nickelodeon Music Club

Crescent Heights Community Hall - 1101 - 2nd Street N.W. Mailing address: P. O. Box 63016, Stadium RPO Calgary, AB T2N 4S5

www.thenick.ca 36th Season: Winter 2016

elcome to the 2nd half of our 36th anniversary sea- Tickets son at the Nick! Once again we will present some • 2016-2017 GOLD CARD renewals will commence (for a fabulous old friends along with five and a half ter- limited time) starting February 20th. There is a waiting list Wrific new headliners and we’ll finish with a Patrons’ Night. for GOLD CARDS that aren’t renewed - email us if you wish to be added to the waiting list. The home of the Nickelodeon is the Crescent Heights Community Please send your email to: [email protected] Hall (1101 - 2nd Street NW). Seating is first-come first serve with the following exception: season’s ticket holders who arrive early Online Ticket Sales will be given preferential admission from 6:50 - 7:00 P.M. Our • $25 advance tickets for ALL January to April 2016 concerts ticket capacity is 193 patrons, and 110 are season’s ticket holders. will go on sale at 9:00 a.m. December 11th at www.brown- Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. with the doors opening at 7:00 p.m. papertickets.com - service charges are applicable. An evening at the Nick begins with an opening act, followed by • $25 door tickets are only available if we do not sell out in two sets by our featured performer. Breaks between sets allow advance. Any remaining tickets will be sold first come, time for socializing and indulging in an entree, great cakes, first serve at the Crescent Heights Hall on the night of the popcorn and other refreshments. show. Guitar Raffle! The Nick is once again conducting a raffle for a Flinthill Traditional Dreadnought guitar and trailpack bag, generously donated by Mike The Nickelodeon Music Club is a volunteer operated, non-profit MacLeod and The Acoustic Guitar. Tickets will be sold throughout the season organization. The Nick wishes to thank its volunteers for the and our Nick performers will autograph the guitar. The draw for this one-of- countless number of hours they dedicate. Without the work of our a-kind guitar will be held on April 2nd , 2016. Once again, proceeds from the volunteers, these special nights would not be possible. Nickelodeon Guitar Raffle will support ArtsCan Circle, a registered charity dedicated to linking creative artists with Indigenous youth at risk. https://www.facebook.com/NickelodeonMusicClub Ringtone Free Music! We appreciate the cooperation of patrons thenickfolk on Instagram Twitter: @NickMusicClub and volunteers in silencing their cell phone ringtones and mini- mizing phone use while at the club to ensure everyone’s enjoy- ment of our performances. 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 Bill Bourne (Alberta) January 9

First Nick Headline, Mar. ‘81 with Juno winner Bill Bourne has received international acclaim for his recordings and live performances. His songs convey stories that are poetic and life affirming. Raised in a musical Sweetgrass family in rural Alberta, he was known to sleep behind the piano at country dances while his parents played. He began his professional career in 1975. He has toured and recorded solo and with Scotland’s Tannahill Weavers, Bourne and MacLeod, Shannon Johnson, Hans Staymer and Andreas Schuld, Tri-Continental with Lester Quitzau and Madagascar Slim, Eivor Palsdottir, Bop Ensemble and The Free Radio Band. His latest recording collaboration is Trancescapes Gaia Sadhana, free improv music for meditation and relaxation, scheduled for release in fall 2015. A veteran of the international blues and roots music scene, life on the road is reflected in Bill’s music - powerful rhythms and soulful songs, steeped in blues, world beat, Cajun, Celtic, folk, Latin, funk, poetry and more. Gordie Tentrees (Yukon) First Nick opener Mar. ‘08 Tentrees’ blend of folk, roots and blues is deeply personal and lyrically rich. Somebody’s Child was written after watching the bombs go off at the Boston Marathon, all while wondering if his wife had crossed the finish line. Themes of despair turn to courage in Wheel Girl, an ode to northern hero Jessica Frotten who went from accident victim “Bourne flows with this almost indescribable soul infused with to wheelchair athlete. Dead Beat Dad is a confession of a struggling father urging a lonesome strain of blues...This man was put on this earth to on his male mates to make a difference. These are songs of triumph, heartache and play music.” Jon Colcord - Crossroads Magazine redemption that will tear your heart out, one note at a time. Tony McManus (Ontario) January 23 Tony McManus is recognized as the leading guitarist in Celtic Music. In Tony’s hands the com- A Nickleodeon Debut! plex ornamentation normally associated with fiddles and pipes are accurately transferred to guitar preserving the integrity and emotional impact of the music. Nominated as Musician of the Year by both the BBC Folk Awards and The Scottish Traditional Music Awards, in 2002 Ceol More hit the Critic’s Album of the year list in Acoustic Guitar magazine and was named Live Ireland Awards Album of the Year. The Makers’s Mark saw him showcase 15 of the finest luthier built guitars, recording a solo piece on each instrument. A challenge from mandolin virtuoso Mike Marshall to learn the Bach E Major Prelude on guitar led to an exploration of classical and baroque music, resulting in his newest CD Mysterious Boundaries which contains a rendition of Bach’s Chaconne in D Minor – one of the greatest compositions of any age. Dana Wylie (Alberta) A Nickelodeon Debut! Dana Wylie is farm girl from Saskatchewan who has travelled the world in search of home. Her struggle to reconcile the wanderer with the bumpkin, mixed with her crystal clear voice and fluid finger-style guitar playing, has resulted in a unique musical language that effortlessly straddles country and city, folk and intellectual. Her latest album, The Sea and the Sky, represents a deepening maturation of this “The playing is phenomenal. it’s a masterpiece, I’m language. As Roger Levesque of the Edmonton Journal put it, “Wylie shows the reeling”- John Renbourn intuitive grace, smart, lyrical economy, and the ability to find insights in everything or anything that you expect of a mature songwriter.” The Stray Birds (Pennsylvania) February 6

A Nickleodeon Debut! The Stray Birds are a genre-bending acoustic trio featuring multi-instrumentalists and vocal- ists Maya de Vitry, Oliver Craven, and Charlie Muench. They were raised with a steady diet of music ranging from The Carter Family and Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys to The Beatles and , to the groundbreaking artistry of Jimi Hendrix. Their first full-length album, The Stray Birds, released in 2012, became a critical darling: NPR included it on their 10 Best Folk/ Americana Albums of the Year list. Hundreds of gigs, and thousands of highway miles after that release, the band’s primary songwriters, Maya and Oliver, wrote new, original material inspired by their last two and a half years on the road. The Stray Birds honed the majority of these songs onstage together with instrumental virtuosity and gorgeous three-part harmony singing to release their most cohesive and ambitious album to date, Best Medicine. Braden Gates (Alberta) First Nick opener Oct. ‘12 Braden Gates is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing singer/songwriters in the province. A born raconteur in both his songwriting and song introductions, he is drawn to those with a story to tell, aiming to communicate in a way that brings people together. At 16, he became the Alberta fiddle champion, an honor “Crowding around a singular microphone to sing harmonies, he won again in 2011 and 2012. His second album, Ferris Wheel, is a combination The Stray Birds evoke an almost forgotten simplicity and joy of intricate guitar work, driving fiddle playing and honest story telling. His latest found in voice that is stunning to drink in.”—Philadelphia City Paper work focuses on personal experiences and the stories of those he crossed paths with throughout his travels. www.thenick.ca Annie Lou (British Columbia) February 20

Canadian Award, West Coast Music Award, and Juno nominee Annie Lou is Anne A Nickleodeon Debut! Louise Genest, an artist who carries the spirit of an old storyteller, creating songs steeped in the flavours of oldtime mountain, Appalachian, and traditional country and bluegrass music. She writes songs that break the heart and put it back together again. She tells tales from rural life paths of hard-hit, hard-won victories of everymen and women. Beautifully creative songs and tunes range from rousing and boisterous to gentle and poignant, and map a homescape of hard- drinking grandmas, rural dancehalls, blue collar fashions, small towns and big cities. Annie Lou has just released her latest recording, Tried and True, original music, rooted in tradition. Her band, featuring singers Andrew Collins, mandolin and fiddle, Max Heineman, upright bass, and Sarah Hamilton, fiddle, offers boot grooving, heart moving music delivered with pluck and tenderness. Brent Tyler (Alberta) First Nick opener Mar. ‘12 Brent Tyler has an intricate and skillful guitar style combined with a disarming and soulful voice befit of his literal seven-foot stature. He balances the soft subtlety of honest and introspective folk music with catchy and powerful soul-roots hooks and melodies. His giant delivery has evolved from imitative influences into his very “There is magic here: superior picking, excellent rhythm work, own versatile, powerful, and dynamic style, drawing people in with his physical impressive and whimsical lyrics. Genest’s lead vocal style echoes stage presence, story-telling ability, and surprisingly elastic vocal range. His music is the McGarrigles and Sylvia Tyson, but she is irrefutably herself.” lyrically textured with real life; honesty and love, hope and healing, authenticity and - Donald Teplyske, Country Standard Time forgiveness. Brent’s newest CD Love Myself was released in 2015. Del Barber & The Profiteers () March 5

A Nickleodeon Debut! JUNO-nominated and 2015 winner of the Sirius XM Indie award for Folk/Roots Artist or Group of the Year, Del Barber grew up on the Canadian Prairies, and the landscape is as much a part of him as the people he has met along the way. From the fertile Red River Valley to the pastures of the west, straight into the factory floors and slaughter houses of the city, Barber’s fourth album, Prairieography, is born out of a love for his home, its people and their stories. Barber sings from the heart about his roots, telling tales from the road, and offering incredibly personal and sincere observations of the world around him. Prairieography is the earnest travelogue of a wandering troubadour, and the realization that creativity is rarely a bolt of lightning. Good songs are the result of hard work, calloused fingers and learned lessons from a life well lived. Dianne Quinton (Alberta) First Nick appearance, Apr. ‘15 Patrons’ Night Dianne hails from St. John’s, Newfoundland, influenced by the traditions of the eastern seaboard and her own love of . Blessed with a voice equally comfortable with the low, slow burn of a sassy blues and the sweetness of pure folk harmony, Dianne plays rhythm guitar, and piano. She enjoys playing songs from a variety of genres including country, folk, gospel and traditional music and plays “(Prairieography) is the most fully realized, triumphant regularly with Horizon Ridge and The Still Waters. At the Nick she will perform album of the songwriter’s young career.” - Jonathan with Peter May. Her debut CD of all original songs, Between Heartache and Hope, was Bernstein released in 2015. Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project (Ontario) March 19

Two-time Juno-winning banjoist and composer Jayme Stone makes music inspired by sounds A Nickleodeon Debut! from around the world, bridging folk, jazz and chamber music. The Lomax Project: An acetate disc-cutter and cactus needle stylus. The rutted roads of eastern Kentucky and the Georgia Sea Island coastline. Kitchen din and street noise. Songs everyone has come to know - and the sto- ried singers nearly everyone has forgotten. These snapshots guided banjo innovator and musical instigator Jayme Stone to research and recast nineteen carefully chosen songs collected by iconic American folklorist and field recording pioneer Alan Lomax. With band mates, Moira Smiley, Sumaia Jackson and Joe Phillips, he revives, recycles and re-imagines traditional music. Their rep- ertoire includes Bahamian sea chanties, African-American acappella singing from the Georgia Sea Islands, ancient Appalachian ballads, fiddle tunes and work songs collected from both well-known musicians and everyday folk: sea captains, cowhands, fishermen, prisoners and homemakers. Ruth Purves-Smith (Alberta) First Nick opener Jan. ‘11 In ’87 Ruth answered an ad for a “girl country singer”. Later bands included Rodeo-A-Go-Go and the all girl trio, Roadside Turnout with Kathy Cook. In ’96 Ruth embarked on a solo career and released Out In The Storm. In fall 2015 she released her latest CD, Faster Than The Speed of Dark. At the Nick, Ruth will be “It places new wonders alongside old favorites, for a listening accompanied by David Holloway on guitar. While the stories in her music may experience that’s fresh and fun no matter how familiar you are appear to be simple, traditional country, they are supported by a sound that pulls with Lomax’s collection.” Huffington Post influences from the city: complicated, restless and sometimes loud. www.thenick.ca Christine Lavin & Don White (New York/Massachusetts) April 2

Christine first Nick headline Jan. ‘88 The Funny Side of the Street: A Night of Brighter Laughter will feature music that is smart, Don, a Nick debut! friendly, and breathtakingly funny. Quick on her feet and with a comedienne’s arsenal of irony and wit, Christine’s delightfully skewed songs cover a lot of territory. Don White, a multi-talented, one-of-a-kind iconoclast, brings a comic’s wit, and a poet’s heart to his songs and stories. They both encapsulate all that’s best about the folk scene: heart-breaking one moment and laugh-out-loud funny the next, they’re unafraid to take a hard look at all the pain and beauty of life. Together they deliver an evening of comedy and song that peers into more facets of experience, individual and national alike, than one would think possible. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll laugh some more. Two of America’s most-loved songwriters and raconteurs join forces for this fabulous and hilarious show.

Tim Williams (Alberta) First Nick opener Feb. ‘90

Maple Blues Award nominations, three nominations, five Betty Mitchell Awards for composition/musical direction in theatre, and many awards from Real Blues magazine attest to the high caliber of his work. Tim was named 2012 Guitarist Of The Year by the Calgary Blues Music Association and won the 2015 International Blues Challenge as Best Solo or Duo, and Best Guitarist (solo or “Lavin quickly established herself as an entertaining tour de force. Quick on her feet, witty, insightful, engaging, she duo). His latest CD Blue Highway offers threads from West Africa, India, Hawaii, remains one of the most popular and respected performers in Mexico and the Southwest. Tim’s blend of soulful vocals, wry sense of humour and the genre.” BestEvents.us awe-inspiring chops continue to win fans everywhere he plays. Patrons’ Night! (Alberta and ... ?) April 16

Have you ever thought, “I’d love to play a song on the Nick stage!”? Now’s your chance. We will invite volunteers, season ticket holders and other Nick patrons to sign up in advance, to perform for our always-appreciative audience.

The club format will remain the same, with three sets of music followed by a break. Each set will feature multiple performers. Each performer will do 2 songs.

Current season ticket holders will qualify for admittance. Advance tickets will be sold at a reduced price for this evening. More details to follow at www.thenick.ca

2016 - 2017 37th Nickelodeon Season Ticket Gold Cards • Seasons passes will sell for $276.00 and 110 GOLD CARDS will be sold. • Confirmed performers for 2016-2017 will be announced at the beginning of the club on March 19th.

Current GOLD CARD Holders • Current GOLD CARD holders may renew their passes, by mail or in person, starting on February 20th and up until the end of the break after the first set of the club on March 19th; write cheques to “The Acoustic Music Society”, post-dated September 1, 2016. • Passes not renewed by March 19th 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 Seasons 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 Seasons Tickets. • If any Seasons 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.

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