The Barrie Folk Society Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 5:15 pm at the Barrie Public Library (60 Worsley St).  The AGM will be followed by the regular monthly Open Stage (doors open at 7pm, music starts at 7:30pm.)

Anyone interested in the Barrie Folk Society’s future direction and plans for the upcoming year,  are welcome to attend the Annual General Meeting at 5:15 pm.  In matters requiring a vote, members in good standing (you can renew your membership at the AGM) may place a vote.

A reminder of the AGM and an agenda will be sent out Monday, Feb. 20.   In the meantime, please note the date and time on your calendar.

Unplugged Saturday Nights Open Stage at the Barrie Public Library (60 Worsley St). Doors open at 7pm, music starts at 7:30pm. For more info e-mail kcpttrsn@gmail.com. Please note, there will be a new format starting in January. The open stage will be hosted in a song circle format, allowing more performers to take part in an acoustic, intimate setting.

Since 1995 when their eyes met over a crowded room (you’ll see why) and they fell in love/lust at first sight, John and Michele Law have split their time together flowing from kitchen to car, from stage to studio. In myriad venues over the past few years, their original songs, flawless harmonies, sensational musicianship and exceptional audience rapport have left audiences feeling exactly that! This show starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20; BFS membes receive a $2 rebate at the door.  To reserve your seat, e-mail cyberfolkie@hotmail.com or call 705.322.3349.

For more on The Laws, visit www.thelaws.ca.

See them live now!

Unplugged Saturday Nights Open Stage at the Barrie Public Library (60 Worsley St). Doors open at 7pm, music starts at 7:30pm. For more info e-mail kcpttrsn@gmail.com. Please note, there will be a new format starting in January. The open stage will be hosted in a song circle format, allowing more performers to take part in an acoustic, intimate setting.

The Barrie Folk Society is thrilled to host East Coast sensation David Gunning in a house concert on Friday, May 4 at Patty and Ginny’s. The show starts at 8 p.m.

This Pictou County, Nova Scotia born and bred singer-songwriter and working class hero has built up from humble beginnings to a point where his name is regularly included in conversation with artists such as David Francey, James Keelaghan, Ron Hynes, Stan Rogers, Bruce Cockburn and Gordon Lightfoot.  Writing from a sonic menu that includes flavors of Irish, Scottish, French Acadian, folk and country musical styles, Dave transcends genre with songs that fill your senses and touch your soul.

Dave has been awarded six East Coast Music Awards since 2003 and took home two 2011 ECMA Awards for his recording, “.. a tribute to John Allan Cameron” (Roots Traditional Recording of the Year and Producer of the Year) and four Canadian Folk Music Awards nominations (Traditional Album, Traditional Singer, New Emerging Artist and Producer of the Year). Gunning was the winner of the Indie International Song Contest (for his song, “Hard Workin’ Hands, co-written with Ron Hynes) and has been awarded a finalist in the Great American Song Contest, the USA Songwriting Competition, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the International Songwriting Contest.  All of the hardware and certificates aside, however, it is the personal connection that Gunning’s music engenders that is the greatest testament to his craft.

A seasoned performer and entertainer, Dave has toured extensively both solo and with his band, performing to sold-out venues, festivals, house concerts and theatres throughout Canada, the U.S., the U.K. , Ireland and Denmark. Engaging and charismatic, Dave’s magnetic gift of captivating audiences by creating a bond through down-to-earth details, homespun humour and seasoned musicianship will be in full display as he continues to tour in support of the latest chapter of a career heading for international recognition.

Tickets are $20; BFS members receive a $2 rebate at the door.

To reserve your seat, please call 705.431.7182 or e-mail ginnyc649@hotmail.com.

For more information on Dave, visit www.davegunning.com.

Watch Dave live now!

The Barrie Folk Society is excited about this upcoming house concert featuring Scott Cooper and Rob Szabo at Elaine and Pat’s. The show takes place on Saturday, March 10 (8 p.m.).

Scott Cooper writes and plays laid back-to-basics folky pop music that’s firmly rooted in a love and appreciation of life’s tiniest and oft-missed details. As the adage goes, “take care of the small details, the big ones will take care of themselves.”

For more information on Scott, visit www.scottcoopermusic.com.

Watch Scott live now!

Hailed by the press as a “gifted musician” with “the soul of a poet” and “a voice of tremendous power and whimsy,” Toronto-based Rob Szabo is a tireless solitary touring troubadour, an acclaimed songwriter and in- demand record producer. His studio recordings get raved about by press, both in Canada and the U.S., where he’s been called “Cobain-worthy” and “like-prime Costello.” Szabo`s crowdfunded self-titled fifth studio album is a dark and intimate recording prominently featuring his voice and acoustic guitar with dashes of horns, strings and ambient atmospherics. His fans always mention Rob’s ever-present wry smile, and how he makes you feel like you’re in on a shared secret.

For more information on Rob, visit www.robszabo.com.

Watch him live now!

Tickets $20; BFS members receive a $2 rebate at the door.  To reserve your seat call 705.719.6654 or e-mail emurray@georgianc.on.ca.

The Barrie Folk Society is thrilled to present Rob Lutes in a house concert at Double Doors Studio and Galley in Anten Mills on Thursday, Jan. 26. The show starts at 7pm; only 40 seats available!

Lutes is a soulful singer-songwriter from Montreal with an ever-growing collection of literate, moving meditations on life and love.

His ability to encapsulate universal ideas and questions, even the subtle ones, coupled with his gritty, heartfelt delivery and world-class performance chops, have invited comparisons with several legends in the roots genre from John Hiatt to Fred Eaglesmith.

Widely known for his inspiring and impassioned live performances. Rob Lutes’s live shows always feature extraordinary playing, some improvisational magic and Lutes’s intense, soulful vocals.

To reserve your seat, please call 705.734.1819 or e-mail roy.hickling@sympatico.ca.

Tickets are $20. BFS members receive a $2 rebate at the door.

For more information on Rob, visit www.roblutes.com.

Check him out live now!

Between spending time at a Buddhist monastery, recording an entire album at his home studio, and journeying around southern California, Corey Heuvel is trying to find a way to let his personal search shine through his music. From the bluesy, hard-driven electric guitar showcase of his debut album “In Balance,” to the quiet finger picking poeticism of his follow up EP “Evers,” it seems like predicting the next direction for Heuvel would be anybody’s guess.

The 21-year old Canadian songwriter assures that his latest release, “The New,” drapes sonic elements from both worlds around a powerful spiritual theme.  The eight-song, self-produced album takes the listener from the silence of their mind and into the forest, through the mountains, around the sun and back again with a seamless gentle quality that is both soothing and deeply mystifying.  Don’t hesitate to follow this emerging young artist on his journey.

The CD Release Show for “The New” will be held at the Mady Centre for the Performing Arts in Barrie on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 7pm. Tickets will be $10, and album copies will be $5 at the show.  Please call the box office for tickets, 705.739.4228.

“Always inspire yourself, leave your mind open for investigation, find your path and follow it to the end.”  – Corey Heuvel

For more information on Corey, visit www.coreyheuvel.com.

Note:  Corey Heuvel won “Best Song” in the Barrie Folk Society’s  2008 Youth Song Writing Competition

Jennifer Ives and the Barrie Folk Society is pleased to announce the young songwriters chosen to perform at the 2011 BarrieFolk Youth Songwriters’ Showcase on Nov. 5 at the Barrie Public Library in the Angus Ross Room (2pm). These songs were chosen (with great difficulty) from a wealth of thoughtful and creative submissions from across the entire province and will be certain to provide an incredible show.

The finalists are:
Shh. Wait. Listen. – Binaeshee Quae Couchie-Nabigon
Leather Jacket – Cassandra Beauvais
Rolling Stone – Jon Mackey
Rain – Chris Strazz
Kolodio – Tristan Crocker
Fire Fire Fire – Erin Bolton
Blow Your Mind Up – Jill LeFaive
You Lied – Cassie daSilva
Neon Lights – Anne Beverly-Foster
Rainshine on a Sunny Day – Marshall Veroni

The Showcase concert will begin at 2pm. No admission but donations gratefully accepted!

There will be some fundraising at the event for the Brandon Crisp Foundation. Stay tuned for details.

The Showcase will also feature a special performance by Chuck Baker. For more info on Chuck, visit www.chuckbaker.ca.

• The winner will open for Jenny Whiteley at 7:30pm at the MacLaren Art Centre
• First prize includes $500 from the Barrie Folk Society
• The winner will also receive three hours of recording time with Don Bray
• Runners-up will receive a cash prize from Stellula Music in the School

The Barrie Folk Society is happy to be participating in the City of Barrie’s Culture Day event.  We will be hosting an afternoon of workshops at the Barrie Public Library, as well as another workshop at the Kozlov Mall.

Please note that you should pre-register for the workshops at the Library since space is limited.

BARRIE PUBLIC LIBRARY SCHEDULE

1-2pm

Corey Heuvel – Guitar Part 1

Learn how to play basic guitar chords and rhythms.  This workshop is designed for those who wish to learn to play the guitar. Participants are required to bring their own guitar. Limited to 10 participants.  Pre-registration recommended. Please e-mail culture@barrie.ca.

2:15-3:15pm

Corey Heuvel –  Guitar Part 2

In this workshop, participants will learn various major and minor barre chords, including different tensions and suspensions.

Participants are required to bring their own guitar. Limited to 10 participants.  Pre-registration recommended. Please e-mail culture@barrie.ca.

3:30-4:30pm

Songwriting with paul court: The Way I Write

In this workshop, participants will work together to create a song, using Paul’s “organic” method: first an interesting phrase, then rhythm, then melody and chord structure. the form of the song will be revealed as it develops. the process will naturally lead to questions, ideas and tips about how to find your own way to write.

Participants are welcome to bring an instrument. Limited to 10 participants.  Pre-registration recommended. Please e-mail culture@barrie.ca.

KOZLOV MALL

1:30-3:30pm

Ron Belanger, Luthier

Experience the hands on steps involved in how an acoustic guitar is built by a master craftsman, including the selected types of wood involved from the very beginning to the finished product.

For more information on other Culture Day events, visit www.culturedays.ca.