Daytime Entertainment: Traditional Music from...

Die Lustigen Almdudler

(Fri & Sat Afternoon)
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Die Lustigen Almdudler is a 4 piece band from Rochester, New York, that specializes in German/Austrian music. They play both traditional and modern songs. Well known throughout Western and Central New York, Die Lustigen Almdudler also features Schuhplattling (folk dancing in the Bavarian tradition), cow bell ringing, and skits. Die Lustigen Almdudler have thrilled audiences wherever they play with their infectious music and variety of entertainment. Says the troupe, " We have often been asked, because of our authentic style, "Where in Germany (or Austria) is your band from?"... a very high compliment indeed!"

Maple Leaf-Almrausch Schuhplattlers

(Sat & Sun Afternoon)
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The Maple Leaf Almrausch Club from Ottawa. They shined at last year's Oktoberfest and are ready to wow us again! The Maple Leaf Almrausch club's Bavarian Dance Group started in 1955 and continues to delight audiences of all ages with their traditional dances. Whips. bells, and figure dances as well as "Boys only" and Schuhplattler styles are all in the dance group's repertoire. There is also the chance that you will be asked to dance!

Walter Ostanek - Canada's Polka King!

(Sun Afternoon)
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Winner of 3 Grammy awards and 13 nominations, Walter Ostanek is a musical legend and Canada's Polka King. In 1957 Ostanek formed his own band playing Slovenian-style polka and in 1963, Ostanek and his band, Walter Ostanek Band, would record his first of over 50 albums. Ostanek hosted his own television shows (one for fourteen consecutive years), radio shows, and polka tours. He has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Phil Donahue, Tommy Hunter Show, Cleveland's Polka Varieties, and his own award-winning TV specials and telethons. He has appeared in concert with Roy Clark, the Oakridge Boys, Ronnie Milsap, Ray Price, Mel Tillis, Brenda Lee, Slim Whitman, Tom T. Hall, T. G. Shepard, Tommy Hunter, Lawrence Welk, Myron Floren, Frank Yankovic, Black Forest Band and Weiss Blau. Walter Ostanek is a member of the Order of Canada, Canada's Walk of Fame as well as an inductee in the Polka Halls of Fame in Cleveland and Chicago.

Evening Entertainment: Live Music From...

Jim Bryson

(Fri - 9pm)
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Jim Bryson hails from the small town capital city of Ottawa Canada. He has released four well talked about records in Canada and the UK/ Ireland. (2000's The Occasionals, 2003's The North Side Benches, 2007's Where the Bungalows Roam and 2009's Live at First Baptist Church). Jim's fifth album, The Falcon Lake Incident was released on MapleMusicRecordings last October. The new record finds Jim backed by The Weakerthans. Jim is also a member of Kathleen Edwards' band and a sometimes member of the Weakerthans and The Tragically Hip.

“One of my favorite releases if not my favorite Canadian release of the year. I just cannot stop listening to this record!” Stewart Mclean, Host, CBC Radio’s The Vinyl Café.

“This is the fully realized and brilliantly executed work of a mature artist with lots to say.” Greg Quill, The Toronto Star.

Lowest of the Low

(Sat - 8pm)
Website

There’s a demi-generation of Canadians that, when asked what Lowest of the Low's 1991 album Shakespeare My Butt means to them, smile wistfully and slowly nod with gratifying satisfaction. Memories of fuelled emotion, questioning of blah blah blah authority and a little of that ‘fuck you’ attitude that ‘The Low,’ as they were affectionately called, helped bottle in the early nineties. Toronto born and bred, The Lowest Of The Low were trailblazers who turned the tide, bringing about the revelation that there was no longer a need to look beyond this country’s borders to satiate the soundtrack of our lives. Streetcars, the bridge on Carlaw, Bathurst Street – The Lowest Of The Low sang about their hometown. They made us feel pride in this town, not in some whitewashed Tourism Ontario billboard on the Gardner way, but because we could all relate to the honesty espoused in those 17 songs. Ron Hawkins (vocals, guitar), Stephen Stanley (vocals, guitar), David Alexander (drums) and John Arnott (bass) went on a ride in 1991 and took us all along with them. Sizzling Edgefest performances on a stage that still turned 360 degrees, radio play without major label heft, an episode on the then leading edge CBC series ‘Ear To The Ground’ and tens of thousands of records sold the good old fashioned way...that’s what thumps upside the old Intelligious Majoras when someone mentions The Low and Shakespeare My Butt.

Cuff The Duke

(Sat - 7pm)
Website

Having spent several years carving their teeth on the road with the likes of The Sadies, Sloan, Hayden, The Weakerthans, Calexico and Nick Cave, Toronto's Cuff the Duke are poised to make the jump from indie-scene-darlings to bona-fide Canadian music icons. Their latest album, Way Down Here was co-produced by Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor at his beautiful barn studio in rural Ontario and features the band's most mature, captivating and impressive collection of songs to date.

Cuff the Duke started out in Oshawa before making the move to Toronto in 2002. Their debut album, Life Stories for Minimum Wage was released on Three Gut Records, at the time one of the most exciting indie-labels in Canada. Their second and third albums, Cuff the Duke and Sidelines and the City respectively, were both released on Hardwood Records alongside label mates Basia Bulat and Hayden. Last year the band won accolades backing Hayden on his Canadian and North American tours.

Having played in venues ranging from Canada’s small clubs to many of the country's largest arenas and concert auditoriums, Cuff the Duke have earned their road stripes -- and now with the release of Way Down Here, they are sure to earn a place in the hearts of music lovers everywhere.

Drag the River

(Fri - 8pm)
Website

Drag the River began when Jon Snodgrass (of Armchair Martian) and Chad Price (of All) began writing some country songs on the side. During the 10 years since their beginning, both Armchair Martian and All have ceased to exist and Drag has become the main outlet for both songwriters. Drag The River has accomplished so much without label support. They tour all year long, self-release their records, and secure publicity, all on their own terms. Fans of Uncle Tupelo, The Replacements, Lucero, and Limbeck will love this band. The band is perfecting a sound we call Country and Mid-Western!

Terry Gillespie

(Fri - 7pm)
Website

In 1965 Terry Gillespie was in Michigan hugging a radio into the wee hours. He was listening to the skip stations broadcasting from the Southern States; it was his first encounter with the roots of American music. And he's never looked back. When he was 16 or 17, the drinking age in Michigan was 21. He was six foot tall and wore a sport coat, shades and a skinny moustache drawn on his top lip with ink. Everything was segregated: they played blues and jazz in the black bars, but they could tell he loved the music. "Well, anybody who looks that crazy... Let 'im in!" Terry studied chemistry and literature at Michigan State University, but the lure of the music saw him sneaking into the bars more often than the classroom. He was beginning to hone his craft and snapping up opportunities to play with legends including Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker. In 1968, he brought his experiences and burgeoning skills to Ottawa and formed the band Heaven's Radio, whose highly acclaimed albums of the early 80s, 'Active' and 'Uptown Babies', were re-released as a box set in May 2007. Holger Peterson calls Heaven's Radio, "A highly under-rated band of that era." Today there is renewed excitement over Terry Gillespie's music. With the rebirth of his performing and recording career, we can begin to appreciate the versatility and influence of this Edmonton native. JUNO award winner Sue Foley, for example, cites Terry as a major influence in her career. She plays lead guitar on his 2006 CD, Brother of the Blues, and has said: "Terry Gillespie is one of the most sincerely talented musicians in Canada. He's a bluesman to the core, but not in the traditional sense for he has range and influences that take blues to a whole new level. His blues is the truth and it comes through with every word and melody he wraps his soulful voice around. This is real!" Respect from a broad music community keeps Terry very busy. Among his numerous live dates, he has performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival twice in recent years; he has recorded two CDs of his own and produced music for others; and in September 2007, Terry had the honour of forming a 13-piece international band to play a two-day wedding for Sacha, the son of former Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau. The 'comeback' began in 2001, when Terry started a jam that resulted in the formation of The Granary Blues All-Stars. The band was recorded by CBC and released a CD, aptly titled "Again." Reviewing the CD in July 2004, BluesWax said, "They raise the hackles on the back of your neck... This is a very soulful group that needs to be heard." The semi-autobiographical solo CD, Brother of the Blues, followed in December 2006 and generated still more impressive reviews, including one that described Terry Gillespie's music as " a sweet tiramisu consisting of liquor-soaked layers of Blues, Reggae, Country, and Jazz." The intoxicating disk was in the CBC Saturday Night Blues top 10 for five months, putting Terry firmly back on the map and injecting a fresh sound into the modern day blues scene. It marks a powerful return for one of the few remaining Canadian bluesmen who can claim to be the genuine article -- a performer absolutely without pretense, yet completely engaging. Let's not allow this treasure to be lost again.

The Peelers

(Sat - 6pm)
Website

The Peelers were formed in a small farmhouse kitchen in Glengarry County in 1999. Born out of loose evening sessions over more than a few drinks, the band has evolved to become one of the most exciting and energetic live Celtic folk/punk acts in Canada. Glengarry County has always been a hotbed of Celtic culture, and most members of The Peelers have immersed themselves in this rich legacy from youth.

Official After Party at the Windsor Tavern

Windsor Tavern, 84 Main Street East
Fri 10pm-2am, Sat 9pm-2am
The festivities continue late into the night on Friday and Saturday at the Windsor Tavern. Revellers will be treated to great live music, cold Beau’s on tap and local flavour at this Vankleek Hill institution. The Windsor (aka the Windsie) has been continually operated by the same family for over 100 years. Be sure to try the pickled eggs, provided to the Windsor by Todd, Beau’s fearless delivery guy.

After Party Entertainment...

• Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One (Fri at 10p)
  After a two year sabbatical, the former singer of Darkbuster has re-emerged as the solo-acoustic Gang of One.
• Camp Radio (Fri at 11:30p)
  Featuring three prolific Ottawa musicians, Camp Radio is a guitar power-pop tour-de-force harkening back to the days of The Nils and Hüsker Dü.
• The Natural Shocks (Sat at 9:30p)
  Fresh off their first album, Complete with Comfortable Lighting, The Natural Shocks are here to deliver feel good power-pop with infectious hooks.
• Ron Hawkins (Sat at 11:00p)
  Lowest of the Low frontman and legendary wordsmith will take the Windsor stage to perform from his extraordinary songbook.