Music

The original Allen Family reunion was formed in 1980 with Jane, Joe, Julie and John P. Allen. They brought their family sound of beautiful bluegrass music to many festivals in the early ’80s. Today, the band has reunited blending three of the original members with their children: John’s daughter Beverly, and Julie’s son Paul — the sixth generation of Allens on the family farm west of London, Ontario.

John P. Allen is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame group Prairie Oyster, and has played with a long list of Canadian music icons over the past 40 years. John plays fiddle and mandolin. His brother Joe is a red-hot banjo player and has performed for many years across North America as an outstanding trumpet player. Joe’s twin sister Julie plays the stand-up bass and is an integral part of the vocal harmonies. Beverly plays the autoharp and shares the lead vocals with her cousin Paul on rhythm guitar. This family band is sure to leave you with a smile and a sweet sound in your ear.

Brought to you by the good folks at LINK theatre

This show brings together Crooners Rick Kish & Connor Boa, those fabulous Croonettes and our 3 piece band for a cool afternoon/evening of lot’s of surprises, great stories and swingin' tunes. We take you on a journey back the those 50’s/60’s Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra style Christmas Specials. The show features 2 hours of stories, popular standards of the era as well as a whole lotta Christmas Music.

Featuring Nevin Campbell - Piano, Anne Pin – Bass, Jake Schindler - Percussion

This show has been called by many “...the PERFECT kickoff for the holiday season”.

“...such a feel good two hours, I can’t stop singing. I’m ready for the holidays…”. - a patron, as they left the show

“My best friend and I attended your …Christmas Crooner's Concert and truly LOVED IT. …we'd love to introduce this show as part of our family's Christmas traditions! Thank you for your excellent show!” - email from a patron after seeing the show

Brought to you by the good folks at LINK theatre

This show brings together Crooners Rick Kish & Connor Boa, those fabulous Croonettes and our 3 piece band for a cool afternoon/evening of lot’s of surprises, great stories and swingin' tunes. We take you on a journey back the those 50’s/60’s Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra style Christmas Specials. The show features 2 hours of stories, popular standards of the era as well as a whole lotta Christmas Music.

Featuring Nevin Campbell - Piano, Anne Pin – Bass, Jake Schindler - Percussion

This show has been called by many “...the PERFECT kickoff for the holiday season”.

“...such a feel good two hours, I can’t stop singing. I’m ready for the holidays…”. - a patron, as they left the show

“My best friend and I attended your …Christmas Crooner's Concert and truly LOVED IT. …we'd love to introduce this show as part of our family's Christmas traditions! Thank you for your excellent show!” - email from a patron after seeing the show

Best known as the Canadian Screen Award winning producer, creator and star of the hit TV series Survivorman (OLN Canada, The Science Channel US, Discovery Channel International, City TV (Rogers) Canada), Les Stroud is the only producer in the history of television to produce an internationally broadcast series entirely written, videotaped and hosted alone. With Les known as the original genre creator of ‘Survival TV’, Survivorman is one of the highest rated shows in the history of OLN Canada, the Science Channel US and Discovery Channel US and remains the highest rated repeat show on the Discovery Channel. Survivorman is licensed for broadcast worldwide, with ratings in the US hitting 2 million on individual episodes. He has been nominated for 24 Canadian Screen Awards (formerly the Geminis) and has won for Best Writer (twice) and Best Photography.

Stroud has appeared in and/or produced numerous television specials including hosting the 20th Anniversary of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, I Shouldn’t Be Alive, The Science of Survival, Surviving Sharks, Expedition Everest, Surviving Urban Disasters, The Mad Trapper, Surviving Alaska, The True Story of Robinson Crusoe, Shark Feeding Frenzy, After the Experiment, Deadly Waters and the documentary feature Off the Grid with Les Stroud. He was also featured in the series Extraordinary Lives. In 2010 and 2011, Les was Executive Producer/Host of the hit kids’ TV series Survive This (YTV, Cartoon Network) and made celebrity guest appearances on Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Top Chef and MTV Cribs. He Executive Produced/Hosted the NHL celebrity survival series Survival Challenge (OLN/Rogers), and the Discovery Channel series, Les Stroud; Beyond Survival earned top ratings on both Discovery Channel US and OLN in Canada and on at least one occasion during prime time viewing was the highest rated show among men 24 to 59 in all categories on TV. He is currently signed for many new productions with Rogers Canada, The Science Channel US and Discovery International.

A celebrated keynote speaker, musician and author, both his books Survive! – Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere–Alive! (Harper Collins) and Will to Livehave made the New York Times bestseller list. Nominated for Best Travel Writer at the Canadian National Magazine awards, Les’s third book Beyond Survivorman launched into stores Jan 2014. Les took home Best Writer in Non Fiction at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards as well as the Executive Producers Award for Excellence at the Lewiston Film Festival.

Musically, Stroud has shared the stage with the top in the business, including Slash, Journey, Jonny Lang, James Cotton, Steve Stevens, Alice Cooper, Steven Stills, Tommy Shaw, Robbie Krieger, Blues Traveler, Tesla, Jakob Dylan, Randy Bachman, Chicago, Montgomery Gentry, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Roots. Revered worldwide for his iconic harmonica playing, Les’s songwriting style runs an eclectic gambit, from art-folk-roots rock to contemporary art rock. He has written all the theme songs for his TV series and scored several independent films. He has won numerous regional music festivals, recorded four CDs (one in collaboration with the Canadian hit makers the Northern Pikes).  His third CD, Wonderful Things, and fourth CD, Off The Grid, include feature documentary films entitled The Barn Sessions, produced by long-time collaborator Barry Farrell. He is currently recording his fifth and sixth albums. Mother Earth is an art rock genre album and is being produced by none other than rock legend Mike Clink and includes a solo from Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame on the lead single “One Giant Farm” as well as a feature solo from Steve Vai on the song “Mother Earth”. In 2013, he performed at the prestigious Green Ball in Washington, DC where he met Vice President Joe Biden and was the MC for the inaugural Oceana Ball in New York with Susan Rockefeller.

Stroud has made numerous talk show appearances including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The View, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, Larry King Live, The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos (CBC), and Q with Jian Ghomeshi to name a few. Stroud was featured in the now famous Geico Gecko commercial and referred to by David Letterman, Howard Stern and numerous other media personalities. He has been parodied on the hit TV sitcoms The Office (segment officially titled, “Survivorman”), King of the Hill and most recently Modern Family. During their 2010 Royal Tour of Canada, Les was invited by the Prime Minister of Canada to meet the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh.
A proud member of the prestigious Explorers Club, Les received Fellow (highest rank) of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. Les has received both the Distinguished Alumni award and was nominated for the Premieres award for excellence for work in his field. He contributes to dozens of charities and benefits, is an ambassador for Shelterbox, and is an advanced survival trainer for the Canadian Military Armed Forces as well as sits on the board of advisors for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Organization.

England’s Strawbs have a long and storied history going back more than 50 years. Dave Cousins is fond of telling the story of how his new band, The Strawberry Hill Boys, once did a six week residency in London with another upstart group. The other band was called The Rolling Stones. The Strawbs are as busy as ever and have no plans on sailing off into the sunset. In 2018, however, the band will mount their final full electric tour of Canada. The line-up will include original members Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk and Tony Fernandez, all of whom recorded on the classic Strawbs albums of the 1970s. Rounding out the lineup will be keyboardist Dave Bainbridge of the band, Iona. It has been quite a few years since the full electric Strawbs toured Canada.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see their last electric tour!

Strawbs album, Hero & Heroine, has been listed by Rolling Stone magazine as “one of the 50 greatest prog rock albums of all time”. It is the band’s biggest seller worldwide and was certified gold in North America.
In the USA Strawbs had seven consecutive albums in the Billboard Top 200.

Dave Cousins, founder member, has been described by All Music Guide as: “the most talented Dylaninfluenced songwriter to come out of England”.  He recently released his long awaited, and critically acclaimed, autobiography Exorcising Ghosts: Strawbs and Other Lives. It was listed by influential critic Richie Unterberger in his “Top 10 of 2014 rock books”

Strawbs are often mentioned in the same breath as progressive rock bands like Yes, King Crimson, and The Moody Blues.  It is well documented that Rick Wakeman left Strawbs for Yes.  Rick was followed by Blue Weaver - who left Strawbs to join the Bee Gees, John Hawken – from the original Renaissance, Don Airey - now with Deep Purple, Adam Wakeman, and Oliver Wakeman, who, like his father, left Strawbs to join Yes!

Strawbs emerged out of the British Folk Movement of the mid-1960s, starting life as the Strawberry Hill Boys playing bluegrass. They moved into the mainstream in 1967 by making the first Strawbsalbum, All Our Own Work, with Sandy Denny, a full year before she recorded her first album with Fairport Convention. The album attracted the attention of A&M Records in Hollywood who signed Strawbs as the first British band on the label.

Strawbs albums Hero & Heroine, Bursting At The Seams, Ghosts, and Grave New World define the music.  The current Strawbs line-up comprises Dave Cousins, lead guitarist Dave Lambert, bass player Chas Cronk, and drummer Tony Fernandez, who recorded and toured together in the 1970s.  They are joined by keyboard virtuoso Dave Bainbridge of Iona, a band whose mystical blend of rock, folk, Celtic and ambient music has endeared them to audiences across Europe and North America for the last 25 years.

“The Strawbs moved from folkier days to a lush, stately and mellotron-dominated sound, with similarities to Yes, King Crimson and the Moody Blues.  They wrote more compelling songs than the former two and possessed more lyrical/musical substance than the latter.” (Ken Barnes/Rolling Stone 1974)

“Carefully selecting their repertoire from less than obvious sources they invest the rarely performed material with considerable energy and thoughtful arrangements.” (Record Collector - 2003)

“Unlike many groups that are past their commercial prime and churn out inferior, dispirited versions of the hits from their glory days, the Acoustic Strawbs stand out as a band that performs their old material with passion and precision.  Furthermore, they have broken new ground by harnessing the power of their electric incarnation in an acoustic setting.” (Chicago Tribune – May 2003)

“Hearing the brilliant Strawbs [at the Edmonton Folk Festival] was like a tutorial in UK folk music from the past 40 years. (Edmonton Sun – August 2004)

“Like a Ray Davies steeped in Arthurian folklore and rustic reverie, David Cousins’ visionary talents are to the fore conjuring up a mythical canvas of Albion awakening.”  (Uncut – September 2008)

“Tell me what you see in me revealed it to be a virtual blueprint for the harmonies and arrangements of the entire Styx catalogue. Oh how she changed, similarly, sounded like a vocal model for latter day bands like Fleet Foxes.” (Schenectady Times Union – September 2010)

“The songwriting was phenomenal, and the way the trio embellished sublime melodies with supreme harmonies and incredible instrumentation made their performance unforgettable.  In fact, I repeatedly thought “music just isn’t this good anymore”. (Philadelphia Examiner – September 2011)

“Dave Cousins shows himself as a brilliant and original songwriter….” (Classic Rock – September 2012)

With ICONS OF SOUL Luke McMaster has taken his Motown influenced style to a new level. Icons of Soul in concert is the ultimate, authentic musical experience of contemporary blue-eyed soul. A collection of brand-new tunes, created in collaboration with original hit makers, Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals (Groovin’, Good Lovin’) and Lamont Dozier (Stop! In the Name of Love, Baby Love). These songs are so much fun, you’ll feel like you've known them all your life. Plus, you’ll be treated to fresh covers of early Motown hits and previously untold stories behind the songs.

Luke McMaster is best known for “Good Morning, Beautiful,” his 2013 Top 3 Billboard AC smash hit with new age pianist, Jim Brickman and his impressive Canadian gold album run as a duo with Rob James in McMaster & James, (“Thank You,” “Love Wins Everytime,”) with media often referring to them as the “Canadian Hall & Oates.”

LUKE McMASTER
Icons of Soul, Luke McMaster’s ambitious new project, offers a refreshing twist.

For not only is Brandon, Manitoba-born purveyor of contemporary blue-eyed soul paying tribute to classic R&B songwriting legends on his upcoming fourth album: he’s recruiting them.

“I’m collaborating with legends like Lamont Dozier and Felix Cavaliere on some new originals,” says McMaster, the Toronto-based singer, songwriter and producer best known for “Good Morning, Beautiful,” his 2013 Top 3 Billboard AC smash with new age pianist Jim Brickman.

“And what’s especially cool about this project is that they’re still hungry: as much as I’m learning from these masters who wrote unforgettable hits that have formed the soulful soundtrack of my life, they’re equally excited to work with me and my songwriting partner Arun Chaturvedi to write something fresh.”

Aside from covering some of the classic immortal chart-toppers written by Rascals founder Cavaliere (“Good Lovin’,” “Groovin’,” “People Got to Be Free”) and Motown sensation Dozier of Holland/Dozier/Holland (“(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “You Can’t Hurry Love”) - both members of the Rock ‘N Roll and Songwriter Halls of Fame -McMaster co-wrote two songs apiece with the prodigies at their respective Nashville and Las Vegas homes, capturing the occasions on camera for a corresponding Icons of Soul TV documentary series.

“Lamont told me this great story about his inspiration for ‘I Can’t Help Myself,’” McMaster recalls. “It turns out his grandmother owned a beauty shop and his grandfather would be hitting on all the ladies, saying things like, ‘Hello, Sugar Pie;’ ‘How you doin’, Honey Bunch?’ When Brian and Eddie Holland asked him for some ideas for the song, he remembered his grandfather’s flirting and the rest is history.

“Stories like Lamont’s that I can now tell my audiences enable me to entertain them even more and offer them a unique and authentic perspective whenever I perform.”

Soul and R&B are no strangers to Luke McMaster, even during his Brandon formative years.

“In my small town, many of my friends were into hockey and metal like Iron Maiden, but I was always the one who sang pop music with an emphasis on Motown and soul,” McMaster explains. “I had a natural inclination to sing in that style and I loved it all – the falsetto, the major keys and the strong melodies – it just resonated with me.”

That proclivity continued in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, when he relocated to Winnipeg and enjoyed his impressive Canadian gold album run as a duo with Rob James in McMaster & James, (“Thank You,” “Love Wins Everytime,”) with media often referring to them as the “Canadian Hall & Oates.”

When he turned solo in 2002 and launched a more focused songwriting career and placing songs on multi-platinum and gold albums by Rihanna, Nick Lachey, Nick Carter and Kalan Porter (7 million sales and counting), he also recorded a succession of EPs and albums (2008’s Time EP, 2013’s All Roads, 2014’s Heart of Soul and 2016’s Trending) that contained both originals and sensual interpretations of such favourites as Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours),” Roberta Flack’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and the Bee Gees “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”

Which brings us full circle to Icons of Soul, inspired in part by publishing giant Leeds Levy, president of Leeds Music, a director of ASCAP and a former president of Chrysalis Music Group and MCA Music Publishing (Elton John, Elvis Presley, OutKast) who planted the initial seed of the idea following a chance meeting with McMaster in Los Angeles.

Levy made the calls that hooked McMaster up with Cavaliere and Dozier, and is playing a prominent role in hooking the Icons of Soul principal up with some other hopefuls on his wish list: Philly-based soul architect Thom Bell and blue-eyed soul progenitor Daryl Hall; prolific Brill building pop Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil and – fingers crossed - Motown mainstays Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder.McMaster himself says he wants to include two or three more guests before unveiling Icons of Soul to the public later in 2018, a work that will cast an eye to yesterday while focusing on the sounds of tomorrow.

‘This is what I love to do,” notes Luke McMaster. “And since I’m a constant student, I’m applying these lessons that you can’t learn from a book towards perfecting my own skills as a writer.

“This is something uniquely special that I want to take to another level for those that love R&B, soul and Motown music - and give them an experience that they will never forget.”

The Strictly Hip are the Masters of the Music of The Tragically Hip!

The Strictly Hip have spent thousands of performances across North America respectfully and accurately recreating the music of Canada's most popular rock band with painstaking attention to musical detail.

The Strictly Hip are not an impersonator act. The music of The Tragically Hip is performed passionately, with reverence to its creators.

It's a fun and nostalgic adventure through The Hip's storied catalog of favourites. No costumes or gimmicks required.

The Strictly Hip are the Masters of the Music of The Tragically Hip!

The Strictly Hip have spent thousands of performances across North America respectfully and accurately recreating the music of Canada's most popular rock band with painstaking attention to musical detail.

The Strictly Hip are not an impersonator act. The music of The Tragically Hip is performed passionately, with reverence to its creators.

It's a fun and nostalgic adventure through The Hip's storied catalog of favourites. No costumes or gimmicks required.

There’s a reason, beyond their dazzling musicianship and wildly entertaining live shows, that The East Pointers have connected with audiences right across the globe, making new, original roots music the hippest, most vibrant thing going.

The reason? The East Pointers - fiddler/singer Tim Chaisson, banjoist Koady Chaisson and guitarist Jake Charron – write about real life, sketching out its joys and sorrows in vivid strokes. That palpable authenticity makes their instrumental tunes practically cartwheel and infuses their lyric-driven songs with poignancy.

And it’s why listening to The East Pointers’ brilliant and hotly anticipated second album What We Leave Behind – produced by superstar East Coast-bred songwriter/producer Gordie Sampson – is akin to meeting up with an old friend.

As a follow-up to 2015’s internationally acclaimed, JUNO Award-winning debut Secret Victory, What We Leave Behind shares stories previously unheard but framed by a familiar context. The album reflects on the traditions of Canadian Celtic music, where it comes from, and what it means to the people, but also strides in new directions. With a captivating balance between their traditional-sounding instrumental tunes, and catchy radio-ready songs, The East Pointers reach out with open arms to a wide range of listeners, inviting them to discover a new love of folk music.

Never before have The East Pointers so deftly leveraged the whole spectrum of human emotion, drawing inspiration straight from the world they live in. That’s especially evident in a pair of striking new songs featuring Tim Chaisson’s lead vocals: the trembling first single ‘82 Fires’ and the melancholy ‘Two Weeks,’ co-written with Sampson amid recording sessions at Nashville’s famed Sound Emporium last winter, where What We Leave Behind was cut.

‘While in Penguin, Tasmania we spoke with an older gentleman, a lifelong resident, who said that there were 82 wildfires currently on the loose in Tasmania, the most in over half a century. It hit home the severity of what we were all experiencing.”, says Koady Chaisson. “It was a restless few days for us. Small human decisions about where to live or whether or not the show would go on didn’t matter, Mother Nature would always have the final say. Being in the middle of that brings an immediacy about it, you can feel powerless."

The plaintive ‘Two Weeks’ meanwhile, documents a passage depressingly common in the bands’ home province of Prince Edward Island and played out the world over in economically challenged communities: the need to leave home and travel far away from friends and family to find work.

“When I played that song for my mom, she said ‘That’s going to hit home for a lot of people,’” Koady Chaisson explains. “Many families are forced to split their time, with at least one member having to go out west - usually to Alberta - to make ends meet. It’s so hard. I did it, though luckily not for long, but there are people in my community going through it month after month, year after year.”

The flip side of What We Leave Behind - and indeed, of The East Pointers’ electrifying concerts – are scorching instrumental tunes that yank the freewheeling, Celtic-goosed past into the present, defying anyone to sit still in their chair.

“Traditional music has always been at the core of what we do as a band,” adds Jake Charron. “There's something powerful about a style of music that has been passed on for generations around the world.” A new take on this tradition is evident in the spry ‘Party Wave,’ inspired by a thrilling surfing experience the band enjoyed in New Zealand, one of many countries The East Pointers visited during 10 months of touring last year. The tunes, written this past year on the road, take you on a journey, building with excitement before transforming into a full-on dance party.

Rounding out the album, the mournful ‘John Wallace’ - about a 19th century shipwreck off the coast of Prince Edward Island - and the mournful ‘Hid in Your Heart’ uphold the band’s devotion to documenting real life, tragedy and all.

What We Leave Behind carves a new path for The East Pointers, as they continue to blur the lines between traditional and popular music and develop a devoted fanbase around the globe.

Dan Shafer was a contestant on Season 11 of The Voice and competed on Team Blake.

Dan was in several bands in his youth but put music on the backburner to support his family. In the late '80s, Dan found a way to balance both worlds when he became a jingle man. He has written jingles for Transformers Gen 2, Aliens 3 the voice and Space Marines, BC Powder, Matchbox Lightning Key Cars, Pizza Hut We Deliver, Bryans Hot Dogs, Vintage Gourmet Ice Cream, Bealls Dept Stores, Coors, New England Telephone, and many more.

Music once again took a backseat when his son Jamie was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and needed emergency surgery. During that time, Dan got a job in the funeral business to pay the medical bills. He currently gigs with a cover group called Classic Rock All Stars around Nashville and throughout Tennessee.

CREDITS:

• Invited to Private Audition for NBC The Voice
• Asked to perform Private Audition for NBC Executives LA
• Passed Blind Auditions NBC The Voice *Televised / Team Blake Shelton
• Battle Round with Sundance Head *Televised / Bette Midler
• "Marry Me" over 2.8 Million YouTube Views
• "Feel Like Making Love" over 2.2 Million Views

NATIONAL TELEVISION COMMERCIALS Sang on:
• Transformers (Robots In Disguise) Gen 2
• Aliens 3 The Motion Picture Space Marines
• BC Powder • Matchbox Lightning Key Cars
• Pizza Hut We Deliver
• Coors
• Coors Light
• New England Telephone

Sang with and shared the stage with:
• Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Ozzie Osborne, Rod Stewart)
• Vinnie Appice ( Ronnie James Dio)
• Dolly Parton
• Artimus Pyle (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
• Jon Wysocki (Staind)
• Kent Wells (Dolly Parton, Reba,)
• Jack White (Rick Springfield, Tina Turner, Redbone)
• Paul Warren (Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Richard Marx)
• Troy Luccketta (Tesla)
• Sandy Gennaro (Joan Jett, Cyndi Lauper, Pat Travers)
• Derek St Holmes (Ted Nugent)
• Kenny Olson (Kid Rock)
• Steve Hunter (Alice Cooper, Lou Reed)

CELEBRITY QUOTES:
"You are the best male singers to come along in a while!" — Kent Wells (Producer, Dolly Parton)

“You know Dan, you sounded so young to me. Like a 19, 20, 21 year old Vocalist. You are what I love about the Voice. This guy’s got an amazing voice, I’m so glad I hit my button!!” — Blake Shelton

“57 year old Dan Shafer travel across the country to Los Angeles to appear on the Voice. After years of singing jingles, Dan stepped out on the stage and blew me away with Trains “Marry Me”. His cover gave me chills and he sounded better than some of the male Artists on top 40 radio ” — Jakes Takes, Hollywood Insider

“I’m so happy for Dan. He is an image of hope for everyone, to never give up on your dreams, never ever, ever!!!” — Miley Cyrus

“Dan you have a very honest, genuine way of delivering your music. I love how you owned your space!!” — Alicia Keys