Event Info
Wolfe Island Records Songfest: Suzanne Jarvie, Rocky Roberts, Chris Brown, Stephen Stanley
A showcase of Wolfe Island Records artists — four brilliant singer-songwriters...
6:00pm - 10:00pm
Free
Event Description
A showcase of Wolfe Island Records artists — four brilliant singer-songwriters who’ve made records right here on Wolfe Island.
SUZANNE JARVIE
Suzanne Jarvie’s debut album, Spiral Road was released in 2014 to rave reviews from the US, Canada, and Europe, comparisons to Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams, and a 2015 nomination from the Independent Music Awards for “Best Concept Album”. No Depression described Jarvie’s voice as “seraphim-pure, reaching out and lifting your spirit often without permission.” Spiral Road documents the painful journey after her oldest son tripped and fell down a spiral staircase, lapsing into a coma in 2011. “It was a bomb,” Suzanne recalls. “I couldn’t breathe. The doctors said he wouldn’t live, but he did.” The miracle of her son’s survival changed Jarvie’s life. While her son was still at the hospital, she began an intense period of songwriting, never having written anything much prior. “It was powerful and strange.”
Jarvie’s sophomore record In the Clear, released in January 2019, picks up where Spiral Road left off – delving deeper into the aftermath of her son’s brain injury – and going beyond it. The tunes tunnel into feelings and impressions that are the essence of Suzanne’s artistry, luminous rabbit holes that merge mysticism with reflections on life’s ups and downs that fans of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan or Lucinda Williams would appreciate.
ROCKY ROBERTS
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
HUGH CHRISTOPHER BROWN
Toronto-born singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Chris Brown has been making music with a purpose since the 1980s, from The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, Chris & Kate, and solo records. Along with his own work, he has appeared both on stage and in the studio with artists ranging from The Tragically Hip to Barenaked Ladies. Currently based in Wolfe Island, Ontario, Brown operates the label Wolfe Island Records and its recording studio built in the former Wolfe Island post office.
STEPHEN STANLEY
Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Stephen Stanley is best known from his many years as a founding member, lead guitarist and vocalist with alternative rock band The Lowest of the Low. After years of touring and sharing the stage with the likes of Billy Bragg, The Violent Femmes, The Jayhawks and Lloyd Cole, a gold record for their “genuinely timeless album” (Exclaim!) Shakespeare My Butt, Stanley now leads his own band, The Stephen Stanley Band and has logged other monumental shows with 54•40, Bob Mould, Cracker, Jake Clemons and Willie Nile. The band also played at the 2018 Static Roots Festival in Germany and then went on to tour the UK and Ireland. He has also branched into radio, hosting the show Northern Wish on The Bay 88.7 FM in Muskoka, Ontario.
Americana UK described the band’s 2018 album Jimmy & The Moon and Stephen’s artistry this way: “The songs are big and bold, unafraid, unashamed to flaunt their heritage… Stanley’s voice being not a thing of beauty but a workman’s tool skillfully used to create just the right effect…”. Stephen Stanley’s new album is completed, and will be released later in 2023.
In-Person Event
Sat. August 26th 2023 + Add to Calendar
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