The Haven Social Club

Doors at 7:30pm
Tickets $15 at the door, $12 for SAC members

A songwriter’s in-the-round event, produced and hosted by Ann Vriend, sponsored by the Songwriter’s Association of Canada and the Edmonton Arts Council. This rendition’s artists are: Matt Masters, Terry Morrison, Heather Blush and Kevin Cook.

___________________________________

Since 1999 Matt Masters has been bringing southern Alberta country and western music to people all across Canada. He’s the king of the marathon tour, making a national name for himself with his 2005 tour of Alberta performing 100 shows in 120 days, while driving almost 30,000 kilometers. 2008 saw Matt do a ‘30 shows in 30 days’ tour of Calgary and also saw the launch of Matt’s original country and western musical, Don Coyote. Don Coyote debuted in Toronto October 4th 2008 as part of the prestigious Nuit Blanche festival. In 2009 Matt became a regular feature at Calgary Flames games, performing in the Saddledome in front of 19,000 hockey fans. In June 2009 he toured Germany, England and Turkey to rave reviews. In September 2009 Matt acted in the film, “Western Confidenial,” he played the role of Marty Waters, a rambling singer in the old west. Matt is also working on the soundtrack to the film. That same month Matt was awarded the Telus Arts Award for Innovation in the Arts as part of the Mayor’s Awards for Calgary and the Arts. In November 2009 Matt performed for the third year in a row as part of Barney Bentall’s annual Grand Cariboo Opry in British Columbia. In February 2010 Matt returned to the Middle East for the second time in a year, this time for a tour of Qatar with the Gentlemen of the Rodeo and they also toured Germany. The Matt Masters World Tour concluded in Vancouver with a performance at Alberta House during the Olympics. An original honky-tonker with a true connection to the Canadian west, Matt Masters is the real deal.

___________________________________

Singer – Songwriter Terry Morrison is a well loved member of the Canadian music scene. She has been described as “...one of the most intellectually compelling songwriters in town…” by Edmonton music reviewer Roger Levesque. An accomplished guitar player, Morrison’s unique sense of melody and phrasing create her own inimitable brand of contemporary roots music. Delivered in a rich sensual voice, her songs reflect a compassionate and innate intelligence. Spanning the range from jazzy folk to country, her music both soothes and cuts to the quick.

Morrison has toured extensively throughout Canada and the USA and has performed at many Canadian folk fests including Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto’s Mariposa Festival, Vancouver Island Music Fest, Frostbite in the Yukon and both the North and South Country Fairs of Alberta. Highly respected as a songwriter she has shared the stage with Janis Ian, Tom Russell, Greg Brown, Victoria Williams and Ian Tyson, as well as performing as the opening act for songwriting icons Louden Wainwright III and Richard Thompson .

Morrison has 4 independently released CD’s and her music is played on public radio stations CBC, CKUA in Alberta, NPR in the US and numerous college and university stations across Canada and the US. Her songs have been used in two independent films and by the Fox Network and have been included on numerous compilation CD’s; “Hair of the Dog”, “Smilin’ Jay’s Happy Hour”, “Sounds of Canada”, “Songs From the Avenue” and the Smithsonian Folkways release,“Wild Roses Northern Lights” a compilation of songs by Alberta Songwriters that puts Terry in the company of Ian Tyson, Corb Lund, KD Lang and Maria Dunn to name a few.

Terry is also part of the “Christmas Carol Project” an annual event that takes the Dickens tale and interprets it from the view of a collection of songwriters. The cast includes Bill Bourne, Maria Dunn, Dale Ladouceur, Kevin Cook, Tom Roschkov, Al Brant and Terry with Ken Brown as narrator and Bill Hobson on Drums. This show was produced for television with BRAVO! and a cd of the live performance was released in 2005.

___________________________________

Heather Blush and The Uppercuts are a trio of rogue troubadours who knock the socks off every new audience they meet. Based in Calgary, Alberta, their sound can be described as somewhere between the “Adult Alternative” styles of Sarah Slean and Sarah Harmer, and old “Ella/Louis-style” vocal jazz/blues. Heather’s voice is often compared to Norah Jones and Maria Muldaur. With energetic, audience-engaging shows, she is quickly becoming known for songwriting that covers all bases between witty sarcasm and gutwrenching honesty. With “Captain” Steve Hazlett on drums and recently a rotating cast of stellar upright bass players, this trio packs a punch and leaves a lasting impression. The ensemble’s first album was released in June 2008. Vice is a collection of twelve songs focusing in on various “vices”, including the usual suspects (alcohol, bad relationship choices) and some surprises (music and travel as vices). Only a year after its release, Versa was released as a follow-up album. It is of course the antithesis to Vice, and explores the lighter side of life. Both albums have been well-received across Canada on CBC radio, as well as university and independent stations, landing on many charts. 2010 has started off as a great year, with the trio performing at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, and Heather’s song “I Don’t Believe Me Anymore” being chosen as a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

___________________________________

Kevin Cook is a long, lean song writing machine. This 21st century troubadour has roots deep in the country and blues traditions, creating the foundation for his strong narrative songwriting style. Inspiration comes from short stories, modern poetry and sounds from all over the world. A seasoned performer who has played everywhere from street-corners to concert halls, Cook conjures up real-life characters and situations that move audiences. You see words like “mesmerizing” and “authentic” pop up in his reviews. Kevin plays guitar in a range of tunings and uses edgy first-rate fingerpicking & slide to deliver his songs with a lot of soul and conviction. And he admits to having an attraction to writers on the fringe like Kerouac or Charles Bukowski. Reviewers unanimously agree that “Cook’s obvious ace is his lyrics.” Flavors of old blues, traditional bluegrass and country resonate from the stage.