Welcome to the Calgary Folk Club - Calgary Folk Club

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5432 Dalhart Road NW
Calgary, AB Canada

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Great music, great friends and great times!

Since 1972, the home of folk music and the favourite venue of artists from all over the world between September and April has been Calgary Folk Club.

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*RELIVE Past Calgary Folk Club Concerts*
Until we go live again, enjoy videos of some recent shows!
	Performer	Date Time

	Ray Cooper	January 31 Concert - Abridged
	GreenBank	March 12 Concert

IMPORTANT NOTICE .. COVID-19 Update

2020 - 2021	SEASON 49
	MAIN ACT	FIRST UP

September 18

Pharis and Jason Romero (BC)

Pharis and Jason Romero

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In 2007 Pharis was living in Victoria, BC and Jason was in Arcata, CA. Both had been playing music for decades and shared a passion for early roots music. After teaming up, they relocated to Horsefly, BC (her home town), raised a family, and combined their deep love of old-time music to release a string of highly acclaimed albums. In the meantime they have toured North America and the UK, appeared on A Prairie Home Companion and CBC's Vinyl Café, and landed multiple JUNO and CFMA awards. Pharis has been called a “historical treasure” by the BC Folklore Society, and Jason is renowned for building sought-after custom banjos. Look for their 2020 release Bet on Love.

Mark Perry (BC)

Folk-rock balladeer Mark Perry’s songs hold up a mirror to tell us stories: stories to see ourselves in, stories about our shared experiences, and above all, stories about what Canada means to him. Naturally warm and engaging, his performances draw audiences in and leave them with knowing smiles and a feeling of connection. Mark is who Lennie Gallant might have been if he’d been born on the west coast.

October 02

John McCutcheon (GA)

John McCutcheon

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No stranger to the Calgary Folk Club, John McCutcheon is a six-time Grammy® nominee, author of three books and a multi-instrumentalist who has released 43 (!) albums since 1975. A master of the hammered dulcimer, his early career focused on Appalachian music before turning to children’s music in the 1980s and social activism, writing songs to bring about change in the tradition of Pete Seeger. Along the way he has earned legions of fans and respect from his peers for his prowess as a songwriter and musician. How much respect? Put it this way: Johnny Cash described him as “the most impressive instrumentalist I’ve ever heard.”

TBD

October 16

Evans & Doherty (NS)

Evans & Doherty

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Well established favourite sons at the Club, Kevin Evans and Brian Doherty bring back their lively, rollicking blend of East Coast Canadiana, raucous entertainment, shanties and shenanigans for a return engagement. Movers and shakers on the Nova Scotia scene for decades not only for their crowd-pleasing, pub-friendly performances, they have also generously opened doors for many other local and international musicians as producers, songwriters, mentors and booking agents. Kevin’s songs have been covered by Stompin’ Tom Connors, Tommy Makem and John McDermott, for whom “Christmas Memories” achieved platinum status in Canada. Oh, and we dare you not to sing along on the choruses! Well established favourite sons at the Club, Kevin Evans and Brian Doherty bring back their lively, rollicking blend of East Coast Canadiana, raucous entertainment, shanties and shenanigans for a return engagement. Movers and shakers on the Nova Scotia scene for decades not only for their crowd-pleasing, pub-friendly performances, they have also generously opened doors for many other local and international musicians as producers, songwriters, mentors and booking agents. Kevin’s songs have been covered by Stompin’ Tom Connors, Tommy Makem and John McDermott, for whom “Christmas Memories” achieved platinum status in Canada. Oh, and we dare you not to sing along on the choruses!

TBD

October 30

Black Umfolosi (ZW)

Black Umfolosi

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A self-taught vocal and dance ensemble of Ndebele musicians originally from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Black Umfolosi have delighted and amazed audiences around the world since they coalesced in 1982 around their a cappella (imbube) singing, traditional Zulu dancing and gumboot moves. Not content merely to tour major international festivals and events as musical ambassadors, however, the band members expanded their vision and formed a registered company, the Black Umfolosi Performing Arts Project, with a mission to promote, preserve and perform traditional southern African music. Last at the Club in 2008, they return with their ongoing quest to bring social harmony and understanding to the world.

TBD

November 13

Gumbo, Grits & Gravy (US)

Gumbo, Grits & Gravy

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Fair warning: culinary metaphors might ensue in describing the collaboration cooked up by Anne Harris, Marcella Simien and Guy Davis. Three musicians with diverse cultural and musical backgrounds, Gumbo, Grits & Gravy serve up a spicy concoction of Celtic, gypsy, Zydeco and soul, leavened with heaping helpings of acoustic blues. The end result is a tasty stew of the rich traditions and unique backgrounds each member brings to the ensemble. If your idea of celebrating our shared humanity revolves around hearty, home-cooked music, you’re in perfect company with this trio. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself with a craving for the Carolina Chocolate Drops for dessert by the time you get home!

Jon Brooks (ON)

“I write songs to calm those who’ve looked into, and seen, what is in their hearts. I also write songs to terrify those who have not.” This manifesto statement captures the fierce, uncompromising approach to life and music of Toronto-based troubadour Jon Brooks. Songs like Gun Dealer cut straight to the heart of today’s most urgent social issues, delivered with defiance, empathy and attitude by Canada’s premier urban philosopher.

November 27

JigJam (IE)

Blazing banjo fills, razor-sharp vocal harmonies, red-hot fiddle and driving rhythms fuel the high-energy Irish newgrass act Jigjam, one of the Emerald Isle’s hottest musical exports in recent years. The hugely talented quartet of Jamie McKeogh, Cathal Guinan, Daithi Melia and Gavin Strappe hail from Tullamore and County Tipperary in the Irish heartland. Having conquered the traditional musical forms of their homeland, they turned their attention and prodigious, multi-instrumental virtuosity to mastering American bluegrass. The resulting blend has taken them to the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival and tours of the UK and Europe. Roll out the welcome mat, stomp your feet and join the fun.

Diyet & The Love Soldiers (YK)

Diyet & The Love Soldiers

Born in a tent on the ancestral lands of her people in the Yukon, the musical tapestry of Diyet is as diverse as her Southern Tutchone, Tlingit, Japanese and Scottish heritage. She started out singing on the school bus. Today she tours internationally with The Love Soldiers (husband and collaborator, Robert van Lieshout and JUNO-Award winning producer, Bob Hamilton); but she still knows how to fish for dinner on the ice.

January 15

Ellis Paul (VA)

Ellis Paul

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Raised in Maine and long a fixture on the thriving Boston folk scene, Ellis Paul is a road warrior who has logged over 5,000 shows. A consummate song-writer with legions of dedicated fans, he is a true original, a poet laureate with a social conscience in the illustrious tradition of his personal hero, Woody Guthrie. His back catalogue of 20 stellar albums culminated with 2019’s The Storyteller’s Suitcase, a magnificent song cycle that showcases his prodigious ability to create songs that plumb vast oceans of emotion and meaning. From the pathos of “I Ain’t No Jesus” to the exquisite anguish of “The Innocence and the Afterlife,” his compelling message is that, as he puts it, “You only get so many heartbeats.”

TBD

January 29

Susan Werner (IL)

Susan Werner

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A consummate songwriter and classically-trained musician, Susan Werner navigates gospel, jazz and folk idioms with ease. Her writing is unassuming, concise, literary, wry, witty and urbane without ever losing sight of her roots in rural Iowa. Thematically, she is able to take on topics as esoteric as religious faith with conviction and intelligence. Whether it be releasing concept albums or working with the likes of Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill and Keb’ Mo, her body of work mines the great American songbook while adding to it and taking it to another level. Welcome Susan back to the Club and find out why the Chicago Tribune calls her “one of the most innovative songwriters working today.”

Tim Isberg (AB)

All singer-songwriters draw on their life experiences, but not too many get to draw on military service in Afghanistan and Rwanda for inspiration. Sincerity, empathy and humanity are hallmarks of Tim Isberg’s oeuvre and stage presence, as is his love for Alberta that runs through songs like “Come Hell or High River.” Check out his latest release Running on the Edge (2019).

February 12

The Small Glories (MB)

The Small Glories

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Calgary’s own Cara Luft makes a long-awaited return in her Calgary Folk Club debut with JD Edwards, hard on the heels of their phenomenally successful, award-winning sophomore album Assiniboine & the Red (2019). Having previously won over folk festival and club audiences across North America as a founding member of the beloved and sorely-missed project The Wailin’ Jennys, lightning has struck again for Cara in the seamless, apparently instant chemistry she and JD have managed to conjure, both live and in the studio. If you’re looking for evidence of the healing powers and magic of music to be a unifying force in these times of darkness and division, don’t miss The Small Glories.

Shane Hennessy (IE)

This young Irish fingerstyle guitar phenom began playing traditional Irish music on concertina at the tender age of four, but things took a turn when he heard James Taylor at age 14. Precise and technically brilliant, with influences ranging from Bach to Beyoncé, he now tours the world. Even the peerless Tommy Emmanuel is a fan, enthusing that Shane “transcends the guitar.”

February 26

Scott Cook and the Second Chances (AB)

Scott Cook and the Second Chances

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A huge hit at the Club his first time around, Alberta’s lovable, globe-trotting troubadour pays us another visit to share his straight-talking wit, everyman charm and superbly-crafted, deceptively simple songs. With his Edmonton-based backing band The Second Chances (Bramwell Park, mandolin, banjo; Melissa Walker, bass), he fearlessly asks hard questions in disarming ways, such as how Christ would be received today if he showed up as an immigrant refugee. Scott Cook distills life lessons he gleaned from the ten years he spent travelling the world as a footloose spirit. And he transmutes those lessons into precious gifts of song for fans and true believers on many continents, believers like you and me.

Blue Moon Marquee (BC)

Blue Moon Marquee

Swamp blues, back-alley jazz, southern Djangofried grooves. These are a few of the descriptors critics have applied to the amalgam of delta blues and gypsy jazz conspired by duo A.W. Cardinal and Badlands Jass (aka Jasmine Colette). Originally from Wild Rose country but now based on Vancouver Island, listen in as Blue Moon Marquee warm your spirits and raise the ghost of Memphis Minnie.

March 12

Jeffery Straker (SK)

Jeffery Straker

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="140" height="115" style=" float: left; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 2px;"> Classically-trained piano savant and pop-folk-indie songwriting auteur Jeffery Straker learned piano on his family farm in Punnichy, SK. With eight full-length albums to his credit, Jeffery has built a devoted international fan base, playing 100 shows a year to audiences from Europe to Ghana to Chile to Panama, not to mention youth workshops in Resolute Bay, Canada’s remote northern outpost. Not one to underachieve, he has also played sold-out orchestral concerts and he is a star of the annual CTV Telemiracle telethon in Saskatchewan, helping raise millions for Kin Canada. His story-driven songs, which he aptly calls dirt road confessionals, have one foot on Main Street but his heart remains on the prairies.

Ian Foster (NL)

Newfoundland native Ian Foster spins distinctively Canadian yarns rooted in history, his home and a sense of place. Thoughtful, introspective, cinematic, atmospheric, and cathartic, he has numerous awards, nominations and co-writes to his credit, including SOCAN Songwriter of the Year nominations. The subtle beauty and soundscapes of Sleeper Years (2017) attest to an artist who is at the peak of his powers.

March 26

The LYNNeS (ON) Double Bill

The LYNNeS

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Self-described heartbreak poets, the Ottawa-based duo Lynn Miles and Lynne Hanson take the stage all night to share their soaring harmonies, catchy melodies and lyrics that alternate between witty and gritty. Each having had previously established solo careers, they first joined forces and their talents around ten years ago, an on-off collaboration that led to their debut album Heartbreak Song for the Radio, which earned five CFMA nominations in 2018. Song titles like “Recipe for Disaster” and “Halfway to Happy” leave little doubt as to where the relation ship is sailing, but their self-effacing humour and earthy, girls-next-door demeanour will assure you that The LYNNeS require no course correction.

The LYNNeS (ON) Double Bill

The LYNNeS

LISTEN

Self-described heartbreak poets, the Ottawa-based duo Lynn Miles and Lynne Hanson take the stage all night to share their soaring harmonies, catchy melodies and lyrics that alternate between witty and gritty. Each having had previously established solo careers, they first joined forces and their talents around ten years ago, an on-off collaboration that led to their debut album Heartbreak Song for the Radio, which earned five CFMA nominations in 2018. Song titles like “Recipe for Disaster” and “Halfway to Happy” leave little doubt as to where the relation ship is sailing, but their self-effacing humour and earthy, girls-next-door demeanour will assure you that The LYNNeS require no course correction.

April 09

The Once (NL)

The Once

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The indie-roots-trad trio The Once has continued to grow from strength to strength since meeting at a summer repertory theatre company in Trinity, NL in 2009. Geraldine Hollett’s crystalline voice anchors three-part harmonies and blends with the considerable multi-instrumental talents of Phil Churchill and Andrew Dale to win over audiences wherever they play, whether it be opening for Passenger on a world tour or wowing folk clubs across Canada. Using a collaborative approach to composing and writing, they have matured and gained noticeably in self-assurance, a welcome development that has garnered CFMA awards, earned critical acclaim and shows itself on their 2018 CD Time Enough.

The New Customs (MB)

The New Customs

Winnipeg-based indie-folk duo Emma Cloney and Dale Brown weave a winning alchemy of heart-warming acoustic anthems, layered, finely-wrought arrangements, flourishes of fiddle and electric guitar shadings. Get in the mood with their 2019 release Selling Religion on Government Street, inspired by the kaleidoscope of characters they observed on the streets of Victoria, BC.

Previous Guests This Season

Please watch this section for information about our next Season

How To Find Us

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