Formerly the talented house band, The Rakes of Sunday provided the opening set for many years of Celtic Folk. Growing out of a long association as members of the Sunday Night Band, Lesley Jefferson (fiddle), Dave Settles (percussion, guitar, banjo, uillean pipes), Michael Pollock (sundry noisemakers) are joined by Karen Pollock (flute), and Derek Lofthouse on a variety of items that may or may not be musical instruments, including the hurdy-gurdy, Northumbrian Pipes and flute. The Rakes present a variety of songs and tunes both traditional and modern, from the Celtic lands and beyond.

Celtic Folk audiences may recognize Kathy Cook as being one of the members of Magnolia Buckskin but tonight this Calgary singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist will be joining Paul Millar for a special set of music. Paul Millar sings and plays a variety of songs inspired by Celtic, Traditional, and Contemporary Folk and Roots music. His passion for storytelling through music and his love of singing will have you tapping your toes and singing along.

Paul was featured as a “special new talent” at Celtic Folk and Paul and Kathy have graced us with their musicianship several times over the years since.

Plaidie’s return to the Celtic Music scene in Calgary is long overdue and after a ten-year hiatus, they are back!

Plaidie was original formed 25 plus years ago to perform at Spruce Meadows Festival of Nations and over time matured from three individuals who sang together to become a tight trio which learned to arrange both traditional and contemporary Irish and Scottish songs to make them their own. The fact that Maureen hails from Newcastle, County Down in Northern Ireland and Jim and Maurice are from Glasgow in Scotland, this gives Plaidie an authenticity in presentation.

With Maurice on guitar and bodrahn, Jim on bodrhan and mandolin and Maureen on guitar, all three members are equally capable of singing lead vocal or harmony allowing them to explore a variety of songs and styles. Their singing comes from the heart and their natural blend of voices and harmonies evokes warmth and honesty. As Maureen says “Our voices are our instruments”.

Fingerstyle Guitarist Alvin Moore plays instrumental Celtic, Bluegrass, Spanish, Jazz, and music from around the world. He has performed at folk clubs, corporate events, weddings and festivals around the province.

Alvin’s first performance at Celtic Folk was a tour-de-force, and featured reels and jigs from across the Celtic Lands.

The founder of our club and its long-time host and MC, Sean Buckley and his partners in music, The Jig’s Up will bring our celebration and our season to a close.

The Jig’s Up performs a wide range of Celtic music and song — from Jigs and Reels to Strathspeys and Rollicking Ballads. With Harp, Keyboard, Bodhran, Fiddle, Small (and sometimes Big) Pipes, Guitar and Vocals, they present energized and enjoyable sets.

For our 30th anniversary show they’ll be joined by Danny Mills, a talented musician from Newfoundland on flute and bazouki. Danny was a mainstay in the popular band “The Freels with Fergus O’Byrne and Maria Peddle.

Davey is no stranger to Celtic Folk, and we are honoured to have him back. Anyone who has been to one of his dervish sessions at The Oak Tree Pub, Molly Malone’s and others in and about town will attest to his superb musicianship.

Dave is from County Kildare, Ireland. He began his musical career playing in rock bands around Ireland but traditional music soon took over for him. After experimenting with many different alternate tunings for his song writing he found that DADGAD tuning was the sound he was looking for. Listening to bands like Planxty and the Bothy Band inspired him to explore the rhythmic possibilities in Irish music. Dave has developed a percussive and complimentary style of playing which has been described as the “engine” of sessions. Dave has played with some of the top names in Irish music such as Frankie Gavin and Maurice Lennon. Now living in Calgary, Dave is thrilling audiences at sessions and teaching avid students as part of the FAMI faculty.

Jay Daniels has been a mainstay in Calgary’s Celtic music scene for over a decade with stints in both Seancara and Third Reel as well as the Darcy Stamp Band. Jay has taught guitar workshops at The Water Valley Celtic Festival (and wowed audiences at the Saloon!) as well as at FAMI.

At last year’s Water Valley Celtic Folk Festival, Diminished Fifth were compared to a box of fine chocolates. The band prefers this description to being compared to a bowl of mixed nuts! A connoisseur of quality chocolates will tell you to toss the illustrated guide that comes with the box and go with the flow, expect the unexpected and be prepared for a variety of content. Such is the case with a performance by Diminished Fifth, whose repertoire is a multi-lingual, multi-national, multi-instrumental romp of a musical offering from the Celtic Lands and beyond. Karen and Michael Pollock, Natalie Manzer and Steven Méthot serve up shimmering harmonies and home-grown arrangements sure to tempt and delight the musical sweet tooth, with even a little something for those partial to a cappella. But unlike the guilty pleasure of partaking in a few too many Callebaut truffles, Diminished Fifth won’t add inches to your waistline. They also guarantee that there won’t be any of those beastly orange crèmes, or –ugh- coconut.

You can contact Diminished Fifth by email.

Amité – an old French word for harmony, the group based in Calgary consists of Nobuo Kawaguchi and Leslie Fillion. Well-versed performers, they have joined in harmonious collaboration to arrange some of their favourite Celtic, folk and pop tunes. Come enjoy their vocal harmonies and distinctive renditions of some oldies and newbies!