Where to find us: 5432 Dalhart Road NWCalgary, AB Canada
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.
2021-2022 is our Milestone 50th Anniversary Season!
Celebrate #CFC50 with us
In Person or Online.
Please click here to view Protocols.
January 07
Tickets (In-Person)
Tickets (Livestream)
Scott Cook LISTEN
LISTEN
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 a disarming way. In David Francey’s words, he "distilled his travels down into songs powered by a sharp eye for imagery, a healthy dose of humanity, and that unforgettable voice…intones the rigors of the road and the most comfortable couch you have ever slept on." Scott Cook translates life lessons he learned from travelling the world as a footloose spirit into precious gifts of song for fans and true believers, believers like you and me.
Carolyn Harley LISTEN
Calgary-based singer-songwriter Carolyn Harley has gone from strength to strength during the pandemic with the release of her new album, Heartbeat of the World (2021), a fine collection of songs in the folks/roots/Americana vein anchored by her firm, commanding voice. Carolyn’s extensive catalogue and live shows radiate hope, warmth and above all, connection.
January 21
Dave Gunning LISTEN
The pride of Pictou County and a firm favourite of folk music audiences wherever he goes, Dave Gunning is a master of the song-writing craft. Poetic tales about his maritime background mingle with intimate, nuanced stories of love, life and loss, all delivered with honesty from a wide-open heart. All of his signature talents as a writer converge on his most recent album, Up Against the Sky, which features the likes of J. P. Cormier and the Atlantic String Machine. Well before that release, however, Dave had already secured his place in the pantheon of Canadian folk music greats with songs of aching beauty such as “These Hands.” Welcome Dave Gunning back to the club for what promises to be another memorable performance.
Poor Nameless Boy
The unassuming indie-folk oeuvre of Poor Nameless Boy (Joel Henderson) has a way of sneaking up on you. His songs patiently peel away in layers to reveal his perceptive observations of prairie life and Canadiana. Already a favourite with critics, Poor Nameless Boy is an emerging artist to watch for fans who like their music authentic, plain-spoken and unpretentious.
February 04
The Small Glories LISTEN
Calgary’s own Cara Luft makes a welcome return to the Club in her debut with JD Edwards on the heels of their phenomenally successful, award-winning sophomore album Assiniboine & the Red (2019). Having previously won over folk festival and club audience hearts and minds across North America with her beloved and sorely-missed project The Wailin’ Jennys, lightning has struck again for Cara in the seamless, instant chemistry she and JD 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 times of darkness and division, don’t miss The Small Glories.
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.
February 18
The Once LISTEN
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
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
March 04
The McDades LISTEN
The McDades are Edmonton-based masters of the fiddle-driven Celtic sound more typically associated with the folk scenes of eastern Canada, especially Cape Breton. Fronted by siblings Shannon Johnson (violin and vocals), Solon McDade (bass and vocals), and tin whistle virtuoso Jeremiah McDade (multi-instrumentalist and vocals), The McDades have wowed audiences for two decades and counting with their white-hot virtuosity on prestigious national and international stages, after having cut their teeth in the long-lived McDade Family Band. Rather than easing up in their careers, however, the tempo is cranked up to fever pitch on tunes like “The Oak, Ivy and Ash,” a single from their forthcoming release The Empress (2021).
jonny moonbeam
Self-described “lunar lad of mystery” jonny moonbeam (aka Daniel Jordan of Red Moon Road) has been stranded in Winnipeg awaiting spacecraft repairs and spending time during COVID writing songs about pandemic life, lockdown love, politics and 21 st century living. This rising star promises to make contact long enough to wax politically poetic power pop.
March 18
Jon Brooks
“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 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.
Blue Moon Marquee LISTEN
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 swing jazz concocted 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 warms your spirits and raises the ghost of Memphis Minnie.
April 01
The Ennis Sisters LISTEN
Born and raised on Irish Newfoundland tunes, the sublime sibling harmonies of The Ennis Sisters (Maureen, Teresa and Karen) grew from listening to Newfoundland radio when their parents weren’t making music of their own. They returned to their roots with their album Stages after having picked up JUNO and SOCAN Awards, multiple East Coast Music Awards, and other honours, including their memorable performance before international leaders at Juno Beach to mark the 75 th anniversary of D-Day. Maureen says in explaining how their music and homeland come together: “we identify very strongly with coming from an island…there is definitely a ruggedness and a tenacity that comes with being from Newfoundland”. Close your eyes and their buttery harmonies will transport you to the Rock, and look out for their next release in 2022, produced by Alan Doyle.
Calgary Songsmith Project
To mark the 50 th season of the CFC, we have been collaborating on a special legacy project with the Calgary Songsmiths to nurture and promote the next generation of young local singer-songwriters. Tonight we are excited to present the eight high-school students who participated in the project (and who you may have seen volunteering at the club throughout the season), as they perform songs they have written and crafted.
September 17
John Wort Hannam LISTEN
Born in the UK but long since a southern Albertan, John Wort Hannam earned a degree in Native American Studies and taught on reserve before becoming a prize-winning songwriter and performer. John is known for his unique take on the dramas of ordinary life and for mapping landscapes of the human heart and his adopted home in iconic anthems such as “Church of the Long Grass.” With a keen eye for the quirky and evocative lyrics, John has been nominated for a JUNO, three Western Canadian Music Awards, a North American Folk Alliance Award, and he received the 2010 CFMA for Contemporary Album of the Year Award. “You’re dead a long time,” he says, “so you better get out and make something beautiful.” Welcome John back for his seventh Club appearance, and check out his new album, Long Haul (2021).
Jenny Allen
A evergreen performer and staunch supporter of the Calgary folk music scene, Jenny’s songs chronicle her life lessons, loves and relationships with wry candour and barroom wisdom. She is currently working on new material with an eye to recording a new solo project in the fall of 2021.
October 01
Tim Williams LISTEN
Since relocating to Calgary after having come of age honing his skills in the coffee houses of Southern California, Tim Williams has long since established himself as Canada’s premier exponent of acoustic blues. Recognition of his instrumental mastery and his deep roots in the blues genre have come in the form of multiple awards and honours, culminating in 2014 when he won the 30th International Blues Challenge in Memphis. His 2018 recording project Corazones y Murallas (Hearts and High Walls) found him collaborating with the cantina band Tremoloco to explore the heavy Mexican influences on his diverse musical roots.
Tim Isberg
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).
October 15
James Keelaghan LISTEN
Few singer-songwriters are as keenly attuned to Canadian history or as compelling in transmuting its stories into song as native Calgarian James Keelaghan, who the renowned American music critic Dave Marsh called Canada’s finest songwriter. A JUNO award-winning, evergreen folk hero with an international profile built on decades as a touring troubadour, James has also doubled since 2011 as Artistic Director of the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival in Owen Sound, ON. For a quarter of a century and counting, this poet laureate of the folk and roots music world has combined passion, craft, history and artistry to bear witness to the folklore of Canada in both solo and collaborative settings, most notably with compadre Oscar Lopez.
Nancy Laberge
Calgary-based Nancy Laberge’s album, When We Were Friends, heralds the arrival of an important Canadian voice that merits national attention. To quote the artist herself, “If words are ingredients to a song, then a song is a dish, the record is the meal and the live show is Thanksgiving dinner.”
October29
100 Mile House LISTEN
Edmonton-based husband and wife duo Peter Stone and Denise MacKay had already captured the hearts and minds of western Canadian folk festival audiences before their breakout album Hiraeth arrived to a wave of critical success and laurels in 2016. Don’t miss the beauty and intimacy of 100 Mile House as they return to the CFC for their third appearance.
T. BUCKLEY (AB)
T. Buckley
Calgary native son T. Buckley is familiar to Alberta audiences for fronting the respected roots-country outfit T. Buckley Trio. More recently, his songwriting prowess resulted in a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts and the superb album Miles We Put Behind (2018). Now a husband and father, this offering signals new artistic directions and a major step forward in terms of musical polish, craft and maturity.
November 12
Shari Ulrich LISTEN
Music is humans at their best, says Shari Ulrich, who relocated to Vancouver from the Bay area in her late teens. Since then, she has become one of the best-known and well-regarded figures on the Canadian music scene. Two JUNO awards, 23 albums and a string of successful collaborations (including Pied Pumkin, UHF and BTU) cemented her reputation as a prolific, relevant songwriter, major-label artist and versatile multi-instrumentalist. Side projects in Shari’s eclectic and accomplished career have included scoring documentaries, hosting TV, teaching songwriting and starring in musical theatre (Carole King’s Tapestry). Welcome fan favourite Shari back to the CFC stage for a rare appearance.
Mark Perry
Folk-rock balladeer Mark Perry’s songs hold up a mirror to tell us stories: stories we can see ourselves in, stories that reflect 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 sound like if he’d been born on the west coast.
November 26
Jefferey Straker LISTEN
Classically-trained piano savant and pop-folk-indie songwriting auteur Jeffery Straker swears he was born “under the piano” on his family’s farm in Punnichy, SK. With eight full-length albums to his credit and counting, Jeffery has a devoted international audience for his story-based songs inspired by his prairie upbringing. He regularly plays 100+ shows a year from Europe to Ghana and beyond, not to mention hosting youth songwriting workshops in the remote northern community of Resolute Bay. Not one to underachieve, Jeffery has played sold-out orchestral concerts and was awarded Roots/Folk Artist of the Year at the 2020 Saskatchewan Music Awards. One foot might be on main street, as he sings on his latest album Just Before Sunrise (2021), but his heart beats on the prairies.
Horizon Ridge
Calgary-based quartet Horizon Ridge comprises Helen Goodchild, Steve Goodchild, Peter May and Dianne Quinton, who have contributed their harmonies and versatile, genre-hopping talents to festivals, clubs, events and concerts in Canada, the US and the UK. Originals and covers feature on their debut 2016 release Enough is All You Need, a fine showcase of their influences.
Scott Cook and The Second Chances
Carolyn Harley
Map to Calgary Folk Club