Schedule of Events
- To reserve tickets email jsullivan@unity.edu
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The Irish Descendants
Tuesday February 7 at 7:30 pm
Since their formation in 1990, The Irish Descendants have garnered a loyal fan base in their native Canada, and captured the attention of an ever-growing international audience. The band’s award winning recordings range from lilting ballads to toe-tapping reels, and their high energy, humorous live performances have made them a popular attraction at home and abroad. To date, the band has sold half a million albums. Having toured extensively throughout North America,including headlining Celtic Festivals in Chicago, Boston and Cleveland, The Irish Descendants have performed at such prestigious venues as The Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and have played with many of the nation’s best symphony orchestras. They appeared on stage at The Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto in the theatrical production of Needfire, as well as headlining The International Festival of the Sea in England. The 1991 release of their first album, Misty Morning Shore, quickly catapulted the band from pub circuit regulars to radio stars. This led to a contract with Warner Music, and the release of Look to the Sea in 1993. In 1996, following the release of Gypsies and Lovers the previous year, The Irish Descendants were named Entertainers of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards, and received a Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy. By year’s end, the band’s first two albums were both certified Gold. Over the next decade the band continued to evolve, touring every year and releasing albums including a Greatest Hits Package, So Far So Good, and The Gift, a Christmas album. In 2004 the band released Across The Water for the New York based Kells Label. The album immediately cruised to the top of the North American Irish Charts, and drew rave reviews from the Irish media. The band has now released a new CD, Southern Shore, produced by Alan Doyle (Great Big Sea), and will be touring extensively throughout North America. Tickets $20.
Goitse
Thursday February 16 at 7:30 pm
Goitse (pronounced gwi-cha) is a five member Irish Trad band which specialises in their unique rythmic arrangements of well known tunes and own compositions. Goitse is a Donegal Irish word meaning ‘come here’. The distinctive quality of their sound lies in the arrangement of well-known traditional tunes interspersed with their own compositions, which make each set entertaining and unique. The band adds their own distinctive contribution to their cultural inheritance with ease and style. Even with hints of continental playing and modern rhythms there remains the overwhelming presence of Irishness."They have a big musical imagination and are not afraid to tear at the edges of the trad envelope".--Irish Music Magazine. Aine Mc Geeney, the vocalist, is also a well known singer, with songs in the English and Irish language. Her sweet, charismatic voice draws audiences into the music a way very few performers can achieve. Goitse's debut album which, was released in January 2010, has gained much praise from critics with Hotpress magazine assuring Irish traditional music lovers "They play with an easy assurance that should cause those fretting about the future of Irish trad to rest more easily at night." Lace up your dancing shoes and get ready for a night of wonderful music and fast paced fun with Goitse. Tickets $15.
The Cottars
Thursday February 23 at 7:30 pm
The Cottars have come a long way, starting as children peforming to a hometown audience through their teen years when they toured the world and shared stages with the biggest names in the business. Now they have evolved again, into young adults, mature in their skills with new faces and outlooks. Even with their relative youth still apparent, it seems that The Cottars have been a part of Canada’s East Coast music scene for years. They have the nominations and the hardware to prove it, including East Coast Music Awards and Nova Scotia Music Industry Awards. They have the road record to prove it as well: tours throughout Canada, shows in Europe and thirty-eight U.S. states, two tours of Japan and appearances at major festivals around the world. Joining the original Cottars members Ciarán and Fiona MacGillivray are two new band members Claire Pettit and Bruce Timmons. Claire is a fiddler and singer from Warwick Valley, NY. She adds a fresh bloom to the combination with her new style, different tune selection and lovely voice. While her roots aren’t in Cape Breton, Claire’s family has developed a strong love for the place during trips to the island, where her parents have a small house near the shores of Lake Ainslie on the island’s sunset coast. On the other hand, Bruce is a veteran guitarist with a wealth of skill and experience; both on stage and in the studio. Highly respected among his peers, he can fall into any style from straight Celtic to something far heavier, and feel right at home. This quartet, Ciarán and Fiona, Claire and Bruce, has become the evolutionary culmination that is now The Cottars. Feast is their fourth CD, extending and expanding The Cottars’ music without ever losing track of their roots. Their roots show through clearly when they dust off something old and masterfully link it with something more contemporary. Tickets $15.
Erica Brown 
Thursday March 1 at 7:30 pm
At the age of seven, Erica was competing in fiddle contests with kids twice her age. At age nine, she was traveling throughout New England, Canada, and even Louisiana with the Maine French Fiddlers. Erica also performed as a special guest with Mac McHale And The Old-Time Radio Gang for five years. Currently, she has her own bluegrass band, Erica Brown & The Bluegrass Connection, which performs all over New England. Erica is also a member of The Stowaways, Darlin’ Corey and The Record Family Band. She has competed in and won numerous fiddle contests throughout New England and Canada Her talent for combining the precision of classical music with the spontaneity of country and bluegrass fiddle makes for a fun-filled performance every time she plays. Performance highlights include opening for country music superstar Dwight Yoakam, as well as Grammy award winning bluegrass performer Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. Tickets $15.
J.P. Cormier with The Elliots
Thursday March 8 at 7:30 pm
Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, sideman, innovator, recording artist, award winner. His names are many, but underlying that is a young man with an ancient soul who has traveled the world for the past 23 years bringing his unique brand of joy to audiences wherever he goes. J.P. Cormier began playing guitar, self taught, at the age of 5 and quickly became immersed in the rich musical heritage of his Cape Breton roots. By the age of 9, he was considered a genuine prodigy and won his first guitar competition against 30 other players three times his age. By his mid-teens, it became obvious J.P. could play almost any stringed instrument he picked up. However it was his guitar playing which shone with his flawless executions of tunes he learned from records of giants like Chet Atkins and Doc Watson. At 16, Cormier recorded his first album, a collection of bluegrass instrumentals. With the project in hand, he worked his way across the U.S. festival circuit - performing for anyone who might take notice. These appearances led to a move to the U.S., and 10 years of session work, live appearances, and many memorable nights at the Grand Ole Opry with such notable artists as Waylon Jennings, Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe, Charlie Louvin, and Vince Gill. Since his return to Canada over decade ago, Cormier has released ten award winning recordings. J.P. Cormier is accompanied by the Elliots. No matter the combination, J.P.’s performances are simply electrifying. Tickets $15.
Ward MacDonald's PEI Fiddle Camp and Pineland Fiddlers
Thursday March 15 at 7:30pm
The Prince Edward Island Fiddle Camp Roadshow will feature Master instructors Ward MacDonald, Pastelle LeBlanc and Pascal Miousse. The Pineland Fiddlers with Ellen Gawler will open for the Masters. Ward MacDonald grew up in the Scottish fiddling traditions of Prince Edward Island. His playing reflects four generations of family fiddling and is spiced with a unique blend of Cape Breton, Acadian, and Irish influences. Pascal Miousse is one of the Magdalen Islands' finest fiddle players. He has developed his own style using a unique bowing technique rarely heard anywhere else. He left the islands in his late teens and since then has been performing in concert halls and festivals around the world. Multi-instrumentalist Pastell LeBlanc favors the accordion. At the age of ten, she started playing the piano and accompanying fiddle tunes. It is only many years later that she picked up the piano accordion and hasn't looked back since. Tickets $15
Richard Wood
Thursday March 29 at 7:30pm
For more than two decades, Richard Wood has impressed audiences all across Canada, as well as in the US, Europe, and Japan. "Picture it: A graceful tune to start off a set, with beautiful zippering lines, played while caressing the fiddle to his ear, eyes closed, off in a serene realm in a dance with time, as he lures us there with him. Then a cutting strathspey to kick it into a higher gear as he whoops out loud and smiles at the crowd — a total of six reels in a row, all executed with flawless precision, pounding in rhythm, intoxicating in a firing energy, which brings about numerous fits of spontaneous applause from the crowd who spring to their feet in ovation immediately at the set’s end. Wood simply dropped every single jaw in the house — certainly making us all proclaim he is back, and he is better than ever." - Todd MacLean, Charlottetown Guardian.Tickets $15
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Sagapool
Thursday April 5 at 7:30pm
With its contagious joie de vivre and its vibrant music, this band of six musicians has created an original and dazzling repertoire that reflects the colourful influences of Montreal’s cultural mosaic.
Conceived in the hallways of the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal on a sunny day in 1999, Sagapool – previously known as Manouche – recently celebrated its ninth year with the release of its third album, Épisode Trois.
Guitar, double bass, accordion, percussions, banjo, glockenspiel, Rhodes, violin, clarinet and piano all shine in the hands of these multi-talented instrumentalists. With its diversified cultural background, the group defies simple categorization and performs its own blend of joyful and very cinematographic music. With Épisode Trois, Sagapool lets its music travel without borders and preserves the free spirit and exuberance of its first loves – gypsy music, gypsy swing and klezmer, while adding ska, latin and folk rythms.Tickets $15 
Shanneyganock
Thursday April 19 at 7:30pm
Fifteen foggy years ago, Mark Hiscock and Chris Andrews were double booked at a small pub in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Rather than cancel one performer, the charismatic owner suggested they play together and so was born Shanneyganock. Joined by longtime bassist Bob Pike, and Billy Sutton on drums, the group has since charmed many through their stirring ballads, powerful shanties, and rib-rattling jigs and reels. Their seven CD's have been featured on Home Brew compilations, Warner Record’s Atlantic Standard’s compilation and “Ed’s Up” on OLN Network with The Barenaked Ladies. 2007 also marked 4 Music Newfoundland and Labrador award wins including Entertainers of the Year, as well as a 2008 East Coast Music Award nomination for Roots Group. Tickets $15
April Verch
Tuesday April 24 at 7:30pm
April Verch, doesn’t just perform music, she exudes it. The internationally renowned Canadian fiddler, singer, songwriter and stepdancer has a passion for performing and her goal is to touch the lives of those who are listening at any given moment. “The world is this amazing puzzle that we can’t fully understand and music is the joy that pulls it all together and helps us make sense of it,” says Verch, with a dynamic excitement and confidence that makes you believe her in a heartbeat. Tickets $15
Gordie MacKeeman
Thursday May 3 at 7:30pm
This four-piece group of seasoned musicians hail from the rich and dynamic PEI music scene and have collectively toured North America and the UK with ECMA winners the Grass Mountain Hobos. Within months of forming the Rhythm Boys and releasing their self-titled debut CD, the band has received two Music PEI awards in 2011 for Roots/Traditional Group of the Year and Instrumental Recording of the Year. A talented dancer, Gordie has been dancing since his childhood. Dubbed "Crazy Legs", his unique style of clogging captivates audiences of all ages. The energetic fiddling and dancing of MacKeeman leads the Rhythm Boys through one rousing and reflecting song after another. It's the sort of the genuine East coast fiddle music that makes it memorable for those who haven't experienced it yet, and reassuring for those who never forgot it. Tickets $15
North Sea Gas
Thursday May 10 at 7:30pm
North Sea Gas: Ronnie MacDonald, Grant Simpson and Dave Gilfillan. Thirty years and stronger than ever!! One of Scotland’s most popular folk bands with great vocals and tremendous three part harmonies. Guitars, Mandolin, Fiddle, Bouzouki, Whistles, Bodhrans, Banjo and good humour are all part of the entertainment. They have received Gold and Silver disc awards from the Scottish Music Industry Association and regularly have sell out shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!! They have recorded 14 albums and are constantly adding new material to their show. Their latest album “Edinburgh Toon” recorded live in "The Lot", Grassmarket, Edinburgh in 2009 is proving as popular as all their other recordings!! "The album is offered in the spirit of enjoyment, and in that it succeeds superbly." Tickets $15
For more information:
John Sullivan
General Manager
Phone: 207.948.SHOW (7469)
show@unitymaine.org