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PERFORMERS |
* subject to
change without notice
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See bios below Special:
Sean Jesseau will be doing some drumming
workshops for children during the festival |
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Big Dave McLean
My Space Page -
http://www.myspace.com/bigdavemclean
Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXQ68UjIuFU
A masterful guitarist
and top notch harpist, McLean’s raw and
gravelly vocals bespeak of a life lived
to the fullest, and a career spent
performing in and around those countless
small towns that dot the Canadian
prairies. He started out on harmonica
in the early '60s and had his first
guitar lesson from John Hammond at the
Mariposa Folk Festival in 1969.When it
comes to the blues, however, McLean’s
heart firmly beats to the ghosts of the
delta greats--especially the
incomparable Muddy Waters, with whom he
toured over two decades ago.
- Bonnie Couchie
My
Space -
http://www.myspace.com/bonniecouchie
Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNXQAwr7Hpk
Everybody knows
oldest children should stay on the
straight and narrow and set a good
example for the rest of their siblings.
This is what Bonnie Couchie thought!
Though music was her great Love, Bonnie
denied its' burning force until the age
of 30 when she first dared to profess it
out loud. Over the next seven years she
built a refuge where Music would find
her and feed her and where she would
feed music in return. Now, at 37, she
has completed her debut CD called
"Feather for an Elephant". Having
tripped out of her musical closet, and
found herself in the middle of a full on
party wearing nothing but her birthday
suit, she knows there's no turning back.
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Brock Zeman
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/brock_zeman
Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML2EDBEKoVg
Over the past five
years Brock Zeman has elbowed his way
into the independent music world. The 28
year old singer-songwriter of Carleton
Place, Ontario has already released 7
albums and toured Canada and the US
extensively averaging 250 dates a year.
His signature roots style has been
praised by critics for the maturity of
his vocals, the depth of his
storytelling and his impressive live
performances. He was first discovered by
Keith Glass (Prairie Oyster) who went on
to produce his first 4 releases. By the
time of his 5th released Brock was
picked up by Busted Flat records out of
Kitchener Ontario, and in the past five
years Brock has become known as one of
the most prolific, hard working artists
to fly under the radar.
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Cindy Doire
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/cindydoiremusic
Videos -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04qhTkG8yIE
Chanteuse Cindy Doire
has been honing her craft as a
songstress and performer since the
release of her debut album La Vie en
Bleu: an interpretation of inspiring
French jazz/folk music. She takes her
listeners on a migration that travels
from North-America to Parisian cafés and
cabarets. Cindy’s live performance
reveals charm and vulnerability combined
with boldness and intensity. Her
performance is alluring and precise,
demanding everyone’s notice, while her
vocal diversity ranges from seductively
sweet to a soulful sultry blues style
that resonates her northern roots to the
Deep South.
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Craig Cardiff
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/craigcardiff
Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ-P9qO1Wb8
Craig Cardiff -
singer songwriter, troubadour, builds
landscapes of sound using live digital
loops - brings the room to a hush.
edged, folk, beautiful, melancholy and
left leaning, one song breaks your heart
and the next one puts it back together.
Armed with sardonic sincerity and
polished awkwardness, Cardiff’s
performances are a mix of story and
song, and occasional brawls. “I think
that the best shows are the ones where
the lights are low, the music weaves in
and out and the people forget where the
audience begins and the performer ends,”
says Cardiff.
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Claire Jenkins
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/clairejenkins
Claire indulges her
sense of the theatrical in her live
performances, incorporating props and
costumes which lend an air of
enchantment and whimsy to her musical
storytelling. If you don't start
smiling and swaying along when this
engaging performer takes the stage,
well, you probably hate parties,
sunshine, and life in general.
Bilingual by nurture, entertaining by
nature this charming graduate from
George Brown Theatre School is flying
without a net...and loving it!
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Eve Goldberg
My Space - http://www.myspace.com/evegoldberg
Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPZQdjJVxuE
Eve sings music that
draws honey from the rock of life. A
compelling writer and interpreter, Eve's
watercolour voice and solid guitar style
have made her a favourite with audiences
across Canada and the US. Her
performances are intimate and relaxed,
moving effortlessly from folk classics
to original gems. Since 1990, she has
performed her trademark mixture of folk,
blues, country, bluegrass, old time, and
jazz in venues across North America.
Along the way she's earned the respect
of legendary musicians like Peggy Seeger,
Geoff Muldaur, and Penny Lang, and has
released three recordings.
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Gypsy Jive
The Gypsy Jive Band is a Klezmer
Band based in the Owen Sound area. The
music is that infectious, raucous
wedding music of Eastern European
wandering Gypsy and Jewish musicians
with a twist of western styles. They
have performed this " Country and
Eastern and the kitchen sink" music at
Ontario Place, The CNE, radio, TV and
many weddings. Don't be surprised to
hear such classics as "Sweet Georgia
Brownstein" or "Romania the Brave" or "
Love Potion No. NEIN" or "An Irish
Shmedley". Stirring the melting pot are
Joachim Ostertag (flute), Colleen Purdon
( keyboard,vocals), Gary Weinger (violin,vocals)
and Sebastian Ostertag (cello).
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Heather Bishop
Website –
www.heatherbishop.com
Heather Bishop has
dedicated her life to making a
difference in the world. Believing that
music is one of the most effective tools
for change she has dedicated her career
to addressing the challenging issues
facing our society. She has been a
champion of women's rights and gay
rights, sacrificing gain in her own
career to stand behind her truth and her
beliefs. Heather lives happily on the
land in southern Manitoba, feeding her
family and friends from her organic
garden and waiting on her two dogs
and four cats.
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Ian Tamblyn
Website:
http://www.tamblyn.com
A fine guitarist with
an expressive, melodious voice, the
central Canadian
singersongwriter'sgreatest gifts are his
poetic, evocative songs. A wide-ranging
traveller with a painter's eye for
essential detail, Tamblyn brings stories
of the scope and soul of Canada to life,
conjuring-up rushing rivers and echoing
canyons, a fevered bus ride through a
verdant landscape, and the ghostly, last
call of our
nation-spanning national dream; armed
only with his six string magic wand. Ian
explores the interior landscape as well,
with songs about interpersonal
relationships and the mysteries of the
heart. Through his 30 albums of original
music in a variety of styles, his work
has become known and respected around
the world.
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John Booth and the Southside Band
Website -
http://www.reverbnation.com/thesouthsideband
John Booth is a 30 year
veteran of the blues scene in Ontario.
His roots stretch back to the Toronto
club scene in the mid seventies. He
discovered a passion for the blues while
listening to the raw sounds of the
Rolling Stones and Animals. He began
fronting bands in his early twenties and
a short time later he was touring
eastern Canada. John moved to Thunder
Bay in the late eighties and formed his
first local band, Rocket 88, which
played the usual blues hot spots. The
Southside Band is John’s latest
endeavour. One part Louisiana growl,
one part Memphis swagger and one part
Chicago blues, and never a dull moment.
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Jory Nash
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/jorynash
Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c471XJOhrU8
Jory Nash is a
Toronto-based, independent
singer-songwriter. His music blends
elements of folk, jazz, pop, country,
soul & blues. Jory has crisscrossed
North America several times, playing
folk festivals, folk clubs, concert
series and house concerts. Unusual
things tend to happen to Jory on the
road, and when not legally bound to
silence, he will incorporate these
events into his onstage storytelling.
Jory has a lot of stories. There is
little or no influence of salsa,
didgeridoo or dub reggae in his music.
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Kim
Churchill
Website:
www.kimchurchill.com/
Guitarist and songwriter Kim Churchill
is a truly gifted soul. At just 19 years
of age, his implausible talent and
unique approach to his music is awe
inspiring.
Kim’s style is explosive, with intricate
fingerpicking, percussive beats on the
body of the guitar, and two-handed
tapping intertwined with an earthy stomp
box, powerful blues harmonica melodies
and soulful voice. His songwriting
reflects his coastal lifestyle – growing
up on the NSW South Coast with the surf
at his front door, and now his nomadic
life on the road. Kim’s music speaks
beyond his years. He is living and
breathing the vision he has had from
childhood – performing his music to the
masses – and right now he has the world
at his feet.
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Lead Pipe Cinch
A harmonious and
energetic blend of blues, folk, celtic,
country and everything in between, Lead
Pipe Cinch has a repertoire of original
material, influenced by the likes of
Emmy Lou, Earle, Hiatt & Hank. Ken Allen
draws his inspiration from Celtic,
Blues, Mountain, traditional country
music, and rock leaning heavily on a
groove oriented style with a love for
the driving beat. Jennifer Ives is a
self-proclaimed ” heartbreaker, mover
and a shaker”, a shy, retiring kind a
girl, who broke her baby teeth listening
to the Vienna Boys’ Choir and Dixieland
jazz, cut her first molars on Elvis, and
her wisdom teeth listening to the Who,
Hendrix and Joni Mitchell.
www.liveatjives.com
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Lennie Gallant
My Space –
http://www.myspace.com/lenniegallant
Recognized as one of
Canada’s best performing songwriters,
Lennie Gallant is a native of Prince
Edward Island now living in Nova Scotia.
This prolific songwriter has recorded
nine albums (seven in English and two in
French), which have won him a host of
awards and nominations from both the
JUNO Awards and East Coast Music Awards.
Recognized by his peers as one of
Canada’s best performing songwriters,
Gallant’s intense delivery reaches down
to the very soul of his audience, moving
effortlessly through stirring
narratives, comic observations, and hard
driving rhythms.
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Manitoba Hal
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/manitobahal
Manitoba Hal
Brolund is a multi-instrumentalist and
the consummate blues ukulele man. A
powerful vocalist, with a voice as
smooth and sweet as tupelo honey, he can
growl like a hurricane on a hot
Louisiana night. Charismatic and
engaging on stage , old gospel songs are
played alongside stories of lost love
and murder. Hal has a songwriter's roots
in eerie folk - murder ballads and
killer floods - and a player’s roots in
the deep, dark, fixin'- to- die blues.
This is a man who can sing the word
"lonesome" like he means it, and no
mistake
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My Sweet Patootie
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/mysweetpatootie
Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Sp2vzrk3g
My Sweet Patootie is
an old-fashioned shotgun wedding of cool
uptown swing and rural Ontario grit.
Terry Young and Sandra Swannell met as
soloists touring and recording with
veteran roots-group Tanglefoot. They
soon discovered a mutual love of big
bands and swinging country blues. When
Tanglefoot made the decision to trade in
a life of touring for shuffleboard and
wearing pants up to their armpits, Terry
and Sandra changed into their zoot suits
and party dresses to re-emerge with a
stage show packed with energy, charm,
wit and humour.
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Rita Chiarelli
My Space -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Sp2vzrk3g
Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z1OiOW1SKA
Rita Chiarelli …is an
accomplished singer-songwriter, a gifted
vocalist and a skilled musician. Add to
that a warm persona and a fine sense of
humour and you have all the ingredients
for an outstanding performer. Dubbed the
‘goddess of Canadian blues’ by CBC's
Shelagh Rogers, Chiarelli is equally
comfortable belting out the blues,
delivering her original material,
crooning an Italian folk song or wailing
R&B or Presley cover tune. Rita brings
her newest, all original recording Sweet
Paradise to the Rock.
www.ritachiarelli.com
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Slap Johnson and the Trowellers
In 2010, Slap Johnson & the
Trowellers will celebrate their
twentieth fourth anniversary as a
musical institution in Thunder Bay.
Their fun, energetic and engaging shows
have always been a sure fire way to
raise spirits, put big smiles on faces
and fill dance floors beyond their legal
capacity. Irrepressible vocalist Lee
Johnson is joined by Michael Abraham,
Tom Sinkins, Wayne Breiland, Hugh
Hamilton and David Smythe! Don’t miss
this bountiful bonanza of local talent!
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Steve Schellenberg
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/steveschellenberg
Born in Minnesota, raised
in Winnipeg, Steve’s musical roots are
deep. From his father’s cowboy songs to
his uncle Solli’s hootenannies at Lake
Winnipeg, Steve’s childhood was steeped
in folk tradition. Years of volunteer
work in soup kitchens and shelters
across Western Canada are reflected in
Steve’s writing, not through mere
observation, but from the heart of a man
who believes one person can make a
difference. In a world shrouded in fear
and indifference, Steve’s music and
quick wit provide a common ground, and
each song he creates contains the subtle
strokes of a master, whether it’s a
robust travelling song or a tale of lost
love.
www.steveschellenberg.com
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The Auditor General
The Auditor General is an intoxicating
combination of four professional
drinkers from the cold North Shore of
Lake Superior who occasionally play a
tasteful blend of folk and rock music.
When they find the time , the group
explores complex lyrical themes through
memorable, simple hooks that tap the
toes and warm the hearts that beat
beside them. If you thought a Finnish
guitar prodigy shredding along with
sweet harmonies and upbeat rhythms
didn’t belong on the indie scene, The
Auditor General is out to prove you
wrong. The Auditor General is on the
road this summer to get you dancing out
of the way so they can drink your beer.
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/theauditorgeneral
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The Wooden Sky
My Space -
http://www.myspace.com/thewoodensky
Video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Fp-Oob0l0
Trying to nail down
the disparate genres explored by the
Wooden Sky isn't an easy task. When
pressed, the band tosses out tags like
"folk rock," but the words don't hint at
the nuances in their sound. Since 2003,
the Toronto collective has been pushing
the limits of folk and country, adding
pieces of outside influence and slowly
developing their own unique sonic
aesthetic. The Wooden Sky
sweeps through rock and
roll subgenres with the deftness of the
Allman Brothers, the songwriting focus
of Wilco, and the experimental sonic
cacophony of the Flaming Lips.
www.myspace.com/thewoodensky
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Valdy
Website -
http://www.valdy.com/
Born
Valdemar Horsdal in Ottawa, Valdy has
been part of the fabric of Canadian pop
and folk music for over 34 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. He is a consummate performer
with a lifetime of speaking the truth
and gently encouraging others to think.
In his own words, “ There is so much
music to be made, and it's such a
healing tool; we need more music on the
planet, play on Sisters and Brothers."
Today, he is based on Salt Spring
Island, where he lives with his wife
Kathleen, two dogs and two large cats.
All three children are now grown, flown
and doing famously living in or near
Vancouver. Visit Valdy at
"http://www.valdy.com".
We receive
an overwhelming number of artist
applications annually. Our volunteer
artistic director is not able to respond
to the more than a thousand artists who
annually contact her. The
festival therefore no longer accepts
unsolicited applications from artists
wishing to play at the festival.
Past
Performer's List:
Photo Galleries:
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