Category: Fensala Hall

Above: Promotional photo supplied by the artist

It was a wonderful evening of music and stories at Fensala Hall in Markerville on November 11th, 2023. It began with Hamo on his accordion and keyboard reliving EuroVision, a fun way to start the evening. Then John Wort Hannam and Scott Duncan regaled us with stories and songs. The sold-out crowd thoroughly enjoyed the wit and wisdom of the musical numbers and went home fully satisfied with the performance of two craftsmen. — Photos by John McKechnie

In 2001, John Wort Hannam quit his teaching job and spent 10 months depleting his savings while sat at his kitchen table, wearing a lucky hat, writing his first ten songs. Those songs would become his first recording Pocket Full Of Holes, released in 2003.

Eighteen years later, the Alberta musician has released seven full-length recordings and has a few feathers in that lucky hat. Feathers that include a JUNO nomination, a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Album of the Year, A CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, a Kerrville Texas New Folk win, and numerous Western Canadian Music Award and Canadian Folk Music Award nominations.

Recent years have seen a great deal of change in John’s life – becoming a Dad, turning 50, a move to the big city (Lethbridge), a marital reckoning, a long, deep bout of depression, and episodes of losing his singing voice. But John has emerged a better songwriter, a better singer, and a better player. On Acres Of Elbow Room, John has further found his lyrical style and has landed squarely on his niche in the folk/roots world. He’s spent years learning the craft of songwriting and is taking those tools to write some of his most personal songs. He has, quite literally, found his voice.

These days John Wort Hannam has the same lucky hat but a new sound, a new band, a new confidence, and a ton of new songs. And it’s coming across loud and clear in his live show. With his firecracker band – Jason Valleau on upright bass, Jon May on drums, Scott Duncan on fiddle, and Stephen Fletcher on keys – John is making waves in a new soundscape.

Sponsored in part by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts!

Above: Photo of Matt Masters submitted by the artist for promotional material

“Matt Masters is first up for this year’s Concert Series at Fensala Hall. You can still get season tickets for $125 for all five concerts. Or pick and choose which concert you want to come to. This is a fundraiser to help pay for the upkeep of our five historic sites and gives you a chance to support the Alberta talent that will bring great music to your community.” — from a Facebook post on Sept. 17, 2023.

September 23, 2023 — Setup is complete and sound checks are starting. Doors open at 7:00 pm tonight at Fensala Hall for MATT MASTERS. Concert starts at 7:30 pm. 24 Main Avenue, Markerville.

Photos by Byron Nilsson

The Matt Masters concert at Fensala Hall was a treat last night! Matt and his band, Jeremy Gigneaux on fiddle and Wayne Garrett on steel guitar were a delight to listen to. — Photos by John McKechnie

Born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan and raised in Alberta, Matt Masters has had an extensive career in the arts as well as in politics. He was program leader for Alberta Music Cities at The National Music Centre, coordinator for 125th Anniversary Programs at Lougheed House, and event coordinator for Toronto Blues Society, founded and developed Canadian festivals and events such as the Spaghetti Western Music Festival, The Barney Bentall Cariboo Express, as well as produced for The Maples Blues Awards and CBC Radio. Masters has emceed countless reputable events including YYC Music Awards, Alberta Spotlight, Beltline Bonspiel, Calgary Folk Festival, and Bow Valley Music Club. Not only impassioned by the arts, Masters’ words have always been backed by his actions and he ran head to head against Stephen Harper in the 2015 federal election as the NDP candidate in Calgary Heritage.

More recently, Matt Masters has founded the quickly expanding Canadian company Curbside Concerts that has employed many musicians through Covid-19, while safely delivering live music performances to communities across the country. In 2020, Matt added a couple of new nominations to his repertoire of Music Industry and Person of The Year at the YYC Awards, which at the time, he was also a presenter for.

After a hiatus of almost a decade from his last full-length album, Matt Masters has now leaned back on his first love of performing and recording Country Western music and turned his efforts inward to create a lasting piece of music history. The result of these recordings are an homage to some of the world’s most prestigious country greats titled Everybody Loves A Winner which honours Matt’s deep respect of the legacy that is Country and Western music. The album includes covers of the likes of Willie Nelson, Joe South, Ian Tyson, and Dimitri Tiomkin. Everybody Loves A Winner is produced by fellow Canadian Leeroy Stagger and features some of the country’s finest players, including guest spots by Jill Barber and Barney Bentall. Matt Masters’ new album checks another box off toward a growing list of his esteemed accomplishments.

Sponsored in part by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts!

Above: Promotional photo of 6 Minute Warning supplied by the group

Fensala Hall Concert Series with 6 Minute Warning, March 25, 2023

6 Minute Warning is a Canadian vocal group based out of Edmonton, Alberta. The group consists of six members with extensive backgrounds in rock, pop, jazz, classical, and choral music. 6 Minute Warning is renowned for its exceptional singing tight harmonies, seamless phrasing, thrilling leadsolos, and intricate beatboxing. Their love for singing and their ability to create a soundscape with their voices continues to inspire audiences both young and old.

The group’s repertoire ranges from the upbeat stylings of rock and pop music to the complex nuances of jazz, drawing influence from Boyz II Men, Take 6, Michael Jackson and many others. 6 Minute Warning has had the pleasure of performing with many talented artists and organizations, including Ben Folds, Glass Tiger, Mark Masri, Ruben Studdard, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and Pro Coro Canada. They have also performed as guest artists at various festivals including the Canadian Cantando Festivals, and ChoralFest North alongside the
talented contemporary vocal ensemble Sixth Wave. In 2008 they competed in David Foster’s Star Search, placing as finalists and performing at his prestigious charity auction.

Recognizing the importance of encouraging choral and vocal education and encouraging young men to sing, 6 Minute Warning performs and presents workshops for many high schools and community groups.

Above: Promotional photo of Megan Nash supplied by the artist

“Megan Nash is writing some of the most beautiful songs in this country right now”
– Tom Power on CBC’s Q.

Megan Nash is a songwriter that lives on Treaty 4 Territory. They’ve won and been nominated for numerous awards, including a 2019 JUNO Award nomination for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year for Seeker, 2021 Saskatchewan Music Award for Alternative Artist of the Year, and 2021 Best of Moose Jaw Award for Best Musical Artist. The recognition back home is in no small part due to her long and winding history of hitting the road, where she’s done international showcases in the United States, the UK, Germany, and Estonia on top of countless gigs in Canada’s small towns and sprawling metropolises.

Megan Nash & the Best of Intentions – Are We Still in Love? (Official Video)

Megan Nash & the Best of Intentions – Are We Still in Love? (Official Video)

‘Are We Still in Love?’ from the album “Soft Focus Futures”

Filmed on Treaty 4 Territory
Produced by Hot Tag Films
Creative Concept/Co-producer – Megan Nash
Directors – Rob White and Megan Nash
Director of Photography – Rob White
MUA – Gina Brass

Special thank you to Darnell Stewart, Tanner Wilhelm Hale, Brady Frank, Dalton Lam, and Kara Golemba. This video was made possible with the financial support of Creative Saskatchewan.

Are We Still in Love?

they tore all of them down
they want to farm that land
but it’s really quite a pity
hard to find a treeline like that

they picked all of them up
heard they made a deal overseas
but it’s really quite a shame
that train cry is nothing but a memory

Are We Still in Love?

they burned all of them down
hard to tell it was a yard
but if you’re walking through in June you can still find asparagus and rhubarb

and they closed the store
right after they shut down the school
but when the market got bad
it felt like there wasn’t much left to do

Are We Still in Love?

when this is all gone
will we still be left
or will we always be thinking about
what’s
next

Are We Still in Love?

Follow Megan Nash:
https://www.instagram.com/megannashmusic
https://www.facebook.com/megannashmusic
https://twitter.com/megannashmusic

www.megannash.ca
Copyright 2021 by Megan Nash, under exclusive license to acronym Records

Above: Promotional photo from the Rault Brothers bio

Rault Brothers Band at Fensala Hall on Saturday, November 12, 2022

The Rault Brothers have had a major impact on the Edmonton blues scene over the last 50 years and remain sought after musicians to this day. In the early 1970s the Rault Brothers not only had one of the best bands around Edmonton, but were the core members of the outstanding band, Pontiac.

A singer-guitarist-songwriter in the folk-blues-roots genre since 1969, Lionel was the first active performer to be inducted into The Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame.
With a wide range of concert, nightclub, television, radio and festival appearances to his credit, he has shared stages with John Hiatt, Willie Dixon, John Hammond, Ruthie Foster, Jesse Winchester, Taj Mahal, Eric Bibb, Eric Burdon, David Francey, Rick Holmstrom, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, the Staple Singers, ZZ Top, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and many other artists.

His five albums are the independent releases: Killin’ Time (1980), Been So Long (1989), No Tell Hotel (1992), Lionel Rault (2004) and The Further Adventures of… (2007).
These days, when not working on his own music, he plays mainly in the folk-roots-blues genre with his brother, Ron, in The Rault Brothers Band.

Ron Rault is an excellent tunesmith, songwriter and a first-call bass player for recording sessions and tours for diverse headliners that include a Western Canada tour with the great John Lee Hooker. He played bass on Johnny Shines’ album “Too Wet to Plow” in 1975 along with Sugar Blue and Louisiana Red. Ron’s writing skills are seen in “Jump Up”, a song he wrote for the Powder Blues Band out of Vancouver. For a number of years he has worked as a core member of two Peter North productions Come In My Kitchen and most recently Front Porch Roots Revue that has travelled extensively across the Prairies.

The Rault Brothers Band have been one of Alberta’s favourite folk-roots musicians for over 50 years and have shared the stage with performers including The Pointer Sisters, The Who, John Mayall, John Hiatt, Taj Mahal, J.J. Cale, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, the Staple Singers and more.
Ron and his brother, Lionel, were inducted into the Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame in June of 2014.

Above: Promotional photo of Marcus Trummer submitted by the artist

“Fensala Hall Concert Series kicks off on September 17th, 2022 in Markerville! Doors open at 7 pm with the show starting at 7:30. Stefan Palm from Sylvan Lake will be opening the show. The main performance is Marcus Trummer Band. If you don’t have your tickets yet, visit the Historic Markerville website to purchase!”
— Facebook post from September 17, 2022

Photos submitted

Dubbed “a precocious guitarist whose vocals possess a wise-beyond-his-years weariness” by the Calgary Herald, Marcus Trummer’s eclectic sound encompassing roots, blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll, is a modern yet familiar take on the sounds of past decades. The 21-year-old songwriter and performer from Calgary, Alberta has shared stages with Canadian blues heavyweights MonkeyJunk and Jim Byrnes.

In 2019, Trummer was the recipient of the Calgary International Blues Festival’s Randy Ouston Scholarship and was recognized with the Prophets of Music Emerging Artist Award at Calgary’s YYC Music Awards. The following year, Trummer and his band released their debut EP These Roads, receiving support from CBC Radio One and CKUA. Trummer and his band were also invited to perform as part of the National Music Centre’s 2020 gala, alongside a lineup that included the likes of Jann Arden and Corb Lund.

Trummer is currently spending time between Calgary and Toronto, working on his debut solo offering, a full length album to be released in 2023.

Sponsored in part by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts!

Above: Promotional photo from the artist’s website

KAYLA WILLIAMS BAND with guest CHARLIE JACOBSON
March 12th, 2022 at Fensala Hall, 24 Main Avenue, Markerville, AB

Calgary’s powerhouse vocalist, Kayla Williams, is a rising talent making waves in the world of yacht-pop music. Inspired by the smooth sounds of late ‘70s legendary artists such as TOTO, Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, and the Doobie Brothers, the songstress breathes new life into the genre. With her soulful vocals and contemporary production style, she brings a fresh perspective infused with feminine flair.

Williams’ talent has not gone unnoticed. She is nominated for Pop Artist of the Year for the 2024 Western Canadian Music Awards, she won the 2021 Red Deer Emerging Artist award and she was commissioned to write a song for the 2019 Canada Winter Games (performing it to an audience of over 8,000 people and on TSN). A seasoned musician and 10-year vocal coach, she has performed at many festivals throughout Western Canada. Her soulfully dynamic vocals and fearless femininity have even earned her praise from Beach Boy Brian Wilson himself (“You’ve got the voice!”).

With her undeniably upbeat and feel-good energy, Williams offers a refreshing and modern take on the retro-inspired genre. The glittery yacht-pop revival is here, and Kayla Williams is leading the charge!

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Special guest Charlie “Blue” Jacobson is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Red Deer, Alberta. He has backed up and been backed up by some of the Canadian blues giants: Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Russell Jackson, David Vest and Donald Ray Johnson, to name a few.

Sponsored in part by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts!

Above: Promotional photo of Allen and Arnell

On Saturday February 12, 2022 in Markerville, feature artists Jane Allan & Lance Arnell were joined by four members of Pure Country for the third event in the 2021/2022 Fensala Hall Concert Series. The concert had been originally scheduled for Sept. 25, 2021 but was postponed until the new year.

Saturday, February 12, 2022 was a wonderful evening of old time music at Fensala Hall. The opening act of Pure Country (minus 4) played music that took you back to the family dances of one’s youth.
Allan and Arnell delighted the audience with covers of old time favourites and inspirational tunes written by Jane Allan. They were backed up by two fine musicians: Rhonda Shippy on bass and Jarred Albright on fiddle. It was well worth the wait to have Allan and Arnell perform as they had two previous concert dates postponed, one due to weather and the other due to COVID-19 in Sept. 2021.

Sponsored in part by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts!

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Opening for Allan & Arnell on Feb. 12 at the Fensala Hall Concert Series were four of the members of Pure Country: Gary Giesbrecht on fiddle, Bill Lamport on guitar and vocals, Jerry Hall on guitar, and Dean Sandham on banjo.

The group of eight who make up the band have played together for ten years at venues that include Calgary Stampede, Irricana, and Airdire; including events, parades and various Old Time Dances. For this appearance at the Concert Series they have dubbed themselves “Pure Country (minus 4)”

Above: Photo of T Buckley supplied for promotional material

The Friday, January 28, 2022 show in the Fensala Hall Concert Series features T. Buckley, who lists the upcoming show on his website as “… a super fun gig we hope you can join us for. I’ll be joined by musical pals Jesse Dollimont and Mitch Jay and there will be an opening set by Sarah Hiltz!”

Award-winning songwriter T. Buckley stands quietly among a disappearing ilk of true craftsmen. Shadowed by his Western roots, his soul and voice are unmistakably genuine, and the result is a class of songsmith long revered and scarcely achieved.

With influences stemming from the ’60s Laurel Canyon and New York Cafe scenes, he tells stories embedded with detail, empathy and heart. Buckley’s dedication to his art has seen him on renowned showcase and festival stages throughout North America. Buckley’s most recent album, “Frame by Frame,” has been recognized through Canadian Folk Music Award and Western Canadian Music Award nominations, as well as a Calgary Music Award for best folk recording.

Versatility as a songwriter and musician have T. Buckley on the road in a variety of arrangements, rolling solo, collaborating with fellow Alberta songsmith John Wort Hannam as The Woodshed and performing with sibling songstress, Mariel Buckley. Perhaps the perfect vehicle to deliver Buckley’s evocative narratives though, is his acoustic trio, whose tight harmonies and intricate arrangements captivate audiences wherever they perform.

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Sarah Hiltz is a contemporary folk artist based in Toronto. Her current project has her researching the ways Canadians experience, express and suppress anger in modern society, especially women, and creating a song cycle in response.

Sarah’s last album, Beauty In The Blue, compiled songs and stories culled from her multiple journeys across Canada as a travelling musician on VIARail’s passenger train, “The Canadian”. Beauty in the Blue features lush, nuanced vocals and jazz-influenced songwriting.

Sponsored in part by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts!