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.
Jon Brooks March 20, 2020
Martyn Joseph March 06, 2020
Rosemary Lawton November 29, 2019
Travis Matthews October 04, 2019
Findlay Napier February 21, 2020
Aleksi Campagne & Gabriel Campagne November 01, 2019
The Paul McKenna Band October 18, 2019
Greenbank March 06, 2020
Over the Moon September 20, 2019
Eliza Gilkyson November 15, 2019
Daniel Champagne October 18, 2019
Stephen Fearing September 20, 2019
Rosie & the Riveters October 04, 2019
Leaf Rapids February 21, 2020
Diyet & The Love Soldiers April 03, 2020
Tom Jackson January 31, 2020
Connie Kaldor and Family November 01, 2019
Ennis Sisters April 17, 2020
John Gorka January 17, 2020
Ray Cooper January 31, 2020
The Brother Brothers November 29, 2019
Annette Campagne January 17, 2020
Ian Foster April 17, 2020
T. Buckley November 29, 2019
Irish Mythen March 20, 2020
Pharis and Jason Romero April 03, 2020
January 17
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John Gorka LISTEN
LISTEN
If you judge people by the company they keep, John Gorka’s peers and musical collaborators tell you much about the man: Nanci Griffith, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ani DiFranco, Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson, to mention just a few. What this doesn’t tell you is that the world-renowned singer-songwriter has a stunning, soulful baritone. Or that he writes rich, multifaceted songs full of depth, beauty and emotion. Or that he has an international fan base built on the strength of many critically acclaimed albums and tours. Originally from New Jersey but now based in Minnesota, John enjoys spending time with his wife and family when he is not playing stages and festivals across North America and Europe.
Annette Campagne
A founding member of the iconic group Hart Rouge before she embarked on a prolific solo recording and touring career, Annette Campagne has twelve albums, several radio hits and multiple tours across Canada, Europe and the United States to her credit. Her burnished, sultry voice celebrates the beauty of the human spirit in English and French as she soars over melodic pop and roots-flavoured rock backdrops.
January 31
Tom Jackson LISTEN
Celebrated actor, recording artist, musician, author, activist and philanthropist, Tom Jackson is extraordinarily passionate about creating change. A bass-baritone voice for food banks, the disenfranchised, the traumatized, and now an Ambassador for the Canadian Red Cross, he is Canada’s go-to ‘minstrel with a mission’ and renaissance man. An Officer of the Order of Canada, JUNO and Gemini Humanitarian Award winner, ten-time honorary degree recipient, and proud bearer of the 2014 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement, he marches into boardrooms to mobilize action and into shelters to dispense hugs. All this in addition to his wildly successful Huron Carole charity concerts. He is, quite simply, one of Canada’s most influential, distinguished and revered native sons.
Ray Cooper
Of Scottish and English ancestry but based in Sweden since 2000, Ray Cooper is perhaps better known to Canadian audiences as Chopper from Oysterband, the project he was with for 19 albums and countless tours before he went solo in 2013. An acoustic singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (cello, mandolin, guitar and piano), Ray finds inspiration in everything from traditional tunes to rock ’n roll.
February 21
Findlay Napier LISTEN
Look no further than award-winning, critically lauded singer-songwriter Findlay Napier for proof that Scotland is home to arguably the most essential and vital folk scene in the UK today. Finely crafted songs that are alternately droll, dry and dark illuminate quirks of the human condition, the secret life of Hedy Lamarr and sidelong perspectives on Glasgow, his adopted hometown. While his solo albums VIP Very Interesting Persons (2014) and Glasgow (2017) garner most attention on this side of the Atlantic, Findlay’s eclectic career spans media work; side projects and collaborations with the likes of Rebecca Loebe; directing the Glasgow Songwriting Festival; and leading songwriting workshops.
Leaf Rapids
Winnipeg folk duo Keri Latimer and her husband Devin weave disturbing family history, intimate truths, haunting imagery and seductive, dreamy sonic landscapes into an indefinable but addictive musical gumbo. From Kyoto to Iceland to the Canadian prairies, the stories of Leaf Rapids creep like boats on the water, sweeping you up in their wake with dashes of theremin, spacy guitar and insouciant vocals. Theirs is music as a form of surrender.
March 06
Martyn Joseph LISTEN
A unique talent driven by passion, social justice and love for his trade, Welshman Martyn Joseph needs little introduction to his many fans in Calgary. With his signature energy and relentless appetite for the road and studio work, Martyn released his 33rd album in early 2019, which Uncut magazine described as “anthems of hope that bigotry and hatred will not prevail”. His humanitarian efforts have been honoured by Amnesty International and Folk Alliance International, which bestowed its “Spirit of Folk” award on him in 2018; and he founded Let Yourself Trust, a not-for-profit organization that supports human rights, education projects and other causes in Africa and elsewhere.
Greenbank
Thunder Bay natives Jim Breslin (guitar/vocals) and Craig Smyth (keyboards, vocals) are the founding members of Greenbank, a folk-rock outfit with an old-school vibe and a talent for relating stories about the Canadian heartland, its quirks and its characters. You know where this is: it’s all the places where life’s victories are small, dressing up means wearing denim and no one pays extra for jeans with holes and designer labels.
March 20
Irish Mythen LISTEN
If you have never experienced Irish Mythen perform, this is fair warning that you are set to encounter a force of nature. Originally from (surprise, surprise) Ireland, she now tours Europe, Australia and North America from her PEI home base. Lisa Schwartz from the Philadelphia Folk Festival says that her voice “came straight from the Heavens with all the power and glory and truth of someone destined to be a singer”. Dougie MacLean said he was amazed at her ability to hold a massive crowd as if it were tiny. And the Mariposa Folk Festival noted that the three artists most requested to return to the festival based on votes have been: 1) Joni, 2) Gordon, and 3) Irish Mythen. That says it all.
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 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.
April 03
Pharis and Jason Romero LISTEN
In 2007 Pharis was living in Victoria, BC and Jason was in Arcata, CA. Both had been playing music for decades and had a passion for early roots music. After teaming up, they relocated to Horsefly, BC (her home town), raised a family, and combined their shared passion for old-time music to release a string of acclaimed, award-winning albums. Add to that tours of North America and the UK, appearances on A Prairie Home Companion and CBC's Vinyl Café, and multiple CFMA nominations and awards. Pharis has been called a “historical treasure” by the BC Folklore Society; and when he isn’t making music, Jason is renowned for building sought-after custom banjos.
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 remembers fishing for dinner on the ice.
April 17
Ennis Sisters LISTEN
Born and raised on Irish Newfoundland tunes, the Ennis Sisters (Maureen, Teresa and Karen) grew up 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 along the way. Maureen says in explaining how their music and homeland come together: “we identify very strongly with coming from an island in the middle of the North Atlantic. There is definitely a ruggedness and a tenacity that comes with being from Newfoundland”. Close your eyes and let their buttery harmonies transport you to the Rock.
Ian Foster
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.
September 20
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Stephen Fearing LISTEN
Since releasing Out to Sea in 1991, Stephen Fearing has earned his place in Canada’s elite club of male singer-songwriter-guitarists (hello Neil, Gordon, Stan and Bruce). Hailed for his string of 11 stellar solo albums, guitar mastery, riveting live shows in front of international audiences, and co-founding the beloved, critically acclaimed super-group Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, his star shines brightly in the roots music firmament. Stephen’s tenth album, Every Soul’s a Sailor, was awarded 2017 Worldwide Album of the Year by Blues & Roots Radio; and he was 2017 Contemporary Singer of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. He says of his performances: “people want to escape and be taken on a journey. I build my shows so they do just that.”
Over the Moon
When multi-instrumentalists Suzanne Levesque and Craig Bignell decided to blend their voices, talents and lives, they were literally Over the Moon. These cowbillies live in the ranching country of the foothills south of Calgary, but have delighted audiences as far away as China with their fusion of warm roots/swing and original tunes. Check out the love on their CD Moondancer.
October 04
Rosie & the Riveters LISTEN
Q: What do #MeToo, Saskatchewan and the Andrews Sisters have in common? A: Rosie & the Riveters (Farideh Olsen, Alexis Normand and Allyson Reigh). Their breakthrough 2018 release, Ms Behave, was in the top 10 US folk music charts for 17 weeks, made big waves on CBC Radio 2 and CKUA, and was featured in top industry publications. Don’t let their sugar-coated, slinky delivery and sultry personas fool you. Songs like Let ’em Talk and Ask a Man may wear velvet gloves but they cloak punches and purpose. The band contributes 20% of their merchandise profits to women’s projects and businesses internationally; to date they have donated more than $12,000 to over 300 projects around the world.
Travis Matthews
Travis Matthews captures hearts and minds with honesty, passion, sincerity and inclusive performances. From heartfelt songs about his grandma to the disappointment of a pizza delivery gone wrong, Travis’s deceptively simple storytelling makes even the quirkiest of situations relatable. At 23, he continues to make his mark after charming the Edmonton Folk Music Festival last year. Just forgive him his Edmonton origins, eh?
October 18
Paul Mckenna Band LISTEN
Paul McKenna has long ranked among Scotland’s finest traditional singer-songwriters. Armed with a powerful yet intensely emotive voice and a passionate social conscience he often expresses through his songs, McKenna has drawn frequent comparisons to the great Dick Gaughan. He and his band, Robbie Greig (fiddle), Conal McDonagh (pipes/whistles), Conor Markey (banjo/bouzouki/guitars) and Ewan Baird (percussion) meld Scottish and Irish roots music into a wide array of originals, covers and traditional material. 2016 marked the band’s tenth anniversary release, Paths That Wind. We are excited to welcome them back for their second appearance at the club!
Daniel Champagne
Welcome back to the club this fine Australian singer-songwriter and one-of-a-kind guitar virtuoso, who first picked up his instrument of choice when he was five. Daniel began writing songs at 12 and is already regarded as a leading light in acoustic music, with a reputation for showmanship, making festivals buzz, holding crowds in his palm, dropping jaws and breaking guitars wherever he goes.
November 01
Connie Kaldor
It’s no secret that the Calgary Folk Club doubles as Connie Kaldor’s Alberta residence, but this evening promises to be unique and very special. Club members will have their favourite memories of Canada’s beloved queen of folk, but this time she is appearing with her phenomenally talented family. As a founding member of Hart Rouge, her partner Paul Campagne has criss-crossed Canada countless times.
Aleksi Campagne
November 15
Eliza Gilkyson LISTEN
Twice Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and activist Eliza Gilkyson is no stranger to Alberta folk club and festival audiences. One of the most respected musicians in roots and Americana circles, her spiritually charged songs of grief, gratitude and wonder challenge us to respect life and be accountable for our actions. The themes informing her recently released 20th album, Secularia, are compassion, self-awareness and respect for a natural world that she sees as hanging in the balance. The review by No Depression describes the album as “a series of poems and hymns…that praise the wonder and beauty of the world, that lament its destruction, and that celebrate the joy of the mystery that lies behind its wild wonder”.
T. Buckley
Calgary native son T. Buckley is familiar to Alberta audiences as front man of 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 29
The Brother Brothers LISTEN
Identical twins Adam and David Moss are bringing folk traditions to a new generation via stunning instrumental virtuosity, heartfelt lyricism, and yes, sibling harmonies so natural they seem to blend into a single, beautiful voice. Based in Brooklyn, New York, the Brother Brothers mine and channel diverse voices from the American songbook, from Townes Van Zandt to the Everly Brothers to folk revivalists such as the Kingston Trio on their sublime debut album, Some People I Know (2018). Fans of the pristine perfection of the Milk Carton Kids will swoon, as did none other than Sarah Jarosz, who raved that these young men produce “some of the greatest family harmonies ever made.”
Rosemary Lawton
Rosemary Lawton is helping to preserve Newfoundland’s rich heritage by collecting, recording, and performing Newfoundland traditional music. Her music is a hybrid of both classical and traditional genres, with underlying hints of her classical training infusing her brilliant fiddle arrangements and original tunes. Adding to all that, her voice is reminiscent of the high soprano Celtic singing of Ireland.
John Gorka
Map to Calgary Folk Club