nickelodeonMusic Club

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

Calgary, AB T2N 4S5

Welcome to the 2nd half of our 35th anniversary season at the Nick! 35 years - how did that happen? Once again we will present some fabulous old friends along with

some terrific newcomers and we’ll finish with a Patrons’ Night. The home of the Nickelodeon is the Crescent Heights Community Hall (1101 - 2nd Street NW). Seating is first-come first serve with the following exception: season’s ticket holders who arrive early will be given preferential admission from 6:50 - 7:00 P.M. Our ticket capacity is 193 patrons, and 110 are season’s ticket holders. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. with the doors opening at 7:00 p.m.An evening at the Nick begins with an opening act, followed by two sets by our featured performer. Breaks between sets allow time for socializing and indulging in an entree, great cakes, popcorn and other refreshments.Guitar Raffle! The Nick will once again conduct a raffle for a Bristol BD-16 Dreadnought guitar and trailpack bag, generously donated by Mike MacLeod and The Acoustic Guitar. Tickets will be sold throughout the season and our Nick performers will autograph the guitar. The draw for this one-of-a-kind guitar will be held on April 18th , 2015. This year, proceeds from the Nickelodeon Guitar Raffle will support ArtsCan Circle, a registered charity dedicated to linking creative artists with Indigenous youth at risk.Ringtone Free Music! We appreciate the cooperation of patrons 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.

Tickets• 2015-2016 GOLD CARD renewals will commence (for a

limited time) starting February 21st. There is a waiting list for GOLD CARDS that aren’t renewed - email us if you wish to be added to the waiting list.

Please send your email to: GoldCards@thenick.ca Online Ticket Sales• $25 advance tickets for ALL January to April 2015 concerts

will go on sale at 9:00 a.m. December 12th at www.brown-papertickets.com - service charges are applicable.

Advance Ticket Sales At The Nick• Starting at our first club on January 10th, and at each club

thereafter, Nick patrons may purchase advance tickets for any of our upcoming winter shows.

• $25 door tickets are only available if we do not sell out in advance. Any remaining tickets will be sold first come, first serve at the Crescent Heights Hall on the night of the show.

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.

35th Season: Winter 2015

Social Mediahttps://www.facebook.com/NickelodeonMusicClub

Twitter: @NickMusicClubthenickfolk on Instagram

The Performers

www.thenick.ca

www.thenick.ca

“Dave Gunning is the next big thing in the True North of Song, an artist as compelling, as assured and attentive to every nuance of the writing process as Lightfoot, Cockburn and Stan Rogers before him.” Greg Quill, The Toronto Star

A Nickleodeon Debut!

Steph Cameron is an engagingly communicative and energetic performer whose music seems to echo another time and place. Think of the beatniks in the ’50s, think Greenwich Village circa 1963. Steph Cameron and her like-minded friends share music around the campfire, or by candlelight within the rural cabins they have built themselves. That environment spawned Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady, her astonishingly accomplished debut album. Steph explores a vast emotional terrain with convincing skill, thanks to her pure, strong and supple voice. Steph’s songs dig deep, drawing upon the experiences and lessons learned from a fascinatingly nomadic and sometimes turbulent lifestyle.

Dave Gunning finds stories that grab you by the heart, writing from a sonic menu that includes flavors of Irish, Scottish, folk and country musical styles. Dave’s 10th album No More Pennies is inarguably his finest collection of songs to date. These Hands, co-written with George Canyon, is a ‘call to action’ style song reminiscent of classic Pete Seeger, to inspire us to make good in this world. These Hands was awarded Song of the Year at the 2013 East Coast Music Awards and Dave picked up nominations for Folk Recording and Fans Choice Entertainer of the Year. His 2011 release, … a tribute to John Allan Cameron was honored with a Juno nomination and won two Canadian Folk Music Awards and two ECMA Awards. Engaging and charismatic, Dave has a magnetic gift of captivating audiences by creating a bond, through down-to-earth details, homespun humour and seasoned musicianship.

Wendell and Wheat (Ontario) January 24

Dave Gunning (Nova Scotia) February 7

Steph Cameron (British Columbia) A Nickelodeon Debut!

Matt, a genuine and open performer who loves to share a song, lives just outside the tiny hamlet of LaGlace, Alberta. His songs were finalists in the 2013 and 2014 Calgary Folk Music Festival songwriting competitions and Outside the Lights of Town, his first album, was nominated for Country Album of the Year at the 2014 Western Canadian Music Awards. Matt sketches the lives of working men and women in rural Canada; an aging small town hero who is still a legend in his own mind, an oilfield widow, and a farmer with his own take on the divine.

“Ferguson regaled the sellout crowd with musical satires and parodies… Wheatley mined the contours of a broken heart”. The Kitchener Record

When Wendell Ferguson and Katherine Wheatley come together on stage, they create that magic that occurs when two musicians really connect, and engage effortlessly in the banter that only good friends produce. Audience members are left feeling like they’ve been drawn into an intimate gathering of friends. Wendell and Wheat balance each other perfectly. While he may be the comedic force in this duo, Wendell Ferguson’s guitar playing is serious business. He won the Canadian Country Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year six times. In 2014 Wendell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. For her part, Katherine balances Wendell’s mean axe playing and sharp comic wit with graceful elegance and eloquent lyrics. She is able to take minor observations in life and find their soul. Katherine Wheatley’s heartfelt lyrical vision and poignant voice and Wendell Ferguson’s honest yet irreverent humour make for both a moving and hilarious show.

First Nick Headline, February ‘11Katherine headined March ‘94

The Travelling Mabels, voted 2011 Association of Country Music in Alberta Group of the Year, are a folk/country female trio full of spirit, spunk and laughter. Eva Levesque formed the Levesque family band including 12 year old daughter Suzanne. Lana Floen won a “Sing with Shania” contest, to sing lead, with Shania back-up, to a sold out crowd at the Saddledome. Keith Floen was nominated 2012 Canadian Country Music Association Keyboard Player of the Year. Singularily, each woman can vocally stand alone, but once you hear the combined harmony blend, you will know why these three women came together.

The new 100 Mile House release, Wait With Me, is their third full-length album, packed with the lyrically driven roots tunes that gained a WCMA for Roots Duo/Group Recording of the Year, The song London won the coveted Calgary Folk Festival Songwriting Contest, the second time the band has walked away with the prize. Better, Still won the contest Grand Prize in 2011. Husband and wife duo Peter Stone and Denise MacKay, plus multi-instrumentalist Scott Zubot, share their unique brand of original transatlantic folk. Their beautiful harmonies, rich arrangements and captivating lyrics make their sound truly distinctive.

Three In One Alberta Night January 10

His debut CD, Goodbye Cinderella, produced by Colin Linden in 2011, earned a nomination for a Canadian Folk Music Award for New Emerging Artist of the Year. Tornado was released by Six Shooter Records in January 2014. Joe Nolan’s distinctive and intimate vocals stack the deck. From theremin 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 and an older, deeper level of human experience. His insight into the latter has nothing to do with his age.

100 Mile House 1st Nick Opener Mar. ‘12

The Travelling Mabels A Nickleodean Debut!

Joe Nolen A Nickleodean Debut!

Matt Patershuk (Alberta) A Nickelodeon Debut!

www.thenick.ca

John Reischman and the Jaybirds (British Columbia) February 21

Karla’s duo, Jacob and Lily, released The Cathedral, and earned a nomination for a 2007 Best New/Emerging Artist Canadian Folk Music Award. She was selected as one of 5 Co-Winners at the 2008 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest. Her CD Honeycomb Tombs is inspired by and devoted to the subject of grief. Karla’s music is a tent revival in your heart, head and soul. Her folky guitar supports a HUGE voice and her pop hooks transition straight into old-timey gospel shouts. With a voice that straddles a delicate balance between strength and vulnerability, Karla treads treacherous topics with ease.

“A masterpiece — a fascinating and fresh-sounding collection of tunes that incorporate the best elements of bluegrass and old-time into a killer new sound.” Nashville Public Radio

Led by mandolin master John Reischman, the Jaybirds hail from the variegated ranks of the contemporary West Coast acoustic music scene, with guitarist Jim Nunally, Greg Spatz on fiddle, Nick Hornbuckle on banjo and Trisha Gagnon on bass. Years of European and North American tours, five critically acclaimed albums, two Juno nominations and two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations...little wonder, the buzz around John Reischman and The Jaybirds continues to grow. The group fashions a stylish, elegant take on bluegrass that is at once innovative and unadorned, sophisticated and stripped-down, happily old-fashioned, yet unselfconsciously new. A genial blend of story-telling and side-show humour provides the backdrop to a performance featuring hard driving instrumentals, lonesome singing and an excellent cross section of original songs, instrumentals, and newly arranged traditional material. John Reischman and the Jaybirds deliver a truly fresh blend of old-time heritage, and bluegrass power.

1st Nick headline, October ‘05

“…the Wayne Gretsky of the ukelele” Stuart Maclean Vinyl Cafe CBC Radio

James, 1st Nick opener, April ‘08Anne, a Nickelodean Debut!

Amy Thiessen has devoted her life to both the creative and the healing arts as a singer with a powerful, versatile, pop voice and as a certified yoga instructor. The groundedness, that comes with the yogini’s life, allows practitioners to reach deep within themselves and “share their souls” is clearly audible in Amy’s songs and performances. Her sophomore album, In Between Goodbyes, features captivating folk-pop songs, a rare combination of light and catchy, accessible and thoughtful, heartfelt and evocative, and showcases a seemingly-effortless authenticity and an ease with exploring the depths of one’s spiritual and emotional life.

James Hill has come a long way from that fateful day when he first held a ukelele in fourth-grade music class. He has re-written every rule that had previously kept the ukulele (tenor, baritone and slide) in the realm of novelty and obscurity. Anne Janelle’s sweet voice and sultry, bittersweet cello provide the perfect setting for her personal, evocative and poignant lyrics. The elegance of her classical training meets fearless curiosity as she creates songs steeped in the rich traditions of folk, pop and jazz. James and Anne’s collaboration on True Love Don’t Weep earned a Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Album of the Year. James’ 2014 release, The Old Silo invites you into a world of new beginnings, old regrets, might-have-beens, burning questions, beautiful women, horny geezers and gold diggers. But it’s not all sex, drugs and ukulele. There are moments of stillness and striking beauty.

The Command Sisters, Charlotte and Sarah, feature wicked sibling harmonies and songwriting that earned them a Nashville publishing deal at ages 12 and 15. They won a 2013 Rising Star Edmonton Music Award and the John Lennon Bus Songwriting Contest, and Charlotte’s song White Dress was a finalist in the 2014 Independent Music Awards. In October they were invited by the Canadian Consulate and Shanghai International Arts Festival to perform five shows in Shanghai China. Charlotte’s distinctive lead vocals and writing style, along with Sarah’s ability to pick, solo and riff, defines their sound, ‘country with soul’ or ‘edgy country pop’.

Old Man Luedecke’s CD’s Proof of Love and My Hands are on Fire and Other Love Songs both won Roots and Traditional Solo Juno Awards. His latest album, Tender Is The Night, goes beyond his beloved solo, banjo-driven folk tunes. Driving a Nashville band from beginning to end, this is an artist honing his cunning lyrical flair – tenderly pushing the boundaries of his storytelling with his unique mix of folk, bluegrass and pop hooks. With skillful precision and a storyteller’s heart, Luedecke’s narrative-driven folk songs are playful, coy, and soul warming. Rich in metaphor, heart and instrumentation, Tender Is The Night muses on love, art and purpose. The album received two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations for Contemporary Singer of the Year and English Songwriter of the Year and won two East Coast Music Awards for Folk Recording of the Year and Album of the Year.

Old Man Luedecke (Nova Scotia) March 21

Amy Thiessen (Alberta) A Nickelodeon Debut!

James Hill and Anne Janelle (Nova Scotia) March 7

Karla Adolphe (Alberta) A Nickelodeon Debut!

The Command Sisters (Alberta) A Nickleodean Debut!

First Nick Headline October ’09 with the Pan Canadian New Folk Ensemble

“…his blazing finger-plucking combined with the infections audacity of his foot-thumping make for music that is both frenzied and contemplative.” Post City Toronto

www.thenick.ca

Lizzy Hoyt won Best Female Artist at the 8th International Acoustic Music Awards and was a Canadian Folk Music Award nominee for Traditional Singer of the Year. With the voice of an angel, Lizzy delivers music and stories with soaring melodies rooted in Celtic and folk traditions. Her fourth album, New Lady on the Prairie demonstrates a mature and refined ‘transatlantic’ sound that blends influences from Celtic, bluegrass and folk traditions. The title track, inspired by Lizzy’s great great aunt immigrating to Canada from Ireland in the early 1900s, demonstrates her ability to craft songs that are touching, poignant, and lyrically rich.

The Bills are renowned among fans for their instrumental virtuosity, lush vocal arrangements, exuberant live performances, evocative songwriting, and a refreshing sound that transcends musical boundaries and defies simple categorization. The Bills are: Marc Atkinson (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Adrian Dolan (fiddle, accordion, piano, vocals), Chris Frye (guitar, lead vocals), Richard Moody (violin, viola, vocals), and Scott White (upright bass, vocals). Their albums, Let Em Run and All Day Every Day, each garnered Juno nominations. Their latest CD, Yes Please, offers up twelve original compositions and a seductive arrangement of a medley of gypsy-jazz ballads. The Bills’ often-collaborative originals coax sublime beauty, energy and rhythm out of their instruments and layered vocal harmonies. A Bills live show is a legendary experience. Since forming in 1996, the band has delighted theatre and festival audiences from Copenhagen to California, with their breathtaking musical explorations and their unscripted onstage wit and charm.

The Bills (British Columbia) April 18

Lizzy Hoyt (Alberta) A Nickleodean Debut!

1st Nick Headline (as the Bill Hilly Band) March ‘03 Mar. ‘96

“The Bills are the biggest blast of fresh air to come out of Canada since The Band.” – Glasgow Herald

2015 - 2016 36th Nickelodeon Season Ticket Gold Cards• Seasons passes will sell for $276.00 and 110 GOLD CARDS will be sold.• Confirmed performers for 2015-2016 will be announced at the beginning of the club on March 21st.

Current GOLD CARD Holders• Current GOLD CARD holders may renew their passes, by mail or in person, starting on February 21st and up until the end of the break after the first set of the club on March 21st; write cheques to “The Acoustic Music Society”, post-dated September 1, 2015.• Passes not renewed by March 21st 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 GoldCards@thenick.ca• 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.

Patrons’ Night! (Alberta and ... ?) April 25 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

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.