Brampton Folk Club – Friday Folk Night Concert Series

The Brampton Folk Club is excited to present a full and diverse season of folk music this year, starting September 30th with a Gospel and Folk concert featuring Ken Whiteley and the Beulah Band. The concerts are returning to Sanderson Hall, in the upper level of St. Paul’s United Church, 30 Main St. South, Brampton. Each show will feature two full sets plus an opening act.

Here is the full Friday Folk Night season:
• Sept. 30th: Gospel and Folk with Ken Whiteley and the Beulah Band
• Oct. 28th: The Great Canadian Tradition Song Session with Anne Lederman, Ian Bell and Les Smith
• Dec. 2nd: Songs for the Snowy Season with Boreal
• Jan 27th: High Energy Eastern European Folk Band Polky
• Feb. 24th Flamenco Music and Dance with Jorge Miguel
• March 24th: Celtic Night with Allison Lupton and Friends
• April 28th: Formerly of Tanglefoot, RPR (Richie Parrish Richie)
• May 27th: Annual Brampton Folk Club Showcase Concert

Note that food and drink will not be served, and the tables will be removed to allow better social distancing. Masking is recommended, and the capacity will be reduced from 120 to 100. Tickets are $22 Adults, $20 students and seniors, and are available at the door, at the St. Paul’s church office, or through the Rose Theatre Box Office.

For more information or to reserve tickets, visit www.bramptonfolk.ca, email info@bramptonfolk.ca or call the folk club hotline at 647-233-3655.

Suzie Vinnick – Fall Back Home

On Friday, September 23rd, much-acclaimed roots singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Suzie Vinnick releases her seventh solo album, “Fall Back Home” at Toronto’s 3030 Dundas. Over a storied career now spanning three decades, Suzie has earned 10 Maple Blues Awards, three Juno nominations, two wins in the prestigious International Songwriting Competition, and major peer respect.

“Fall Back Home” reaffirms Vinnick’s mastery of a wide range of musical styles. The gospel-tinged positive anthem “Lift You Up” fits seamlessly alongside the rockin’ blues of “Salt & Pepper” and the gentle folk/roots ballads “City & Skies” and “Talk To Me,” and the album is given consistency via the emotional eloquence of Suzie’s songwriting and her strong, warm vocals.

Add in the crisp production of Danny Greenspoon and instrumental, vocal and writing contributions from a genuine A-list of Canadian roots music artists and you have a compelling and well-curated collection of songs demanding and rewarding your attention.

Click here for more info

We are delighted to announce the nominees for the 2022 Ontario Folk Music Awards! The awards will be presented as part of the 2022 Folk Music Ontario Conference, taking place October 13-16, 2022 in London, Ontario.

This year, the nominees will be honoured at a gala ceremony on Sunday, October 16, from 1:00PM-3:00PM at the Aeolian Hall in London, Ontario. The gala will feature performances by some of Ontario’s brightest folk stars, with special guest presenters, and the live announcement of the winners for the categories listed below. There will also be a special presentation for the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award, and the Estelle Klein Award. Tickets are available for purchase or as an add-on to an FMO Conference registration.

THE 2022 NOMINEES ARE:

Song of the Year
Amanda Rheaume, 100 Years
Caroline Marie Brooks, Night Drive
Julie Title, Four Horsemen
Samson Wrote, Little Parts
Sultans of String, Mi Santuario

Album of the Year
Jeremy Voltz, Weekender
John Muirhead, Traveller
Shawna Caspi, Hurricane Coming
The Sun Harmonic, Coast to Coast
The Wanted, Strange Flight

Performing Artist Of The Year
Amanda Rheaume
Angelique Francis
Les Rats d’Swompe
Queen Kong
Sultans of String

ACTRA RACS Recording Artist Of The Year
Jaffa Road
Nadjiwan
Paul Cafcae
The Fitzgeralds
The Fretless

View the full list of nominees here

Performers and speakers at the awards will be announced in the coming weeks, please visit the Folk Music Ontario Conference website, or stay tuned to the FMO E-newsletter to stay in the loop!

James Keelaghan – Second-Hand Release & Tour

JUNO and CFMA award winning singer-songwriter JAMES KEELAGHAN’s new album, SECOND-HAND, is set for release September 16 on Borealis Records. To support the record, James is performing a series of album release shows in Ontario and Alberta, beginning September 22nd at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

September 22, National Arts Centre Ottawa, Ontario
September 24 Aeolian Hall, London, Ontario
October 28 New Moon Folk Club, Edmonton Alberta*
October 29 Fish Creek Concerts, Calgary, Alberta
October 30, Lethbridge Folk Club, Lethbridge, Alberta
November 19, Registry Theatre, Kitchener, Ontario

These shows will be a celebration of the new record, and James is bringing the expert players from the album on tour with him. For the NAC show, James will be joined by Bob Stagg on piano, David Woodhead on bass, and Bill Garrett on guitar. For the London show, David and Bill will join James, and for the Alberta and Kitchener shows, it will be James and David. Of special interest, James’ birthday is Oct 28th, the day of the Edmonton show.

Tickets to all shows and more information on the album are on sale now at keelaghan.com.

Veranda – Là-Bas

Musician and actress Catherine-Audrey Lachapelle and multi-instrumentalist Léandre Joly-Pelletier bring an Appalachian vibe to Quebec’s music scene with their project VERANDA. After releasing a first EP, Yodel Bleu, in 2020, the couple spent their pandemic between the edge of a river in La Macaza and the stages of Quebec, Western Canada, Yukon and Alaska.

Their new album, Là-Bas, offers resonant human themes weaved into sweet harmonies and soulful melodies. The duo delivers a fresh take on classic Country and Bluegrass music, from high lonesome bluegrass to intimate folk ballads. Questions regarding the pursuit of happiness and human loneliness are approached through the eyes of forests, mountains and rivers rather than from the simple point of view of human experience.

Imagine a place way out in the countryside, where there is a rustic cabin in the woods in front of which Dolly Parton, Ralph Stanley and Emmylou Harris are quietly swaying under the pine trees; that’s where Veranda calls home.

Click here for more info

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Folk Music Ontario is looking for submissions for Folk In Film Festival (FiFF), a new mini film festival and film-oriented programming stream that will take place October 14-16 as part of the Folk Music Ontario conference October 13 – 16 in London, Ontario. FIFF will include screenings as well as workshops with filmmakers/artists. We are looking for a variety of films reflecting a range of sub-genres including music videos, live performance videos, documentary-style performance videos, features and documentaries, and are especially interested in films that feature Canadian folk artists, films that involve artists who are planning to (or able to) participate in the Folk Music Ontario conference, and films that have been created by filmmakers who are also musicians. Applications from IBPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, women, trans & gender non-conforming artists and individuals with disabilities are encouraged.

Click here for the Application Form
Deadline to apply: Wednesday, September 14, 2022

About Folk In Film Festival (FIFF):

Folk In Film Festival (FIFF) is a new mini film festival and film-oriented programming stream within Folk Music Ontario. In its first year, FIFF will feature a range of Folk In Film programming including features, documentaries, music videos, live music videos, workshops and panels with filmmakers, and more. It will take place as part of the Folk Music Ontario conference October 13 – 16 in London, ON.

Ken Whiteley – Long Time Travelling

On “Long Time Travelling” award winning folk musician Ken Whiteley performs 11 well known folk songs and takes them out of their “sonic wallpaper” making them fresh, new and timeless. It links themes of social justice and existential meaning with the personal stories of so many traditional songs. It connects both the origins of the songs with contemporary sensibilities in the arrangements. The recording is vocally rich with Ken singing all the parts and playing most of the instruments, assisted by Ben Whiteley on drums and bass.

“Michael Row” is taken back to its Gullah roots and “Farewell To Nova Scotia” is reimagined as a bluesy lament of not going to war. “The Water Is Wide”, “It Takes A Worried Man”, “Shady Grove” and “Man of Constant Sorrow” are all songs Ken learned over fifty years ago and reimagined for today.

Click here for more info!

Melanie Peterson – We Got This – Side Two

Intense romantic reality juxtaposed with harder edged music: Melanie Peterson‘s new “We Got This – Side Two” EP conveys all the extremes of romantic involvement. From the high energy romantic urging of “Somebody’s Somebody” to the delicate vulnerability of “Ruined Lovin’“, Peterson describes falling in love and the fall out of getting your heart broken with unerring detail. The EP, made with long time producer Mitch Girio, is a follow up to Melanie’s 2020 EP “We Got This“. “We Got This – Side Two” will be available on all digital platforms on Sept. 2nd, 2022 and signed copies will be available on her website and at shows. Melanie is having an EP release party (all are welcome!) on Sept. 1st, followed by a mini-tour.

Click here for more information

Sultans of String and Friends – Walking Through the Fire

Sultans of String are now embarking on the most ambitious and important project of our career – a beautiful collection of collaborations with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit artists across Turtle Island/Canada. We’re making this album in the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action, and final report that asks for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to work together as an opportunity to show a path forward.

As a society we can’t move ahead without acknowledging and reflecting on the past. Before reconciliation can occur, the full truth of the Indigenous experience in this country needs to be told, so we’ve been calling on Indigenous artists to share with us their stories, their experience, and their lives, so we settler Canadians can continue our learning about the history of residential schools, of cultural genocide, and of intergenerational impacts of colonization.

Featuring Crystal Shawanda, Don Ross, Dr. Duke Redbird, The North Sound, Kendra Tagoona, Leela Gilday, Marc Meriläinen (Nadjiwan), Métis Fiddler Quartet, MJ Dandeneau, Northern Cree, Digging Roots, Shannon Thunderbird and more!

“The very fact that you’re doing this tells me that you believe in the validity of our language, you believe in the validity of our art and our music and that you want to help to bring it out. And that’s really what’s important, is for people to have faith that we can do this… That’s really good”- Honourable Murray Sinclair – Ojibwe Elder – former chair of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission

Click here for more info!

Folk Music Ontario Conference 2022
October 13-16, 2022, London Ontario
Advance Rate open until August 26

OFFICIAL 2022 SHOWCASE ARTISTS ANNOUNCED!

We’re very pleased to announce that the list of 2022 Official Showcase artists is now available online!

Announced by: Rosalyn Dennett, Executive Director
Art by: Jaymie Karn
Song: King Cardiac, Amsterdam

50+ artists from across the Country, singing in 10 different languages, all gathered in Canada’s First UNESCO city of Music, London Ontario!

VIEW THE LIST OF OFFICIAL SHOWCASE ARTISTS HERE!
The spectacular lineup includes:
Alysha Brilla, Amai Kuda et Les Bois, Amanda Rheaume, Angelique Francis, Aysanabee, Bad Actors, Basset, Callahan and the Woodpile, Camie, Chris Ronald, Colleen Brown, Daniel Bellegarde, Dayna Manning, Diogo Ramos, Dumai Dunai, Janice Jo Lee, Joey Nowyuk, John Muirhead, Joni NehRita, Julian Taylor, Kentucky Eileen, King Cardiac, Lacey HILL, Le Diable à Cinq, Les Mains Tendres, Les Rats d’Swompe, Madeleine Roger, Marshall Veroni, Maude Audet, MEDUSA, Mike Biggar, Mikhail Laxton, Moonfruits, Morgan Toney, OKAN, Onna Lou, Ramon Chicharron, Rebekah Hawker, Reney Ray, Rum Ragged, Sarah Osborne, Shaun Ferguson, Sleepy Jean, Sophie Lukacs, Status/Non-Status, The Accidentals, The Honeyrunners, The Magpies, The Mcdades, Tio Chorinho with Flavia Nascimento, Villages and more to be announced!

Remember, the Advance Registration rate ends NEXT FRIDAY, August 26, so be sure to secure your ticket before then.

More information on spotlights showcases, panels, development programs, networking opportunities, and award applications to be announced in the coming weeks.

See you in October!