Dance Archives - Canis Major Music

Polky

Danielle Devlin — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:34:52 +0000

Toronto’s Polky, led by multi-talented female musicians, delights audiences with joyful vocal harmonies, unusual instruments, and upbeat performances. Drawing deep inspiration from Poland’s rich cultural tapestry, they push musical boundaries by fearlessly blending Polish traditional music with sounds and rhythms from across the globe, carving out a niche entirely their own. With their infectious charm, captivating performances, and unyielding passion for exploration, Polky is undoubtedly a band that stands apart. Their music is not just a sonic experience but a celebration of cultural diversity, women empowerment, an invitation to revel in the joy of life, and a reminder that, deep down, we are all connected by the power of music.

Polky stands out for its distinctive elements, including the mesmerizing traditional vocals and incorporation of the ‘suka,’ an ancient lap fiddle reconstructed from historical paintings. Marta Solek, an accomplished suka virtuoso, has performed alongside esteemed Polish artists like Same Suki, Maria Pomianowska, and Nikola Kołodziejczyk. Furthermore, the lead vocalist, Ewelina Ferenc, earned the prestigious title of Traditional Singer of The Year at the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Through their performances, Polky introduces Polish culture to North American audiences, embodying the role of cultural ambassadors for Polish modern traditions.

4-6 On Stage

The post Polky appeared first on Canis Major Music.

Newberry & Verch

Danielle Devlin — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 19:48:30 +0000

Growing up, Joe Newberry and April Verch absorbed traditions of home and hearth–in his Missouri Ozarks and her Ottawa Valley of Canada. Although they are on the road much of the year, the two musicians are fond of saying that they are rarely homesick, because their music means they always have a bit of home with them wherever they go.

Joe Newberry comes from a family of singers and dancers. He took up the guitar and banjo as a boy and learned fiddle tunes from great Missouri fiddlers. April Verch grew up listening to her Dad’s country band play for dances in the Ottawa Valley. She started step dancing at age three and fiddling at age six. In a Newberry & Verch show, delighted audiences see first-hand the roots of their music, their love of performing, and their strong musical connection. Original songs join timeless classics. Stories warm the heart, and give audiences a chance to understand where the music comes from. Lively fiddle and banjo numbers combine with traditional dance steps to illustrate happy times when people made their own fun.

Whether it is the power of two voices lifted in harmony, or the sound of traditional tunes calling people to get up and move, these two masters of tradition put on an unforgettable show.

PLUS, annual “Holiday Cheer Tour”

Each year the duo sets out in a modern day sleigh (with four-wheel drive) to perform their eagerly anticipated holiday tour. Original songs join timeless hymns. Stories warm the heart and give a twinkle to the eye. Lively fiddle and banjo numbers combine with traditional dance steps to illustrate happy times when people made their own fun at the holidays, and all year long. Make your holiday concert list, and check it twice… Newberry and Verch are coming to town!

2 On Stage

The post Newberry & Verch appeared first on Canis Major Music.

April Verch & Cody Walters

Danielle Devlin — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 16:29:46 +0000

To listen to April Verch and Cody Walters is to be immersed in tradition. To watch them perform is to be transported. Be it regional Canadian roots, American old-time, 50’s Country, Scandinavian folk music, or something original that sounds as though it’s been around for a century —the one common thread is their love and reverence for the music and traditions that have been passed down to them.
Verch and Walters began playing together in 2007 when Walters joined the April Verch Band as their bassist. Together they have traveled to four continents, performed in eighteen countries, and played everywhere from tiny pubs and dusty festival workshops all the way to legendary stages such as the Kennedy Center and the Ryman Auditorium.

April and Cody combine their unique backgrounds from Verch’s native Ottawa Valley and Walters’ heartland roots in Kansas. April was the first woman to win both the Canadian Grand Masters and Canadian Open Fiddling Championships. She was one of six Canadian fiddlers featured in the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Together, Verch and Walters are exemplary tradition-bearing performers: never forgetting the roots of the music, that connection to the people out there in the audience or on the dance floor, to the community sparked by a good song.

2 On Stage

The post April Verch & Cody Walters appeared first on Canis Major Music.

Mélisande

alexkillby — Sat, 02 May 2020 01:29:29 +0000

Celebrating the tenth anniversary of her électrotrad project, Mélisande revisits songs from her repertoire with a traditional Québécois sound, mostly acoustic, surrounded by four seasoned musicians. Long time accomplice Alexandre de Grosbois-Garand (former Genticorum member – wooden flute, bass), Jean Desrochers (acoustic guitar), Gabriel Girouard (fiddle, foot stomping) and Éric Breton (percussion) join her to create a high-energy sound with strong vocal harmonies.

The multiple award-winning singer selected songs from her four releases to create the album Rembobine (Rewind). These songs were unearthed in researching folklorists’ collections, excavations in archive centers, and by collecting traditional songs from elders along the Richelieu River. Mélisande (lead vocal, jaw harp, mandolin) cleverly enlivens the songs of ancestors in a way that invites youth culture to participate in something old made new again. Her rich musical background and her mesmerizing voice give a fresh take on these traditional songs that she adapts and presents with a modern woman’s perspective and delivers with strong personality. Often groovy, sometimes epic, the songs convey the audience to a journey through time and space to discover timeless realities of women’s life. She delivers this repertoire with a renewed traditional sound offering a fresh artistic proposal to the folk-world-trad music scene. The success of her four électrotrad albums, hailed by critics from home and abroad, allowed her group to present over 300 performances in Canada, Australia, Europe and the United States. With her infectious energy and engaging stage presence, Mélisande gets the crowd stomping, dancing and singing wherever she goes.

5 on stage

The post Mélisande appeared first on Canis Major Music.

É.T.É

alexkillby — Fri, 01 May 2020 16:07:49 +0000

Awarded the 2020 Gala GAMIQ Album of the Year award in Traditional Music, plus the OPUS prize for “Discovery of the Year 2017-2018”, among many other accolades since their first album release in 2017, this trio is winning over the hearts of listeners worldwide, young and old alike. É.T.É are Élisabeth (fiddle, step-dancing, vocals), Thierry (bouzouki, guitar, podorythmie, vocals), and Élisabeth (cello, vocals). The word été in French means summer–a fitting tribute to how their original, lively take on Québec traditional music is infused with a new vitality.

With lovely vocal harmonies, deep groove, stepdancing, and rich instrumentation, É.T.É are an explosive trio on stage, transforming the nostalgia of a kitchen party into an unforgettable show experience that celebrates the joie de vivre of Québecois culture.

AWARDS:

2021 | Conseil Québécois de la Musique – Nomination for Prix Opus “World Music and Québec traditional Music”

2020 | Gala ADISQ – Nomination “Album of year” | Traditional Music

2020 | Gala GAMIQ – “Traditional album of the year” award

2019 | Festival international de la chanson de Granby – “Tournée Granby-Europe” award

2017-18 | Conseil Québécois de la Musique – Prix Opus “Découverte de l’année” (Discovery oy the year – award)

3 on stage

The post É.T.É appeared first on Canis Major Music.