her music ability to raise money for various charities including the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Bethany’s Hope, Make-A-Wish, London Health Science centre and other foundations locally and internationally. She was also invited to perform at a cocktail party for Chef Micheal. One thing is clear, she has no fear when it comes to performing, no matter the size of the crowd. Despite anything, Sarina has never let anything or anyone stop her from performing or making her own music. At the age of 9, Sarina suffered her first seizure on route to a performance. Following her second attack, doctors at the London Health Sciences Centre diagnosed her as having epilepsy. Despite anything, Sarina has never let anything or anyone stop her from performing or making her own music At the age of 17, Sarina became a Make-A-Wish ambassador and had the opportunity to perform an original song for Canadian artist Shawn Mendes' at a sold out show of over 22,000 people @ Quicken loans Arena in Cleveland Ohio. - Becoming a Make-A-Wish internationally highlight of the year. Even while in the hospital, she was still playing music for the nurses on the floor and even had a visit from the band; Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. She recorded a video of her performing between surgeries, which was posted to social media and has since received over thousands of views! In less than 2 years, Sarina has released two EPs - Missing Pieces (November 2016) & Compass (January 2018). Proceeds from Missing Pieces - EP have been donated brain research. Selling out some of the most amazing venues in London, Sarina plans to keep writing and release more music in the near future. Sarina will always be grateful for the local and world-wide support that is given and shown.

Canadian guitar legend DON ROSS has been touring internationally for the last 30 years, bringing his trademark groove-based style to audiences in Canada, the USA, Europe, China, Japan, Korea, Russia, India and Australia in the process. His new project, Don Ross Louder Than Usual, is a new collaborative unit that Don has started to achieve some of the arrangements of many of his tunes that, though they work well in the solo context, were actually conceived as working well in a band context.

The core of the band is a quartet consisting of Andrew Craig on keyboards, Jordan O’Connor on bass, Marito Marques on drums and Don on guitar and vocals. The band got its start in 2018 when Don was invited to perform in ensemble at the Ottawa Jazz Festival. Their sold out show was very well received, and made the band eager to showcase further.

Don Ross was born and raised in Montreal to an Indigenous Canadian mother and a Scottish immigrant father. His bilingual, multicultural upbringing was, perhaps, one of the most quintessentially Canadian experiences one could hope for! He eventually graduated with a Music degree from Toronto’s York University, and then embarked on an award-winning solo composing, recording and performing career that has taken him to dozens of countries over the course of 18 CD releases. In addition to guitar, Don plays about a dozen other instruments, but is certainly well-known primarily for his groundbreaking work as a solo “fingerstyle” guitarist. His music shows affinity for the music that influenced him along the way, including the traditions of urban music (jazz, funk, R&B, soul), traditional music, world music, and 20th and 21st century composers, such as Steve Reich, Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny.

Don Ross Louder Than Usual is a quartet that can grow to a larger group with the inclusion of a four-piece horn section, led by luminary wind player and bandleader Colleen Allen. The band consist primarily of Toronto-based musicians. Despite living on Canada’s East Coast, Don still considers Toronto (where he lived for many years) as his musical home, and from whose awesome talent pool he often chooses his collaborators. Given the realities and expenses of touring, however, Don plans to form regional versions of DRLTU in order to open up performance possibilities in other parts of the world.

Resonant, acoustic chamber folk with an otherworldly edge, and a lyric presence that cuts deep. Prism-clear vocals and strings; A combination of vocal agility and power.

Raine’s new album, Night Sky, tips between the earthly and the otherworldly; it is anchored in relatable lived experience, while reaching into the space just beyond, thinning the veil between here and there, affording safe passage to the rough and beautiful places. Raine’s ethereal voice and lyrics are at the forefront of these powerful and relatable tunes, written both in English and in French.

Raine was the recent recipient of a 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award for Emerging Artist of the Year.

“Raine Hamilton’s new album Night Sky is a warm, sweet stringed folk serenade to life’s beauty – the pain, joy and vibrance of our shared human experience.”
-- Mitch Mosk, Atwood Magazine