Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series
All Ages
Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm
Tickets: Advance: $20 ($17.70 +HST), Regular: $25 ($22.12 +HST)
*Advance tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show or we run out (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)
Tragedy Ann
When grit and groove meets softly swaying silk, the thrift-folk of Braden Phelan and Liv Cazzola comes to life. With an electric chemistry and quick-witted sense of humour, they’ve threaded their colours and textures together to create the terrifying two-headed kitten that is Tragedy Ann. Playing with folk and alt. blues yarns, Cazzola and Phelan draw from personal experiences to filter narrative stories of the past and present into their own songwriting. Having performed in 2016 at Live From the Rock, toured Western Canada, and released their debut EP Stumbling – Tragedy Ann is known to make audiences laugh, cry, hug complete strangers, and is the only cure for the common cold. Bring the purr.
Tragedy Ann Website
Tragedy Ann Facebook
Tragedy Ann Instagram
Shawna Caspi
Shawna Caspi is a singer-songwriter with a powerful voice and serious guitar chops. With a commanding stage presence and an inviting charm, she doesn’t need a band to deliver an engaging and energetic show. She has all the sound she needs under her fingertips, with a remarkable fingerstyle guitar technique.
Shawna makes her living singing stories in cafes, theatres, living rooms, and even on moving trains. She has toured across Canada and the north and southeast United States and has played festivals including the Blue Skies Music Festival, the Summerfolk Festival, the Shelter Valley Folk Festival, the Ottawa Grassroots Festival, and the Deep Roots Music Festival. She loves the landscapes of her travels and while weaving them into her songs, she has also been portraying them on canvases. Shawna paints one-of-a-kind works of art inspired by the rich scenery she sees on tour.
Shawna Caspi Website
Shawna Caspi Facebook
Shawna Caspi Twitter
Shawna Caspi YouTube
Cody Zevenbergen
Cody Zevenbergen is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and music instructor based in the Grey and Bruce County area. In October of 2016, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Guitar Performance from York University. His music incorporates a wide variety of influences, including rock, blues, country, and jazz. He has played numerous concerts and festivals in the Grey-Bruce area, including the Summerfolk Arts & Crafts festival, OTHERfolk, and the Lupercalia Winter Multi-Arts festival. Currently, he plays with his hard rock band Frankie & The Wild Years, and continues to do shows as a solo artist.
Opening Act: Madison Galloway
Desboro Music Hall 2018 Concert Series
**Please note this is a Friday concert (Friday April 20)**
All Ages Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm
Tickets: Limited Advance: $20, Regular: $25
*Advance tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show or we run out (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)
THE O’PEARS
The O’Pears are a Toronto-based contemporary folk trio made up of Lydia Persaud, Jill Harris and Meg Contini, three songwriters who weave stories that stir the spirit and capture the timeless character of folk music. Like Those Nights, their debut album, captures soaring harmonies and a seamless blend, evoking the profound intimacy of Nick Drake, the sister-like blend of The Staves and the dynamic harmony of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Live performances turn the loudest bar into the warmest house concert, with their endearing, unabashed personalities balancing the intimate sincerity of the songs. They recently performed to high acclaim at festivals such as Summerfolk, Great Heart Festival, Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival, garnered radio play across Canada, including CBC, and have been featured live with Royal Wood, Good Lovelies, Michelle Willis, and Coco Love Alcorn. Each band member a distinctly talented musician with a stand-alone voice, style, and stage presence, when these three come together it is breathtaking. A striking mix of tight a cappella and rootsy instrumentation, Like Those Nights explores lessons learned about love and loss through the eyes and hearts of young Canadian storytellers. The O’Pears continue to bring a strong, honest voice to the modern female perspective.
The O’Pears Website
The O’Pears Facebook
The O’Pears Instagram
The O’Pears Twitter
MADISON GALLOWAY
Born and raised in small town Fergus, Ontario, 18-year old Madison Galloway is a driven and dynamic musician and singer-songwriter with a unique approach to her blend of folk, rock, and blues.
At 15, Madison set out to translate her youthfulness and energy into fresh hooks and appealing melodies with her debut EP “Who Knows Where” featuring five of her original songs that flirt with country influences, while retaining Madison’s signature style and direct attitude.
Madison takes the stage with guitar, harmonica, and ukulele performing solo, as part of the duo Fork n’ Harp, or accompanied by her band, The Mud Guppies. She has over 160 shows under her belt, having shared the stage with renowned Canadian artists such as 54-40, The Sadies, Alysha Brilla, and Coco Love Alcorn. She captures the ears and hearts of her audience with a performance that is riveting for its energy; imagine Janis Joplin jamming with Neil Young while Joni Mitchell looks over proudly.
Madison Galloway Website
Madison Galloway Facebook
Madison Galloway Instagram
Madison Galloway Twitter
Madison Galloway YouTube
Opening Act: Nick Nace
Desboro Music Hall 2018 Concert Series
All Ages Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm
Tickets:Regular: $25
SAFE AS HOUSES
Fresh off the release of their critically acclaimed 3rd studio album, Lucky Lucky, Safe As Houses continues to push boundaries in the folk world with their genre-splicing alternative-folk sound, infused with flecks of pop and rock. Armed with a collection of youth-driven anthems, this kinetic quintet has amassed a cult following, spiraling out from their hometown of Kitchener, ON, where bandmates Elliot Anton (guitar, vocals) and Bensen Carter (cello, bass, vocals), along with brothers Andrew Laughton (guitar, vocals) and Thomas Laughton (drums, vocals), laid the band’s monumental foundation. Chasing a more expansive sound, Safe As Houses enlisted Lauren Taylor (violin, vocals) to round out their signature string-centric arrangements and soften the edges of their soul-stirring harmonies.
Since their debut on the music scene in 2014 with their freshman album, The Fall of a Sparrow, and further fuelled by their follow-up releases, Hurricane (2016), and Lucky Lucky (2018), audiences and critics alike have celebrated their undeniable musical aptitude, praising their tight performances and likening them to legendary artists: “Their music follows in the footsteps of Mumford & Sons with orchestral arrangements and big builds…will leave you with goosebumps”-BAM Productions.
On the heels of their most recent release, Safe As Houses inspires a new generation of listeners with their fresh, energetic take on the genre, while dabbling in whimsy and nostalgia to satisfy even the most seasoned of folk enthusiasts – “If ever there was a record that could reach several generations of roots fans all at once, this might be it”-Roots Music Canada.
With the world at their feet, 2019 promises to be a definitive year for the young band with the release of their upcoming album, Lucky Lucky Deluxe.
Safe as Houses Website
Safe as Houses Facebook
Safe as Houses Twitter
Safe as Houses Instagram
NICK NACE
The Canadian born Nick Nace is a “highly-respected wordsmith among East Nashville’s Americana scene” (-American Songwriter). He was one half of the NYC based folk duo A Brief View of the Hudson (Best Folk Duo – NY Press) for over a decade, recording two albums and composing the soundtrack for Tell Your Friends! The Concert Film! which premiered at SXSW.
In 2015 he moved to Nashville and has since toured Ireland (Whelans, The Ruby Sessions), the U.S. and Canada, was selected to perform at the Mississippi Songwriter Festival, The Druid City Songwriter Festival, The Dripping Springs Songwriter Festival, Panama City Songwriter Festival and is a winner of the gulf coast’s biggest songwriting competition The Gulf Coast Songwriter Shootout (judged by Travis Meadows).
Last summer he toured the Southeast with Nashville songwriters Jon Latham & Darrin Bradbury and opened for Texas troubadour Hayes Carll. He will be releasing his debut solo album in 2019.
Opening Act: Will Melville
Desboro Music Hall 2018 Concert Series
All Ages Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm
Tickets:Regular: $25
JACK PINE AND THE FIRE
Jack Pine and The Fire is “driving”, “masterful”, “dynamic”, and all acoustic – upright bass, Dobro, Mandolin, and Drums – A gritty alt-folk-Canadiana string band with 5 heavy right hands, haunting harmonies, and all the feels. Nominated at the 2019 JUNOs and the 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards, their newest album Left To Our Own Devices explores all our relationships – with ourselves, with each other, and with the earth. Jack hollers and howls like a lone wolf, spitting wry words and tall tales, while strumming his mandolin furiously, then softly. His sings songs of lost souls and forgotten truths, with lyricism that blends vivid and powerful imagery with quirky wordplay, dark humour, and biting social commentary.
Jack Pine and the Fire Website
Jack Pine and the Fire Facebook
Jack Pine and the Fire Twitter
Jack Pine and the Fire Instagram
WILL MELVILLE
Will Melville is Toronto-based singer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and music teacher. Will started learning classical violin at the age of 10, and went on to play in the McMaster University Chamber Orchestra. He’s been writing songs, singing, and playing guitar since he was a teenager in his band Dr. Love and the Love Brigade.Over the years he has had the privilege to work with and learn from esteemed Canadian musicians including Dave Clark (Rheostatics), and Lewis Melville (Skydiggers, Banjo Mechanics). His songs are lyric and melody-driven in the world of roots, folk and country. You can catch will performing as solo act, singing with Toronto group Moonlight Flood, yodelling and playing anything with strings with the eclectic & enthusiastic Cilantro Collective, and performing with various other acts around Toronto. Also check out his work with the experimental Andy Krangus Collaborative.