BEARFALLS MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014
ARTISTS BIOGRAPHIES
Ted Simmons blends the old with the new,
and creates a rootsy sound that might make it to the radio if monkeys flew.
Born in St. John's, Newfoundland over the
years Ted has found himself sleeping on a boat in Stockholm, visiting Jack
Kerouac's grave, drinking in a park in Cambridge England, crossing the Mason
Dixon Line, lost at sea, homeless in Portugal and many more adventures that can
not be described in 50 words or less.
Ted attributes his love of American Folk
Music to the Detroit PBS feed that came to his house in Newfoundland as a
child.
His influences include:Townes Van Zandt,
Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, David Gray, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly,
Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, THE BAND,
Lightning Hopkins.
In 2012 he was nominated for two Music PEI
awards for his album 61 Dorchester.
For the last 13 years
Timberlea, Nova Scotia's favourite son, Rob Anderson's been cutting his chops
all across the Maritimes gigging as a solo, singer-songwriter and as a guitar
player/singer with the country-blues band E.B. Anderson and The Resolutes.
He's played The Dutch
Mason Blues Fest, The New Glasgow Jubilee, Riverfest, and the increasingly
popular Rockabilly Riots in Halifax. Aside from these festivals, he's also
performed at the legendary Seahorse Tavern, Casino Nova Scotia Compass Room, and
Bearly's house of blues. November 2013 marked the release of Anderson's debut
EP, The Storm, which captures his high-energy, story-telling,
leave-it-on-his-sleeves live show in seven poetically written and arranged
tunes.
Growing up listening to
AC/DC, The Boss, Nirvana and Tom Waits, Anderson has taken elements of each of
his major influences and incorporated them into his craft.
With honesty, conviction,
and a killer pair of cowboy boots he owns the room and demands your ear every
time he plugs in.
Samantha Power is an energetic 25 year old Country Music singer/songwriter from Timberlea, Nova Scotia. Samantha lives for love and sunshine. She preaches positivity and finds the silver lining on any raincloud. Growing up on the East Coast of Canada has instilled in Samantha an appreciation for coastal beauty and the bohemian lifestyle.
Power works hard to incorporate all of
these into her music: positivity, love, sunshine, coastal flare and bohemian
living.
“I think that working on radio and
television was the best choice I could have made. I have a deep appreciation
for other industries that work closely with music. I learned a lot about myself
– my strengths and weaknesses – while at NSCC.”
Since signing with VMG Entertainment Group
in 2012, Power has quickly taken country music by storm. Samantha regularly
meets with top writers and producers in Nashville, Tennessee, as she works on
her debut full-length album.
Samantha is influenced by the greats. She
draws from artists such as Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Jewel, Alison Krauss and
Martina McBride.
Blues man `Catahoula Brown’, born Chris
Weagle in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. His pseudonym comes from his love of Delta
Blues & the name of the American Dog Breed Catahoula Cur.
His Cur
Dog Blues – debut recording was released in 2005. These gritty songs are based
on his impoverished upbringing, frustration and love.
As Catahoula says, “Misery makes good
writing”. The release of Let that Boy
Boogie, was nominated for both a Music Nova Scotia and the East Coast Music
Association for Blues Recording of the Year.
His third release in May 2011, Lonely Lives Here, Catahoula has
established himself as a ‘roots/blues’ musician who writes great licks with
heart-breaking honesty Americana style.
He has opened for such
respected performers as:
James
Cotton, Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Matt Andersen. Recently, Catahoula has been busy penning
more songs and his next release titled “Can’t Hide From The Blues” will be
available in Fall 2014.
"Writing with a maturity far beyond her years, this singer/songwriter will leave you feeling inspired and in awe as you get drawn in by a vocal that far surpasses her young age."
Makayla Lynn is a young singer, songwriter,
guitarist and pianist from Nova Scotia, Canada. Do not let her young age fool
you, Makayla has had musical experiences that many work their whole lives to
achieve. She is a little girl with no fear, an unbelievable talent and huge
dreams; a combination that will certainly lead her to an unstoppable career in
the music industry.
At just 13 years old Makayla Lynn has
already penned over 50 songs and has just finished recording her third album
"Daydream" in Nashville, TN which released in May 2014. The timing of
the new material coincides with several major festival tour dates including the
Main Stage of the Cavendish Beach Music Festival (ahead of Lady Antebellum) and
an opening spot for Dallas Smith at the South Shore exhibition.
A veteran of both stage and studio, Jared
Lutes has enjoyed consistent airplay on CBC Radio, earned live performances on
local TV, garnered several prestigious nominations, appeared at many festival
showcases, and has sold thousands of CDs from the stage. He is also the creator
and host of a popular local songwriter-circle event called 'Jared &
Friends: Storytellers'. Far from being a weekend-warrior musician, Lutes puts
full-time attention into recording, performing, and behind-the-scenes
promotion, music industry enlightenment, as well as his #1 inspiration: family.
With the 2014 release of his third solo record
'A Matter of When', Jared Lutes has finally emerged as a full-time artist who
is comfortable with his identity and his voice. This latest collection reveals
the anxiety and joy of become a father for the second time, the dubious life of
a traveling musician, and the power of the moral anchor of a strong marriage.
The songs ring with Roots-Rock familiarity, as well as eclectic soundscapes,
and the poetic, stark lyrics are sung with the voice of experience and hope.
"Morning You Wake" ranked #3 on
Galaxie Folk Roots Top Spins of 2011.
"Morning You Wake" nominated for
three Music Nova Scotia Awards (2011)--Female Solo Recording, Folk Recording
and Country/Bluegrass Recording of the Year.
Norma MacDonald’s third album “Morning You
Wake”, produced by Halifax multi-instrumentalist Phil Sedore (Amelia Curran,
Catherine MacLellan), is undoubtedly the songwriter’s most diverse collection
of sounds and stories to date. From the starry-eyed waltz Bright as you Dare,
to the Neko Case-ean Comeback Kid to the elegiac Springsteen flood-of-emotion
of Swollen Sky, her sound mixes the sincerity and grit of car stereo
old-country with the polish and sophistication of satellite radio
North-Americana. Juxtaposing lyrical sophistication with playfulness, MacDonald
balances a visceral sense of nostalgia and longing with hopefulness for what
lies ahead.
“Morning you Wake” has received glowing
reviews in Canada and Europe (UK, Belgium, The Netherlands). It has been
heralded a "country-folk gem" by Halifax music bloggers Herohill and
received a 4/4 star review in the UK’s Maverick Magazine. In addition to
national play on the CBC, the album has received airplay in the U.S., Belgium,
The Netherlands and most recently, on
the BBC. It was also the #3 most played album on Galaxie’s Folk Roots channel
in 2011. “Morning You Wake” was honoured with three Music Nova Scotia
nominations in 2011 (Female Solo, Folk and Country/Bluegrass Recording of the
Year).
MacDonald's second
release “the forest for the trees” (2008) was nominated for Female Solo
Recording of the Year by both the Nova Scotia Music Awards and the East Coast
Music Awards. Exclaim Magazine described the album as “nothing short of delicious”
while Penguin Eggs called it “beautifully understated”. Several singles have
become staples on the CBC Radio 2 playlist. She has shared stages with folk
legend Eliza Gilkyson, indie-folksters like Dan Mangan, Jim Bryson and Jeremy
Fisher as well as the best of East Coast artists including Rose Cousins, Jenn
Grant and David Myles.
Mark Cameron is “Country, and nothing but
country”.
Since 2004 Mark has hit the rubber to the
road burning up the music scene.
Mark’s first album “Get ’Er Done” released
in 2006 it titled with his energy.
Mark’s latest album “Just The Way You Like
It” was produced in Nashville with Grammy Award Winning, Gordie Sampson.
Think boots, hat, guitar then think trucker, proprietor and all around great guy and you will picture Mark Cameron
Toronto Maple Blues Award recipient - Horn
Player of the Year (2003). Shirley has been a featured performer on the blues
scene throughout Canada and the United States since 1997. Settling in the
Maritimes from Western Canada in 1988, Shirley Jackson has been honing her
craft on stage with The Good Rockin’ Daddys as well as The Dutch Mason Blues
Band, Joe Murphy & The Waterstreet Blues Band, A.J. & The Redhots,
Theresa Malenfant, Frank Mackay & The Lincolns, Glamour Puss Blues Band,
The Twisters, and the annual “Ladies in Blue” concert in Halifax.
“Listen to your heartbeat, Listen to your
soul
And know deep inside that’s where you truly
want to go”
Rob Anderson forged his band from brawn
and steel to play his original tunes.
He was joined by the Windthrowes
recently, and they are expected to release their debut EP The Storm on the
Fall of 2013.
The Windthrowes
combine the energy of Big Sugar with the influence of Tom Waits and Matt Good
to create their sound. Their debut EP The Storm will be released in the fall of
2013.