The Halifax Urban Folk Festival kicks off its 15th anniversary with a bang as we present an opening night songwriters’ circle featuring Jimmy Rankin, Leeroy Stagger and Christina Martin, at The Carleton on Monday, September 30th. Show time is 7 PM and tickets, while they last, are $42.50 + HST.
Jimmy Rankin is a renowned Canadian songwriter with a long string of hits for The Rankin Family and from his solo albums. He joined the family group as a young teen, and soon became co-lead singer and songwriter of such classics as “North Country,” “You Feel The Same Way Too,” and “Movin’ On.” His name is synonymous with the East Coast sound, and was one of the very first writers to bring it to a national and international audience. His 1994 Juno-winning single “Fare Thee Well Love” has taken on a life of its own having been sung by choirs around the globe and in 2013, voted the #1 East Coast song of all time by CBC listeners across Canada.
As a solo artist, he’s been ruling the charts since his 2001 debut Song Dog, with such hits as “Followed Her Around,” “Here in My Heart,” and “Cool Car.” His overcrowded mantle includes five Juno Awards, seven Canadian Country Music Awards, and a whopping 27 East Coast Music Awards.
It’s said the cells in your body replace themselves every decade or so. After 11 albums, two EPs and 17 years as a singer-songwriter, Leeroy Stagger has been wondering if maybe the soul works the same way. Ten years sober, with two kids, a home in Lethbridge and a world class recording studio to go with it, he’s far removed from the hard-living twenty-something who started on this musical path. As far as Stagger can see, they aren’t even the same person. Leeroy just came off a very successful tour opening for Steve Earle.
They say the mark of fine songwriting is when a song feels like an old favourite on the first listen. With Christina Martin, you can find an album full of tracks that feel like time-treasured classics, and brand new singles that feel like the song you got married to. Sharp as a razor and shining like silver, her songs blend the relatable and personal, painting portraits of love, loss, tragedy and redemption to soul-stirring effect. Her music dances effortlessly through Pop, Rock, Folk and Americana traditions but stays deftly unchained by any one label, refusing to be pigeon-holed and unafraid to dip into stranger waters. The hooks hook, the hits hit hard, the words stop you dead and the music demands to be heard. Seven albums in with an eighth on the way, Christina Martin’s music is there for anyone who’s felt up against impossible odds, yet refused to lie down.