The Take Note! Music House welcomes the CFMA’s 2016 “Contemporary Singer of The Year”, Jadea Kelly, (opening act Kennedy Road) on Friday, May 10 at 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:30). Requested donation is $20, with all proceeds going directly to the artists. You may reserve your seat by emailing concerts@takenotepromotion.com or calling 705-305-1687 (email best, phone repair hasn’t happened yet) – address given upon reservation – downtown Barrie, near the courthouse.

Jadea Kelly (www.darthjadea.com)

“One of the shining jewels in the crown of Canadian songwriters. Her sound is pure Canadiana, that is, elements of prairie country, big city soul, and the sense to take just a little bit of both.” – Tom Power, CBC Radio

Originally from Whitby, ON, singer-songwriter Jadea Kelly now spends her time writing and living between Toronto and Los Angeles, CA. In 2016 she was awarded 'Contemporary Singer of the Year' at the Canadian Folk Music Awards for her heartfelt 2016 release 'Love & Lust'. Its featured single 'Beauty' was placed on the Lifetime Network feature 'No One Would Tell' and the 2017 CBC Rio Paralympics, an opening montage with over 900,000 views. Set for release on May 17, 2019, the MWI soundtrack EP has already received 'Best Score & Music' accolades from the Hollywood Independent Documentary Awards. MWI is the official soundtrack for 'Met While Incarcerated the Film', airing on the Documentary Channel and CBC March 31 2019.

“Comparisons have likened Jadea Kelly to the melodious dulcet tones of Iris Dement and this is a thoroughly appropriate compliment.” – Fatea Magazine, U.K.

Jadea Kelly has done multiple tours across North America and Europe. Her music guides the listener on a prolific journey towards light and surrender. Kelly’s most recent album, “Love and Lust” is “a record fully engrossed in the dark truths of infidelity, human frailty, and all of the darkest corners… Kelly reveals herself in ways we’ve not yet seen from the Toronto songwriter.” [Beatroute] compelling catalogue of desire, betrayal and human frailty. Jadea will be accompanied by guitarist Brian MacMillan, bass player Bret Higgins, and vocalist Sheila Carabine (of local favourite, Dala).

Kennedy Road (www.kennedyroadmusic.com)

Kennedy Road is a Toronto-based Americana duo, comprised of Sheila Carabine and Brian MacMillan. He’s the tall one. Their seamless vocal blend and electric on-stage chemistry is perfectly matched by their intense and poignant songs.

Sheila comes by collaboration honestly, having spent the last 16 years in the Juno-nominated folk duo Dala. Brian is a much beloved singer-songwriter and multi-insrumentalist, who has released three solo albums. He has performed with Barenaked Ladies, Wailin’ Jennys, Garth Hudson, John McDermott and Lowest Of The Low.

Like their namesake North South street, Kennedy Road’s music looks back just as much as it looks ahead. With velvety vocals and dreamy guitars, Kennedy Road conjures dusk and memory, grit and grace. This is music from the heart, for the heart.

There will be no April house concert at the TNMH, as Alyssa is busy with her not-a-one-woman show!

A double bill of: Newfie Electra – written by and starring Allison Basha, directed by Mary Ellen MacLean Music For The Changing Voice – created by and starring Alyssa Wright, directed by Rae Smith, with musicians Leslie Arden and Ray Dillard

Music For The Changing Voice

Music For The Changing Voice is a show about finding beauty in the broken, and a voice to oppose the silence.

When my grandfather died, I inherited his cello – the first one I ever heard or played – which came to me shattered in many pieces, uplayable and unfixable. Which kind of mirrors the other thing I inherited from him: the legacy of intergenerational interpersonal trauma.

When I brought my grandfather's broken cello to the luthier and asked him what I could do with it, he shrugged and suggested "make art" – so I've chosen to do that with the other part of my inheritance as well!

The Take Note! Music House is thrilled to present the haunting sounds of ambient folk band Outside I’m a Giant on Saturday, March 23 at 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:30). Requested donation is $25, with all proceeds going directly to the artists. You may reserve your seat by emailing concerts@takenotepromotion.com or calling 705-305-1687 (email best, I have yet to fix the phone!) – address given upon reservation – downtown Barrie, near the courthouse.

Outside I’m A Giant (www.outsideimagiant.com)

Floating down the hills from Quebec's upper Gatineau, the haunting ethereal sounds of Outside I'm a Giant carry poetic homage to Leonard Cohen, along with the unconventional structure and "art first" honesty of Gordon Lightfoot's music. Jérémi Pierre Caron, the songwriter of this touring ambient folk band, drew inspiration from his family's much-loved river hideaway for many of the songs released in their acclaimed 2017 debut album, ”Point Comfort”. Combining acoustic guitar, pedal steel, violin, mandolin, clarinet and harmonica, this four-piece band creates atmospheric, richly layered songs from the heart and hearth that deliver you gently to a calm and peaceful place. Lingering contemplation of nature and human nature is in abundance here. Based in Hull, Quebec, Outside I'm a Giant was founded in early 2016 by Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Jérémi Pierre Caron. Jérémi called upon two talented multi-instrumentalists from previous projects, Samuelle Desjardins, (violin and mandolin), and long-time collaborator Pascal Desgagné (pedal steel, mandolin and harmonica) to form Outside I'm a Giant. Later, in 2017, Gabriel Bouchard brought his easy laughter, clarinet, bass clarinet and harmonies to the group. Captivating performances in local music venues such as The Black Sheep Inn, Irene’s Pub, Ottawa CityFolk Festival (2016), combined with tours of Ontario and eastern Canada are earning them a loyal and growing audience. They performed at the Tay Creek Folk Festival (2017) in New Brunswick, where immediate plans were made to return in 2018. They performed at the Living Roots Festival in Fredericton in May, Tay Creek Folk Festival in July, and toured New Brunswick and Québec in July 2018. Their official showcase at the September Folk Music Ontario conference created a definite buzz. The room was full of curious listeners. “Point Comfort”, their debut album, was released in October 2017 to a sold-out audience at their favourite venue, The Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec. Their first album as a four-piece band, “Undoubting Belief In The Good”, was released on February 1, 2019. The album was celebrated at a sold-out show at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, as part of the NAC Presents series. The sophomore album from this relentlessly creative group offers listeners more of the soothing sounds they have come to love, and some delightful new discoveries.

The Take Note! Music House presents a CD Release concert for 2017 Songs From the Heart Award winner Kate Weekes on Sunday, February 3 at 2:00 pm (doors open at 1:30). Requested donation is $20, with all proceeds going directly to the artists. You may reserve your seat by emailing concerts@takenotepromotion.com or calling 705-305-1687 (address given upon reservation – downtown Barrie, near the courthouse).

With the release of her third solo album, “Taken by Surprise”, singer/songwriter and guitarist Kate Weekes expertly maps the musical spot where landscapes and emotions converge via accessible, jazzy folk/pop inspired by the planets northernmost locales and the people in them.  Alongside producer and multi-instrumentalist James Stephens, Weekes has created a dazzling sonic scrapbook of experiences which are buoyed by Weekes’s inimitable performance style and flair for storytelling.

www.kateweekes.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4VxVdpbskQ

Sorry to say, we've had to cancel this show. Hopefully Sarah Jane will be able to make it back sometime soon!

The Take Note! Music House is happy to be welcoming Sarah Jane Scouten – “a sterling example of the top grade Americana coming out of Canada” [Folk Radio UK] back to Barrie on Friday, November 16 at 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:30). Requested donation is $20, with all proceeds going directly to the artists. You may reserve your seat by emailing concerts@takenotepromotion.com or calling 705-305-1687 (address given upon reservation – downtown Barrie, near the courthouse).

Sarah Jane Scouten (www.sarahjanescouten.com)

“Drawing upon traditional melodies that almost biologically are instantly singable, but combining them with emotions, sentiments and stories that are relatable even now. Stan Rogers was able to do it, Ron Hynes was able to do it, Kate McGarrigle was able to do it – and Sarah Jane Scouten is able to do it." [Tom Power, CBC q and Deep Roots] At age 5, Sarah Jane Scouten was sitting on the dining room table, singing “Lace and Pretty Flowers,” by Canadian country-folk musician, Willie P. Bennett. Hank Williams and Stan Rogers were her greatest inspirations, both a staple at Sunday morning pancake breakfast and afterward, while singing bluegrass and gospel music with her father on Bowen Island, BC. Her talent for performing came naturally, and as chance would have it, so emerged a knack for songwriting. Bringing us up to date, Sarah Jane Scouten is an internationally touring songwriter, loved by audiences across the Northern Hemisphere.

“Sarah Jane Scouten showcases a major talent and a whole lot of versatility" [No Depression] With flavours of Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffiths and Iris Dement and a wealth of early country music, the three-time Canadian Folk Music Award nominee and Western Canadian Music Award nominee's songs are faithful to a long-standing folk music tradition. Often spilling over into modern themes that are outspoken and edgy, her songwriting tackles issues from poverty and midwifery to tongue-in-cheek heartache songs and unabashed Canadiana. A traditionalist at heart, Sarah Jane Scouten shows her signature flair for the roots of roots music. With respect for these roots, she writes from her own perspective, playing with style to create her own distinct voice. This songwriter is known for hitting hard and close to home, then laughing it off.

“When the Bloom Falls From the Rose showcases [Scouten's] agile voice, ruminative songwriting, and love for classic country, indie pop, and everything in between." [American Songwriter] Sarah Jane was discovered by Vancouver label Light Organ Records when she was cold-called into the studio to make an EP with producer Andy Bishop as part of a series of releases, coined The Railtown Sessions. She has since teamed up with the label and released her third full-length album, “When the Bloom Falls From the Rose”, recorded in Toronto with veteran Canadian producer Andre Wahl (Hawksley Workman, Jill Barber) in 2017. The album includes ten original songs, ranging in style from classic honky tonk to indie-folk rock, and two virtually unknown traditional Western Canadian songs, discovered on crackly recordings in university archives and given new life through Scouten's haunting arrangements. Developing a big, lush sound on the album, Scouten comes into her own as a songwriter and performer, drawing from such modern approaches to country music as Sturgill Simpson and Emmylou Harris' iconic album Wrecking Ball, produced by Daniel Lanois. If you think you have Sarah Jane Scouten figured out, you haven't heard anything yet.