Friday, December 9, 2011

In what has become a December tradition, Plain Folk (a.k.a. the Side Door’s house band), made up of hosts Isabelle Delage, Mick Perreaux, Leigh Redding and Val Teodori, will put you in the right mood for the Holidays with a set of their off-the-beaten-path Christmas tunes!

Michel Pasteur has been chugging away in bands since the 1980s: punk bands, bar bands, Ukrainian wedding bands...there was even a stint in an Egyptian pop band. And over the years, he's learned some neat rhumbas, ragtime, western swing, jazz, blues and bossa tunes. Michel will be bringing his fedora, his finger-style guitar-playing and his cracked voice for an eclectic set at the Side Door Coffee House. Think...Leon Redbone meets Carlos Jobim.

While Montreal-based singer songwriter Jim Robinson continues to write and record, lately he's been performing more and adding many new songs to his set list. As with his previous four albums, No Turning Back (2010), reflects both his rural roots and many years of living and working in the city. Featuring his distinctive voice, storyteller's sensibility and sense of humour, Jim's work falls stylistically into the contemporary roots/folk category. His current songs continue to find the extraordinary in the commonplace, in people's everyday lives. "I always tend to be surprised by stuff we overlook, by people who initially seem unassuming, by situations that appear unexceptional. Whenever I hear words like ‘boring’ or ‘uninteresting’, I'm sure to be interested." For more information: www.jimrobinson.ca

Distinguished by Maverick Magazine as "A Lady of Conviction", Canadian, Folk singer songwriter, Phyllis Sinclair has earned national and international attention for her songs of truth and triumph. In 2011, she was nominated for “Best Female Artist” by the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, while her latest album, Dreams of the Washerwoman was nominated for “Best Folk Acoustic Album”. Likewise, Radio Canada International's Brazilian sector singled her album out as a best new recording by a Canadian artist in 2011. Phyllis toured Australia in 2010, Scotland in 2011, and is in the process of planning a European Tour in 2012. To find out more: www.phyllissinclair.com