Artword Artbar

Thursday May 9, 2019, at 8 pm, $12 advanced, $15 at the door. Call 905-543-8512. Cats Cove Media presents an artist showcase featuring Joe Bass, The Do-Gooders and Tim Collins.
Tim Collins:  singer-songwriter in the folk and folk-rock genre.
The Do-Gooders:  a hard-acoustic trio made up of Hamilton cellist Geoff Ball, and Burlington guitarists Stu Gritter and Dan Murray. Possessing a penchant for storytelling, they tend to snag bits and pieces from different genres in order to find what best suits their whimsically grim (Grimsical?) tales.
Joe Bass is a guitar, mandolin and bass banjo trio: Sandy James, Eric Marcotte, and Garrett Stratford. Modern folk tales, rootsy genre-bending anthems, and just a dash of small-town nostalgia, Joe Bass offers an adventurous spin on alternative-folk music.

Joe Bass
The Do-Gooders
Tim Collins

Event, Music, Music-folk, Music-rock, Music-singer/songwriter

Thursday May 2, 2019, at 8 pm, $15. Call Artword Artbar 905-543-8512, or Book online

The wonderful David Essig returns to Artword on his “short and sweet spring tour – it’s a good chance to catch up with dear friends and audiences and to share some new tunes.” (Only 6 other stops in Ontario.)  http://davidessig.com/cms/

DAVID ESSIG was introduced to Canadian audiences in 1971 as a “talented newcomer” at the legendary Mariposa Folk Festival. Now, nearly 50 years later, he continues to pursue an international career as one of Canada’s finest roots music performers. He has appeared at every major folk festival in Canada and at concerts throughout the world. David uses the traditions he grew up with – Bluegrass and Delta Blues – to create timeless original songs. He has released 25 albums and continues to tour across Canada and in Europe, where he has a strong following, especially in Italy. David is a compelling live performer with contemporary original songs that always pay tribute to their roots in traditional country music and Delta blues.  Many of his songs, like “Albert’s Cove” and “High Ground,” are considered classics of Canadian roots music. As a producer, David has done over 60 albums with other artists, including the first three albums by both Willie P Bennett and Fred Eaglesmith.

Event, Music, Music-Blues, Music-folk, Music-roots, Music-singer/songwriter

Thursday April 25, 2019, at 7:30, $10. Keegan Larose hosts an artist showcase featuring Hamilton-based songwriters sharing their songs and the stories behind them.
Lineup for April 25:
7:30-8:00 Jesse Macrae
8:10-8:40 Keegan Larose
8:50-9:20 Jamie Shea
9:30-10:00 Dave Pomfret

https://keeganlarose.wixsite.com/keeganlarose

Event, Music, Music-singer/songwriter

Thursday April 18, 2019, at 8 pm, $15. Call 905-543-8512, or Book online
ANNOUNCING a special appearance by Joe Crookston, songwriter, guitarist, painter, fiddler, slide player, eco-village member and believer in all things possible. He’ll surprise you and awaken the cynics. His songs are universal, his rhythm infectious and in concert, he is funny as hell one moment and transcendent the next.  http://www.joecrookston.com/
HE BELIEVES IN STORIES: Come to a show. Mystical, and humorous roads, twisting through vivid cinematography. Oklahoma towns, rattlesnake tails, turbary thieves, Galway heather, meter maids and drunk roosters. At the end of the night, you’ll leave inspired.
THERE IS A LONG NOTE & JOE IS REACHING FOR IT: “The Long Note”, a phrase in Irish culture, is that place of resonance and transcendence where the music, the voices, the instruments, and the community ALL come together and unite. Whether he’s picking his 48 Gibson, weaving through lap slide songs or looping his fiddle, he will draw you in. It happens every time.

Watch a YouTube video. It’s good, but it’s not the same. You gotta come to a show. With unwavering courage to be himself, he is literate, poignant and funny as hell.

Event, Music, Music-folk, Music-roots, Music-singer/songwriter

Friday April 12, 2019, at 8 pm $15.
Call 905-543-8512, or Book online
Stuart Laughton brings us another edition of Radio Dial. Always wonderful, always full of surprises.

Stuart writes “Stuart Laughton’s RADIO DIAL is back with more great musicianship and fun (and 10 new tunes!) featuring Rebecca Campbell on vocals/guitar, Burke Carroll on pedal steel guitar, Martin Worthy on drums/vocals, and Steve Lucas on bass. Oh, and Stuart on everything else.” Note: Morgan Childs will sit in for Martin Worthy on drums.

Event, Music, Music-Blues, Music-Jazz, Music-roots, Music-singer/songwriter

Saturday April 6, 2019, at 8 pm, $20. Call Artword Artbar 905-543-8512, or Book online

A high-powered show organized and hosted by high-powered musician Robin Benedict. Her co-performers for the evening — Pamela Gardner, Brennagh Burns, Joe Towers, and Aaron Di Carlo (Dub Donor) — will be collaborating and combining their talents to put on an unforgettable, intimate performance.

Robin Benedict has been playing music independently throughout Southern Ontario and the United States since her first EP, Ride of my Life, released in 2012. A video of Robin singing Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’ went viral throughout Facebook in 2014, reaching 5 million people. A successful crowd funding campaign allowed her to record a second EP of 6 songs, Dance Away the Darkness. In 2017 she took to the road with fellow singer-songwriter Brennagh Burns, on a winter-escape tour throughout the US. She is a full-time musician based in Hamilton, playing solo to pay the bills. Recently she has developed a personal Janis Joplin Tribute Show stacked with some of Ontario’s most renowned players. Robin prides herself in her ability to share a positive attitude on life through her original songs, which speak of soul-searching and new beginnings. Music is the air Robin breathes. Her voice can both jolt like a firecracker and lull a baby to sleep. When she opens her mouth to sing, she means it every time.

Event, Music, Music-rock, Music-singer/songwriter

Thursday March 28 2019, at 8 pm, $10. Join Emma Elena Grace, Shealagh Rose, and Rebekah Hawker, three rising singer-songwriters, for an intimate evening of stories and songs.
Emma Elena Grace is an alt-country singer-songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario. She walks the line between the genre’s old and new. She grew up with the traditional country music her father used to play her. Yet, labeling Emma Elena Grace is a hard thing to do. She possesses a voice and constantly growing style that stands on its own. Emma Elena Grace graduated from Fanshawe’s Music Industry Arts Program in 2015, and released her debut album, This Side of the Room in August, 2015. Emma also won Best Singer/Songwriter at the 2016 Toronto Independent Music Awards. She is currently working on her second studio album, set to release in 2019. Socials: @Emma Elena Grace
Shealagh Rose: Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Shealagh Rose is a folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who blends storytelling lyrics with sweeping melodic lines and open tunings. Shealagh moved to Toronto where she received her Bachelor of Music (2016) from Humber College as a vocal major. She began performing under the name Shealagh Rose and released her debut EP Island in July 2016. Shealagh Rose brings a new feel to a classic genre, with lush with soulful vocals and beautiful string sections. Socials: www.shealaghrose.com    @shealaghrose
Rebekah Hawker: For the past five years, Rebekah Hawker has been singing for Toronto audiences in crowded rooms. Her accolades in songwriting and vocals include Summerfolk Youth Discoveries, Seneca’s Got Talent competitions and Barrie Folk Society’s Youth Songwriters Showcase. Rebekah transforms the grievances of her peers, her audience, and herself, into something that satisfies our thirst for honest representations of life beyond artifice. In February 2019, Rebekah will journey to Vancouver with the Via Rail Artist-on-Board Program, to make her first solo EP in the folk genre: Careful Women. Socials:  www.rebekahhawker.com   @rebekahhawker

Event, Music, Music-folk, Music-singer/songwriter

Thursday March 21, 2019 at 8 pm, $15 at door/$10 advance.
To reserve, call 905-543-8512 or   Book online  
Acclaimed folk acts Tragedy Ann (Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan) and Moonfruits (Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy) bring us an intimate bilingual evening of laughs, reverie and vocal harmonies.
** The award-winning music of Guelph folk duo Tragedy Ann, Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan, craft something simultaneously familiar and fresh. Cazzola’s multi-instrumental menagerie and Phelan’s dynamic guitar flavours provide a lush backdrop to their powerful narratives, reminding you that you do indeed love the accordion—you just never heard it played this sweetly. tragedyannmusic.com
** Fronted by partners Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy, Ottawa-based Moonfruits are makers of art-folk bilingue. In a forest of banjo, guitar, kalimba and glockenspiel, their voices burrow and soar. Four-time 2019 Trille Or nominees, Moonfruits have toured Canada coast to coast. Their début full-length Ste-Quequepart (2017) \saint-kehk-pahr or Saint Somewhere\ is an elaborate small town fiction that explores the faces of gentrification, isolation and community. moonfruits.ca

Event, Music, Music-folk, Music-pop-etc., Music-rock, Music-singer/songwriter

Thursday November 22, 2018, at 8 pm, $10/Pay What You Can.
Melodic Pixel Media presents The Human Race: Adam Carter, featuring Pamela Gardner on aerial silks, with visuals by Judith Sandiford.
Special guest set by My Flying Machine (Brandon General)

Event, Music, Music-pop-etc., Music-rock, Music-singer/songwriter

Friday November 16, 2018, at 8 pm.
Tickets $20 door. Call 905-543-8512. Advance tickets closed.

Acoustic Moments: the R&B and Soul Edition hosted by Mr. Jay Maca. presents three powerhouse R&B / Soul performers:
Shanika Maria: Shanika Maria is a singer-songwriter from Hamilton, currently living in Toronto. She explores themes of empowerment, societal expectation, identity and relationships through her music. She has been performing around Southern Ontario since 2014. In 2017, she released her debut EP Childish Games. Shanika is set to release her full length album Subtle Uncertainties in January 2019. The album takes on a full sound with styles that range from pop electronic, beach rock, dark country and folk. http://www.shanikamaria.com/
Jamila B.: Jamila B. is a Canadian r&b/pop singer who was born to a Nigerian father and a British-Caribbean mother in Hamilton, Ontario. Always a lover of music, Jamila B. began singing and writing at the age of eleven. In a short time, she found herself performing locally and had the opportunity to open for headliners such as The Clipse, Choclair, Derrick Morgan, The Ink Spots, Tanya Stephens, Bobby Valentino, Black Sheep, and Redman. Jamila B. likes to focus on music that has a positive message and sings about matters of the heart. She has a small but mighty team of producers creating her sound for her debut album, Love & Confidence, an EP that chronicles the ups and downs in life and the sweetness of love. soundcloud.com/jamilaonline
Bonnie Hamilton.: Bonnie Hamilton is a singer, songwriter and keyboard player, the genres of soul, funk, jazz, ska, reggae. “I am on a journey to discovering true love, peace, identity, and my purpose. Time to make music.”
https://www.facebook.com/bonniehamilton78/

Event, Music, Music-singer/songwriter, Music-Soul/R&B

Friday October 19, 2018 at 8 pm, $15.
Book online  
A return visit from the delightful singer-songwriter Collette Savard and her band The Savants: Rebecca Campbell back vocals and rhythm, Megan Worthy keys and back vocals, Tim Posgate electric guitar,  Martin Worthy drums, John Switzer bass. And Collette Savard brings the songs, the one-liners, and more instruments than she has sense.
With her palette of acoustic folk instruments, Collette whittles out of her imagination beautiful song gems. She brings them to you wrapped in the exciting package of her band of seasoned masters. www.collettesavard.com/

Read more…

Event, Music, Music-singer/songwriter

Friday October 12, 2018, at 8 pm, $15. Book online  
Back at Artword Artbar for a solo concert.
Iconic Canadian songwriter James Gordon got his start in show business in the clubs, festivals and recording studios of Hamilton. He returns to his roots with songs about Canada’s roots in a solo concert at the Artword Artbar. A multi-instrumentalist, we’ll hear him on guitar, piano, banjo, harmonica and penny whistle at this intimate performance. His latest album Sunny Jim on Borealis Records made it to #2 on the national airplay charts in the roots/folk category, and he’ll be previewing some material from his NEXT album at this concert . Find out more at www.jamesgordon.ca

Read more…

Event, Music, Music-folk, Music-singer/songwriter

Thursday October 11, 2018, at 8 pm, $10.  Jennifer Foster + Paul Linklater: singer-songwriter double bill.
Jennifer Foster is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter and musician who has released three solo albums and collaborated with some of the country’s finest acts. Her last cd earned a JUNO nomination for Canadian producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda. Jennifer’s sophisticated songwriting draws on pop, prog and folk influences, and she’ll be showcasing brand new material on acoustic guitar, accompanied by Doug Friesen on standup bass..  http://jenniferfoster.net/
Paul Linklater returns to Artword Artbar, this time with Paul, Doug and Matias, Paul Linklater guitar, Doug Friesen bass, Matias Recharche drums. Paul Doug and Matias is a trio featuring Canadian guitarist Paul Linklater (Pinecones, Bidiniband) and his longtime buddy/collaborator bassist Doug Friesen (John K Samson).  Matias Recharche is the featured percussionist and he brings major dynamics — weird worlds! “Linklater thrives on thwarting the sonic convention of the strumming troubadour.”  www.paullinklater.com

Event, Music, Music-singer/songwriter

Friday October 5, 2018, at 8:00 pm, $10. Singer-songwriter Will Gillespie returns with a solo show. You will recognize him as author/star of Swingin’ in St. Johns, and for his role in MacBush the Musical, both at Artword Artbar.
Born and raised in South Porcupine, Northern Ontario, now finding a home in Hamilton, Will Gillespie has developed an elegant and eccentric sound all his own. He is a dynamic performer with a diverse catalogue of original songs, combining elements of Folk, Rock & Roll and Cabaret. https://www.willgillespie.ca/
“From songwriter to crooner and cabaret man to power pop genius, Will Gillespie is always evolving his artistry.”

Event, Music, Music-cabaret, Music-country, Music-rock, Music-singer/songwriter

Thursday October 4, 2018 at 8 pm. $15 at door, OR $10 advance Book online  

Guelph-based folk duo Tragedy Ann (Liv Cazzola vocals, accordion, ukulele, singing saw and Braden Phelan vocals, guitars) have a debut full-length album Matches, out in September. Artword Artbar is a stop on their Canadian tour (ON, QC, BC, NS, NB) in support of the new album.

Their special guest for the evening is our good friend and stunning jazz vocalist Sophia Perlman, with some new songs and old.

https://www.tragedyannmusic.com/home

Event, Music, Music-folk, Music-Jazz, Music-singer/songwriter

Wednesday September 12, 2018, at 8 pm, $10. Launching our Fall 2018 season:
Richard Garvey, a regular visitor from Kitchener, hosts an evening of singer-songwriters. Guests are Jack Garton, from Galiano, BC, and Sarah Beatty, a long-time friend from Hamilton.

Sarah Beatty (Hamilton, ON) www.sarahbeatty.ca
Richard Garvey (Kitchener, ON) www.richardgarvey.ca
Jack Garton and the Demon Squadron (Galiano Island, BC) www.jackgarton.com

Event, Music-singer/songwriter

Friday June 15, 2018, at 8 pm, $10. The Keelan Family Show. Singer-songwriter Richard Keelan of the legendary folk-rock band in the 60s/70s The Perth County Conspiracy, teams up with daughter singer-songwriter Raphael Smith Keelan.
Background: Richard Keelan‘s music career began in the late ’50s with his first teenage rock band, the Swinging Shepherds. He was a Greenwich Village folkie in the mid-60s, performing on the same circuit of clubs that spawned Bob Dylan. He recorded and released singles in the psychedelic era with the Spikedrivers and its spin-off duo, Misty Wizard. He has delved into the worlds of both traditional and fusion-jazz having worked with both the Washingtons and Brian Griffith respectively. He’s best known for his work with the folk group the Perth County Conspiracy (Does Not Exist) based in Stratford, Ontario. Back in 1998, he put out his solo CD “Chameleon”. (richard-keelan.blogspot.com/)
and an article at www.criticsatlarge.ca/2014/12/a-pining-spirit-perth-county.html
Raphael Smith Keelan: “Born amidst the creative fruits of the Perth County Conspiracy, this singer songwriter was infused in ‘utero’ with many artistic influences. Raphael began her journey towards musicianship at the age of six with the piano….continuing over the past twenty years with songwriting and self-taught guitar playing. Her lyrics inspire the listener to reflect on the spiritual as her rich vocals soothe the soul….” www.facebook.com/Raphael-Keelan-432264416849634/

Event, Music, Music-folk, Music-roots, Music-singer/songwriter

Saturday June 9, 2018, at 8 pm, $20 / pwyc. The next edition of Songwriters-in-the-Round, hosted by Duane Rutter. Guests for June 9 are: Cindy Dell, Dave Pomfret and Danny Medakovic. NOTE: Brennagh Burns sits in for Cindy Dell, who won’t be able to come.

Event, Music, Music-singer/songwriter

Thursday June 7, 2018 at 8 pm, $15. After an over 25-year hiatus, The Polka Dogs, Toronto’s beloved theatre based band returns with an Ontario tour and new CD June 2018. The revived, renascent, and reformed Toronto theatre-based band, THE POLKA DOGS, have returned after a 25-year hiatus. Starting as a theatre pit band in 1989, the band wowed the world in the 90s with an explosive, raucous, joyous sound of trombone, tuba, banjo, drums and that sultry, fantastic voice of theatre staple John Millard. The band returns with the same original sound, and features all five of its founding members including, Tom Walsh on trombone, Tiina Kiik on accordion, Colin Couch on tuba, John Millard on banjo and vocals, and Ambrose Pottie on drums.
Tour dates: June 2, 8pm at Burdock, Toronto; June 7, 8pm at Artword Artbar in Hamilton; June 8, 8pm at Silence in Guelph.

“The Polka Dogs are a boiling pan-cultural stew that bastes you, roasts you and serves you up well done. Please, Polka Dogs, can I have some more?” – Tom Allen, CBC

Event, Music-cabaret, Music-folk, Music-singer/songwriter, Music-World