Master songwriter, story-teller, and all around great (and very funny) guy, Dave Gunning, with very special guest Rose Morrison, makes a rare, one-night-only appearance, at The Carleton on Sunday, November 17th. Show time is 7 PM and tickets are $40 +HST.
With fourteen albums to his credit, there’s no denying Dave Gunning’s impressive body of work. Fortunately, he’s just getting started…
The Nova Scotian folk musician has shared the stage with legends like Ron Hynes, Rita MacNeil, Stuart McLean, and Stompin’ Tom Connors, and has been recognized in his own right as a master of his craft, both as an award-winning singer-songwriter and a captivating performer.
Known for his abilities as a gracious storyteller, Gunning’s knack for connecting with audiences precedes the skills and experience he’s earned on the road—It is, for him, very much a way of life. Gunning shares the same sort of relationship with music as an eagle does with the sky. From a very young age, music has been Gunning’s way of interpreting the world around him, the lens through which he sees it, and the medium by which he engages with his community.
Dave has never needed to look far beyond his Pictou County, Nova Scotia backyard for inspiration. That’s where the characters live. That’s where the stories come from. Often shining a light on the well-deserving underdogs, he’s also never shied away from tougher topics, staying true to the folk music tradition. In recent years, those topics have tended to be more social and environmental in nature – causes that he holds near and dear. Nowhere has that been more evident, or public, than Dave’s strong stance against a local bleached kraft pulp mill – a proven polluter in the community.
Despite delivering some very important messages in his songs, audiences should also be prepared to laugh at a Dave Gunning show. His banter is perfectly timed, self-effacing, and very, very funny. It’s this finely-tuned balance of sincerity and impeccable performance that makes him one of the country’s most engaging entertainers.
Rose Morrison is an artist who embodies the roar of the sea with a pure and delicate voice, captivating audiences for nearly 25 years as a professional musician. Hailing from Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada, this versatile fiddler has carved out an impressive career, collaborating with luminaries such as Oscar and Grammy Award winner Glen Hansard, Irish folk legend Breanndán O Beaglaoich (Breanndán Begley), and celebrated Scottish-Canadian tenor John McDermott. She has graced the stage of Carnegie Hall twice, most recently in March 2024 for a tribute to Sinéad O’Connor and Shane MacGowan. Rose has also recorded three albums, toured extensively across North America, Europe, and Japan with the Cottars, and won three East Coast Music Awards.
Her latest album, The River She Knows, marks a significant evolution in her artistry, reflecting a newfound connection to her Cape Breton roots after living away for over a decade. This is Rose’s third solo album, following her 2010 debut The MacKenzie Project and Atlantic, which won the 2018 East Coast Music Award for Instrumental Recording of the Year. Additionally, she is set to release a duo album in the fall with frequent collaborator Breanndán O Beaglaoich. The pair met in Ireland in 2017, bonding over their shared love of music and the sea. Their collaboration includes a project for the Celtic Colours International Festival, Voices of the Naomhóg, which blends traditional Irish boat-building with music, Gaelic song, and dance.