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.
Please join us for a Winter Chamber Music Concert. We have always thought the acoustics in the Hall would be perfect for a small quartet. Interro Quartet is a string quartet featuring violin, viola and cello.
Interro Quartet combines passionate performances with a curiosity to explore new sounds and venues in chamber music. The group’s repertoire includes works of classical music giants, as well as new compositions by emerging and established Canadian composers. Featuring award-winning graduates of University of Toronto, the Interro Quartet includes violinists Adam Despinic and Steve Koh, violist Maxime Despax, and cellist Sebastian Ostertag.
The mission of the Interro Quartet is not only to make quartet music accessible to those who seek it but also to broaden the spectrum of audiences through diverse programming. To complement this mission, members of the Interro Quartet are also avid educators and clinicians, dedicated to supporting education programs that encourage new ways for artists and listeners to share, experience, and incorporate chamber music into their daily lives.
Interro Quartet Website
Interro Quartet Facebook
Interro Quartet Instagram
Individual bios:
Adam Despinic, violin
Steve Koh, violin
Maxime Despax, viola
Sebastian Ostertag, cello
Opening Act: John Muirhead
Desboro Music Hall 2018 Concert Series
All Ages Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm
Tickets:Regular: $25
DYLAN MENZIE
The fact that PEI’s Dylan Menzie his own harshest critic is simultaneously a struggle and the very trait that’s propelled him up the ranks of the Canadian music scene, and considering all he’s accomplished in a relatively short amount of time, it’s clear that stagnation just isn’t his strong suit.
With a sprawling vocal range and compelling approach to composition, Menzie made an indelible mark in the talent-rich Atlantic Canadian music market with his debut EP, Heather Avenue, in 2013. Its success spurred high-profile performances throughout the Maritimes, including opening slots for City & Colour and Ron Sexsmith.
In 2016, Menzie was a finalist in CBC’s annual Searchlight competition on the back of his breakout single, “Kenya,” which then spent two weeks at number one on CBC Radio 2’s Top 20 leading up to the release of his 2016 album Adolescent Nature.
Drawing clear influence from the likes of My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, Radiohead, and Joel Plaskett without being derivative of any one, the quality of these songs heavily belies the young artist’s age.
Since Adolescent Nature’s release, Menzie has been in even higher demand, earning one of two spots in the inaugural East Meets West collaboration between the ECMAs and BreakOutWest as well as slots at prestigious events like the Edmonton Folk Festival, Canadian Music Week, Folk Alliance International, and others.
But even as excitement behind his breakthrough continues to mount, Menzie already has his sights set on what’s next, and if he continues on his current trajectory of each new song, each new release eclipsing its predecessor, he’ll soon be impossible to ignore.
Everybody has an opinion – especially when it comes to music – but few are as critical as Dylan Menzie, and that’s worked out for him pretty well so far.
Dylan Menzie Website
Dylan Menzie Facebook
Dylan Menzie Twitter
Dylan Menzie Instagram
JOHN MUIRHEAD
With stories and songs that kindle late-night Canadian campfires, John Muirhead’s heartfelt indie-folk sound will move you in more ways than one. From fingerpicked folk confessionals to upbeat roots-rock jams, John’s eclectic song collection reflects the highs and lows of love, ambition, and being a young travelling musician. While he is based in London, ON, John is a a troubadour by nature and has played in living rooms, theatres, moving trains, and folk festival stages across Canada.
With influences including Joel Plaskett, Frank Turner, The Weakerthans, and Julien Baker, John’s primary goal is to change the lives of listeners the way music has changed his. In the two years since the release of his debut EP Yesterday’s Smile, John has been nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award, given an honourable mention in the Canadian Songwriting Competition, graced the stages of legendary festivals including The Winnipeg Folk Festival and Home County Music and Arts Festival, and released a follow-up EP, Foundational.
On November 9th 2018, John released a brand new single titled I Can Sleep Anywhere, an appreciate, eyes-wide-open ode to roughing it on the road as an indie musician. The song was met by positive reviews by critics and featured on a variety of CBC programs, as well as SiriusXM and community radio across Canada. In February 2019 John will embark on the “Song Circle” Tour with fellow London based act Ben Heffernan with the goal of collaborating with local artists from across the country in songwriter’s circles as well as showcasing at Folk Alliance International in Montreal. This will be followed by tours of the West coast and East coast of Canada
John Muirhead Website
John Muirhead Facebook
John Muirhead Twitter
John Muirhead Instagram
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.