Folky Inspiration
Anyone who's experienced a truly moving piece of art - whether visual, written, or of the sonic sort so often produced on the Calgary Folk Club stage - can attest to the fact that there's nothing quite like it to inspire one's own creativity. One of the great things about our club is the breadth and variety of the music we experience on a regular basis; the energy and passion of our guest artists serving as a nigh-inexhaustable source of inspiration. We have a bit of a treat in this edition for those of you who feel the flame of musical creativity: not only do we have a few exclusive comments about the songwriting process from folk-pop troubadour Jeffery Straker, but we're also delighted to announce that we'll be hosting a vocal harmony workshop headed by The Once!
Keep scrolling to read all the details, and as always,
See you at the club!
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Season Passes and Individual Show Tickets:
Passes for our stellar 45th season are now available! These passes are a great deal for music-lovers and bargain-lovers alike. Prorated for the number of shows remaining in the season, these passes work out to a significant discount, per show, compared to individual tickets.
Only a few of these coveted passes remain for this season!
Of course, not everyone's schedule accommodates alternating Friday nights until April. For those of you who prefer to pick and choose, advance tickets for individual shows are now on sale for $27.50 apiece, and are also available for $30 at the door on show nights.
Don't miss out on this season's incredible lineup! Order your Season Passes and individual tickets at our website, or call 1-888-655-9090.
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Our Next Shows:
Coming on
September 30th:
THIS SHOW IS NOW SOLD OUT
Connie Kaldor:
Recipient of multiple JUNO awards, the Queen's Golden Jubilee medal (2002) and the Order of Canada (2007), few Canadian musicians have been as decorated or as celebrated as Connie Kaldor
. From prairie roots in Saskatchewan and Alberta, her career has taken her around the world, attracting a devoted following as a riveting performer and as a powerful, unique Canadian icon. Witty, serious, versatile, down-home and urbane, you won't want to miss Connie in her 12th
CFC appearance.
First up - Benjamin Dakota Rogers: 
Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and two-time CFMA nominee, Benjamin Dakota Rogers writes honest, expressive folk music with reflective emotion. His live performances, featuring his guitar, unique voice, and explosive fiddle, have been described as "mesmerizing." A fresh face who plays with the chops of a veteran, you owe it to yourself to see Rogers' talents showcased in this intimate setting.
And on October 14th:
Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir:
A perennial favourite with Canadian folk club and folk festival audiences, the Grammy
®
-nominated
Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
(CHC) return for their fourth CFC appearance. Performing since 1992, the CHC is a percussion-driven vocal ensemble that preserves and shares the rich musical tradition of African-American music. They pursue this mission by bringing academic research and historical recordings to life in dynamic, rhythmic, energetic shows. Be prepared to be transported by a breathtaking experience of authentic African-American roots music.
First up - The Bombadils:
Canadian maritimer Luke Fraser and prairie-girl Sarah Frank share a love of folk songs and fiddle tunes. Drawing from the Canadian, American, and Celtic traditions, the two pour the spirit of storytelling and kitchen parties into their own writing. Luke brings guitar, mandolin and home-grown
east coast vocals in harmony with Sarah's singing, lyrical fiddle playing, and claw-hammer banjo.
They've performed official showcases at several folk music conferences and were artists in residence at The Banff Centre in 2014.
.
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The Once: Vocal Harmony Workshop!
A unique opportunity for Calgary Folk Club patrons!
Whether you sing in the shower, belong to a choir, or are honing your skills as a singer-songwriter, don't miss this rare opportunity to learn the secrets of divine harmony from The Once, an award-winning trio whose success has been built on a foundation of exquisite vocals. Praise for The Once is pouring in from all quarters, including from Amelia Curran, who said that The Once have
"
Perfect vocal harmonies thick enough to stand on. Think of the heavenly mix of Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch, back them up with The Chieftans, and let Daniel Lanois swim around in it, and you're still only halfway there.
" Equally enchanting whether singing acapella or with instrumentation, no one knows harmony quite like The Once.
This hands-on, small-group experience will be limited to 30 participants, and these spots are likely to fill up quickly - be sure to get your tickets soon!
Where: Dalhousie Community Centre
When: 9:30AM - 2:30PM,
Saturday November 12, 2016
How Much: $100 plus ticket service fees
CLICK HERE to order tickets to this singular event!
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Songwriting Advice from Jeffery Straker
When to take your time, and when to hurry up.
Some months ago, your humble newsletter writer was privileged enough to speak with Jeffery Straker, writer of magnificent songs like Birchbark Canoe and Slings and Arrows, for another publication. He had some wonderful things to say about songwriting and getting started in the music business that didn't make it into that finished piece, but which are no doubt of interest to Calgary Folk Club patrons.
Calgary Folk Club: Could you tell us a little about your songwriting process?
Jeffery Straker: "Songwriting needs time, but sometimes you're sort of struck with a bolt of lightning where it's a bit of a gift from wherever - the muse - and you this song planted in your head, and your job is to literally write it down. More often than not, you've got to work at it, and time, for any independent musician working full time these days, time is a hot commodity.
"So how that relates to my process is, when I'm on the road, I made this weird discovery about myself that I get ideas when I'm in motion, whether that's on a bike, or running, or in a car with music quietly on in the background, I'll get tons of musical and lyrical ideas that have nothing to do with the music that I'm listening to. It's a really strange thing. So what I've got to do in the moment is capture it somehow, because obviously I don't have time to really develop it, so I've developed a sort of system for capturing lyrical or melody ideas in my voice memo on my iPhone, or typing them into a note, and filing them in one place, so that when it does come time that I've set aside a chunk of time ... I can go back to them, and see what I came up with over time.
"The good thing about this way that I've developed by necessity is, I think, in the moment, any idea can seem just amazing, but there's this weird thing that happens with the benefit of say ten, fifteen, twenty days, coming back to it - you get to come back to it with fresh ears, and you get a better sense of whether it's something worth pursuing. ... The bad thing is, sometimes an idea would really benefit the most from really deep-diving into it in the moment, and sometimes that's just not possible, so that's a bit frustrating. In those moments, that's kind of when I'll cancel the date, or cancel the beer, because you do kind of realize that these things don't come every day, so you want to give them the best shot that they possibly can have."
Jeffery Straker will be coming to the Calgary Folk Club on February 24th, 2017! Get your tickets today, and be sure not to miss out on just how this method translates to a magnificent songcraft.
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Our friends at the Calgary Folk Fest are excited to present Terra Lightfoot, with Liz Stevens, coming to Festival Hall on October 13th! Tickets for this stellar show are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door. Doors are at 7:00PM, with the show to follow at 8:00PM. For tickets and more information, please visit
CalgaryFolkFest.com.
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