Nickelodeon Music Club
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
 

Winter Season (2010)

February 06:  The Amos Garrett Jazz Trio  (Alberta),  Amos, First Nick Headline Jan. '06

"one of the most lyrical and original guitarists playing today...his single note solos and melodic figures are so distinctive that it is virtually impossible to mistake them for anyone else's." Guitar Player Magazine

Amos recorded with Anne Murray and gave the world Snowbird, played the classic solo on Maria Muldaur's Midnight at the Oasis and was a member of Paul Butterfield's legendary band Better Days. He won a Juno Award for The Return of the Formerly Brothers with the late Doug Sahm and pianist Gene Taylor. Amos has a wicked dry sense of humour and understated guitar licks that sound simple but need 40 years of hard work to pull off with the class that he always delivers. His latest CD is Get Way Back - A Tribute to Percy Mayfield. The Amos Garrett Jazz Trio offers small group, bop-tinged jazz, with guitarist Keith Smith, inspired by the likes of Charlie Hayden and Bill Frizell with a bit of Kenny Wheeler thrown in, and Greg Carroll on stand-up bass. Amos calls his Jazz Trio "a very melodic guitar extravaganza, Monk, Miles, and very accessible."

Opener:  The Stray Dawgs  (Alberta) Al, first Nick opener with North Wind, Mar. '82
The Stray Dawgs are Al LaMonaca on guitar, Bruce Leinan on violin and fiddle (they're really two different instruments), 'Tess Bassie on string bass and Brad Lindberg on 5-string banjo. They have an eclectic focus, depending on who's available. Primarily a bluegrass band, when the banjo player is AWOL, as is typical of banjoists, the remaining players have been known to slip into western swing, and even gypsy jazz! Featuring plenty of hardcore traditional bluegrass, some twists on contemporary country stringband tunes, and with a few originals thrown in, The Stray Dawgs bring a fresh take to a familiar sound.
 

February 20:  3 in 1 night:  Tannis Slimmon,  Jory Nash,  Steve Pineo

Tannis Slimmon (Ontario)  First Nick opener April 2004
"....one of the most beautiful voices I have had the pleasure to listen to"  David Francey
With roots in the ever-burgeoning music scene in Guelph, Ontario, and with a passion for lyrical vocal harmonies, Tannis Slimmon has been singing, songwriting, recording and touring for over 25 years. After working with numerous bands including the critically acclaimed female trio The Bird Sisters, her solo career was launched in 2001 with the release of Oak Lake, followed up in the summer of 2007 by Lucky Blue, a rich offering of songs and artwork influenced by recent travels to Mali, West Africa and Cuba. Lucky Blue earned her a Canadian Folk Music award as Contemporary Vocalist of the Year.

Jory Nash (Ontario) First Nick Opener, March 2006
"This man has a voice of velvet" Mary Beth Carty, Penguin Eggs Magazine
A love of traditional Appalachian balladry and the sounds of acoustic instruments steered Jory towards train songs, work songs, gospel, bluegrass, and other folk-influenced singer-songwriters. Along with an affection for complexity in lyrical phrasings, Jory adds a dash of roots and country-rock, a spoonful of R & B, a pinch of jazz and a soft, yet resonant, voice. Jory won the 2000 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Songs From The Heart songwriting contest. His second CD Tangle With The Ghost was the most played Canadian release on North American Folk Radio. His sixth CD New Blue Day was released this year.

Steve Pineo (Alberta)  First Nick Opener, February 1995
"He sings well, plays guitar like he sleeps with the thing, and writes excellent songs." Mike Ross/Edmonton Sun
Guitarist and songwriter Steve Pineo has performed with a number of well-known local bands including The Alien Rebels, Beautiful Joe, the Co-Dependents and the Joe-Defendants. With Beautiful Joe, Steve appeared on the final episode of The Rita McNeil Show. He performed on a western Canadian tour with Jann Arden and The Huron Carol tour with Tom Jackson. The Co-Dependents' Live Recording Event was the #1 at Megatunes for two years. Steve's solo CD A Perfectly Good Friendship earned a 2001 Prairie Music Award for Outstanding Roots Recording. Steve's most recent CD When I Grow Up was released in 2007.
 

March 06:  Katy Moffatt and Andrew Hardin  (California / Texas)
Katy first Nick headline September 1985, Andrew first Nick headline with Tom Russell October 1994

"If ever there was the perfect singer/songwriter, it is Katy Moffatt. Her voice is perhaps the most searingly beautiful thing you'll ever hear."
- Nick Dalton, Daily Express (London)

Katy's songwriting collaboration with Tom Russell began when she met Tom and his guitarist Andrew Hardin at the Kerrville Festival. Andrew and Tom performed as a duo from the early 90's through 2005. Fewer Things, is a third recording project for Katy and Andrew which includes 1989's Walkin' on the Moon and 1998's Angel Town. Andrew says, "Fewer Things is the most satisfying to me of the recordings Katy and I have done together. This CD features some of the most expressive singing I've ever heard from her and some of the most interesting interplay between vocalist and guitar accompaniment. A spontaneity comes through that is real and exciting; the push and pull of two musicians interacting is gratifying to re-experience with each listen." Katy continues to cut through to a place where the honesty, power, and purity of her sound reside and flourish like a wild rose.

Opener:  Rob Heath  (Alberta)  A Nickelodeon Debut!
Rob Heath has won the Canadian Radio Music Award for songwriting and the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Songwriter Award. His fourth CD, One More Day Above Ground was nominated for a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award for English Songwriter of the Year. Rob says, "One More Day Above Ground is a reminder to myself that no matter how bad life can seem...it's still much better than the alternative....If there's a message here it's that having faith in ourselves is our only hope." Rob's words create an emotional experience for the audience, his music breathing life into every character.
 

March 20:  UHF (Shari Ulrich, Bill Henderson, Roy Forbes)  (British Columbia)  First Nick headline September 1997

"... as brilliant a teaming of three disparate talents as a Canadian West Coast accident could ever be."

UHF joined forces in 1989. Bill Henderson was best known as the lead singer and songwriter for his bands The Collectors and Chilliwack. Shari Ulrich had been in Pied Pumkin, The Hometown Band and was a respected solo singer/songwriter. Roy Forbes, known for years as Bim, was a long time formidable staple on the North American folk/roots circuit. "It's a wonderful balance," Henderson has said of the group. "I find some neat mysteries in it. One of them is how we get the vocal blend we do. I would never have expected that to work. But it just did, an amazing surprise." Forbes considers his and Henderson's driving guitar work an integral part of the mix. "The twin guitar attack that Bill and I have is really developing ... and with Shari in the middle playing fiddle and mandolin ... we're pulling things out of each other. It's a powerful force."

Opener: Cort Delano  (Alberta) A Nickelodeon Debut!
Cort's the real thing, an original; performing roots songs in a roots style without anything to hide behind. He has an ability to create songs from a cellular level, he digs deep, finds the soul of the song and creates the interpretation. His engaging presence and ease on stage comes across natural and refreshing like a summer breeze and the audience can just sink into his lively story telling performances. The songs on Cort's latest CD Sad Sorry Ass Folk Singer demonstrate his creative diversity from satirical to political, romantic to hard edged, get up 'n go to social observances.
 

April 10:  The Bills  (British Columbia)  First Nick Headline (as The Bill Hilly Band) March 2003

"Their sound is panoramic, mischievous, fiercely unpretentious - and musically splendid." - Boston Globe

One of the most inventive acts on the international folk music scene, The Bills are renowned among folk music fans of all ages for their instrumental virtuosity, lush vocal arrangements, exuberant live performances, evocative songwriting, and refreshingly innovative interpretations of traditional tunes from around the globe. In 2004, their third CD, Let Em Run, generated enormous praise from critics and fans alike, and was nominated for the 2005 Canadian Juno award for Roots/Traditional Album of the Year. Drawing musical inspiration from a broad range of North American traditions, a melange of European styling, rhythms of Latin America, and melodies of the wandering Romany peoples, The Bills have forged a musical style all their own that transcends musical boundaries and defies simple categorization. With three main writers in the band, The Bills have developed a glorious and growing repertoire of songs that speak of their own part of the world.

Opener:  Toad On The Ceiling (Alberta) A Nickelodeon Debut!
Toad on the Ceiling presents an eclectic mix of Irish traditional folk songs, bluegrass and jazz fusion music. The band features spectacular fiddler, Roxanne Young, Seán Sabraw on guitar, Rodger Leeder on mandolin and Jon Ahern on upright bass. Their upbeat, original style and energetic musical personality will change your attitude from bitter, crotchety old man to the enthusiastic guy on your favourite infomercial! Their recently released CD, Live at the Alex, showcases their blend of a traditional repertoire with original tunes, resulting in a style that is easy to listen to, yet uplifting and musically charged.
 

This Season's Past Performers

September 19:  Vin Garbutt
Opener:  Maria Dunn

October 03:  Fred Eaglesmith
Opener:  Bob Evans 

October 24:  Tracy Grammer
Opener:  Bob Jahrig 

November 07:  The Lester Quitzau Trio
Opener:  Calum Graham 

November 21:  Tanglefoot
Opener:  Jon Brooks

January 09:  Bill Bourne and Madagascar Slim
Opener:  Kate Reid 

January 23: Christine Lavin
Opener:  Trina Nestibo