Crescent Heights Community Hall • 1101 - 2nd Street N.W. Mailing address: P.O. Box 64244, Thorncliffe PO Calgary, AB T2K 6J7 www.thenick.ca Winter 2017 • our 37th Season

elcome to the 2nd half of our 37th anniversary season Season’s Passes at the Nick! Once again we’ll feature fabulous old friends • 2016–2017 GOLD CARD renewals will commence (for a limited andW some terrific newcomers. time) starting February 25th. There is a waiting list for gold The home of the Nick is the Crescent Heights Community Hall cards that aren’t renewed—email us if you wish to be added (1101 - 2nd Street NW). Seating is first-come first serve with the to the waiting list. Please send your email to: GoldCards@ following exception: season’s ticket holders who arrive early thenick.ca. gold card holders are reminded that your season will be given preferential admission from 6:50 – 7:00 p.m. Our passes are transferable if you cannot attend a performance. ticket capacity is 193 patrons and 110 are season’s ticket hold- Online Ticket Sales ers. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. with the doors opening at 7:00 p.m. • All January to April 2017 concerts will go on sale December An evening at the Nick begins with an opening act, followed by 16 at www.brownpapertickets.com. Tickets are $25; service two sets by our featured performer. Breaks between sets allow charges are applicable. time for socializing and indulging in a hot entree, great cakes, popcorn and other refreshments. • Tickets are available at the door only if we are not sold out in advance. Any remaining tickets will be sold first come, first Guitar Raffle! The Nick is once again conducting a raffle for a serve at the Crescent Heights Hall on the night of the show. guitar, generously donated by Mike MacLeod and The Acoustic Guitar. Tickets will be sold throughout the season and our Nick The Nickelodeon Music Club is a volunteer operated, non-profit performers will autograph the guitar. The draw for this one- organization. The Nick wishes to thank its volunteers for the of-a-kind guitar will be held on April 8, 2017. Once again, this countless number of hours they dedicate. Without their work, year proceeds from the Nickelodeon Guitar Raffle will support these special nights would not be possible. ArtsCan Circle, a registered charity dedicated to linking creative artists with Indigenous youth at risk. Social Media Ringtone Free Music! We appreciate the cooperation of patrons and volunteers in silencing their cell phone ringtones and Facebook: NickelodeonMusicClub minimizing phone use while at the club to ensure everyone’s Twitter: @NickMusicClub enjoyment of our performances. Instagram: thenickfolk The Nickelodeon wishes to thank Calgary Arts Development and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for their generous support. We also wish to acknowledge airplay support of our performers on CKUA and CJSW.

The Performers Little Miss Higgins (Manitoba) January 14 First Nick Opener March 2007 From the Great Northern Plains of Western Canada, Little Miss Higgins struts and serenades First Nick Headline February 2013 her way, guitar in hand, lips blazoned red, onto any stage. As if she just drove in off the back-road of another time with gravel dust and a sunset trailing behind her, this pocket- sized powerhouse plays music brewed up in old-time country blues sprinkled with a little jazz and maybe a hint of folk. Whether it’s songs about passion or songs about panties, she writes about real things in a rooted and poetic way. For her newest release, Bison Ranch Recording Sessions, she teamed up with the harmony singing Winnipeg Five. The album was nominated for a Juno for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year – Group. For her performance at the Nick, she will be joined by Sean on bass, Darwin Baker on guitar, banjo and harmonica, and Jimmie James Mckee on trumpet. Ariana Brophy (Alberta) A Nickelodeon Debut! Ariana Brophy is the songwriting equivalent of mulled wine; sweet, nostalgic, perfectly paired with a rainy evening and a fireplace. She writes songs that weave heartbreak, love, hope and loss onto a canvas of stylized fingerpicking. She crafts her songs with a tuned eye for storyline and a remarkable ear for this album … feels just as comfortable as “your favourite pair of cowboy boots. Served the moments a heart witnesses before the mind. She plays to the imagery best on a shady porch with a good country around her and explores what it means to genuinely feel. Her first EPInk view and a nice glass of straight bourbon. and Water was nominated for a 2016 Edmonton Music Award, and her National Music Centre ” second EP Sweet Things is to be released in the fall. Catherine MacLellan (Prince Edward island) January 28 A Nickelodeon Debut! Catherine MacLellan is the daughter of the late Gene MacLellan, the acclaimed songwriter who wrote Snowbird and Put Your Hand In The Hand. After releasing her debut album in 2004, Catherine earned immediate critical acclaim, labeled Critics Favourite New Discovery by Penguin Eggs magazine. Her latest release, The Raven’s Sun, takes the listener further along her journey in song, delving deeper into the territories of life, death and transforma- tion and shines a light on the musical chemistry between Catherine and guitarist Chris Gauthier, catching them both at their best. Catherine has been awarded multiple East Coast Music Awards, Music PEI Awards and Canadian Folk Music Awards including 2015 CFMA’s for Contemporary Album of the Year and Solo Artist of the Year. She was also awarded the 2015 for Roots and Traditional Solo album of the year. She will be accompanied at the Nick by extraordinary guitarist, Tim Leacock. Over the Moon (Alberta) First Nick performance, Patrons’ Night Apr. ‘16 Multi-instrumental vocalist and Association of Country Music in Alberta Award winner Suzanne Levesque met Craig Bignell, Canadian Country Music Award win- Catherine is an exceedingly blessed singer- ner at a musical jam. Suzanne was a member of The Traveling Mabels and songwriter…She“ possesses an unforgettable Craig was the percussionist for Susan Aglukark. Now, with the simplicity voice that simply breathes depth of feeling offered by an array of acoustic instruments playing roots-based songs that into her songs. The moment this album opens highlight their blending vocals, they’ve just released their first self titled you know you’re listening to something CD. They are opening a bunch of shows for Charlie Major this fall and will remarkable. FolkWords UK open and play with Susan Aglukark in the new year. Over The Moon— “ uncluttered, simple and sweet. Shari Ulrich () February 11 First Nick Headline October 1987 Shari Ulrich has released 21 albums as a solo artist and as part of various “supergroups”, which have earned her 2 Juno Awards. Shari was one-third of the infamous Pied Pumkin String Ensemble. In ’76 Shari joined Valdy as part of The Hometown Band with whom she sang Joe Mock’s stunning Flying. In ‘89 she began her collaboration with friends Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes in UHF and later teamed up with Barney Bentall and Tom Taylor to form a new trio, BTU. A project with Barney in bluegrass band, The High Bar Gang, was nominated for a 2013 Juno Award. Shari’s recent release, Everywhere I Go won the Canadian Folk Music Award for English Songwriter of the Year. Joining Shari for her Nick performance will be her daughter, Julia Graff, on violin, guitar, piano, accordion, mandolin and vocals and High Bar Gang member, Kirby Barber on bass and vocals. Paul Woida (Alberta) A Nickelodeon Debut! Paul Woida is a singer-songwriter and master looper, recording and playing back in real time, using instruments and emotive vocals. A graduate of Grant MacEwan University in both Composition and Drum Set, he has the ability to com- Listeners who take the time will find more bine complex rhythms and harmony which, via the looper, results in a “substance and purpose in Ulrich’s music than sound close to that of a full band. He placed first in the 2015 Edmonton that of any other female singer in the country Landmark Showcase Competition and is also involved with the 2016 today Calgary Herald EPower Anti-bullying Campaign which tours schools across Canada. He ” wants to inspire people, and be a positive role model for all ages. www.thenick.ca The Slocan Ramblers (Ontario) February 25 A Nickelodeon Debut! Rooted in the tradition, fearlessly creative, and possessing a bold, dynamic sound, The Slocan Ramblers build on their reputation for energetic live shows and impeccable musi- cianship. The Slocans are Frank Evans on banjo, Adrian Gross on mandolin, Darryl Poulsen on guitar and Alistair Whitehead on bass. The Slocan Ramblers blend lightning fast and devilishly intricate instrumentals with the sawdust-thick vocals of singer Frank Evans. They understand that if you polish up the music too much, you lose the raw excitement that makes it so vibrant. This is roots music without pretension, music intended to make you feel something, music to get you moving in a crowded bar. The Slocan Ramblers recorded Coffee Creek, nominated for a 2016 Canadian Folk Music Award as Traditional Album of the Year, the same way they perform on stage: standing up, leaning into the music, and pushing harder and harder for that edge just beyond. Northern Beauties (Alberta) A Nickelodeon Debut! Northern Beauties perform Western Folk—a distinct, bluegrass-infused contemporary folk sound featuring the harmonies of lead singers Todd Stewart on guitar and mandolin, and Craig Aikman on guitar and banjo, along This is a tight-knit ensemble with a lot with Charlie Hase on pedal steel and weissenborn. They performed at “of drive, yet with something of a tantalizing the Calgary Folk Music Festival’s Block Heater Winterfest and at the “rough edge” to their sound. Calgary Folk Music Festival. The band was honored with a 2016 Western Sing Out! Magazine ” Canadian Music Award for Roots Group/Duo of the Year and earned a pair of Calgary Music award nominations for Singer/Songwriter of the year and Roots/Folk recording of the year. John Wort Hannam (Alberta) March 11 First Nick Opener November 2003 Born in Jersey, Channel Islands and raised in Southern Alberta, John earned degrees in First Nick Headline March 2005 Native American Studies and Native Education and taught Grade Nine on reserve for five years. Since quitting his teaching job, he’s been nominated for a Juno, three Western Canadian Music Awards, a North American Folk Alliance Award, and three Canadian Folk Music Awards —winning in 2010 for Contemporary Album of the Year. John Wort Hannam is known for his unique take on the simple day-to-day dramas of common folk through songs that map the landscapes of both the human heart and this vast country of ours. With a keen eye for the quirky and lyrics that create stories behind the songs, this born storyteller shares the personal and the profound. Thriving on live performance, John Wort Hannam is truly happy when he is on the road playing and connecting personally with an audience. Joel Fafard (British Columbia) First Nick Opener, Jan ‘93 Joel Fafard performs Southern roots and blues classics with the soul of a purist and the showmanship of a seasoned entertainer. He sings with the sandpapered- sounding vocal style of the new generation bluesman and tells hilarious between-song stories. His latest album, Cluck Old Hen, breaths new life John has the potential to be an excellent “student but must fight the urge to make a joke into numbers like Spoonful, and Come on in my Kitchen. When he lets rip a out of absolutely everything. solo on his resonator guitar, it’s easy to hear how he earned both Juno and Grade 6 report card ” Canadian Folk Music Award nominations and a Western Canadian Music Award for Outstanding Instrumental Album for his 2006 collection …and another thing… Oh Susanna (Ontario) March 25 First Nick Headline October 2002 Suzie Ungerleider began performing as Oh Susanna in the mid-1990s, crafting a persona that matched the timeless qualities of her music, sounds that drew from the deep well of early 20th Century folk, country and blues, yet rooted in her finely-honed storytelling skills. A nominee for both Juno and Canadian Folk Music Awards, Oh Susanna won the CFMA as Best English Songwriter. She has a voice that can pierce a heart of stone. Her superbly crafted songs are tales of longing and love, of small town joys and pains, of our simple feelings and strong passions. These are tales that look into our beautifully flawed human hearts. Oh Susanna’s new album, Namedropper, is a killer collection of songs written for her by some of Canada’s best songwriters and was nominated for a CFMA for Solo Artist of the Year. Oh Susana will perform as a trio at the Nick. Beth Portman (Alberta) First Nick Opener with Juba! Nov. ‘88 Beth Portman is influenced by her love of early film. An award-winning animator, music played a major role in her two films for the National Film Board —Cactus Swing and Fair Phyllis, with a madrigal soundtrack featuring her lyrics. Her narrative force, incisive and amazingly Beth is a founding member of the world-beat, a cappella sextet Juba, who detailed“ lyrics, and simple musical approach toured from Yellowknife to Harare, Zimbabwe. Beth presents a personal mark her as an artist to watch. Billboard perspective to life and love through original music and lyrics described as, ” “clever, touching and sassy”. Her debut album, Lovin’, was released in 2011. She recently released Take a Trip, with her band, The Good Find. www.thenick.ca Pharis and Jason Romero (British Columbia) April 8 First Nick Headline February 2014 Singing vibrant duets, writing deadly songs, playing handmade banjos and loving old acoustic guitars, Pharis and Jason Romero have a classic story. When a matchmaker, some scratchy old records, and a custom banjo led to their meeting in 2007, they quickly knew they were in for the long haul. They are passionate teachers and believers in many things folk, and their heartbreakingly harmonic live show is an ever-evolving and never-ending quest for good songs and beautiful sounds. A Wanderer I’ll Stay is the latest in a string of critically acclaimed albums, nominated for four Canadian Folk Music Awards, and winning the 2016 Roots and Traditional Juno Award. Raising a family while developing an ever- growing demand for custom J. Romero Banjos, Pharis and Jason have made time to carve out new songs, heartbreak to wilderness dwellers, gourd banjo instrumentals to hopeful refrains, and put their singularly recognizable stamp on old songs. Steve Fisher (Alberta) First Nick Opener Mar. ’93 with Hothouse Bluegrass Initially inspired by Mississippi John Hurt, Steve moved into bluegrass, playing with bands such as Rocky Road, the Hot House Bluegrass Band, the Their third duo record is perhaps their Sheep River Rounders and his current band, Restless Lester. He also per- “strongest yet. Their warm sepia tone has no forms with a collection of musicians known as the Steve Fisher Group and artifice: it all rings true. Froots as a guitarist with singer/songwriter Cori Brewster. Still learning, his main ” influences are Doc Watson, John Hurt, Clarence White, and Tony Rice and he’s a big fan of Davy Graham, Nic Jones, Pierre Bensusan, Pat Metheny and Ry Cooder. At the Nick Steve will be joined by upright bass player, Erik Smistad.

2017–2018 38th Nickelodeon Season Ticket Gold Cards • Season passes will sell for $276.00 and 110 gold cards will be sold. • Confirmed performers for 2017–2018 will be announced at the beginning of the club on March 25th. Current GOLD CARD Holders

• Current gold card holders may renew their passes by mail or in person, starting on February 25th and up until the end of the break after the first set of the club on March 25th; write cheques to “The Acoustic Music Society”, post-dated September 1, 2017. • Passes not renewed by March 25th will be made available, in order, to those on our waiting list. New GOLD CARD Patrons

• For many years, the Nickelodeon has regularly sold out our season ticket gold cards. • Every year, very few season tickets become available. Because of this, the Nickelodeon has created a waiting list of those patrons who indicate they wish to purchase gold cards for an upcoming season.

• Patrons wishing to be added to our gold card waiting list should speak with our Ticket Coordinator at the front door, or they can email us at [email protected]

• If any seasons tickets become available, we will contact patrons on our gold card waiting list in the order in which they joined the list, to confirm if they are interested in purchasing season tickets. • If any season tickets remain unsold after this process, notice will be posted on our website and they will be sold to the first patrons to contact us.

Nick Newsletter Guitar Raffle The days of getting a Nick Newsletter by snail mail have come This year’s Guitar Raffle prize will be a to a close. Up-to-date information on Nick performances will Beaver Creek BCTD101L Dreadnought continue to be available on: guitar and trailpack bag, generously donated by Mike MacLeod and The our Nick website: www.thenick Acoustic Guitar. The draw for this one- Facebook: www.facebook.com/NickelodeonMusicClub of-a-kind guitar, autographed by all of Twitter: @NickMusicClub this season’s Nick performers, will be held on April 8, 2017. Tickets will be sold Nick Email Updates throughout the season; $2 each or 3 for If you would like to receive regular email updates about Nick $5. All proceeds will support ArtsCan events, please send an email to [email protected] Circle, a charity dedicated to linking creative artists with Indigenous youth at risk. 2015–16 Guitar Raffle prize

The Nickelodeon Music Club is a volunteer operated, non-profit organization. The Nick wishes to thank its volunteers for the countless number of hours they dedicate. Without the work of our volunteers, these special nights would not be possible.

www.thenick.ca Crescent Heights Community Hall • 1101 - 2nd Street N.W. Mailing address: P.O. Box 64244, Thorncliffe PO Calgary, AB T2K 6J7 www.thenick.ca 2016–17 • our 37th Season

2017

January 14 Little Miss Higgins Ariana Brophy January 28 Catherine MacLellan Over the Moon February 11 Shari Ulrich Paul Woida February 25 The Slocan Ramblers Northern Beauties March 11 John Wort Hannam Joel Fafard March 25 Oh Susanna Beth Portman April 8 Pharis and Jason Romero Steve Fisher

Tickets available for all shows December 16 at www.brownpapertickets.com Concerts begin at 7:30 pm, doors open at 7:00 pm Up-to-date information on Nick performances is available on: our Nick website: www.thenick Facebook: www.facebook.com/NickelodeonMusicClub Twitter: @NickMusicClub

www.thenick.ca