Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

TICKETS:
ADVANCE: $15 + service charge + HST
DOOR: $20
(advance sales have ended, tickets will be available at the door)

BLUES • SOUL • COUNTRY • PSYCHEDELIC • ROCK

Juno and Maple Blues award winner Garrett Mason, of Nova Scotia, will be playing the Hotel on June 8th at 7pm.

Garrett will be on a cross Canada tour May/June 2023 and we’re so excited to have him stop on Wolfe Island.

Garrett Mason is a true bluesman at heart. He was raised in Truro, Nova Scotia by his mother Pam, and father, veteran Canadian Bluesman Dutch Mason. His quest to become a blues musician started at a very early age; being surrounded by music blues music, Garrett’s favorite tapes at 3 years old were Canned Heat and Buddy Rich. What really sealed the deal for Garrett to become a blues guitarist came after watching a video of Stevie Ray Vaughn “Live At the El Mocambo” – he was hooked.

His dad, Dutch Mason, stopped playing guitar before Garrett was born due to crippling arthritis in his hands. Although he was not able to teach his son to play, he has certainly been able to teach Garrett the structure of the Blues and to influence him about the resulting sound. Surrounded by his father’s peers, Garrett has had the benefit of hearing and learning from a wide variety of musical talent. The late Rick Jeffery was a great inspiration to Garrett; they would talk and play for hours together. Rick once said “Garrett is the only guitar player I know that can play Albert Collins’ style down to a T”. The combination of his father’s advice, Jeffery’s guidance and his own natural talents provide that special brew for Garrett to become the musical influence he is destined to be.

Garrett would be the first to tell you that riding the coat tails of others won’t take you very far in this business, but striving to be truly original is the secret to longevity and lasting success. Garrett launched his debut CD I’m Just a Man at the 2004 Harvest Jazz and Blues festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick to a sold out crowd.

This debut CD features Garrett’s talent for strong original songs, a voice that is reminiscent of a veteran performer and his extraordinary aptitude for playing electric guitar. Garrett’s original talent was awarded in 2005 when he received a Juno for Best Blues Album. Garrett Mason is poised to be one of the brightest stars to emerge from the East Coast Blues scene in years.

Garrett’s band released their sophomore album Love and Sound in July 2008 which was nominated for a Juno Award. The album won Blues Artist/Group Recording of the Year at the 2009 Music Nova Scotia and Industry Awards.

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

This event will take place at a private home — 87 County Road 95, at the edge of Marysville, across from the Sacred Heart cemetery.

Guitarist and vocalist Walter Parks, a Florida native, served as the sideman guitarist to Woodstock Festival legend Richie Havens for 10 years. Now based out of St. Louis, Walter has recently co-written with Stan Lynch, former Tom Petty drummer and has performed at various venues with R&B drum legend Bernard Purdie and at Lincoln Center with Judy Collins. Walter tours with his own trio Swamp Cabbage, with his solo show Swamp By Chandelier and with an Americana spirituals project called The Unlawful Assembly co-founded by drummer Steven Williams. Walter was a member of The Nudes, a popular folk duo, with cellist Stephanie Winters. In August 2020, Parks was invited by The Library of Congress to archive his research on and perform his arrangements of music made by southeast Georgia’s Okefinokee Swamp homesteaders – hollers, hymns and reels.

https://www.walterparks.com/

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

“Americana Queen” (Vice Noisey) Mary Bragg, heralded by Rolling Stone and NPR for her “gorgeously crafted and executed songs,” just released her self-titled album, which No Depression hailed as a “personal and powerful set featuring a courageous plumb line.”

Originally from Swainsboro, Georgia, the singer-songwriter-producer has produced albums for Grace Pettis, Natalie Price, Jackson Emmer, and Alicia Stockman, among others, in addition to her own recent effort.

Praised by the World Café for her “refined, sumptuously melancholy take on Southern storytelling,” Bragg’s been exploring love and its complications for much of her career now, wrestling with longing, desire, heartbreak, and insecurity across a string of widely lauded albums. NPR dubbed her breakout 2017 release, Lucky Strike, one of the year’s best, while her 2019 follow-up, Violets as Camouflage, earned similar raves, with the Nashville Scene calling it “magnificent” and Rolling Stone hailing its mix of “classic country twang and “gentle chamber-pop.” Bragg toured the records extensively, playing headline and festival dates to ever-growing audiences across the US and Europe.

http://www.marybragg.com
http://www.facebook.com/marybragg
http://www.instagram.com/marybragg

Presented by The Living Room Nomadic

The Living Room Nomadic is the newest iteration of the legendary NYC music venue, The Living Room. Opened in 1998, the club was located in NYC till 2015. Owner and Artistic director, Jennifer Gilson, hosted thousands of musicians at the Living Room including Canadian artists, Ron Sexsmith, The Be Good Tanyas, The Brad Roberts Show, Chris Brown & Kate Fenner, Po Girl, Kevin House and more.

Also gracing the stage at the venue were The Lumineers, Norah Jones, The Punch Brothers, Jason Isbell, Nickel Creek, Sean Lennon, The Head And The Heart, The Chapin Sisters, Chris Thile, Elle King, Glen Hansard and Bono, Lizzie Grant, Keane, KT Tunstall, Madeline Peyroux, Martha Wainwright, Regina Spector, Nick Lowe, Patty Griffin, The Wood Brothers, and many more. The Living Room Nomadic will continue to present shows in NYC and beyond!

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

DOORS: 6:30PM
SHOW: 7PM
TICKETS: $20, available at the door
This show will be in the Piano Room, with Deborah playing the 1951 Steinway.

Deborah Schuurmans

Deborah Schuurmans, the soulful Canadian composer and pianist, creates music that is a journey for the heart and soul. Her cinematic piano pieces rise and fall with emotive intensity, evoking a sense of peace and presence in the moment. With each note, Deborah takes her listeners on a captivating and deeply personal journey through sound, creating strong visual imagery that transports them to another place and time.

Growing up, Deborah’s musical influences included Chopin, Debussy, and Tin Pan Alley. Drawing on her classical training and her own natural creative instincts, she blends these influences to create her own unique and intrinsic harmonies and melodies.

Deborah’s first series of songs, such as Spinning in Time, Light Spectrum, Sinking into Air, Riding with the Wind, and Falling In, are infused with her love of nature, the universe, and spirit. Created from her subconscious, these pieces are a beautiful manifestation of connectivity between nature, humanity, and the heart.

Her other series of pieces were born from her personal experiences of love and loss. These emotive pieces are a reflection of the human experience and serve to remind us of the importance of feeling deeply and connecting with our hearts.

Deborah’s ultimate dream is that her music will contribute to creating a universal love for all souls. Her intention is for her listeners to feel their hearts stir with emotion and to be moved by the beauty and power of her music.

Deborah will also be performing classical piano at the Market, 10am on Saturday June 10th.

https://www.instagram.com/schuurmansd/

Bathwash.

Bathwash is Jazmine Wykes — daughter of Deborah Schuurmans. Her newly-released EP, Solar Farm, was recorded at the Tragically Hip’s studio, The Bathouse.

https://www.instagram.com/bathwash.jazzyjanks/
https://linktr.ee/bathwash

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Admission: $15 / PWYC at the door

Charles Street Sound Company is a Canadian, female-fronted five-piece band formed in Gananoque, Ontario. Difficult to pin down into a single genre, band members draw on their experience playing rock, alt-country, blues, and punk / metal on former projects such as Paul Langois’ Not Guilty, Darkness Rites’ The Accuser, Spitting Earth’s Self Titled, Christo Graham’s Graham’s General Store, and Chickenwire, to deliver a unique sonic experience.

https://www.facebook.com/charlesstreetsoundco
https://www.instagram.com/charlesstreetsoundcompany/

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Deborah Schuurmans will be performing during the Saturday morning Market at Wolfe Island Commons, across the street from the Hotel, beginning at 10am.

Deborah Schuurmans

Deborah Schuurmans, the soulful Canadian composer and pianist, creates music that is a journey for the heart and soul. Her cinematic piano pieces rise and fall with emotive intensity, evoking a sense of peace and presence in the moment. With each note, Deborah takes her listeners on a captivating and deeply personal journey through sound, creating strong visual imagery that transports them to another place and time.

Growing up, Deborah’s musical influences included Chopin, Debussy, and Tin Pan Alley. Drawing on her classical training and her own natural creative instincts, she blends these influences to create her own unique and intrinsic harmonies and melodies.

Deborah’s first series of songs, such as Spinning in Time, Light Spectrum, Sinking into Air, Riding with the Wind, and Falling In, are infused with her love of nature, the universe, and spirit. Created from her subconscious, these pieces are a beautiful manifestation of connectivity between nature, humanity, and the heart.

Her other series of pieces were born from her personal experiences of love and loss. These emotive pieces are a reflection of the human experience and serve to remind us of the importance of feeling deeply and connecting with our hearts.

Deborah’s ultimate dream is that her music will contribute to creating a universal love for all souls. Her intention is for her listeners to feel their hearts stir with emotion and to be moved by the beauty and power of her music.

Deborah will also be performing at her album release show the night before, 7pm on Friday June 9th.

https://www.instagram.com/schuurmansd/

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Happening during the Saturday Market at Wolfe Island Commons
Free Admission

Heralded by Rolling Stone and NPR for her “gorgeously crafted and executed songs,” Mary Bragg joins us on Wolfe Island for a songwriters’ workshop on Saturday, June 10, following her Friday evening performance.

Discussing melodic construction, lyrical storytelling, and developing your own relationship with your work, Mary loves to be in conversation about songs. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter earned her Master of Arts in Songwriting and Production from the Berklee College of Music, and is an adjunct professor at BerkleeNYC, teaching The Craft of Songwriting.

With dozens of songs cut by folk and Americana artists, she’s also produced albums for Grace Pettis, Helena Hallberg, Jackson Emmer, and Natalie Price, among others, in addition to her own recent self-titled effort.

Praised by the World Café for her “refined, sumptuously melancholy take on Southern storytelling,” Bragg’s been exploring love and its complications for much of her career now, wrestling with longing, desire, heartbreak, and insecurity across a string of widely lauded albums. NPR dubbed her breakout 2017 release, Lucky Strike, one of the year’s best, while her 2019 follow-up, Violets as Camouflage, earned similar raves, with the Nashville Scene calling it “magnificent” and Rolling Stone hailing its mix of “classic country twang and “gentle chamber-pop.” Bragg toured the records extensively, playing headline and festival dates to ever-growing audiences across the US and Europe.

http://www.marybragg.com
http://www.facebook.com/marybragg
http://www.instagram.com/marybragg

Presented by The Living Room Nomadic

The Living Room Nomadic is the newest iteration of the legendary NYC music venue, The Living Room. Opened in 1998, the club was located in NYC till 2015. Owner and Artistic director, Jennifer Gilson, hosted thousands of musicians at the Living Room including Canadian artists, Ron Sexsmith, The Be Good Tanyas, The Brad Roberts Show, Chris Brown & Kate Fenner, Po Girl, Kevin House and more.

Also gracing the stage at the venue were The Lumineers, Norah Jones, The Punch Brothers, Jason Isbell, Nickel Creek, Sean Lennon, The Head And The Heart, The Chapin Sisters, Chris Thile, Elle King, Glen Hansard and Bono, Lizzie Grant, Keane, KT Tunstall, Madeline Peyroux, Martha Wainwright, Regina Spector, Nick Lowe, Patty Griffin, The Wood Brothers, and many more. The Living Room Nomadic will continue to present shows in NYC and beyond!

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Join us for an engaging discussion on our local food system.

To celebrate positive changes happening in our region, and to understand how to make the food system work for both producers and consumers, we will hear from a panel of local growers, storytellers, community organizations, and researchers, on their projects surrounding food and environment.

The Island Talks speaker series launched in the Summer of 2022 with six local author readings, had amazing turnouts on the Hotel patio, and great conversations followed. To keep the magic of community conversation going, we’ve been hosting Talks throughout the Winter and Spring to explore the future of our island. We’ll be announcing our Summer schedule soon.

Free to attend. Presented with the Wolfe Island Commons.

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Lara Taubman is a performing singer songwriter from Roanoke, Virginia. She currently resides in New York City and she released her second album “Ol’ Kentucky Light” in 2022 and recently released her single “Snakes in the Snow.” Her music is inspired by Old Time and Gospel music of the Southern roots where she was raised. Her songs cover topics of mortality, mental illness, healing and hope.

Americana UK says Taubman and her new album “is a mixture of heartfelt, thoughtful lyrics sung with real passion.” Taubman says of her own music, “I understand my journey of making music as one of surrender, more and more I surrender.”

https://www.larataubman.com/

Walter Parks

Lara will be accompanied by guitarist and vocalist Walter Parks. For 10 years Parks, a Florida native, served as the sideman guitarist to Woodstock Festival legend Richie Havens. Now based out of St. Louis, Walter has recently co-written with Stan Lynch, former Tom Petty drummer and has performed at various venues with R&B drum legend Bernard Purdie and at Lincoln Center with Judy Collins. Walter tours with his own trio Swamp Cabbage, with his solo show Swamp By Chandelier and with an Americana spirituals project called The Unlawful Assembly co-founded by drummer Steven Williams. Walter was a member of The Nudes, a popular folk duo, with cellist Stephanie Winters. In August 2020, Parks was invited by The Library of Congress to archive his research on and perform his arrangements of music made by southeast Georgia’s Okefinokee Swamp homesteaders – hollers, hymns and reels.

https://www.walterparks.com/

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Jerry Leger follows up his critically acclaimed studio album Time Out For Tomorrow with Nothing Pressing, produced by Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies and released on their label, Latent Recordings. Over the course of the eleven songs on Nothing Pressing, the songwriter’s songwriter engages with questions of existence, mortality, hope, trust and heartbreak while simultaneously conjuring feelings of isolation, reflection, longing and gratitude. Paired with such evocative lyrics are wonderfully crafted melodies, soulful vocals and the spirit and energy of a mature songwriter, comfortable in his skin and growing as an artist with every release. As fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith puts it, “Jerry Leger has that spark in him that all the great songwriters have. He’s the real deal.”

https://jerryleger.com/home/

Born in the mid-80s, singer-songwriter Jerry Leger came of age in the Upper Beaches area of Toronto. Surrounded by music from a young age, his grandfather first turned him onto Hank Williams, constantly playing the youngster a plethora of the honky tonk master’s great recordings. Although Williams’ voice came from another world in terms of time, geography, and class, Leger was intrigued by the ways that Williams’ songs told a story and often conjured up mysterious images in his head. Other seminal influences were slowly added including John Lennon (and the Beatles), Bob Dylan, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, the Everly Brothers, Tom Waits, and Gordon Lightfoot.

In 2005 as Leger turned nineteen he cut his first independently released album. In the sixteen years since then the multi-talented singer-songwriter has recorded nine additional studio albums as well as one live compilation under his own name. In 2014 he was signed to the Cowboy Junkies’ label, Latent Recordings, releasing the critically acclaimed Early Riser that same year. His second Latent release, Nonsense and Heartache, followed in 2017. A year later the two-album set was picked up by Proper Records for distribution in the U.K and Europe, leading to extensive touring throughout the continent, in the process opening up a whole new audience for Leger’s finely crafted songs. With his next Latent album, 2019’s Time Out for Tomorrow, Leger began to receive positive notices in such high-profile music magazines as Uncut and Rolling Stone.

A restless hungry spirit, when not performing and recording under his own name, Leger stays busy with a plethora of side projects including The Del Fi’s (loose improvisatory rock and roll) and the Bop Fi’s (Leger reciting his poetry over jazz accompaniment). He has also been known to work under the pseudonym Hank Holly (bonus points go to those who can figure out where that name came from!). Making the most of his time while off the road due to the pandemic, in 2020 Leger published his first book of poetry Just the Night Birds, made a film for his mailing list subscribers, The Apartment Show He Never Gave, while releasing what he terms a “surprise” album, Songs from the Apartment. In between all that activity, Leger also cut a handful of one-off singles. One of those tracks, “Halfway ‘Till Gone” recorded with former Moby Grape member Don Stevenson, turned the Replacements’ Tommy Stinson into a fan!

Songs from the Apartment was a stripped-down lo-fi affair recorded in Leger’s home using a cheap tape recorder with an internal microphone. Two songs from the current album, “Underground Blues” and “Sinking In,” were also recorded in Leger’s home, this time using two SM58 microphones fed into his vintage 1981 Tascam 4-track tape recorder. The remaining nine tracks included on Nothing Pressing present Leger’s work in two starkly contrasting soundscapes. “Nothing Pressing,” “Protector,” and “Still Patience,” are solo acoustic recordings cut live in the studio with little embellishment save Dan Mock’s overdubbed harmony vocals and, on the title track, producer Michael Timmins’ ukulele. The other six tracks are prime roots rock and roll featuring his long-time band The Situation (drummer Kyle Sullivan and bass player Dan Mock). Among the latter songs, “Kill It With Kindness” and “Have You Ever Been Happy?” have the kind of drive, energy and spirit that are sure to make them highlights of his future live shows.

Leger often times finds himself at a loss as to explain the source of his songs. He feels his songwriting, while clearly drawing on experiences filtered through a panoply of influences, often verges on being a supernatural experience. Over the course of the eleven songs on Nothing Pressing, the songwriter’s songwriter engages with questions of existence, mortality, hope, trust and heartbreak while simultaneously conjuring feelings of isolation, reflection, longing and gratitude.

Paired with such evocative lyrics are wonderfully crafted melodies, soulful vocals and the spirit and energy of a mature songwriter, comfortable in his skin and growing as an artist with every release. Nothing Pressing serves a wonderfully refreshing tonic in troubling times.

“From the top drawer.” — UNCUT

“Toronto-based Americana singer-songwriter Jerry Leger has a strong following in Europe… His new album (Nothing Pressing) is representative of his strengths: These are the worn-in songs and poetic melancholia of a welcome stranger, with a laconic style that lives somewhere between Blue Rodeo and Lucinda Williams.” — Brad Wheeler, GLOBE & MAIL

“Great songs, great voice.” — TOMMY STINSON (The Replacements)

“Take the time to listen to Jerry Leger!” — DOUG PAISLEY

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Admission: $20 / PWYC

Songwriter/musician Sandy Bell has moved through a vibrant and textured musical constellation, playing most notably with the late but eternally brilliant Jeff Buckley as well as singing on the Bat for Lashes album “The Bride.” Bell’s debut solo album, “When I Leave Ohio,” was hailed by Stereo Embers Magazine as “…beautiful, resonant work that’s stark and painful—Bell’s songs have crushing, emotional exactitude that is nothing short of staggering.”

Her new album is titled “Entelechy.” Music journalist Alex Green found “Entelechy” to be “filled with stirring melancholy and musical grace,” an album that “explores the geometry of both musical form and sorrow, while the cathartic transmutation of grief into promise will take you somewhere between the worlds of Harry Nilsson and Kate Bush.”

Sandy Bell recently finished a tour Rachael Yamagata, and will be joined by her amazing “avant-folk” band, Matt Bauder, Jeff Hill, and Jeff Lipstein.

https://www.sandybell.com/

Matt Bauder

Bauder mainly plays the tenor saxophone, but is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist often adding clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, guitar and electronics to his stage and recording arsenal.  He has performed with many iconic figures in avant-garde and rock music including Anthony Braxton, Father John Misty,  The Sam Roberts Band, Iron and Wine and Arcade Fire.
https://mattbauder.net/

Jeff Hill

Jeff has performed and/or recorded with Elle King, Forro In the Dark, Bruce Springsteen, Kat Edmonson,  Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams,  Buster Poindexter, Linda Thompson, Bill Payne,  Joan Baez, Brazilian Girls, Amy Helm, Kenny Roby, Vicentico, Marco Beneveto,  Blondie, Rufus Wainwright, Wax Poetic, Paula Cole,  Shivaree, Teddy Thompson, Bette Midler, Justin Bond, Victoria Williams, Cry Cry Cry, Shannon McNally, Harper Simon, Chris Stills, Amy Correia, Jesse Harris, Neal Casal, Elysian Fields, Shooter Jennings, Martha Wainwright, Gin Wigmore, Regina Spektor, Jim Campilongo, Erik Deutsch, David Mead, Marshall Crenshaw, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Joan As Policewoman, Iris Dement, Rosanne Cash, Page McConnell,  Juliana Hatfield, Trey Anastasio,  and many others.
https://www.jeffhillbass.com/

Jeff Lipstein

Jeff Lipstein has played with Mercury Rev, David Johansen, Jane Siberry, Martha Wainwright, Clem Snide, The Wrens, Jack River, Chris Maxwell, Two Dark Birds, Ed Rogers, and many more.
http://www.jefflipstein.com/

Presented by The Living Room Nomadic

The Living Room Nomadic is the newest iteration of the legendary NYC music venue, The Living Room. Opened in 1998, the club was located in NYC till 2015. Owner and Artistic director, Jennifer Gilson, hosted thousands of musicians at the Living Room including Canadian artists, Ron Sexsmith, The Be Good Tanyas, The Brad Roberts Show, Chris Brown & Kate Fenner, Po Girl, Kevin House and more.

Also gracing the stage at the venue were The Lumineers, Norah Jones, The Punch Brothers, Jason Isbell, Nickel Creek, Sean Lennon, The Head And The Heart, The Chapin Sisters, Chris Thile, Elle King, Glen Hansard and Bono, Lizzie Grant, Keane, KT Tunstall, Madeline Peyroux, Martha Wainwright, Regina Spector, Nick Lowe, Patty Griffin, The Wood Brothers, and many more. The Living Room Nomadic will continue to present shows in NYC and beyond!

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Yakothehtón:ni – Jennifer E Brant, sits with the Bear Clan in Kenhté:ke, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ontario.  She is an Educator, Singer-songwriter, Artist, and Farmer.  Jennifer’s work reflects her connection to her Kanyen’kéha (Mohawk) culture, and the people and places that surround her.  The meaning of Yakothehtón:ni is she makes it fertile; she makes a garden for herself.

Jennifer has played music throughout Eastern Ontario at numerous festivals and events for more than 20 years as a duo with her husband Kieran Edwards or with her band Mustang. As an artist, Jennifer has displayed her artwork at the Woodland Cultural Centre – Indigenous Art, as well as a variety of local art shows.

https://jenniferbrantmusic.com/

Presented by LodgePole Arts Alliance

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

PLEASE NOTE — There will be no Open Mic tonight. Open Mic Wednesdays will resume on June 21st.

CODY ALLEN JAMES & GOOD CO.

Born and raised in rural Ontario, Cody Allen James spent the lion’s share of his early years back in the fields of his family’s farm. Raised on an equal blend of Bluegrass and Rock n Roll, Cody began playing guitar in his early teens. However, his natural sense of rhythm and song structure quickly led him to become a go-to drummer for many local hardcore and punk acts. James graduated from his hometown scene and left for Toronto, where he continued to hone his skills as a drummer and vocalist in numerous garage rock and hardcore acts. All the while he had been quietly amassing a catalogue of songs of an entirely different variety – simple, bare, and honest.

The pandemic hit bringing all other musical activities to halt, but Cody’s songwriting only accelerated. Sensing he was really onto something, he commissioned the skills of some of his favorite players he has met over the years and had them cut tracks remotely on what would become his self-produced debut. Inspired by the success of his first outing, Cody’s focus has become singular and his well of material overflowing. He has relocated to Kingston to have more time and space to invest in his craft – a decision that pays daily dividends. These days he can be found writing songs in Portsmouth Village.

https://www.instagram.com/buffalochillcody/

https://codyallenjames.bandcamp.com

BROCK MATTSSON

Singer / Songwriter Brock Mattsson started his sound in Barrie, ON and now resides in the mouth of the St. Lawrence on Prince Edward Island. “Mattsson is somewhat of a new and quite mysterious artist in the country world” says Flex Music Blog. But growing up and looking up to his Grandfather Larry Mattsson, a Canadian Country Music Star, Brock is no stranger to country music. With only two singles out currently, ‘Rather Be With You’ and ‘Are You Thinking of Me’. Brock takes listeners back to the 60’s, where artists like George Jones, Porter Wagoner and Merle Haggard all sang about life, in all its love and heartache. In the past Brock has performed over Southern and Northern Ontario as a solo artist and band, hoping to bring his love of country music to all those whose love for it still flourishes.

https://www.instagram.com/brockmattsson/

https://brockmattsson.bandcamp.com/

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

For this show, Lara will be performing with her 4-piece band, including guitarist/vocalist Walter Parks.

Lara Taubman is a performing singer songwriter from Roanoke, Virginia. She currently resides in New York City and she released her second album “Ol’ Kentucky Light” in 2022 and recently released her single “Snakes in the Snow.” Her music is inspired by Old Time and Gospel music of the Southern roots where she was raised. Her songs cover topics of mortality, mental illness, healing and hope.

Americana UK says Taubman and her new album “is a mixture of heartfelt, thoughtful lyrics sung with real passion.” Taubman says of her own music, “I understand my journey of making music as one of surrender, more and more I surrender.”

https://www.larataubman.com/

Walter Parks

Walter Parks, a Florida native, served as the sideman guitarist to Woodstock Festival legend Richie Havens for 10 years. Now based out of St. Louis, Walter has recently co-written with Stan Lynch, former Tom Petty drummer and has performed at various venues with R&B drum legend Bernard Purdie and at Lincoln Center with Judy Collins. Walter tours with his own trio Swamp Cabbage, with his solo show Swamp By Chandelier and with an Americana spirituals project called The Unlawful Assembly co-founded by drummer Steven Williams. Walter was a member of The Nudes, a popular folk duo, with cellist Stephanie Winters. In August 2020, Parks was invited by The Library of Congress to archive his research on and perform his arrangements of music made by southeast Georgia’s Okefinokee Swamp homesteaders – hollers, hymns and reels.

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Classic Rockabilly on the waterfront Patio!

In 2020, Mark Gamsjager and the Lustre Kings marked its 25th Anniversary by winning the illustrious Ameripolitan Music Award, launched by the legendary Dale Watson, taking home the “Rockabilly Group” trophy at the virtual ceremony.

Gamsjager’s new album Still the King tells its own story, rocking with original tracks from seminal writers like Ben Vaughn, Ronnie Self, Leroy Preston and John Lilly, and choice classics like the Ricky Nelson chestnut “Stop Sneakin’ Around.”

“American music is what keeps me going,” Gamsjager grins. “It all comes back to the rhythm, the space, the beat.”

https://www.lustrekings.com
 

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Nome Sane? is a melodic, hilariously entertaining, trippy, prog – funk – rock power trio centered around Teddy Kumpel’s writing and guitar playing. Bob Stander is featured on bass and “story telling” (in very small doses!) Matt Miller does the drums in a good way.

New York City-based Teddy Kumpel played guitar on the Grammy winning album “Home” by Tim Kubart, sang backgrounds with Nine Inch Nails on the MTV music awards, toured and/or recorded with Joe Jackson, Rickie Lee Jones, Goodie Mob, Feist, Toots Hibbert, played on many soundtracks including Anchorman and Talladega Nights, produced, engineered and helped develop many artists all while nurturing his own art and unique vision over his 30 year + career.

https://www.teddykumpel.com/nomesane
https://linktr.ee/teddykumpel

REVIEWS

“Guitar hero-worthy, for sure. Love the writing and the harmonies, the sonic colors and different vibes, and the overall pace. Your soloing is first-rate, as always, with lots of fresh, original ideas and a ton of terrific guitar sounds and personalities. Matt is the man, and Bob sounds great playing seeing-eye support bass with great tones (and if that’s his bass fuzz solo on Plastic Smile, very cool, I know he’s also a great guitarist). I especially dug Mask (the harmony), Porridge Storage (funk in 5), Fudgie (the extreme style mashup), Pimento Ano (thick with vibe), Pyonkle (that outro color change is magical!), and my favorite track is Doozy, so many Teddy-isms and a killer hook!”

Chris Jisi — Bass Player Magazine

“Guitarist/composer Teddy Kumpel (Joe Jackson, Rickie Lee Jones) leads this trio, with Bob Stander on bass and Matt Miller on drums, on a far-reaching excursion through 12 stylistically diverse tracks. Teddy’s credo—“I strive for uniqueness that straddles melodic beauty and funky experimentation”—is front and center on tracks such as, “Cringesome,” which pivots between meters of 5/4, 9/8, and 7/4 with the effortlessness and precision of King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford, while combining the sophistication of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with Tony Williams Lifetime-like grease. The inspired spontaneity at the heart of this record offers a lot for fans of rock, funk, fusion and unadulterated musical fearlessness.”

Andy Aledort — Guitar World Magazine

Nome Sane? Teddy Kumpel’s tweaked virtuosity
RIC MOLINA FEB 3, 2023

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of catching Teddy Kumpel’s trio NOME SANE? At The Bitter End in NYC. It was Teddy’s birthday so the mood was high and these guys delivered in spades.

Teddy Kumpel is a well known, highly respected guitar wizard from Port Jefferson, LI which immediately makes him a homeboy, being from Long Island myself. I won’t belabor the issue or put a bunch of famous names in parentheses to give the man cred. All you have to do is look him up and you’ll get the pedigree but I suggest you grab a piece of the group’s latest release Kevin Wonders of the Squirrel, and give it a spin.

All original music and one inspired cover are on the menu and there’s a treat on every single track. Impeccably realized strangeness full of chops and humor runs through the entire experience with laugh out loud harmonic and melodic twists. Kumpel shows how truly masterful he is at weaving melodies never falling into displays or cliches unless they are ironically lined up against the wall and massacred. What a delight.

Can we talk about touch? Teddy has been at it a long time; so relaxed and comfortable leading an elephant around the shop with a feather. Beautifully expressive whammy touches that never stray into wank remind me of Jeff Beck. Kumpel’s dynamic control is from full bloom fusillades of grey foam noise to delicate clean tings that drift around the room spelling unexpected Lydian colors and hidden chutes into the dark rooms of Nome Same?’s funhouse.

Bob Stander plays old school bass with a sound reminiscent of the best of the best when an SVT, Traynor or a Sunn Coloseum was in the basement. A charging and authoritative presence belies the fact that you can’t stop laughing at his antics. The voiceovers on Nome Sane?’s recording are weird AF, kinda like the best Firesign Theater bits, Cheech and Chong, Zappa, Beefhart, or Tom Waits. The live show is bent in the direction of self-effacing lunacy but don’t kid yourself, there’s a rabid intelligence behind the curtain and when it’s time to shred and soar Nome Sane? delivers in a shockingly good way. Unaffected and unique, there’s no science project math jazz here, no beer commercial shred-spooge and there’s nothing shy or polite in their bones. What a relief!

The drums expertly commanded by Matt Miller are big, bombastic and booming without ever being showy. Miller’s groove is fat when it’s time to rock, finessed and lilting in the best Jamaican style and downright crushing in all kinds of over the bar line phrases and compound time signatures. Always organic and solid as a rock, the duo of Miller and Stander is a dream machine to any soloist or general space traveler. Teddy Kumpel deserves this kind of support but in all honestly it’s readily apparent that these goats are old homies who stand equally in the music and in their collective world view.

In a time where conformity equals success, Nome Sane? serves up the antidote to being fed a load of horseshit passing for music. Categories and silos have nothing to do with imagination. These guys are living proof that the sound in your head is the only sound worth making.

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

The Garden Party Songwriters Circle has moved indoors to the beautiful Piano Room at the Hotel Wolfe Island after last week’s outdoor Wolfe Island Gardens event was rained out.

Featuring Suzanne Jarvie, Lara Taubman, and special guests.

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

A FREE community event with Wolfe Island Fire & Rescue
at the new Wolfe Island Commons Waterfront Stage
(Indoors at the Hotel if raining)
After the Saturday Market
Beer & Wine tent • Hot Dogs
The event will start at 1 PM, music will be from 2 – 4 PM

The fire department will be on site with trucks and hoses to do demonstrations geared for the kiddos!

Donations welcome for Wolfe Island Commons and to pay the musicians.

BIG TOBACCO & THE PICKERS

Since 2008, Big Tobacco & the Pickers have been bringing their unique brand of traditional country to bar rooms, taverns, halls and festivals around Ontario. Their ongoing monthly residency at Toronto roots institution The Cameron House, has gained them a loyal following of country music fans.

Regular appearances at legendary rooms like The Dakota Tavern and The Cadillac Lounge, have helped develop their gritty live show into what it is today – a glimpse back at the golden age of country music. Their renditions of the hard hitting classics, along with traditional sounding original material, will make you and your friends want to dance all night, drink too much, and leave you wanting more.

From the rich tones of the pedal steel, to the hot licks of the Fender Telecaster, Big Tobacco & the Pickers deliver a new brand of country music, true to old school tradition.
https://bigtobaccoandthepickers.com/about-us

Rocky Roberts & Friends

Craig “Rocky” Roberts, touring guitar technician for the likes of Neil Young, Wilco, Patti Smith, CSNY, Paul Simon, Lucinda Williams, Nils Lofgren, and My Morning Jacket, brings his own rootsy sound to the stage with the help of his Wolfe Island musical family.

Rocky’s new EP, Pieces of Time, has just been released, to enthusiastic critical acclaim. The first single, Buck Moon, features Norah Jones & Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket):

“What a sweet and tender bluesy Americana sound for the oncoming summer months. Perfect for swinging in a hammock after a few tequilas. Rocky Robert & Friends EP Pieces of Time is a tranquil beauty… It’s the best of American music, the honorable, gentle, open-hearted kind.”
— Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros, NoHoArtsDistrict.com

From classic jazz by artists such as Carmen McCrae and Billie Holiday, to more modern work inspired by Diana Krall and Cassandra Wilson

Nathalie Craan and Dave Beckstead have been performing together for more than 30 years in a variety of formats including duo, trio and larger ensembles up to full big bands. Their music encompasses classic jazz performed with modern twists and contemporary music with a jazz aesthetic.

They have performed in Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Highlights include a US State Department, “Jazz Ambassadors” tour of Madagascar, an 8-year house gig at Beijing’s CD Jazz Café, a performance at the Forbidden City Concert Hall as part of the Beijing, Nine Gates Jazz Festival and a 5-year association with Redbones Blues Café in Kingston, Jamaica.

Nathalie and Dave now call Kingston, Ontario home and have joined forces with Doug Rooks (double bass) and other local musicians.
https://nanddjazz.com/home

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Live music from Kingston’s Grateful Dead tribute band, The China Cat Riders. They offer an authentic dose of The Dead — not shy of the long and deep cuts, and they don’t do it note for note, for they know the music plays the band.

Part of the 6th Annual
WOLFE ISLAND GARDEN PARTY
a celebration of Culture and Agriculture
June 8 – 18, 2023

Dave Mowat is a Blues musician, and Chief of Alderville First Nation. He cut his teeth in Winnipeg during the eighties, experiencing the amazing scene and sharing the stage with some of the greats including Big Dave McLean. He saw, and was inspired by other greats like John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Rogers, Johnny Winter, John Hammond Jr, Sam Lay, Otis Rush, and James Cotton.

He moved back to Ontario in 1995 and found a community of like-minded musicians in the Northumberland, Peterborough, and Toronto Music Scenes, playing with Jimmy Bowskill, amongst many others. Through Bowskill he was connected to Toronto musicians Clayton Yates and Terry Wilkins, both veterans sidemen who make up the other two parts of his trio on resonator guitar and gut-string bass. Mowat has opened for RL Burnside and played harmonica for Hubert Sumlin (Best known as guitarist for Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters).

The Dave Mowat Trio do country, Delta, and Chicago blues in the old-fashioned way in an attempt to honor those legendary blues musicians that came before them. For Dave, Terry, and Clayton, making this music together is truly a labor of love and respect for the history of the artform.

Presented by LodgePole Arts Alliance