CAMfest - Clarington Arts and Music Festival

The Sadies

mkgraham — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 01:49:46 +0000

Darker Circles is the follow-up to The Sadies’ acclaimed last album Country Club (feat. John Doe) and sees guitarist brothers Dallas and Travis Good, drummer Mike Belitsky and bassist Sean Dean again pair with legendary Jayhawk and sought-after producer Gary Louris. Furthering the focused songwriting and recording aspirations reached on New Seasons, The Sadies bring their signature blend of country, psychedelic, rock and surf into rifle-scope focus on Darker Circles, further underscoring their reputations as musicians’ musicians. Always at the top of the list when discussing musical chops and live intensity, The Sadies are now more intent than ever on making their mark as songwriters. In one turn as heavy as a sledge, and on the other flitting across melodies with the ease of so many sparrows, The Sadies prove once again that denying them now is simply prolonging your conversion. So go on, pull up that screeching wooden chair that bows with your weight. Slide it up next to the turntable and drop the needle, The Sadies are a sure thing….tomorrow isn’t.

Backstage accommodations provided by www.holidayworld.ca

Youtube – iTunes

Murray McLauchlan

mkgraham — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:48:09 +0000

For nearly 40 years, Murray McLauchlan has been performing lyrical sleights of hand, taking insights about himself and observations about the world around him and spinning them into songs that are both meaningful and memorable. His sensitive tales of growing up and growing old, his razor-sharp portraits of the downtown and the downtrodden and his wry depictions of love lost and love found are all gathered here. Taken as a whole, this collection – 36 songs – including three previously unreleased tracks, represent a formidable body of work, one that places McLauchlan firmly in the forefront of Canada’s best songwriters.

During his career Murray McLauchlan has been nominated for 23 Juno Awards and has won 10 including Best Songwriter (1974) for his song “Farmer’s Song” and an astounding 7 wins for Country Male Vocalist of the Year (76 – 77, 80, 84-86 & 89). He has received two SOCAN Big Classics awards commemorating over 100,00 radio performances for the songs “Whispering Rain” and “Down By The Henry Moore” and has 3 Gold Records to his credit. A member of the Order of Canada McLauchlan was recently bestowed an Honorary Degree from the University of Calgary.

Murray’s songs have been covered by a number of artists: Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, Tom Rush, Junkhouse, John McDermott and the Ennis Sisters to name a few, and over the course of nineteen albums McLauchlan has recorded and worked with a veritable who’s who of Canadian music. A number of Canada’s finest musicians have performed on Murray’s records including: Amos Garret, Carol Pope, David Wilcox, Ben Mink, Domenic Troiano, Greg Godovitz and Bruce Cockburn .

McLauchlan continues to write, record and perform songs, both as a solo artist and as a member of the songwriter ensemble Lunch at Allen’s, with Cindy Church, Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas. It’s what Murray McLauchlan does best and loves most of all. Songs From The Street is just that – a labour of love from one of Canada’s finest voices and songwriting talents.

Backstage accommodations provided by www.holidayworld.ca

iTunes

Mark Sullivan

mkgraham — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:29:48 +0000

Mark Sullivan is a 6-‐time Canadian Fiddle Champion and is viewed by many as one of the finest fiddlers in traditional music today. A native of Bowmanville, ON Mark has toured extensively throughout the world and has performed alongside some of the finest names in his field, including The Chieftains, a PBS-TV feature with John McDermott, Natalie MacMaster, and Leahy. A leader in Canadian fiddling, Mark is in demand as a spirited performer, sideman, recording artist, guitarist, and teacher. He is a regular instructor at prominent Music Camps in Canada and the United States. Mark holds his Masters in Education and is currently living in Vancouver, working as a teacher and active as a musician. Mark has most recently released his 7th recording.

Backstage accommodations provided by www.holidayworld.ca

Web – Twitter

The Stables

mkgraham — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:28:46 +0000

It all began around a fire, along side a small lake in south-eastern Ontario, Canada when three long time friends resolved to embark on a musical journey together. For over ten years Aaron “Blind Billy” Blasko, Darren Clarke and Poor Pelly were admired and respected singer-songwriters on the Durham music circuit. After a couple of attempts of amalgamating with other local talent, the trio came to recognize the magic that transpired from their shared energies coming together musically. With their creative vigor comes a comradeship that combines to deliver to their audiences a show not to be forgotten.

The Stables (a name derived many concepts) have been placed into numerous musical genres, and rightfully so; their sound encompasses all facets from folk to bluegrass to punk. The Stables are fronted by three singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalists who each have a style unto their own; thus creating the unique sound that is The Stables. As quoted by Lonely Vagabond, “…rousing folk-country trio, a high energy sonic hoedown, catchy, charming, the spirit of steamrolling along the backwoods of the south, in our own backyard.” It’s The Stables eclectic vibe, in addition to their incredible talent that has grabbed the attention of music professionals and audiences alike.

Youtube – iTunes

Lee Mellor

mkgraham — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:27:08 +0000

Raised in Bowmanville during the late 80′s and 90′s, 29-year-old Lee Mellor has written hundreds of songs, many detailing his experiences growing up in the region. Labelled “Canada’s most underrated songwriter”, in 2008 readers of The Montreal Mirror voted him #3 singer-songwriter in the city behind Leonard Cohen and Rufus Wainwright. Six months earlier, his debut record Ghost Town Heart was released to tremendous critical praise both in Canada and Europe. Mellor’s sophomore record Lose arrived in April of this year, following a two year sojourn to pen his first book. This groundbreaking true crime work Cold North Killers will be published by Toronto’s Dundurn press in March 2012.

Lyrically, Mellor has drawn comparisons to Ernest Hemingway and Canadian author Timothy Findlay, while his music has been likened to that of Tom Petty, Steve Earle, Bob Dylan and Stan Rogers. Backed by an electric guitar, bass, drums, pedal steel and banjo, the vibe of his shows can switch from “gritty” to comedic to “surreal” in a heartbeat.

www.leemellor.com

iTunes

Ted Staunton

mkgraham — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:25:41 +0000

Since his 1983 debut with Puddleman, one of Canada’s most perennially popular picture books, Ted Staunton has been entertaining readers of all ages with his funny and perceptive stories of childhood and family life.

Trained as a teacher, Ted is also a speaker, performer, and workshop leader in venues across Canada. He has appeared before the International Reading Association, the Canadian Booksellers Association, Reading For the Love Of It, the Harbourfront International Children’s Festival, and on numerous Canada Council and National Children’s Book Festival Week tours. In May 2011 Ted will tour the Lower Mainland of B.C. for the next Festival Week, as well as appear at Booktopia in Vancouver. This spring also finds him at Boys Read To Succeed in Hamilton, ON, and Northwords in Yellowknife, NWT . He has appeared on radio and television and in countless schools and libraries all over Canada.

Amazon

Stacey Bannon

mkgraham — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:24:02 +0000

Growing up in the tiny town of Orono, ON didn’t keep Stacey Bannon from dreaming big. Bannon spent much of her younger years writing poetry, but knew there was still something missing in the equation and she soon picked up the guitar and began nurturing her songwriting skills. Her musical taste and influences range from country to rock, folk, rap and reggae, helping Bannon to craft her own unique sound.

Currently working with Stacey Bannon is taking the time to lay a solid foundation for a successful career. Time is on her side, at only 23 years old, she has already been to Nashville to learn from the industries best and will spend some time in the studio through the fall and winter months.

Trish Robb

mkgraham — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:23:13 +0000

Trish Robb is a cherished singer songwriter from the Durham region of Southern Ontario. Playing a beautiful handmade guitar, she writes songs influenced by her small town upbringing. Small towns: a place for family, friends, and outsiders. Where the only things larger than life are the individual tales of love, loss, satisfaction and heartbreak. Trish tells these stories of her people, they see pieces of themselves in her music and she is their hometown favourite.

Its rare, but every once in a long while we hear a song that leaves a lasting mark on us. Whether it be joyful and uplifting, or sublime in its heartache, a really good one sticks with you and becomes part of your own personal soundtrack. And it can touch everyone the same way. These are the songs that Trish Robb sings.

iTunes

Northland Ramblers

mkgraham — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:22:02 +0000

The Northland Ramblers has entertained crowds at the Winter Bluegrass Concert Series shows in both Scarborough and Havelock. They have also performed at many summer music festivals including Orono, Tommfest, Baldwin, Quinte’s Isle, and River Valley. The group’s community performances include Snow Road Station, Marmora, Warsaw, Lindsay, Douro, Bancroft and Peterborough. Their Evening of Bluegrass Gospel Music shows have been a big success for the churches in Keene, Springville, Bethany, Peterborough and Bridgenorth.

The group consists of Bill MacDonald from Peterborough on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Gary Meyer from Scarborough on mandolin and harmony vocals, Gerry Mitchell from Omemee on banjo and Rob Laing from Oshawa on bass, lead vocals and harmony vocals. Bill is the emcee for the group and he engages and entertains the audience with his great wit and never ending supply of amusing anecdotes.

The Stone Sparrows

jparsons — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:55:06 +0000

The foursome have combined their diverse backgrounds in classical music, funk, soul, blues, jazz, bluegrass and folk into a unique sound combining interesting twists on classic instrumental styles with soulful lyrics that feel at once comfortable, yet still fresh and unique. Their sound is equally at home in laid-back outdoor music festivals as it is in some of the finest live music venues in a downtown setting. www.thestonesparrows.com