Island Proud with Artist in Residence Alicia Toner
Join us August 7th for another evening of Island Proud music! Hailing from the East Coast of Canada, Alicia Toner’s star is quickly on the rise. With a presence that will grab you from the very first note, lyrics that hit you straight in your heart, a sound that will leave fans of pop, rock, folk and Americana thoroughly satisfied and a voice that soars above it all, Alicia is capturing the hearts of Canadians.
Born in Fredericton, NB and now residing in Charlottetown, PE, Alicia grew up surrounded by music. Singing since she could speak she was also trained classically on the violin and was a member of the prestigious New Brunswick Youth Orchestra with whom she played Carnegie Hall. A performing veteran, she spent 10 years pursuing a successful theatre career before releasing her critically acclaimed and award-winning debut album, “I Learned the Hard Way” in 2017. Her latest release “Joan” (2021) was an unexpected explosion onto the Canadian Music scene.
Since becoming a mother in 2020, Alicia’s desire to travel for work every few months diminished and she has started producing shows like “Northern Lights: Reimagining The Canadian Songbook” for the Canada Games IllumiNATION Festival, an all female and non- binary group of incredible artists, songwriters and musicians reimagining songs from the Canadian Canon, as well as “Sundown: A Gordon Lightfoot Tribute” for Under The Spire. Currently, she is co-writing a show for Harmony House with Mike Ross titled “Ladies of the Canyon”.
Rum Ragged
On August 8th we are thrilled to host 2021 JUNO Award Nominees, Rum Ragged, who take a bold approach to the distinct folk music of their home, the Eastern Canadian island of Newfoundland. With a reverence for their roots and a creative, contemporary edge, this young band has quickly become known as the finest performers of their great, living, musical tradition. Boasting bouzouki, fiddle, bodhran, banjo, guitar, and button accordion, these new champions of East Coast music enliven and enlighten audiences with their signature brand of Newfoundland folk.
Always honest, thought-provoking, and often humorous, it’s Rum Ragged’s live show that makes them a fast favourite with any audience. Their combination of striking vocal harmonies, staggering musicianship, and captivating storytelling gives concert-goers an experience they won’t soon forget. Since their inception in 2016, Rum Ragged has maintained a rigorous tour schedule, performing at some of the world’s premier folk, celtic and roots venues all while managing to record four acclaimed, award-winning studio albums. Rum Ragged is not your run-of-the-mill folk band, they are the genuine article.
Jackson/Wilson Duo
August 9th we are joined by Andrew Jackson and Sam Wilson, or the Jackson/Wilson Duo, who have been exploring the interplay of trombone and guitar, while honing their musical chemistry as a duo since 2014. Upon meeting, both musicians were searching for a setting to explore jazz in a less traditional format, which has led them to develop a common musical language and create an original duo sound.
While both are acclaimed musicians and composers guided by a jazz perspective, they bring a myriad of influences to the project with repertoire extending from standards by the greats of the past such as Billy Strayhorn, to folk covers by the likes of Nick Drake and original compositions. Their music has been described by listeners as a cinematic instrumental sound bath.
What is to be experienced when we pass through ‘New Doors’? This is the question being explored by the Jackson\Wilson Duo’s project and their debut album New Doors which was awarded the 2023 Jazz Recording of the Year by Music Nova Scotia.
Sechile Sedare
A contemporary roots duo featuring sibling songwriters Leela Gilday and Jay Gilday joins us August 11th.
Sechile Sedare (pronounced ‘seh-chee-leh’ ‘seh-dahr-eh’) means ‘my younger brother, my older sister’ in the Dene language. This musical collaboration sees Jay and Leela co-write and co-create new repertoire together, harnessing their talents as deeply insightful and genuine storytellers. Their voices blend in perfect harmony, hitting notes of nostalgia, hope, humour and reflection. The songs, created during lockdown in 2021 and during a residency at the Banff Centre, share stories about their family history, their connection to the land and water, and the twists and turns of fate.
JAY GILDAY
A vagabond turned mailman, Jay Gilday has searched for himself in the depths of Folk, blues, traditional, rock and most recently soul music. The quest continues as Jay takes his experiences as a half Dene, half Canadian-Irish youth traveling the roads of Canada, the daily roller-coaster of work, family, and performance and weaves them into song. Jay’s live performance is executed with a trained voice and a passion to drive it backed up by a heavy hitting guitar, finger-style or flat-picked, your choice!
LEELA GILDAY
Born and raised in the Northwest Territories, she writes about the people and the land that created her. The power in her voice conveys the depth of her feelings of love and life in a rugged environment and vibrant culture, as if it comes straight from that earth. Leela’s family is from Délįne on the shore of Great Bear Lake and her rich vocals dance across the rhythmic beats of traditional Dene drumming as smoothly as a bass line onstage the largest venues in the country. And she has played them all.
July 31st-August 4th Weekly Update: Island Proud Kick Off and Midsummer Magic