October

We are really looking forward to hearing our great old hall resound again to the soulful sounds of Guy Davis. Heck it's an honour to lead off the new season with such a great icon of stage and screen!

Guy has received acclaim world wide for his story telling and first rate musicianship as he digs back into the deep roots of the blues.

From Guy's website:

"Davis’ folksy and humble stage presence, combined with his humorous monologues, made one feel that this was not a concert, but rather, an impromptu performance on a front porch down in some southern swamp. Indeed, at times Davis had the audience singing, clapping and stomping their feet." --Daily Herald Tribune, Grand Prairie, Alberta

"If the earthy power of Guy Davis's sandpaper vocals doesn't grab your attention and the resonance of his acoustic-guitar strings doesn't turn your head, you need to make sure you're still alive…. He sings, "I ain't no bluesman/I'm the bluesman's son," a nice analogy for his music--it's linked to the past but living today." --Robert Gordon

Join us . . . this will be a great show!

November

and

Keith Glass

From their websites:

Lynn Miles is one of Canada’s most accomplished singer/songwriters. With twelve albums to her credit, the winner of multiple Canadian Folk Music awards (2011 English Songwriter of the Year), and a 2003 Juno award for Roots and Traditional Solo Album of the Year, she has certainly found her strength over time.

More recently, Lynn took home a 2013 Canadian Folk Music Award for Solo Artist of the Year for her latest album, Downpour, which features "...eleven new songs of love and life, darkness and light... a celebration of our fragile, flawed and beautiful world."

Keith Glass is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, bass), and producer, and a founding member, guitarist, and songwriter with Prairie Oyster, a group which has received critical acclaim, including multiple Juno and CCMA awards. Prairie Oyster is often cited as the country’s foremost roots/country band. They toured extensively over a career that spanned almost four decades and were inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

In recent years, he has been busy producing albums for numerous artists and playing and singing on many others. His new album, Bad Dog, named in honour of the family dog, Dusty) shows that Glass is in his songwriting prime, offering listeners beautiful ballads and rich storytelling.

December

If you have not been to a Ron Hynes show, you will wonder where he has been all your life. This is a performer and song writer whose songs have been covered by dozens of artists worldwide, including Emmylou Harris, Christy Moore, Valdy, John McDermott, The Good Brothers, The Cottars and even a classical soprano, Hayley Westenra.

Born in St. John’s and raised in Ferryland on the south shore of Newfoundland, Ron's first musical influences were the songs of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan. He began his career as a singer/songwriter in the early seventies, playing the coffeehouse circuit through Atlantic Canada and Ontario. While on a theatre tour with the Mummers Troupe in 1976, he composed “Sonny’s Dream”, now considered a folk classic.

Hynes may be best known for “Sonny’s Dream”, but his numerous other songs - such as the haunting chronicle “Atlantic Blue”, heart-wrenching requiem “Godspeed” and country radio hits “Cryer’s Paradise”, “Man Of A Thousand Songs”, “No Kathleen” and “Get Back Change” - show his gift as both a songwriter and a storyteller.

Ron is a six-time East Coast Music Award winner, a Genie Award winner and a past Juno, CCMA and Canadian Folk Music Awards nominee.

After treatment for throat cancer in 2012, Ron came back on tour in the fall of 2013, including a popular stint with the Vinyl Cafe, broadcast on CBC radio.

Come on out and hear this guy folks. According to one who knows, Jason Wilber (John Prine), he's “. . . not your local pub singer; he's a brilliant songwriter with tons of wonderful and unique songs”.

January

“Old Man Luedecke’s narrative-driven folk songs are playful, coy, and soul warming. Based in Chester, Nova Scotia, the award-winning roots singer-songwriter’s latest album, Tender Is The Night muses on love, art and purpose. With skillful precision and a storyteller’s heart, Luedecke charms audiences with his heartfelt folk tunes " CBC Music

“His performances are exciting and totally entertaining. His uncliched banjo playing sparkles beautifully and dynamically. This coupled with his thumping foot creates a complete sound. People are drawn into singing along.

His singing is his own. Clear and unadorned it is totally emotive and suits the sincerity of his tunes. In the breaks between songs come wild and charming stories of meeting heroes and easygoing but gripping musings on things ridiculous and sublime that may have a wink of contemporary vaudeville.

Equally at home on festival main stages, theatres and living rooms, he can hold court in the occasional indie rock bar. Luedecke has been a featured performer at all the major folk festivals in Canada and Australia and an increasing number of American festivals, like Strawberry in California.

He has appeared with and shared the stage at concerts and soft seaters with such performers as Feist, Tim O'Brien, Joel Plaskett, David Francey, Buck 65, The Be Good Tanyas and Jill Barber. He's shared festival stages alongside Bela Fleck, Tim O'Brien, Jack Elliot, Kris Kristofferson, Ashley MacIsaac, and countless others.” True North Records

February

Patrick is no stranger to Greenbank and Mogens Galberg says of Patrick's previous visit:: “He wowed our audience!”

Here are some quotes from Patrick's bio:

“Having shared stages with Serena Ryder, Justin Rutledge, and Luke Doucet, Patrick Brealey is an accomplished pianist, agile vocalist, and adept guitar picker. His ability to engage an audience is a signature of his live shows - captivating crowds and moving them to react is a true testament to his belief that art is nothing without an audience. And surely the fact that he offers his own homemade pickles and preserves at his shows doesn’t take away from his charm.” CBC3

“Shining a modern light on the roots of North American popular music, Patrick Brealey blends elements of folk, country, cabaret and blues to deliver lyrically driven songs with a uniquely powerful voice. He’s been referred to as ‘…one of the best country voices in Canada’ Tom Power, host of CBC Radio 2 Morning & Deep Roots

‘It’s not often a roots artist emerges who can remind the listener of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band one moment and Chris Isaak the next. But Brealey handles both with aplomb. ’snobsmusic.net

March

From his website:

The past two decades have seen Mark stream through a journey from busker to seasoned performer with masterful chops and the kind of mesmerizing stage presence that most artists never achieve in a lifetime. Turning heads because of youthful talent, he won a scholarship to Boston’s Berklee College of Music at 19, paid his dues in the blues clubs, made a record with Los Lobos producer Keith Keller’s at Keller’s mansion in New Orleans, won a sackful of awards, and warmed up stages for everyone from Robert Cray and Blue Rodeo to Colin James and Jesse Winchester.

It’s been said that if Bonnie Raitt and Lyle Lovett had a love child, Mark Reeves would be it. Fans of Lovett and Martin Sexton will eat up Reeves’ hard-earned positive vibe, rock solid rhythmic groove and kick-ass Motown horn section which adds a pleasant double-espresso kick to the mix.

Anybody who loves R&B will immediately be inspired by Mark’s infectious, dance-all-night grove thang, but there are profoundly beautiful moments here, and unpretentious lyrical wisdom that makes you sit back while you catch your breath.

April

Rick is always a favourite at Greenbank! Get tickets early for this one folks!

From Rick's web site:

Rick Fines is a veteran of the folk and blues circuits in North America. He is an engaging storyteller and songwriter. He won MapleBlues Awards for Songwriter of the Year and Acoustic Act Of The Year (twice), and has received eight additional nominations. His song “Riley Wants His Life Back” won first place in the blues category of 2003 International Songwriting Competition, with B.B. King one of the judges! His work with Jackson Delta (for 15 years) brought nominations from both the Juno and the Handy Awards. He has played for legendary blues piano player Pinetop Perkins, songstress Colleen Peterson, folk icon Penny Lang and many others. He toured from Newfoundland to B.C. to the Arctic last year alone, bringing his understanding of blues, finger-style and bottleneck guitar.

Rick has just released "Driving home" - All original, upbeat and optimistic, this is a more electric, bigger production featuring his best writing to date.

In addition to a busy touring schedule, Fines conducts classes and workshops. He has taught fingerstyle guitar at the Haliburton School of the Arts for 11 years now and blues guitar at Hornby Island Blues Workshop in British Columbia for 15 years. He also works with kids as part of the Blues In The Schools programs in Ottawa, Saskatoon, Toronto and Yellowknife and has participated in the Ontario Arts Council’s Artists in Education program.

May

As musician Russell deCarle gets older, he’s less afraid to take chances.

A King City native and a founding member of the acclaimed Canadian country band Prairie Oyster, he recalls breaking into a cold sweat early in his career in the off chance he forgot a lyric or chord. If that happened back then, he said he felt like he wanted to “crawl under a rock.”

Now, as he forges ahead with his solo career, exploring different styles and indeed himself, he takes these things in his stride.

“I push myself more now,” he says. “You’re not afraid to experiment on stage. Things are looser and so much more fun.” The Auroran

"Meanwhile, it was just as enjoyable watching Keldie and Briggs, both amazingly talented players. Keldie sat on a chair as he played, his butt planted but his fingers dazzling, while Briggs, in a Western-style shirt, went for the full-body effect, swaying along with the picking and grooving. One of many highlights in a short set was their lonesome rendition of the old Prairie Oyster song, My Baby Don’t Come Round Here No More, marked by the haunting tone of Briggs’ guitar." The Ottawa Citizen