Concerts / Special Events 2012-13 Season
KELLYLEE EVANS Jazz September 15 at 7:30 p.m. $15 advance/$18 door
Kellylee Evans knows how to dazzle.
That the Toronto-born, Ottawa-based JUNO Award winner can dazzle you in so many ways speaks to the considerable depth of her multifaceted talents. Specializing in – though not limited to – jazz, an idiom that prides itself on personal interpretation, improvisation and fine degrees of nuance – Evans is gifted with what Jazztimes calls “a ‘stunning’ crystalline voice” both powerful and emotive, a quality that is magnified and multiplied exponentially when you see and hear the magic of her performance. The creator of three unforgettable and critically acclaimed albums –2007’s fight or flight?; 2010’s The Good Girl and Nina, recently awarded Canada’s highest honour – a JUNO Award, the nation’s equivalent to the Grammy – for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
ELLIS PAUL September 22 at 7:30 p.m. Folk $18 advance/$20 door
Ellis Paul is one of the leading voices in American songwriting and one of the top songwriters to emerge out of the fertile Boston folk scene. He helped create a movement that revitalized the national acoustic circuit with an urban, literate, folk rock style that helped renew interest in the genre in the 90′s. His charismatic, personally authentic performance style has influenced a generation of artists away from the artifice of pop, and closer towards the realness of folk. Though he remains among the most pop-friendly of today’s singer-songwriters – his songs regularly appear in hit movie and TV soundtracks – he has bridged the gulf between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger more successfully than perhaps any of his songwriting peers.
JAMES MCMURTRY October 5 at 7:30 p.m. Folk/Rock $25 advance/$28 door
The son of acclaimed author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment), James grew up on a steady diet of Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records. His first album, Too Long in the Wasteland (released in 1989), was produced by John Mellencamp and marked the beginning of a series of acclaimed projects for Columbia and Sugar Hill. In 1996, McMurtry received a Grammy nomination for his Longform Music Video of Where’d You Hide The Body. 1997′s It Had To Happen received the American Indie Award for Best Americana Album. Never one to rest on his laurels, James McMurtry continues to tour constantly, and consistently puts on a “must-see” powerhouse performance. ‘The Washington Post’ noted McMurtry’s live prowess: “Much attention is paid to James McMurtry’s lyrics, and rightfully so: He creates a novel’s worth of emotion and experience in four minutes of blisteringly stark couplets. What gets overlooked, however, is that he’s an accomplished rock guitar player. At a sold-out Birchmere, the Austin-based artist was joined by drummer Daren Hess and bassist Ronnie Johnson in a set that demonstrated the raw power of wince-inducing imagery propelled by electric guitar. It was serious stuff, imparted by a singularly serious band.”
BATTLEFIELD BAND October 27 at 7:30 p.m. Celtic/Folk/Rock $25 advance/$28 door
Battlefield band play Scottish music of a rare passion and joy. Inspired by their rich heritage of Celtic music and fired by the strength and vibrancy of today’s Scottish cultural scene, which indeed they have done much to create and fuel, they have led and been at the forefront of a great revival in Scottish music. Refusing to be limited musically by suffocating antiquarianism, or musical fashions, they have mixed the old songs and music with a new self-penned repertoire, all played on a fusion of ancient and modern instruments – bagpipes, fiddle, synthesiser, guitar, flutes, bodhran and accordion.
DALA November 10 at 7:30 p.m. Acoustic Pop $12 advance/$15 door
Juno nominees and winners of the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year, Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine of Dala write and sing in harmony best described as angelic. These two best friends met in their high school music class in 2002; they have since released five albums and toured extensively across North America. Darlings of the Canadian music scene, Dala are now poised to bring their fresh brand of acoustic pop music to the world. Drawing upon influences like The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, Dala write songs that are both catchy and insightful. Amanda’s ethereal soprano voice blends seamlessly with Sheila’s velvety alto, creating the lush harmonies that have become their trademark.
EILEN JEWELL & SWEETBACK SISTERS November 17 at 7:30 p.m. Country/Honkytonk/Swing $15 advance/$18 door
Since her official 2006 debut, Boundary County, Jewell has surveyed a wide range of traditional musical styles, from the folk and jug band leanings of her early recordings, through an album-length homage to Loretta Lynn and the country gospel of her work with The Sacred Shakers, right up to 2009′s Sea of Tears, which bristled with the electricity of ’60s UK garage rock and Chicago blues. Sweetback Sisters Emily Miller and Sara Bode may not be blood relations, but their precise family-style harmonies recall the best of country music from the Everlys to the Judds, as well as the spirited rockabilly energy of Wanda Jackson , one of the band’s role models. Like the artists they admire, the Sweetbacks are concerned with the traditional subjects of heartbreak, revenge, remorse and staying strong in the face of relationships gone wrong, albeit with a contemporary sensibility. “We’re a renegade retro band that mixes up country, swing & honkytonk, “explains Bode. “Sometimes what we deliver is straight out of the 50’s; other times is BR549 meets the B52’s.”
BEN POWELL December 1 at 7:30 p.m. Jazz Violin $12 advance/$15 door
A brilliant young violinist, Ben Powell has already lived a couple of musical lifetimes during his 25 years, and in some ways he is just getting started. He is a creative and swinging jazz violinist, an utterly unique performer. His musicianship, technical brilliance, mature, intuitive style and delivery inevitably brings audiences to their feet. The violinist-composer-bandleader is a significant new voice in the jazz world and stands in the midst of a select few jazz stars of the future.
J. GEILS & JEFF PITCHELL w/GERRY BEAUDOIN, TEXAS FLOOD & THE JEFFETTES December 8 at 7:30 p.m. R&B/Rock/Blues
Producer, writer, singer and sports car restoration expert J. Geils, of the infamous J. Geils band, is a rockin’ master of the blues, known for several huge classic hits and a soulful approach to the blues. He is joined by Jeff Pitchell, and his rich mix of r & b, rock, soul & funky Texas blues. Pitchell has shared the stage with B.B. King, James Cotton, Bo Diddly, Buddy Guy & Joe Cocker. Also appearing will be Gerry Beaudoin, Texas Flood and the Jeffettes.
ELIZABETH PEAVEY: MY MOTHER’S CLOTHES ARE NOT MY MOTHER December 9 at 2 p.m.
Elizabeth Peavey returns to the stage with this funny and poignant one-woman show about dealing with the death of her mother as she sorts through her clothing and memories. Tickets – $15.
SCHOONER FARE January 12 at 7:30 p.m. Folk/Maritime $22 advance/$25 door
Taking the stage at CCAC for the 37th year in a row, Schooner Fare has won unanimous critical praise for captivating harmonies and winning stage presence. In addition to numerous original songs on both contemporary and traditional themes, the band also write and performs topical songs, country ballads, and maritime masterpieces that hae made their name synonymous with the “Down East” style.
CHRIS SMITHER w/special guest BILL BOURNE January 26 at 7:30 p.m. Blues/Folk $22 advance/$25 door
Chris Smither is an American folk/blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and philosophers. He is joined by special guest Bill Bourne, a Canadian musician and songwriter. A multiple Canadian Juno Award nominee and winner, Bill’s music is diverse and is rich with many traditional music elements from around the world. He plays guitar and sings with a deep and soulful sound; his songs convey stories that are poetic and life affirming. The dance rhythms of his early childhood permeate his musical melange.
JONATHAN BYRD March 16 at 7:30 p.m. Folk $12 advance/$15 door
Jonathan Byrd is an American singer-songwriter based in Carrboro, North Carolina. He is best known for his narrative tales of love, life, and death in America
GRACE KELLY March 2 at 7:30 p.m. Jazz Sax $20 advance/$23 door. A 20 year old Asian-American jazz saxophonist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and bandleader. She has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Detroit Jazz Festival, Blues Alley and many more. According to Wynton Marsalis, she has the hallmark of a first-class jazz musician.
SHEMEKIA COPELAND March 23 at 7:30 p.m. Blues NOW CONFIRMED!! $22 advance/$25 door. Daughter of famed Texas blue guitar legend Johnny Clyde Copeland, with a huge, blast-furnace voice and passion for singing.
CHRIS NORMAN April 20 at 7:30 p.m. Folk/Maritime/Scottish/Irish $20 advance/$23 door
From Halifax Nova Scotia, Chris is renowned for his flute playing, which was featured in the soundtrack of the movie Titanic, as well as other films. His compositions have been featured on NPR, CBC and BBC.
DON CAMPBELL, THE MUSIC OF DAN FOGELBERG May 4 at 7:30 p.m. Folk/Rock $15 advance/$18 door
Don Campbell is a singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose music is inspired by sources as diverse as the Celtic and Canadian Maritimes music of his family to Dan Fogelberg, Vince Gill, the Beatles and novelist, Stephen King. Writing in genres as diverse as adult contemporary, country, Celtic, Christmas, bluegrass, and rock, Don has released 11 CDs, including one cover CD of some of his favorite writers. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dan Fogelberg was a multi-platinum selling artist, with hits such as “Leader of the Band”, “Longer”, “Same Old Lang Syne” and a large and diverse catalog of over 20 albums. He passed away in 2007 after a three year battle with prostate cancer. Dan remains a huge influence and musical hero of Don’s. This summer Don will release a CD celebrating the Music of Dan Fogelberg and will begin presenting live performances of this music around his own busy schedule of Don Campbell Music shows.
DAN HICKS & THE HOT LICKS May 11 at 7:30 p.m. Folk/Jazz/Swing $25 advance/$28 door
Dan Hicks, is an American singer-songwriter who combines cowboy folk, jazz, country, swing, bluegrass, pop, and gypsy music in his sound. He is perhaps best known for the songs “I Scare Myself” and “Canned Music.” As a singer-songwriter, he is truly an American original. Since the early 1960s, Hicks has deftly blended elements of Swing, Jazz, Folk and Country music to create the appealing sound he sometimes calls “Folk Jazz”. The lyrics of his songs range from the simply sublime to the sublimely ridiculous, all presented with his uniquely skewed and inscrutable touch. Dan’s irresistible sense of rhythm, hip lyrical styling, laid-back vocalizing, and infamous on-stage wit will make most who listen fans for life. He’s a snappy dresser, too.
BROTHER SUN June 1 at 7:30 p.m. Gospel/Blues/Folk $18 advance/$20 door
Pat Wictor, Greg Greenway, and Joe Jencks have formed a dynamic new male trio. Their harmonies, as much as their lyrics, tell what they are about: warm as a campfire, stirring as a gospel church, rousing as a call to arms. Calling upon contemporary songwriting, and informed by the deep roots of gospel, blues, and folk, the trio weaves a tapestry of harmony that is brilliantly fresh and yet familiar. Nationally touring folk artists from three major points on the map – Boston, New York, and Chicago – Pat, Greg, and Joe celebrate the amazing power of singing together. Their combined musical skills should make for an unforgettable evening – three rich voices blending on a well-crafted foundation of guitar, slide guitar, and piano.
CARPER FAMILY BAND June 29 at 7:30 p.m. Country/Swing/Bluegrass $12 advance/$15 door
Born in 2010 at Austin’s legendary Hole in the Wall Bar, the Carper Family has brought together three of Austin’s most talented young country and bluegrass singers and pickers… Melissa Carper [vocals, bass], Beth Chrisman [vocals, fiddle], and Jenn Miori [vocals, guitar] each grew up singing and playing music with their families. By the time they created their new “family band”, each member had already led her own band and sat in with some of Austin’s finest musicians. But this particular collaboration has blended stunning three part harmonies into the finest old country, old-time, bluegrass, and swing tunes. Their boiled-down and intimate presentation highlights the quality of their united and solo voices, as well as drawing out each player’s abilities with her accompanying instrument. In addition to bringing audiences their beautiful renditions of standards, the group also writes original songs that both honor and challenge the solid country traditions at the heart of their heart-felt sound.
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