|
The Sunday Nite Band
The Sunday Nite Band are well known (if little recorded) in the Calgary Area. Commander Jim Dauncey is a vocalist and rhythm guitarist par excellence. In addition to playing bass, MaryLou Dauncey has a vocal reportoire that includes ballads and tender love songs with a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure. Dave Settles not only makes bodhrans, but manages to make them sound like legitimate musical instruments; he is also a multi-instrumentalist with a flair for stand-up comedy. Michael "Doc" Pollack adds colour with a variety of instruments including harp, and belts out full-voiced chanties and chorus songs that let the band show off its harmony singing. A recent addition to the band is Lesley Jefferson whose remarkable fiddle playing runs the gamut from hell-for-leather reels to slow airs that would bring a tear to a glass eye. More than anything else, the Sunday Nite Band is known for the variety of their repertoire and their infectious sense of fun on stage. For more information, send an email to Jim Dauncey or Dave Settles. Jeff Stockton
Jeff Stockton is a Celtic harpist, storyteller & singer. He is equally at home performing in concert with full ensemble and in intimate settings with solo harp. Since 1997, he has traveled near and far, and has woven stories on the strings of the harp at national storytelling festivals, performance showcases, children's festivals, Celtic festivals, for countless school audiences, and for listeners at work and at play. He has delved into the power of song & story in group retreats and work with individuals. Jeff is a recording artist, and has released three recordings to date:
More information is available at: http://www.jeffstockton.ca/ The Keister Family Fiddlers
Quinn (16), Claire (14) and twins Faith and Paige (11) make up this refreshing, energetic and dynamic family fiddling group from Chestermere, Alberta. These musical sisters have performed for audiences at the Calgary Stampede, Vermillion Fair, Moose Jaw Exhibition, Estevan Fair, Lethbridge Whoop-Up Days and Edmonton’s Capital Ex. Recently, these talented sisters were presented the Dianne Brandson Rising Star Award at the Alberta Men and Women of Country Music Festival. They were thrilled to be included in the entertainment line up as the “Olympic Torch Relay” made its journey through their hometown. The girls enjoy meeting a lot of influential and supportive people who continue to inspire them with their positive feedback. As well as playing Traditional Celtic, “East Coast” style fiddle tunes, the girls sing and clog to their music with their Mom accompanying them on her guitar. The Keister Family Fiddlers have released their first CD entitled “How Do You Do?” Entertaining audiences with their toe tapping fiddle music is what keeps them motivated to practice and continue to work hard. You can find more information on their web site: www.keisterfamilyfiddlers.com. Previous Performers Derick Perry
Derick was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland and moved to Calgary in 1979. His Irish musical influences are Paul Brady, Andy Irvine and Planxty. He plays at Irish music sessions every week in some of the pubs in Calgary as backing guitarist for the melody instruments and singer. Diminished Fifth
At last year's Water Valley Celtic Folk Festival, Diminished Fifth were compared to a box of fine chocolates. The band prefers this description to being compared to a bowl of mixed nuts! A connoisseur of quality chocolates will tell you to toss the illustrated guide that comes with the box and go with the flow, expect the unexpected and be prepared for a variety of content. Such is the case with a performance by Diminished Fifth, whose repertoire is a multi-lingual, multi-national, multi-instrumental romp of a musical offering from the Celtic Lands and beyond. Karen and Michael Pollock, Natalie Manzer and Steven Méthot serve up shimmering harmonies and home-grown arrangements sure to tempt and delight the musical sweet tooth, with even a little something for those partial to a cappella. But unlike the guilty pleasure of partaking in a few too many Callebaut truffles, Diminished Fifth won’t add inches to your waistline. They also guarantee that there won’t be any of those beastly orange crèmes, or –ugh- coconut. You can contact Diminished Fifth by email. Paul Miller and Kathy Cook
Growing up, music and singing were an important part of Paul’s life. His Scottish and Cape Breton roots lie dormant for many years until a chance encounter with the music of Stan Rogers. Traveling down the windy road of Celtic, traditional, and contemporary folkroots music has kindled his passion for storytelling through music. Being inspired by folks like Stan Rogers, David Francey, Maria Dunn, John Worthannam and many other talented local musicians and friends have kept him working at honing his skills. His love of singing and sharing music has given him opportunity to meet good people and share in the magic of making music. Paul Millar, and veteran musician Kathy Cook, now collaborate to bring a refreshingly rich and pleasing sound to folk, celtic and traditional music. What can you expect? Toe tapping mandolin tunes, delighful harmonies and acoustic ramblings shared through song. Ceard
Ceard are the house band at the Rocky Mountain Folk Club. Ceard are Dick Howe on guitar, vocals and bodhran, Jim Atkinson on bass, guitar and vocals, Paula McGarrigle on vocals and fiddle, and Hal Curties on vocals, guitar. Ceard plays predominantly traditional songs but they throw in a few contemporary tunes and the occasional bad joke. The Doll Sisters
When you hear The Doll Sisters, you'll recognize them. They are an acoustic duo from Rocky Mountain House, AB, who captivate audiences with their haunting harmonies and beautiful instrumentation. The girls play guitar, fiddle, bodhran, banjo, and mandolin. Jenna(18) and Shelby(17), love the fact that being a roots musician affords them the opportunity to cover all the genres that they love so well. Celtic, Folk, Bluegrass & Appalachian to name a few. Altho' the girls will often do cover songs that they love - they have been hard at work writing their own music for a while now. And when you listen, you will find that their original music is unmistakeably a product of their influence. No matter what they play, their music and arrangements have a sound that is all their own, and when tradition calls....they will answer!! The girls' website address is www.dollsisters.com and there are links to all of their social sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc), from their website. The girls can be reached at dollsisters@yahoo.ca. Robbie and Will
Robbie and Will began playing together just under 2 years ago. They play Celtic and Folk music from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Quebec as well as some of their own compositions. They have played at Alberta Wilderness Association’s Climb for the Wilderness and AWA’s Concert for the Wild Series with Tim Williams, Fish Creek Concerts opening for Garnet Rogers, Market Collective and the Water Valley Celtic Festival. Robbie and Will are composed of Robbie Bankes on Guitar, Mandolin and Bouzouki and Will Lynch on piano and button accordions. You can contact them at wr.acoustic@gmail.com or join their facebook page. Alison Demeter
This Calgary based singer/songwriter loves to honour her Celtic roots and as with her recent performances at the East Coulee Spring Music Festival and the Tongue on the Post Folk Festival in Medicine Hat, it would be unusual for you not to be invited to sing along. While performing traditional and original songs, Alison offers her gift of a strong, clear voice to tell the stories that celebrate the lives of ordinary people, and provide audiences with an engaging, interactive experience. For more information, you can check out her webpage. Kevin Fraser
No biography available at this time Walk The Dog
Walk the Dog plays a somewhat eclectic mix of Celtic music, and also some small amounts of other stuff. While primarily instrumental, they can, on occasion, be coaxed to sing a tune. Forged from the fire of Gypsy Grass, Walk the Dog is Barbara Francis on fiddle, Andreas Wissmann on mandolin and guitar, Bryan Francis on drum and bass and Robert Newton on flute and whistle. Trained in a wide variety of musical backgrounds from classical to bluegrass, this band of friends comes together to rehearse, laugh, and share the music that they love. Doug Baker and Blaine Hrabi
Doug Baker was raised in a musical family and took up the guitar at age 13. Solo and in various groups, Doug has performed in churches, coffee shops, folk clubs, festivals and private parties. Currently, he takes part in jams whenever time allows, plays in a number of duos, trios and quartets, and hosts a very popular open mic session. Blaine Hrabi has musical roots in bluegrass and country and, after moving to PEI in 1980, soon became immersed in Celtic and Maritime music. Since moving to Alberta about 7 years ago, he has connected with local musicians and has performed at the Rocky Mountain Folk Club, the Water Valley Celtic Festival, and at local open mics in town. Doug (guitar, whistles, bass) and Blaine (guitar, mandolin, mandola, and harmonicas) teamed up at an open mic awhile ago and realized their vocal and instrumental talents blended well so have been playing and performing together since. Their music draws from Celtic, folk and country traditions to create a repertoire of music that makes audiences laugh, feel and hopefully sing along. Derek Lofthouse
I grew up listening to Scottish and English traditional music, got my first record of Breton music at 13, and it’s been all downhill since then. Started flute when I was 11, guitar and bass soon followed. Began with the Northumbrian pipes about 20 years ago. Ironically, it was at the Northumbrian Pipers gatherings in North Hero, Vermont, that I got my first close up experience with hurdy-gurdies and traditional French music. I acquired my first hurdy-gurdy a few years later, in 2003. The Border, or Lowland Bagpipe dates back to the late 1600/early 1700’s. Many towns in the border and lowland regions of Scotland had a town piper who played in the morning and for curfew in the evening. The last known town piper died in the early 1800’s and the tradition lost with the militarization of the Big Pipes. The instrument underwent a small revival in the 1920’s when the Northumbrian pipers society had an Edinborough pipemaker make some sets for boy scout troops. In the 1970/80’s a serious revival was undertaken by a few Scottish and Northumbrian players and makers with the main stumbling block being a workable reed. Once this was developed, there has been no looking back (unfortunately, some would say). The Hurdy-gurdy almost died out in the 1800’s but was kept alive in the villages of central France, as such, the bulk of the traditional repertoire is French dance music although, there is Spanish, Belgian, Italian music, and the Blowzabella revival of the 1980’s reintroduced the instrument in English dance music. Many players of the Border pipes come from the highland pipes and play that repertoire. There is a large and rich repertoire of music that likely was developed for a border pipe-like instrument and several players such as Hamish Moore, Gordon Mooney and Matt Seattle have done much to research and publish this. Eric Coyle
I've been doin the old folks circuit and the kitchen party thing for some time now. I like to throw in a bit O' Burns, a touch of O' Glesga humour, in ode and song. Clan Bruce
No biography available at this time. Shae Scully
No biography available at this time. The Jig's Up!
The Jig's Up performs a wide range of Celtic music and song -- from Jigs and Reels to Strathspeys and Rollicking Ballads. With Harp, Keyboard, Bodhran, Fiddle, Small (and sometimes Big) Pipes, Guitar and Vocals, they present energized and enjoyable sets. For more information, send an email to Sean Buckley or phone him at 403-281-0380. Celtic Rabbits
The Celtic Rabbits meet formally on alternate Sunday evenings to share their love of traditional Irish music. Kirk MacNeill
Kirk MacNeil is a guy who spent the early part of his life growing up in Cape Breton Island on the East Coast of Canada. Cape Breton is an Island with deep traditional Scottish and Irish Culture which influenced Kirk's taste in music. His desire to sing East Coast/Celtic music goes back to his days when he used to be a full time magician on cruise ships and was asked to sing a few tunes on a cruise ship review show in addition to his magic. Fortunately for him after one of his stints at sea, he met up with the late great John Allan Cameron who was very kind to Kirk sharing the love of Cape Breton Celtic Music at an East Coast Music Awards festival which Kirk volunteered at. Kirk then took some singing lessons from Paul Gatchell who is the lead in a show which is very popular among locals and tourists to Cape Breton called "Spirit of the Island". Paul who was also the lead in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera Canadian Production, cast as the Phantom, was a great guidance on voice which helped Kirk discover his vocal range as a singer. Although Kirk loves to sing traditional tunes and Cape Breton tunes, his career of recent times is that of an airline pilot, hence he jokes about it and calls himself "The Singing Pilot from Cape Breton". Kirk looks forward to sharing a bit of Celtic Traditional Music reflecting his love for Cape Breton Island. Check out two of his videos on YouTube. Here is the link to the first, and here is the link to the second. Ruth Purves Smith
Ruth’s childhood rambled the prairie highways between urban and country homes. Her mother, a cultured English teacher, lived in the city, and her father and stepmother operated an antique woolen mill in Rural Alberta. This paradox is apparent in Ruth’s music. While the stories may appear to be simple, traditional country, they are supported by a sound that pulls influence from the city: complicated, restless and sometimes loud. The story of Ruth’s career is no different. In the fall of ’87, Ruth answered an ad for a “girl country singer” The ad was posted by Frank James, a one man band who played the bass guitar with his toes while playing guitar with his left hand and piano with his right. Frank had appeared on the Johnny Carson Show and That’s Incredible. Wow, the Big Time. Ruth soon discovered however that Frank was nuts. She recalls, “As long as my hair was big enough and my skirt was short enough, Frank would play the songs at their proper tempo. Otherwise it was “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” at 90 miles an hour.” Next came Ruth’s first real band, Rodeo-A-Go-Go. In its various incarnations, Rodeo traveled the “B” country circuit throughout rural Alberta. The band was often too far out to be country, but too country to be anything else. This didn’t make for a very long run. By 1989, it was over. Ruth then joined an Edmonton road band for a while, played the odd solo engagement, and in1993 joined the all girl trio Roadside Turnout. The highlights of their time together include a performance at the Calgary Folk Festival, and the birth of her first child. The fall of ‘93 marked a break for Ruth, who then focused on raising her young family and writing her own music. Though she was occasionally involved in the writing process over the years, she was fundamentally playing other people’s music. Now, she was writing her own and loving it. After the birth of her second child in ‘96, Ruth embarked on her solo career – opening at different clubs and events, including a couple of shows for Fred Eaglesmith. Ruth’s recent endeavours include co-writing and performing the song “Big Skies” on the compilation “Rivers and Rails” and the recording of her debut CD “Out in the Storm”. As well, her work garnered her production of an HD music video for her song, “Godzilla”. It can be viewed on her website www.ruthpurvessmith.com or on YouTube. CD/Video release dates are TBA in April and May. Please check the website for updates! Blaine Hrabi and John Reid
Blaine and John joined forces about a year ago drawn together by their mutual love of harmonies and musical variety. John Reid is a dynamic multi-instrumentalist which includes guitar, mandolin, harmonicas and when provoked, bagpipes. He is also a talented songwriter taking old traditions into new territory. Blaine Hrabi (guitar and mandola) hails from PEI and his connection to east coast music traditions infuses his songs and his stories. Together they will perform a wide range of traditional, Celtic and original tunes made all the more entertaining as they detail the background of the music and the love of playing songs that move the soul. Barry Luft
Barry Luft's singing has woven rich, colourful threads into the fabric of folk-style music in Alberta for more than thirty years. Barry presents Canadian, British and American songs and ballads with instrumental accompaniment or a cappella arrangements. He engages his audiences in these musical performances and gives a healthy lift to minds, hearts and voices. Good times leave good memories! Much of Barry's material is unusual and refreshing. It comes from sources across North America and the British Isles and is seldom known in the everyday music scene. For example, in his repertoire are songs learned first hand at guitar and music camps. A variety of instruments perks up Barry's performances and his intricate style on the five-string banjo is his trademark. He was taught at age five to play the harmonica by his dad. Other instruments now include guitar, autoharp, English concertina, and Appalachian dulcimer. However, to this day, Barry claims he's not able to read music well enough to hurt his playing. For more information, you can check out the Barry Luft webpage. Noel Rea
Noel Rea was born and grew up in Belfast, N. Ireland. He practised law before coming to Canada in 1977 where he spent most of his working career with Imperial Oil, in Calgary, before joining the law Firm of Fraser Milner Casgrain, where he was the Alternative Disputer Resolution National Coordinator, a position from which he retired in July of this year. Noel has been wring poetry for many years, has had various of his poems published, has made many poetry readings and has been member of the Irish Cultural Society, Celtic Folk, and the Alexander Writers’ Centre Society since the early 1990’s. He is currently working on a manuscript of those of his poems having an Irish theme, to be entitled “Elsewhere”. Jack Buck's Session Players
We get together every Tuesday evening from about 7:30 to 10:30 or so at the Joyce on 4th pub in Calgary to play Traditional Celtic music. The musicians currently include fiddlers Derek Marshall, Cara Broughton, Tracy Buck, Brendan MaCreanor, Kerri Brown, and Emilie Kirwan, Greg O’Neill on banjo, Katja Hoehn on flute, Anne Cowman on button accordion, Stewart Smith on Uilleann pipes, Sean Somers on Scottish small pipes, whistles, and flutes, Greg Hooper on flute, concertina, and whistles, dancer Mary Jo Skeet, and Jack Buck on guitar. (The session is a closed session, and we are not presently taking on new players.) Being a session, the exact line-up varies from week to week depending on who can make it on a particular Tuesday. Come on down to the Joyce on 4th some Tuesday evening and have a pint and listen to some traditional music. Slainte! HEQ
HEQ is a group of friends who over the years have played and performed a wide variety of music both together and separately. Each member brings to the table his own musical tastes, resulting in a collaboration of eclectic music including folk, country, blues and rock. HEQ consists of Sandy Johnson (vocals, guitar), Peter May (vocals and assorted instruments), Art Slinger (electric bass), Barry How (percussion) and Al Nawata (lead guitar). The ICS Choir
If you visit the Irish Centre on a Wednesday evening, you will hear a chorus of fine voices wafting up from downstairs, singing and enjoying an evening of camaraderie and fun. Getting ICS Choir members out for practice is never a problem, as it is an evening of getting friends together - so much so that music almost plays "second fiddle" to the visiting! That being said, the ICS Choir has been making fine music in various venues around Calgary for about 10 years. Their repertoire centers mainly around Irish music, however this has not prevented them from occasionally straying from the Celtic path into some light musical parodies and fun songs! Joe Massey conducts and Anne Cowman arranges the music and accompanies on piano. John Campbell and Hal Curties
John has performed at Celtic Folk many times over the years. He and Hal are both members of Ceard, the house band of the Rocky Mountain Folk Club in Calgary. Martin Cowman
Martin is no stranger to the stage, or to public speaking. As a founding member of the Liffey Players in Calgary, he had parts in each of the O’Casey trilogy of Dublin plays; Shadow of a Gunman, The Plough & the Stars and Juno & the Paycock. As a Toastmaster, he reached the Area Final of the Humorous Speech Contest. During the 80’s he was a five-term President of the Irish Cultural Society in Calgary. Irwin School of Irish Dancing
The Irwin School of Irish Dancing is one of Calgary’s most experienced and established Irish Dancing schools. First opened by Finnuala Irwin in 1985, the school has since expanded to include four more certified teachers (TCRGs), including daughters Andrea Irwin and Sarah Irwin, and former students Kelly McCabe and Cathy Sobieski. The dancing academy has produced many World and National championship level dancers, including two two-time National Solo Champions. The school has also had a number of World Championship solo category top-three podium placings and National Ceili Champions. Many of the students have also gone on to perform in some of the internationally acclaimed shows such as “Riverdance”, “Lord of the Dance” and “Trinity”. For more information, you can check out the Irwin School of Irish dancing webpage. The PT Cruiser Session Players
This group of approximately a dozen players meet each second Saturday afternoon for 2&1/2 hours to play traditional session tunes at the Joyce on 4th. The session is a closed session, not taking on new members at the present time but with these 12 musical bandits the pub experiences, flutes, penny whistles, fiddles, bodhrans, concertinas, 4-string banjo, 5-string banjo, octave mandolin, guitar, step dancing, uilleann pipes, North Umbrian pipes and the Hurdy Gurdy. The group would like to invite people to come to the Joyce on 4th for a meal or snack, a brew and to listen to the group. For information on dates we are performing contact Dave Settles. Frank Phillips
Frank strummed his guitar around the campfire since taking the City of Calgary folk guitar courses in 1972. Abandoned music for the 1980's but returned with a vengeance in the 1990's by singing with Barry Luft's Men Folk singing and the Irish Cultural Society Choir. Claims to know the chorus to almost every folk song and the verses to none of them. You can contact him by email. Get Reel
Our crew will explore a lively set of songs, tunes and dance from the Maritimes and other Celtic traditions. Doug Wagner (fiddle, guitar and vocals) caught the Celtic bug a few years ago, leapt into playing the fiddle and then added step dancing as well. Deborah Mandzuk (whistles and step dancing), a long-time dancer, loves a lively toe tapping whistle tune and is now an accomplished step dancer. Greg Black (vocals, guitar and bass) is a multitalented musician and song writer who also performs with North of South and the Celtic Rabbits. Get up (get dressed), get food, get your favourite beverage, Get Reel and join the party. You can contact them by email. 7 Fiddlesworth
7 Fiddlesworth is a group with members from Cremona, Westcott and Sundre. Kate, Jessica, Kayleen, Olivia, Amy, Annessa, Mory and Tim have been playing Celtic music together for four years. They entertain at local events and festivals and have started exploring new instruments and new styles of music. They are apprentices of Ben Plotnick and Sean Softley. You can contact them via email. You can see a video on YouTube. Greg O'Neill
Greg has been playing tenor banjo in various Irish music sessions around Calgary for the last eight years. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Greg moved to Canada in 1981. You can contact him by email. Seancara 
Seancara ( "Old Friends" in Olde Irish) is a trio formed by old friends to explore new approaches to traditional and contemporary Celtic music. Former ClanTerra founders Chris Daniels and Barbara Rose Olorenshaw have teamed up with Chris’s son Jay to create a unique sound particularly suited for concert and event performance. Seancara's broad repertoire ranges from driving jigs and reels to haunting aires and ballads, and includes innovative approaches to favourite traditional pieces. For more information, check out their website, or send them an email. Mac MacKenzie & Friends
Mac MacKenzie is a traditional Celtic folk singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist performing original and traditional music, seasoned with influences drawn from a diverse range of folk traditions. He plays a whole Toyota Echo full of musical instruments including the Uilleann Pipes, Tin Whistles, Appalachian Dulcimer, Guitar, 24-string Cruite (Celtic Lyre), Didjeridu and Bodhran. Mac sings in English, Scottish Gaelic and Irish and his singing style is strongly influenced by the old, traditional Gaelic styles known as Sean Nòs (Gaelic for 'oldstyle'). Tonight, Mac is joined by friends and fellow musicians Cindy Warnock on Tin Whistle and Bodhran and Mark Ryan on Guitar and Bodhran. Plaidie
Plaidie have been together as a group for 15 plus years. They are regulars at the Water Valley Traditional Celtic Folk Music Festival. The group also appears a couple of times a year at Celtic Folk and has performed on a number of occasions at the Rocky Mountain Folk Club. The group is comprised of Maurice McAtamney, Jim Hutchens and Maureen Hutchens, who have a distinct and unique blend of voices, with each member singing lead vocal as well as harmony and back-up. As Maureen has said, "Our instruments are our voices." Maurice and Jim hail from Scotland and Maureen from the Kingdom of Down, N. Ireland, and none of them have lost any of their native tongue, giving an authenticity to their performances. Over the years, Plaidie has gained an ability to create their own arrangements of both contemporary and traditional Celtic songs. Other venues where Plaidie have played include the Lethbridge Celtic Folk Festival, Spruce Meadows Festival of Nations, and various functions at the Irish Cultural Centre. A 2005 highlight was an appearance live with Andy Donnelly on CKUA's The Celtic Show in August 2005. To contact Plaidie, send an email to Maureen Hutchens. Stephanie Lovatt
Steph Gabriel Lovatt is a native of Dublin Eire. She grew up in post war Europe. It was about 40 years after the Irish Free State was formed. Grandmothers told stories of the troubles. It was during Churchill’s embargo of food ships coming into Ireland. Everyone was poor. It was also a time of a huge cultural reawakening when Irish people went deeply back into their roots. Going to a ballad session was what everyone did. The ballads were an oral history. Events recorded in the emotions of the people. Accounts of love, war, parting, separation, deportation, prison ships immigration, loss. Songs of beauty. Songs of hope and love of the land. Always sang with a defiance of spirit and a calling to account. Some Irish ballads are sung in the Sean Nos style. Sung without music as many of the very old songs are. Remembered through mothers and Grandmothers. Steph Lovatt is continuing in this tradition and telling the stories as the history of the Irish peoples continues on all shores, and new pages are written. Steph will sing two songs in the Sean Nos style, and one with guitar. Steph is a singer and songwriter presently living in Calgary. For more information send an email to Steph. Paul Millar
Growing up, music and singing were an important part of life. My Scottish and Cape Breton roots lie dormant for many years until a chance encounter with the music of Stan Rogers. Traveling down the windy road of Celtic, traditional, and contemporary folkroots music has kindled my passion for storytelling through music. Being inspired by folks like Stan Rogers, David Francey, Maria Dunn, and many other talented local musicians and friends have kept me working at honing my skills. My love of singing and sharing music has given me opportunity to meet good people and share in the magic of making music. Dabbling in music around town, at summer camps, and most recently in the classroom has been a rich and satisfying experience. For more information, send an email to Paul or phone him at 403-289-3832. John Spearn
John Spearn (var. Spearin) is Canadianafolkrootsceltic. You’ll instantly catch these deep influences threaded through John’s fine vocals, lyrics, and rootsy, guitar-mastered songwriting works. His grant-supported Canada Songs and Northern Sightlines CDs have taken him from sea to sea to sea as a major festival performer, workshop host, and historical curriculum author. His Canada Songs Project has received several award nominations. This is pure Canadiana: forgotten but deserving heroes, the humility in our international image, and a superb range of tender ballads through to raw, foot-stompin’ stories that need to be told. A brand new third CD, Lonely Heroes (five years in the making), is now available. Please check Canadian Folk Music Magazine (Autumn 2007), MySpace and YouTube for features. To find out about John, check out his website at www.canadasongs.com and his MySpace page. You can also send an email to John. Anne Cowman and Terry Kent
Originating in Ireland & England respectively, Anne & Terry have performed together at various functions in Calgary since the mid-90’s. Both are involved with the Irish Choir - Anne as Musical Director and Terry as soloist .... sometimes even singing in Gaelic. It’s debatable whether he knows what he’s saying then ! Both Anne & Terry were also involved with the production Gortnamona which enjoyed a long run in Calgary & Vancouver and is being staged in Vancouver once more in March ‘08. Sora
Sora is a Celtic singer/songwriter from Calgary with an organic sound, which sits quite comfortably between classical and folk. Her natural style and rich voice, first evident on her debut CD of art folk songs "Winds of Change", has only deepened and mellowed like fine red wine. Currently, Sora is working on a new album filled with her own poignant compositions. For more information, please visit her at corvidmedia.com or on MySpace. Greenward
When highschool friends Evan Webb and Brad Christie met Colleen Dauncey through mutual friends at a local music show, they decided to form a musical group of their own. In addition to the boys playing both guitar and percussion, Colleen tackling keyboard duties, and the occasional appearance of various additional instruments, all three band members also provide the vocals for this project. Calling themselves Greenward, this group of 20-somethings have set out to share their unique combination of folk, pop, and rock influences with anyone looking for good music and a great time. If you would like to contact Greenward, don't hesitate to send an email. A sampling of Greenward's music can also be found on their MySpace page. The Haymakers
The Haymakers started about three years ago as an offshoot from Northern Crossing, a theatre and musical troupe in Rocky Mountain House. From these more classical roots, the Haymakers emerged as nine or ten folks who have great fun singing Irish and Maritime music. To contact the Haymakers, send an email to Mo Veillard. |
