Silence Guelph

Geordie Gordon with Bird City
2026-05-22 20:00 - 23:00 UTC | Silence, 46 Essex Street, Guelph, ON, N1H 3K8, Canada
A night to celebrate the release of Geordie Gordon’s new record, River Round, with a special full band performance with horn section!

Geordie Gordon with Bird City
May 22nd
Doors 7:30
Bird City 8:00
Geordie Gordon 9:00
$20 at the door
A night to celebrate the release of Geordie Gordon’s new record, River Round, with a special full band performance with horn section!
Geordie Gordon’s third solo album River Round is a collection of love songs as intimate anthems of resilience. Friendship and romance stand off with life’s losses as Gordon weaves into his home-recorded folk music the irrepressible joys of pop—memorable verses and soulful, hard-hitting hooks—honed in his career as sideman and collaborator in acts including Islands, US Girls, Andy Shauf, and The Weather Station. The album’s first single “Endless Line” closes the distance between two lovers that are apart, and this theme is repeated—the closing of distances—as one of music’s healing and super powers. “River House” brings back to life the old, crumbling rooms of a home Gordon moved into at 18, where so many musicians would be roommates and gather to imagine and build the artist’s hometown punk and folk scene in Guelph, Ontario. That community mourns through “Richard’s Song,” an ode to the late musician and indomitable “front man” Richard Laviolette (1982–2023), whose Sunday band practices Gordon recalls with radical tenderness. He sings to Richard, “We can’t rehearse for what life brings / You know you can tell me anything,” and the lines resound as a call to nurture, through song, friendship and queer life at every beginning, end, and transition. This nurturing might be what Gordon calls “the good hurt in the music.” The album’s title River Round cites the “round” as a form of singing in unison, a blending of voices, hinting at how this solo project is in fact a revival, a revelry of coming together. Even in the apocalyptic “All the Fires,” a song that looks frankly at the world, Gordon’s lyrics insist there’s a way through, and that way is by coming together: “I just need to see you safe by morning. Because there’s no morning without you.”
About Bird City:For nearly three decades, singer/songwriter Jenny Mitchell has been regarded as one of the most original voices within the Canadian indie music scene, and her latest project, Bird City, is her most personal yet.As a beloved fixture of the music community in and around Guelph, Ontario, Mitchell has been a member of the Barmitzvah Brothers, the Burning Hell, Richard Laviolette and the Oil Spills, as well as performing under her solo alter ego Jenny Omnichord. Bird City is in many ways an evolution of the last concept, with Mitchell trading her Omnichord for the banjo and tenor guitar. Focusing on these instruments finally allowed Mitchell’s songwriting talents to fully blossom, and the exposed and poetic songs of paranoia, heartbreak and self-examination debuted on her album Winnowing. For the past 6 years she’s been working on a new record, that gets closer by the day.

Brilliant Corners - Jen Lo Trio
2026-05-24 14:00 - 18:00
May 24th, 2026
Doors: 1:30 PM
Show: 2:00 PM
Brilliant Corners: Jen Lo Trio
Brilliant Corners: A Silence Jazz Series
Seven intimate live performances featuring Canada’s finest jazz instrumentalists and a distinguished international guest Tim Hagans.
Where exceptional music meets meaningful community in Guelph’s Silence listening room—a space designed for retreat, connection, and deep listening.
Jen Lo Trio
Jen Lo is a pianist and keyboardist based in Toronto. Originally grew up in Macau, China, she studied classical music and started playing jazz when she was 16. During her undergrad at the University of Toronto, she studied with many prominent Canadian pianists such as David Restivo, Noam Lemish, Mark Eisenman and David Braid.
She has been active in the Toronto jazz scene since 2021 as both a session keyboardist and a bandleader, participating in many Canadian music festivals and events such as the Toronto Jazz Festival. Some of the most recent musical projects and bands she is in include Minh Hoang’s Duck Society, Robert Lee, Patrick Smith, Dan Pitt, Lavender Town, etc.

Brilliant Corners - Ted Warren Sextet
2026-05-31 14:00 - 18:00
May 31st, 2026

Doors: 1:30 PM
Show: 2:00 PM
Brilliant Corners – Ted Warren’s Sextet
Brilliant Corners: A Silence Jazz Series
Seven intimate live performances featuring Canada’s finest jazz instrumentalists and a distinguished international guest Tim Hagans.
Where exceptional music meets meaningful community in Guelph’s Silence listening room—a space designed for retreat, connection, and deep listening.
Ted Warren
Ted has a solid reputation as a musical, versatile drummer. He is an active member of Canada’s jazz scene and has been recognized with Jazz Report’s Drummer of the Year award. He is also a well-regarded clinician and adjudicator.
Ted fronts his own quartet, Ted’s Warren Commission, which has released three CDs, First Time Caller, Songs For Doug, and the recently released The Great Regina Pizza Debate He is also member of Broadview, which he co-leads with Rich Brown and Mike Murley. They released their debut recording, Two of Clubs, on Addo records.
His latest band is Camera Pigeons, which is a quartet he formed in 2019. He was the drummer for the Boss Brass and can be heard on six of their recordings, including Velvet and Brass (with Mel Tormé), From Lush to Lively (with Oliver Jones), Even Canadians get the Blues, and The Boss Brass Plays the Jazz Classics.
Ted was also the artistic director for Kitchener Waterloo’s Jazz Room for the first five years of its existence Ted studied music at McGill and received a certificate in Jazz Studies from St. Francis Xavier University and completed his B. Mus. from Thompson Rivers University. He recently received his Master’s in Community Music from Sir Wilfrid Laurier University.
He has worked with many acclaimed performers, including Slide Hampton, Bob Newhart, Maynard Ferguson, Lew Soloff, Chuck Mangione, Jeff Healey, Norma Winstone, Sheila Jordan, Adam Nussbaum, Howard Johnson, Nick Brignola, Kenny Wheeler, Ron McClure, Doc Severinsen and Jerry Bergonzi. Ted’s extensive touring has taken him to Poland, South Korea, Spain, Brazil, Iceland, and Japan. He has also performed at Carnegie Hall with harpist Joanna Jordon.
In addition to his other recorded work, you can hear Ted on Mike Murley’s CDs Extra Time, and the Jazz Report’s Album of the Year recipient, Conversation Piece. You can also hear Ted on the Juno Award winning Tales from the Blue Lounge by Richard Underhill. Ted’s recorded work also includes the video game Cuphead and CTV’s Bomb Girls.

Khôra & Mas Aya - Primordial Mind [Marionette29]
2026-06-03 20:00 - 23:00
Join us to celebrate the release of the latest project from Khôra & Mas Aya

Doors: 7:30 PM
Show: 8:00 PM
Primordial Mind forms the mysteries and intensity of inner life into eight mandalic instrumentals where Mas Aya and Khôra, artists who share 15 years of music making, orchestrate an inspired, prismatic palette of percussive and melodic sources. Each composition presented stages a vigorous meshwork of colours and textures, contrasting riveting polyrhythms with towering arrangements for flutes, synths, and processed acoustic instruments.Tendencies which the artists trace in their solo practices are amplified, blended, and refracted sublimely in unison, serving as energetic portals to the collective awareness.
Combining trans-ethnic scaling alongside a heady brew of rhythmic influences and advanced electronic processing, the recordings on this album operate with a tactility that vaults between free jazz, dub, raga, ambient, and ritual music. Assimilated powers of primal drum patterning and psychoactive, ceremonial melodies, invoke fourth world adjacencies with the work of Don Cherry, Jon Hassell, Popol Vuh et al. There is an alchemical, Buddhist/Taoist/Hindu inflection that guides the record’s narrative, formed through dialogue between the artists over lifelong shared interest in spiritual modalities generally and the tantric approaches of the global east in particular. The album title is derived from an unexcelled esoteric work known as the Kalachakra (Wheel of Time)Tantra and its associated commentary the Ornament of Stainless Light which detail forms of inner and outer transubstantiation within its complex cosmology and metaphysiology.
Mas Aya is the moniker of Brandon Miguel Valdivia, acclaimed Nicaraguan-Canadian composer, producer, and musician whose electronic and jazz inspired works creatively interlace Colombian, Cuban, and a wide array of traditional music. Khôra is the name of the occult entity that uses multi-instrumentalist, producer, and writer Matthew Ramolo to pronounce itself.
Returning to Marionette following 2024’s monumental Gestures of Perception, Primordial Mind reinforces the rigorous and magical approach to creation which defines Khôra’s two decades of sonic output. Brandon and Matthew met back in 2011 and the pair toured around eastern
Europe with Toronto band Picastro in 2013, also performing as a duo with Brandon contributing drums to Khôra’s opening sets. After a short spate composing and playing in the ensemble Bespoken together, they continued to discover shared inspiration in psych/art rock, jazz, experimental and electronic music, providing a fertile soil for friendship and collaboration resulting in their collaged, lo-fi album Tangled Roots in 2017.
Mythic and talismanic, the duo’s Marionette debut weaves a luminous tapestry of organic pulses, offering itself as a support for resonant meditation and a motor for lucid action and intuition.

Shjaane Glover + Poppy Miers | Live at Silence Guelph
2026-06-05 20:00 - 23:00
Join Southern Ontario singer-songwriter Shjaane Glover for an intimate evening of live music at Silence in Guelph alongside special guest Poppy Miers.
Based in Collingwood on the shores of Georgian Bay, Shjaane’s music sits at the intersection of indie-folk atmosphere and emotional clarity. Known for expressive vocals, reverb-washed guitars, and honest songwriting, his songs explore the space between doubt and hope while carrying a warmth that feels both expansive and deeply personal.
Earlier this year, Shjaane received an Honourable Mention at the 2026 International Songwriters Day Song Contest for his song Effervescence, recognized among entries from across Canada, the UK, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Taiwan, Austria, and the United States. His music can also be heard on CBC Radio, and he has made appearances at Nashville Takeover showcases across Ontario.
Following the release of his six-song EP Conjure This, this performance offers a more stripped-back and intimate setting to experience the songs live. Blending atmospheric indie-folk textures with subtle alternative influences, the music moves between quiet reflection and moments of lift and momentum.
Whether you’ve been following along for years or are discovering the music for the first time, this evening at Silence is meant to feel close, honest, and shared.
Instagram: @shjaaneglover

IMPROV CIRCUS!
2026-06-12 19:30 - 21:30
June 12th
7:30pm
Pay what you can

The IMPROV CIRCUS is BACK!!

Treat yourself to a night of hilarious improvised scenes and games! We’ve assembled improvisers from Guelph, KW, Hamilton and Toronto so that you can enjoy the variety of styles and pizzazz that these performers have to offer.

Once again we are spoiled with treats from Sugar Syndicate! Free samples, and bags for sale at the show.

Come enjoy the spontaneous magical once-in-a-lifetime moments that make an improv show spectacular. We’d love to see you there!

Reserve your seat by claiming a $0 ticket on the Eventbrite link below, and pay what you can in cash at the door.

Silence Presents: Grdina/Lillinger
2026-06-21 19:00 - 22:00
JUNE 21, 2026
Doors: 6:30 PM
Show: 7:00 PM
Gordon Grdina Midi-guitar/oud, Christian Lillinger Drums/Electronics
The phenomenal, genre-mashing juggernaut duo Grdina/Lillinger mixes electronica, drum and bass, metal, punk, and free jazz into their explosively self-expressive sound. A force of nature on guitar and oud, Gordon Grdina and virtuosic powerhouse drummer Christian Lillinger intersperse intense, complex, spacious, heavily grooving free improv with modular composition ideas. Equal parts rock, punk, and exploratory atonality, these next-level innovators take unexpected turns at every corner, while taking their wildfire chemistry to the next level in this duo setting.
‘Grdina’s fierce licks pushing Lillinger into a manic punk-jazz realm. Lillinger is a masterful shapeshifter, and Grdina is the perfect counterpart for his anything-goes aesthetic…the ideal mixture of technical brilliance and gut-punch intensity.” TROY DOSTERT ALL ABOUT JAZZ

Willem James Cowan w/ Cowboy Medicine & Nick Zubeck
2026-06-27 20:00 - 23:00
JUNE 27TH, 2026
8 PM
$15 in advance/ $20 at the door NOTAFLOF
Nick Zubeck:
Nick Zubeck is a Toronto born, Guelph based musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for his eclectic and inventive style, blending elements of folk, rock, jazz, ambient, and experimental music. He has been active in the music scene for more than three decades and has developed a reputation for thoughtful songwriting, expressive vocals, and intricate guitar work. Nick has recorded and released a number of original LP’s, including Hiding Out And Laying Low (2003), Tracker (2008), Saltwater (2008), Skydiving (2016), Venusian Blues (2020), and Echo Park (2023). He also composes and produces instrumental ambient music under the moniker Maud Gonne.
In addition to his solo work, Nick has collaborated with a wide range of artists and musicians, further expanding his creative reach and musical palette. As a sideman, he has worked with Sun Kil Moon, Great Lake Swimmers, Sandro Perri, Dana Sipos. Barzin, Donovan Woods, Royal Wood, Roxanne Potvin, Rich Burnett, Priya Thomas, and many others. Nick has toured extensively and internationally, having played many of the world’s great stages and festivals, notably Pitchfork Fest, Hillside, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Royal Festival Hall in London and The Town Hall in NYC.

Cowboy Medicine:
A duo project created on a foundation of friendship and shared passions, Cowboy Medicine is rooted in tight harmony and story telling. Kale and Lane bring their chemistry and folksy indie influence to the stage, showcasing their shared experiences and the growing pains of life.

Willem James Cowan:
In a Willem James Cowan song, the entire world spills out from the smallest detail. He never sacrifices the vividness of the narrative for a borrowed platitude or a hackneyed phrase. Writing and recording in London, Ontario, Cowan draws inspiration from great wordsmiths like Elliott Smith, Dan Mangan, Joni Mitchell, and Sufjan Stevens. He lets his characters breathe in the verses and choruses, and he’s laser-focused on the emotion and authenticity tucked into the dark corners of his stories. In “Apartment” he sings of nostalgia and how we are haunted by the ones we’ve loved: “Three years from tonight / I won’t remember your body / But I will remember your light / Alone in an airport lobby”. His taut hooks and driving rhythms draw us into the narrative, rooting for the characters as they careen toward salvation or demise.
Cowan’s process is varied but often begins with a few chords and a mumbled melody until something sticks. Perhaps his focus on lyrics stems from his discomfort with placeholders. Where many songwriters start with nonsense or simple phrases and write the final lyrics in the editing stage, Cowan’s unfold as the song progresses. The story never takes a back seat to the overall creation, and the songs carry this clarity into the studio and the live show. Cowan’s alternately confessional and celebratory show has graced the stage of NXNE, VENUExVENUE, and Summerfolk where he left audiences wondering whether they want to cry sad or happy tears.

THE BREAK⚡️EVEN BOYS album release Gala
2026-07-03 19:30 - 23:00
THE BREAK⚡️EVEN BOYS are releasing their debut all original album. Friday, July 3 at silence in Guelph Ontario. Tickets are limited.

This is a very special event you do not want to miss. Join us as we take you through our original music. On a journey through music and The High Plains of wonder.

Silence Presents: Andrea Scala
2026-07-10 20:00 - 23:00
July 10th, 2026
Doors: 7:30 PM
Show: 8:00 PM
Andrea Scala (drums + electronics) :
The project involves the use of acoustic drums, samples, and other electronic elements, all played in a sort of one-man band. These compositions incorporate abstract rhythms, textures, noises and electronics, employing analog and digital processes. Everything is expressed through a system of improvisation within a musical structure, dictated by the interaction of different rhythms that overlap and generate incidents with other sounds in transit. The idea is to fuse all these elements together and transport them beyond the static, aiming to express something happening in the moment, generating chaos and movement. Organic and digital, human and machine, in total creative freedom, conceptually jazzy and adventurous.Bio :
Born in Italy and based in Toronto, Andrea Scala is a drummer and composer. He showed a natural inclination towards percussive instruments and creative arts since he was a kid. Andrea started from a teen age to work as a live and studio session drummer with various bands and songwriters, gathering several collaborations with established musicians in the field of rock and progressive music. He toured with pop, alternative, jazz, folk and world-music bands, performing at festivals, venues and clubs in Europe, Canada, USA. He continues to collaborate and develop original musical projects together with creative composers and musicians.
Over the years, Andrea had the opportunity to collaborate with several projects, his concerts and recordings include collaborations with: David Binney, Shahzad Ismaily, Jozef Dumoulin, Roberto Tarenzi, William Brittelle (Grammy-award winning), Nicola Costa, Francesco Puglisi, Karl Potter, Piccola Orchestra La Viola, O’ Zulù, Duo + 2 Quartet, Jeff kollmann, Tommy Denander, Ron Thal, etc.
Andrea has been recording, performing, and producing music with some of the most visionary artists around: In 2024, he recorded the EP “ENDROLL” and subsequently the single “Till Next,” with the collaborative trio Shahzad Ismaily/Stanford Cheung/Andrea Scala, produced by Ismaily. Between 2024 and 2025, Andrea wrote, produced, and released “BURHST,” a collaborative single with Italian drummer and composer Roberto Pistolesi, and subsequently another single titled “Stems,” with American saxophonist and composer David Binney (creator/producer of David Bowie’s band Blackstar).

FROTAE @ Silence
2026-07-12 13:00 - 16:00
+ Dan Laughrin, Liberté Anne, Genviève Gauthier, Joe Sorbara

Sunday, 12 July
1pm
FROTAE +
Dan Laughrin, Liberté Anne, Genviève Gauthier, Joe Sorbara
FROTAE is an ensemble of five saxophonist-improvisers whose work combines microtonal composition, collective listening practices, spatialized sound, and improvisation. They have been working as a core unit since 2023 when they began to develop a deeply collaborative musical language rooted in long-term experimentation and collective listening. The ensemble creates immersive listening environments in which the tactile and psychoacoustic properties of the saxophone become physically perceptible to audiences as performances move between the feeling of playground and sacred ceremony.
For this Guelph performance, Liberté Anne will present a reduced version of FROTAE, taking on one of its modular facets in the form of an electroacoustic sound-installation with live performance.
FROTAE member Geneviève Gauthier will perform live, interacting with pieces are drawn from the raw materials on FROTAE’s upcoming album, volume 2, reworked for this new collaborative iteration in a spatialized listening setting by David Psutka (Halocline Trance).
The Montréal-based visitors will also be joined by Guelph’s own Dan Laughrin on guitar and Joe Sorbara on drums and percussion for a set of freely improvised pieces.

IMPROV CIRCUS!
2026-07-24 19:30 - 21:00
Date: July 24th
Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Cost: Free
Website: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/improv-circus-tickets-1992603767508

Improv show featuring an assortment of local improvisers, most of them performing together for the very first time! Watch the magic happen!

Ouuuuuuuu Ahhhhhh…
It’s Improv Circus, once again!!
This sensational show blends together improvisers and improv groups with a range of styles for a magical evening of games and scenes that will never be the same again! It’s the shock and awe, the hilarity, and the emotional moments that make this show so much fun for everyone in the room.
Performers will be announced throughout the month – stay tuned!
Plus, free samples + killer candy for sale from Sugar Syndicate.
Come enjoy the spontaneous magical once-in-a-lifetime moments that make an improv show spectacular.
We’d love to see you there!
🎟️ Reserve your ticket here for free. At the door we’ll accept cash donations to help us support local art!
Message us with any questions.
Ps. The awesome artwork is by @marcelaecheverrioc 🎨

IMPROV CIRCUS
2026-08-14 07:30 - 21:30
August 14th
7:30pm – 9:00pm
By donation

Ouuuuuuuu Ahhhhhh…
It’s IMPROV CIRCUS, once again!!
This sensational show blends together improvisers from Guelph and surrounding area with a range of styles for a magical evening of games, scenes and experimental formats that will never be the same again! The show is hosted by the ringmaster who always has surprises in store for the performers. It’s the shock and awe, the hilarity, and the emotional moments that make this show so much fun for everyone in the room. If you’ve never seen improv theatre live, now is your chance!
You can also enjoy free samples + killer candy for sale from Craig and Amanda AKA Sugar Syndicate!
Reserve your ticket here for free:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/improv-circus-tickets-1996183106407
At the door we’ll accept cash donations to help us continue to host shows and classes, and support our local art community.
Come enjoy the spontaneous magical once-in-a-lifetime moments that make an improv show spectacular.
We’d love to see you there!
Ps. The awesome artwork is by @marcelaecheverrioc

The Fron2 Four Live @ Silence
2026-08-29 19:30 - 22:30
Fron2 four is a creative music project centered around the work of creative instrument inventor Fron Reilly. Reilly’s creative work in instrument construction has yielded a subtle and entrancing soundscape. He has been active this year in soundtrack work for films. He is joined in performance by creative improvisors James Erikson on reeds and woodwinds, Stephen Vickery on string bass, and Claire Whitehead on violin. Together they create an exciting and dramatic sound. They will be joined at this performance by the duo Talon.

Tony Molesworth- A Mystical Musical evening Guelph
2026-09-19 19:30 - 21:30
A Musical Mystical Evening
Get ready for an in-person night filled with enchanting tunes and good vibes! Tony Molesworth invites you to dive into a musical mystical journey that’ll stir your soul and lift your spirit. Come chill, listen, and experience the magic live. Don’t miss out on this unique evening of sound and mystery!

Weaving Humorous Story Spinning songs, Spoken Word, Metaphysical Musing, One Liners &
Hippy Wisdom & Pro-Fun-Ditty’s. Enlighen-tainment for the Magically inclined.
OPENED FOR: WEIRD AL, ELVIS COSTELLO, LEONARD COHEN, HOWIE MANDEL.

Silence Presents: Shapeshifter
2026-10-09 20:00 - 23:00
Shapeshifter is an experimental Canadian jazz trio led by Toronto based saxophonist Brittany Pitt.

Shapeshifter is an experimental Canadian jazz trio led by Toronto based saxophonist Brittany Pitt. In the unconventional setting of a bassless trio, Shapeshifter creates atmospheric music that combines angular melodies, spontaneous compositions and rhythmic concepts with atmospheric textures from each contributing member of the trio.
The music blends influences that have aﬀected the bandleader, such as her experience studying and playing in the New York improvised music scene, as well as years of listening to music of the ECM label and other European jazz artists.
The recording of “Shapeshifter” has been a reflection of Brittany’s shift and progression of her musical career, both compositionally and performatively. After attending the School for Improvisational Music in August of 2025, she felt the intense inspiration to explore and create a new musical project, focusing on the art of improvisational music. While attending the SIM program, Brittany studied under New York musicians Ralph Alessi, Matt Mitchell, John Hebert, Tom Rainey and Tim Berne. Each of these musicians inspired Brittany to look at composition and improvisation in a more open way and inspired her to explore more creative and less structured ways of composing and playing through original pieces, all while drawing upon the strengths of each individual band member.
Shapeshifter also features two in demand Canadian musicians, drummer Aidan McConnell (Potions, Burs) and guitarist Dan Pitt (Dan Pitt Trio, Dan Pitt Quintet). Both Aidan and Dan have been an integral part of the evolution of Shapeshifter, contributing their musical and performance abilities to both the written and open sections of the music.

Silence Presents: David James Allen & The Growing Machine
2026-10-22 20:00 - 23:00
David James Allen & The Growing Machine return this fall in support of the new album Jubilation Potpourri.

David James Allen & The Growing Machine return this fall in support of the new album Jubilation Potpourri. Featuring pedal steel and a dynamic, groove-driven one-person band setup, the performance moves between spacious, rhythmic passages and intimate songs—offering a memorable night for listeners who value thoughtful, live music.
DAVID JAMES ALLEN
On his latest single, “By Your Side,” Canadian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David James Allen provides a soothing balm for anyone experiencing tough times. Built upon an easy-flowing groove and featuring the soaring pedal steel work of Andrew Ivens, Allen sings with honest conviction that any of life’s trials can be overcome through love and commitment. “By Your Side” is the latest preview of Allen’s forthcoming album Jubilation Potpourri, following “Platform No. 12 (Old Friends),” which was added to Sirius XM’s North Americana and CBC Music’s Canadian Country playlists. David James Allen has been releasing music for more than a decade, but over the past several years—after moving east of Toronto to the wilds of Prince Edward County—he has been startlingly prolific. Beginning with 2017’s When The Demons Come and carrying on through 2020’s Radiations and the following year’s The Architect, Allen has been steadily amassing a remarkable body of work that stands alongside those of any of his Canadian contemporaries. He cites Canadian poets Al Purdy and Nelson Ball for inspiring many of his lyrics, with a predominant theme being the perils of hard living. Musically, whether channelling the rootsy funk of The Band and Bill Withers, or delivering a devastating ballad in the style of Townes Van Zandt and Harry Nilsson, David James Allen’s music is built upon a soulful foundation few of his contemporaries possess, putting him firmly at the vanguard of the alt-country/Americana scene.
JOSEPH GALLO JR.
Combining dark, pop progressions with moody lounge piano, Guelphs’ Joseph Gallo Jr.(Lowlands / Alanna Gurr / Odd Years / The Yage Letters, Lazu Lie, Motion.Picture.Cinema) is set to perform an array of solo material, accompanied by some of Guelph’s finest players, in a rare live band performance.
Driven by a first-world malaise, Gallo Jr’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics assimilate effortlessly within emotional piano ballads – much in the same vein as Lennon or Randy Newman. Other times, Gallo Jr’s capricious outlook and lyrical vulnerability is juxtaposed by a polished crooner vocals, while oozing with tension and heartache.
Fans of Harry Nilsson, Ben Folds, Emily Haines and Tobias Jesso Jr. take heed.
“It’s impossible to call this one genre… At times you get controlled chaos and at others, you get introspective piano melodies. It’s not pop, it’s not lounge, it’s not easy listening… but it’s definitely worthwhile.”

Jessica Rhaye, Bill Preeper & Sandy MacKay
2026-11-04 19:30 - 23:00
Catch New Brunswick based artist Preeper Rhaye MacKay bringing their unique folk vibes for a night you won’t want to miss!

Step into an evening of rich harmonies, thoughtful songwriting, and timeless folk music with Jessica Rhaye, Bill Preeper and Sandy MacKay – together known as Preeper Rhaye MacKay.
From New Brunswick, Canada, the trio takes listeners back to the height of the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960’s, while bringing a sound that feels timeless yet entirely their own. Finely blended three-part harmonies, shared lead vocals, and a seamless mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation that echo the spirit of Woody Guthrie, Ian Tyson, and early Bob Dylan.
Acclaimed songwriter and Canadian Folk Music Award nominee Jessica Rhaye, with more than 25 years of touring and nine albums to her name, leads on rhythm guitar, while Bill Preeper’s intricate fingerstyle guitar and mandolin add richness and depth. Sandy MacKay rounds out the trio on upright and electric bass, with touches of banjo that add warmth and colour to their sound.
Together, they create an intimate and engaging performance, often likened to a modern-day Peter, Paul and Mary, showcasing music from their ECMA Roots-nominated album Wood & Wire (2024) and their much-anticipated follow-up album Blackberry Lane (2026).
Whether you’ve followed folk music for years or are simply curious to experience it live, this concert offers an evening to settle in, listen closely, and connect through song, story, and harmony.
