Be Sure to Get Your Tickets!
There is still time to get your hands on a coveted Season Pass for the 2015-2016 season! This pass grants you a fixed-rate admission to all of our shows through to the end of April 2016 - a great value for die-hard folks fans. For those of you who prefer to pick and choose, tickets for every individual show can now be purchased at
calgaryfolkclub.com, or by calling
1-888-655-9090.
SEASON PASSES: Only 9 remaining! CLICK HERE to get yours!
Invite a Friend!
Make the beginning of fall something to look forward to! Invite your friends to join you at one of the awesome concerts we have lined up for Season 44 of the Calgary Folk Club.
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COMING ON OCTOBER 2:
Oscar Lopez
Chilean-born master guitarist Oscar Lopez moved to Canada in 1979, settling in
Calgary
in 1981. His signature style combines fiery solos and Latin rhythms with jazz and pop sensibilities,
and a wicked improvisational wit
.
His recordings include 12 personal albums - which have garnered 2 Juno awards and numerous nominations - as well as a host of compilations.
His friendship and artistic chemistry with singer/songwriter, and fellow "Calgary home-town-boy", James Keelaghan, resulted in two "Celtino" fusion recordings as Compadres. They have performed scores of live performances at festivals and on stages around the world. Oscar also joined fellow guitarists Pavlo and Rik Emmett (P.R.O.), who together recorded "Trifecta" and toured extensively in North America, wowing audiences with their rich and energetic music, and with Lopez' free spirit and guitar artistry.
oscar-lopez.myshopify.com
Chris Ronald's "keenly luxuriant voice and immaculate songcraft" (Ken Eisner
, The
Georgia S
traight) have gained him a passionately loyal following, and recent efforts to promote his music have met with increased acclaim and recognition. Achievements
since the March 2014 release of Chris' Timeline album include a nomination for
"Songw
riter of the Year" at the Canadian Folk Music Awards and a place in the finals of the coveted Kerrville New Folk contest in Texas. His recordings have been aired on CBC and BBC radio, and Timeline was recently selected
as "Album of the Week" by Blues and Roots Radio and broadcast worldwide.
chrisronald.com
OCTOBER 16:
The Steel Wheels
The Steel Wheels have captured audiences with their heady brew of original soulful mountain music and their deep commitment to roots and community. Based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, this dynamic four-piece string band marries old-time musical traditions with their own innovative sound and lifestyle, generating a truly magnetic revival. The Steel Wheels is an amalgamation of hard work and easy rapport.  The band is renowned for its raw energy and chemistry on stage, where they often cluster tightly around a single microphone to augment Trent Wagler's unmistakable tenor with bell-clear four-part harmonies inspired by their shared Mennonite heritage. Add to this Eric Brubaker's lively and evocative fiddle, Brian Dickel's grounded yet buoyant upright bass, and Jay Lapp's signature mandolin style, and it's no surprise that The Steel Wheels have enthralled the contemporary folk scene. thesteelwheels.com
With guest: Joe Nolan
While it's not every day that a songwriter makes it from the shadows of open mic nights to the high-wattage, real-deal scene, Joe Nolan's old-
soul lyrics and striking vocals suggest that the odds of breaking through are in his favour, and his
distinctive and intimate vocals further stack the deck. In fact, those talents won him the Pros and Prose category of the Calgary Folk Festival's songwriting contest (sponsored by the Calgary Folk Club), earning him a well-deserved place on our stage. From theramin tremors to raw howls, his range of
expression reaches extremes. He delivers bandaged fragility and raw rage with equal impact. The songs are fervent, pressing and intense, attuned at once to the world of youthful melodramas in which Joe, an artist in his early 20s lives, and an older, deeper level of human experience. Insight into the latter has nothing to do with age. joenolanmusic.com
OCTOBER 30:
Steve Seskin
Steve Seskin is one of the most successful writers in Nashville today, with a boatload of songs recorded by such artists as Tim McGraw, Peter Frampton, Waylo
n Jennings, Alabama, and Peter Paul and Mary. A Steve Seskin concert will have you wipin
g away a tear one minute and laughing out loud the next. His songs all have messages that touch the hearts of everyone: from the feelings of a little boy missing his father, to growing up and being true to yourself, to being considerate to and respectful of one another. His song "Don't Laugh At Me", a finalist for CMA "Song of the Year" in 1999, has spurred an entire tolerance movement, launched by the Don't Laugh at Me Project.
Be sure to check out the songwriting workshop, hosted by Steve Seskin himself, on the Saturday following his Club performance! steveseskin.com
With guests: Rosie and the Riveters
This band's name,
inspired by the WWII-era icon of confidence and pride
,
immortalizes the strength and power that is inside every woman. Their compelling performance boasts enthralling vocal arrangements, acoustic instrumentation, percussion, scintillating choreography, inviting humour, and a whole lot of charm! rosieandtheriveters.com
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Attend a Songwriting Workshop with Steve Seskin!
Join this award-winning writer to learn the art of soulful songcraft.
Over the past two decades, songwriter and musician Steve Seskin has written for some of the biggest names in Nashville, including Tim McGraw, Neal McCoy, Kenney Chesney, and Waylon Jennings. His songs are so affecting that Peter Yarrow once said; "
Steve Seskin leads the cutting edge of American songwriting that, in this dark period of our history, leads us back to our humanity and our light."
Not only is Seskin a talented writer and performer, he has been teaching the art of songwriting to students and professionals alike for nearly 30 years. His workshops are wellsprings of creativity that are known for deeply inspiring all who attend. Now, for one day only, Steve Seskin brings his fierce talent and involving, compelling teaching style to Calgary. Find out why people are raving about these workshops, and feel the exhilaration of setting your very own heart to music. See more of Steve's impressive credentials, and read about the experiences of others who have attended his workshops, at
steveseskin.com.
Longtime friend of the Calgary Folk Club, Dan St.Yves, has a wonderful writeup of Steve Seskin's forthcoming visit at the
Calgary Herald.
Registration fee: $100
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 9:00am to 4:00pm, breaking for lunch from 12:00pm-1:30pm.
Location: Dallyn Street Building, 4448 Dallyn Street, Calgary AB (located behind the Dalhousie Elementary School parking lot).
Register for this workshop online through TicketPro! CLICK HERE, or visit the Tickets page at calgaryfolkclub.com
and scroll down to the listing for Steve Seskin's workshop.
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Calgary Folk Club Casino: WE NEED YOUR HELP!
This casino is a major source of support for the Calgary Folk Club.
This year, our casino dates are October 18 and 19. Volunteer support is critical to a successful casino event. Our organization's work for the Elbow River Casino helps us to keep ticket prices low, and ensures that we can bring the very best of folk music to our stage. If you are able to contribute some of your time, we would be very grateful.
Thanks to the generous support of our members and volunteers, we now only need to fill two positions on Monday, October 19. These spots are both for Chip Runners, and the shift will be from 6:30pm to 3:30am. To lend a hand to this important project, please contact [email protected], or look for volunteer forms at our next club night on October 2.
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Backstage with Lucas Chaisson
The young CFC veteran shares his thoughts about playing our stage.
We had a chance to catch up with Lucas Chaisson after his show on our 44th season's opening night and ask him a few questions about his experiences playing the Calgary Folk Club.
CFC: "What sticks out in your mind about playing this venue?"
Lucas Chaisson: "You just don't find a lot of listening rooms, really, where people sit and listen and just experience the music. I think folk clubs in general are good for that, but Calgary especially. It's that same environment but there's loads more people, and the sound's always great. It's an institution, so it's always a pleasure to play."
CFC: "What would you say is your favourite thing about it?"
LC: "That'd be tough, to be honest. It'd probably be the listening room thing. Calgary Folk Club's probably if not the best, one of the better venues I've played as far as that's concerned. And t
he volunteers have always been really friendly and great. I've seen a lot of volunteers that have seen me here [also] come out to see me at different shows around the area."
Thanks so much to Lucas Chaisson for taking the time to share his impressions! We're certainly all looking forward to having him back again soon.
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Calgary Folk Club in the Media
We're making the news, and you're part of it!
Excitement about the Calgary Folk Club continues to grow, thanks to the support of our members, as well as members of the Calgary music and arts community at large. Take a moment to check out these two pieces in the Calgary Herald about Rita Coolidge's powerful show, and the launch of our 44th captivating season.
"It's not just all about the music, funny enough - although that has certainly played a major role in the recurring success of the venerable Calgary Folk Club. It's the memories, the "I-was-there-the-night-that" moments that make the venue special, keeping audiences and performers from around the globe coming back year after year."
"Of course [Coolidge's] own biggest hits were included - We're All Alone, The Way You Do The Things You Do, (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher & Higher. Without any apparent diminishing of her vocal skills the night flew by, extended by her pair of encore songs. There's a way to open your 44th season, Calgary Folk Club!"
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Congratulations to the 2015 CFMA Nominees!
The Canadian Folk Music Awards honour our brightest stars.
As a proud sponsor of the Canadian Folk Music Awards, the Calgary Folk Club would like to extend its congratulations to all of the 2015 nominees. It's an illustrious group that any musician would be honoured to call peers, and contains quite a few faces that will be familiar to our regular patrons. CFC alumni being recognized for their musicianship this year are:
Amelia Curran
and
Catherine MacLellan
with 3 nominations,
The Once
and
Michael Jerome Browne
, each with two, the
Crooked Brothers
,
Le Vent du Nord
, The Sweet Lowdown, Lizzy Hoyt, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, who also brought home a Polaris prize this month. The Young Novelists, recipients of two nominations, will be coming to our stage later this year.
Each and every nominee is talented and deserving, and we wish them all well when the CFMAs are presented on November 6-8 in Edmonton. For the full list of nominees, event details, tickets, and a wealth of other information, visit
folkawards.ca. And if you're looking for a great weekend outing, consider attending the awards Gala itself, on Sunday, November 8th. The Gala was a phenomenal night when it was hosted in Calgary in 2013, and this year's show in Edmonton promises to be just as wonderful, with performances by John Wort Hannam, the Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, Jeffery Straker, and many more. Don't miss out on this collection of Canadian folk's best and brightest!
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Calgary Folk Club Tickets: A Great Gift Idea!
For any occasion, for the music-lovers in your life.
Looking for a unique gift idea for a birthday, an anniversary, or a thank-you? Are you the sort of person who likes to get all of their Christmas shopping done early? Why not give the gift of live music at the Calgary Folk Club? A night out at the CFC is a night of guaranteed fun and treasured memories among other devotees of live music - not to mention the tempting snacks! For a great gift that never spoils, wears out, or goes out of style, think about concert tickets for your friends and family. Individual tickets for all of this season's shows can be found on our ticket page at
calgaryfolkclub.com.
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Connect with Us!
Tune in to Alberta's vibrant folk music scene!
For concert videos, interviews with your favourite artists, and a wealth of information about your favourite Calgary Folk Club alumni and upcoming performers, come join the conversation on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram, and
YouTube.
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