News & Events

Saturday September 13, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.  - Advance Tickets: $20.00  ($25.00 at the door)     

Tim Williams 

Juno nominee, Tim Williams has made Calgary his home for more than a decade.  He possesses an arsenal of stringed instruments, a vast repertoire of blues, rags and original songs, and an evening’s worth of anecdotes ranging from the hilarious to the historical.

Tim Williams (AB) is a blues-based singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist.  A 40-year veteran of the folk scene in North America, Tim still finds inspiration from his original Californian coffeehouse roots to blues, bluegrass, and 50's rhythm and blues and far, far beyond.

Mention blues anywhere in Canada and Tim William's name will inevitably come up. He proves over and over what 'Living Blues' magazine said "...Tim Williams has the taste, panache and style to pull it off.”

Visit me at: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/belzners

Thursday September 18, 2008  - 7:30 p.m. Advance Tickets $20.00    ($25.00 at the door) 

Gary Fjellgaard with friends Darrel de La Ronde and Saskia

Gary Fjellgaard:
For more than thirty years Gary Fjellgaard has been making a living on the road with a guitar and a song. He delights his audiences throughout North America and Europe with his masterful acoustic guitar, gentle vocals, riveting yodeling, and tales of his life in the woods. Gary takes his music to the people with a rare sincerity.
Raised on the Canadian Prairies, this award winning singer/songwriter is a champion of vanishing values and the frontier spirit. Cattle drives, wagon treks, windswept prairies, rushing rivers and working folks with ties to the land have all been a source of inspiration for his songs. His western roots music has survived categorization, and a move to Canada's West Coast has brought a universal quality to his songwriting.  Gary and his wife, Lynne, make their home on Gabriola Island on Canada's west coast. His lifelong love for his wife, their four daughters, and their many grandchildren is lovingly illustrated in many of his songs.
Gary has played with some world class musicians over the years and still calls them on occasion to augment his sound. His shows range from the intimacy of the small theatre to the excitement of main stage appearances at Canada's top festivals. He looks back on a rewarding career and gratefully acknowledges the hundreds of towns and cities, and thousands of listeners who have been touched by his music.

Darrel De La Ronde and Saskia:

For those who don’t know us yet; we are a Canadian musical duo who sing and play contemporary and original folk songs. Alternatively our music has been labeled as: Country, Alt-Country, Canadiana, Folk-Rock, Folk-Roots, Gospel Pop with sub- genres under Bluegrass, Historical Folk, Celtic, and ⁄ or European Folk ⁄ Pop. So go figure! The truth is; the correct designation is “Prairie Folk.” That’s what we play. That’s who we are.
We share a prairie ancestry of Saskatchewan Metis and solid Dutch farm stock. Today we are Singers, Songwriters and Musicians with long time careers as professionals - working festivals, concerts, dance halls, pubs, cafes, weddings, parties and conventions.
Darrel is a veteran performer and sought after studio musician, whose debut album Family Tree features guest appearances by Darby Mills and Daniel Powter.  Saskia has shared a stage with such notables as Valdy, Ian Tyson, Roy Forbes and more. While touring throughout Europe, Western Canada, the United States and Mexico she turned out four albums: Back in Time (with her band Déjà vu); Lady Luck; Saskia; and the highly acclaimed Christmas Dream, a fundraiser for BC and Canadian Food Banks.  Together we follow our hearts and dreams with our delightful new album called Laura’s Kitchen. For your listening pleasure, we cooked up an enticing batch of songs with the help of our friends; Ken Hamm, Gary Fjellgaard, Nathan Tinkham, Alison Humphries, Jordan Stringer, Jerry Paquette and Nolan Murray ( Tiller’s Folly ). Guaranteed FAT FREE!!
Watch for us on tour in a Village, Town or City near you.

Visit me at: http://www.fjellgaard.bc.ca/index.php

Saturday September 27, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.  - Advance Tickets $20.00   ($25.00 at the door)

2005 Juno Award Nominee & West Coast Music Award Winner!

The Amos Garrett Jazz Trio

They don't make musicians like Amos Garrett any more.  Always a surprise, always worth your time and attention (especially in live performance), and always playing those six strings in a way that leads listeners to unexpected musical conclusions.

• What there saying about Amos Garrett's latest album:
• "Garrett might have met his perfect match on this tribute to singer-songwriter Perch Mayfield.  Amos Garrett's guitar work is a soulful blend of elegant  rhythmic attack and scintillating lead lines.  He has a way of turning the normal into the improbable, kind of like changing the rules in algebra, but they still work.  Performing Mayfield's music, he sneaks up on the emotions of the song's with a withered voice that feels like it's coming from a favorite friend.  Get Way Back is one of those albums that just had to be made, but is still a swinging surprise."    - -  Sun Newspapers, Los Angeles    May 16/08
• "Besides booming, forceful baritone and teeming guitar solos and riffs, Garrett's adaptations are fortified by excellent horn section arrangements from Dave Babcock, and some stirring keyboard and organ contributions from Ken Whitely and Ron Casat.  Garrett's versions never loose either the flavor or the impact that their creator envisioned."    - - Nashville City Paper, Nashville, Tenn.    May 2/08
• "Garrett's smooth baritone voice, his sublime guitar playing and superb band arrangements are a perfect fit for the masterful songs of Percy Mayfield, "the poet laureate of the blues."    - - Montreal Gazette  May 15/08
• "Garrett, an Alberta transplant from Detroit via T.O. and Montreal, has arguably made the best record of a dam good (and long) career, playing homage to Percy Mayfield with suitably understated delivery and big times blues chops."    - - Calgary Herald    May 9/08
• "Get Way Back is such a masterpiece and powerful musical statement that it leads listeners to think the marriage of Garrett's multiple gifts and Mayfield's wondrous songbook was determined by some otherworldly force."    - - Edmonton Journal    May 3/08
• "Amos Garrett has completed a stirring tribute to one of the best loved and most prolific writers in all of blues.  Get Way Back may well be the masterpiece in Amos' long and storied career"  Until next time . . .
• - Don & Sheryl Crow, Music City Blues, Nashville, Tenn.  May 22/08

The last time Amos performed at Carlson’s On Macleod with his Jazz Trio, there were a lot of disappointed people because it SOLD OUT so fast.  Anyone who wants to see the legendary Amos Garrett is encouraged to purchase their tickets early in order to avoid being disappointed.

Visit me at: http://www.melmusic.com/amos_garrett/index.html

Thursday October 2, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.  - Advance Tickets $10.00   ($15.00 at the door)        

Jez Lowe

Jez Lowe has been nominated for the BBC Radio 2
Folk Awards 2008  “Folksinger of the Year”
Jez Lowe has built an enviable reputation as a songwriter and performer in the world of acoustic music, and as a recognized musical ambassador for his native North East England, with more than a dozen albums and countless live performances around the world over the last twenty years.
Among those who have recorded their own versions of Lowe's songs, are Fairport Convention, The Dubliners, The Tannahill Weavers, Cherish The Ladies, Gordon Bok, The McCalmans, The Black Brothers, Liam Clancy, Bob Fox and literally hundreds of others. Songs like BACK IN DURHAM GAOL, THE BERGEN, GREEK LIGHTNING and THESE COAL TOWN DAYS have generated scores of cover versions around the globe, and are now classics of their kind.
He has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, both solo and with the Bad Pennies, including the main stages at Edmonton Festival (Canada), Tonder Festival (Denmark), The Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian (US), Port Fairy and Byron Bay Festivals (Australia) and at concerts and festivals in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Ireland, Holland, Germany and Spain.
He continues to travel the world's stages, and also participate in a hugely successful series for the BBC, entitled THE RADIO BALLADS, for which he composed 23 new songs, many of which are already finding their way into the repertoires of his peers.  For more information on this remarkably talented singer / songwriter visit

Visit me at: http://www.jezlowe.com

Saturday, October 18, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.  - Tickets $20.00    ($25.00 at the door)   

The Crystal Plamondon Trio

Crystal Plamondon is a musical artist and songwriter.  Her music influences include western Canadian, Maritime Canadian and Franco-American sources.  She performs in a modern style throughout the world.  Her vocals include Cree, English, and French lyrics.  She has won awards for her musical and television work. 
Canada’s own Cajun Queen, as she is known to appreciative fans in Louisiana, Canada and France.  Crystal Plamondon is rapidly earning an international reputation as a world class recording artist and entertainer.
A tri-lingual (French, English & Cree) singer/ songwriter/ percussionist, Crystal hails from Plamondon, a village in Northern Alberta founded by her Franco-American great grandfather.  True to her roots, Crystal is influenced by Country music, French-Canadian folklore, Cajun/Zydeco rhythms, and the spiritual echoes of the aboriginal people of her lakeland region.
Crystal’s first independent release, Carpe Diem! (1993) soon received regular airplay in Louisiana and Canada.  Early 1996 marked Crystals first #1 chart topping hit on va faire le rigodono followed quickly by Capitaine in France.
In May 1991, Crystal was given formal recognition of her talents by being made an honorary citizen of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.  Her music videos, Rendez-vous en Louisiane and Cajun Girl/La Cajine receive regular play in the Southern U.S. and Canada.
In 1992, she received the Molson Canadian ARIA (Alberta Recording Industry Association) Performer of the Year Award.  In 1993, she was nominated for YWCA’s Tribute to Women Award, for Arts & Culture.
The release of her second CD titled La Rousse Farouche/Wild Redo in October 1996 immediately climbed the charts in France.
Crystal has hosted numerous television, radio, and live events; as well as acting in television and motion picture productions.  In 1997 she hosted daily, the first French Country Music Program in North America, called, Country Max, on MusiMax, a sister station to Much Music in MontrTal.  However, her true love remains performing live for all genres around the world.

Visit me at: http://www.crystal-plamondon.com

Sunday November 2, 2008 - 7:30 p.m.  - Advance Tickets $15.00  ($20.00 at the door)         

Cynthia MacLeod & Jon Matthews

We expect another “SELL OUT” for Cynthia’s 3rd visit to Carlson’s

Award winning 21-year-old fiddler Cynthia MacLeod has taken Atlantic Canada by storm with her dynamic performances, entertaining audiences from all corners of the world with her fiery and enthusiastic fiddling and floorboard-burning footwork.
Cynthia has become one of the leading musical ambassadors for Canada's East Coast, flowing with ease from her popular summer ceilidh series in Brackley Beach, PEI to an overflowing theatre in Spruce Grove, Alberta; from an intimate workshop and concert in Kingston, New Hampshire to representing Canada in front of thousands at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan.

Visit me at: http://www.cynthiamacleod.com/Default.asp

Friday, November 21, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.  -Advance Tickets $25.00  ($30.00 at the door)           

The Original Caste
ONE TIN SOLDIER RIDES AGAIN

Bruce Innes, a native of Calgary, Alberta, has been performing professionally since age 11.  His father, a professional musician, acted as chauffeur on those early appearances, making sure the pre-teen was home safely before midnight.  While at the University of Montana, Bruce formed the Big Sky Singers, a group voted "best vocal group in the nation" by a national jazz magazine.  His final year in college he was hand picked by blues legend Josh White (in poor health at the time and unable to play guitar) to tour and play guitar behind Josh's vocals.  After the tour, Josh, with his health improving, returned to New York City and Bruce went back to the U of M.  After finishing his formal education, he moved to Los Angeles where the Big Sky Singers released an album with Dot Records.  When David Stiles, the lead singer of the Big Sky Singers died suddenly, the group disbanded.  Bruce's songwriting ability landed him the opportunity to write songs for various artists which led to the opportunity to write a show for, and perform internationally with L.A. Dodgers celebrity shortstop Maury Wills.
Bruce returned to Calgary and began performing in a little coffee house with incredible but undiscovered performers like Joni Mitchell (Joni Anderson, at the time) and David Wiffen.  Using The Pig's Eye as a performance base he formed The North Country Singers with Graham Bruce, Bliss Mackie and Dixie Lee Stone.  The group performed across Canada before moving to Los Angeles and changing the group name to THE ORIGINAL CASTE.  At Dot Records they recorded two singles before signing with TA Records, a label distributed by Bell Records (Columbia).  At TA Records Bruce met Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who produced their first album and their two hit singles, ONE TIN SOLDIER and MR. MONDAY. The success of these two songs (Certified Gold in Canada and Japan) enabled the group to tour extensively in the United States, Canada and Japan.  The band toured until Bruce returned to the United States.  Along the way Bruce collaborated with other artists, including singing with his friend, John Denver on his Rocky Mountain High album and writing hit songs for Ray Stevens, Mickey Gilley, and international artists from Australia to Japan.  Bruce now lives in Ketchum, Idaho and continues to write, record and perform.  THE ORIGINAL CASTE (Bruce Innes and Jilla Web) can be seen in concert in theaters across the nation with their highly acclaimed traveling show, ONE TIN SOLDIER RIDES AGAIN.

Visit us at: http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/Mr-Monday/Caste.English.html

Sunday, November 30, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.  -Advance Tickets $15.00  ($20.00 at the door)              

Gordon Belsher & Richard Wood

Prince Edward Island fiddling dynamo Richard Wood has been wowing audiences all across Canada, as well as in the U.S., Europe and Japan for more than a decade.   Highlights include TV guest appearances with Shania Twain on “David Letterman” and “Good Morning America”, Carnegie Hall with Irish legends “The Chieftains”, CBC TV’s Canada Day on Parliament Hill, “Rita MacNeil and Friends”, and with Jean Butler of Riverdance on “Celtic Electric”.  Recently, he’s performed for Canada’s armed forces in Bosnia and Afghanistan, and is a featured performer touring fiddle spectacle “Bowfire”.  He’s won three East Coast Music Awards, and MacLean’s Magazine named him one of the Top 100 Canadians to watch in the 21st Century.  His new CD “A Change of Reasons” will be released in 2008.  

Gordon Belsher has toured extensively across Canada, the U.S., the U.K. & Europe, and performed as part of the cultural delegation for Team Canada in Tokyo, Japan in 1999.  At the 2006 Charlottetown Festival, he was featured in “Celtic Blaze” with fiddling and step-dancing jaw-dropper Stephanie Cadman.

Gordon was a nominee at Canada’s 2008 East Coast Music Awards for his solo CD, “Call up all the Neighbours”.  In 2003 his previous solo CD, “Reel in the Flickering Light” was also nominated in the same category.  During 2007, he was particularly excited about performing with his daughter Savannah and her beau Todd MacLean in an eclectic trio called “Saxafras”.

Visit me at: http://www.guernseycove.ca/Bio_Gordon.asp

“The Piano Man” (Mr. Allan Vander Velde)

Wednesdays & Fridays at noon (when available)    No cover charge

“The Sax Man” (Mr. Herb Johnson)

Wednesdays & Fridays at noon (when available)    No cover charge

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