*This is a Pay What You Can (PWYC) concert -- tickets range from $15 - $25 - buy tickets here

Merry Time Music Co. is pleased to present an evening of traditional Canadian fiddling with Kimberley Holmes, Skip Holmes and Elizabeth Durning.  This is a special benefit concert - all proceeds will support the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Competition hosted in Truro, NS August 25/26 2023. 

Kimberley, a native of Carrolls Corner, Nova Scotia is one of Canada‘s premier piano accompanists in the traditional style of fiddling and has won many awards for fiddling, both in solo and group classes. She is the host accompanist and past Artistic Director of the Maritime Fiddle Festival. She has toured and recorded with numerous artists and is part of the groups, Bbsisters and Tipsy 3. Kimberley has been a member of the Fall River School of Performing Arts staff since 2005, teaching both fiddle and piano to ages four to adult. She also teaches at home and is also an instructor at many fiddle camps. In 2019 Kimberley was inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame and is a member of the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association. Kimberley is chairman for the 2023 Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Competition to be held in Truro, NS Aug 26.

Joining Kimberley are Skip Holmes on guitar and mandolin, and Elizabeth Durning on piano.  Get ready for an evening of toe tapping' tunes!

*Accessibility: Regrettably, accessing our loft is restricted to using stairs and is therefore not accessible for those who require a mobility aid. For those with allergies we also have a (very small, cute, but still allergenic) dog.

*This is a Pay What You Can (PWYC) concert -- tickets range from $10 - $25 - buy tickets here

Blue Lobelia is the solo project of Kjipuktuk (Halifax) based multi-instrumentalist, Rachel Bruch. She blends classical and indie-folk influence to create ethereal string arrangements under a rich soprano voice. Throughout the pandemic, Blue Lobelia has been gently writing and recording new music, including a foray into archival folk with the album, 'Folk Songs & Broadside Ballads' released by Big Turnip Records (2021). Her latest work, Resilient Moon (2023) showcases folk-centric guitar underneath unfettered string arrangements. Meriting a MNS nomination for ‘Best Folk/Roots Recording of the Year' and a review by 'The Coast', naming it a Top 10 Album of 2022. Blue Lobelia's sound has been compared with the vocal stylings of Joni Mitchell, Lana Del Rey and early career Feist, while her live looping draws to mind Andrew Bird or Owen Pallet. 

“Imagine if the place where the sea and forest meet made a song.”

- Morgan Mullin, The Coast

*Accessibility: Regrettably, accessing our loft is restricted to using stairs and is therefore not accessible for those who require a mobility aid. For those with allergies we also have a (very small, cute, but still allergenic) dog.

*This is a ticketed concert - buy tickets here

Merry Time Music Co. presents an evening of original compositions in a Celtic style with Pennybrook. The acoustic duo features Jude Pelley on fretted strings - guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, Appalachian dulcimer - and Charlie Wilson on wooden Irish flute. Their music is rich and atmospheric, grounded in and inspired by a love of Celtic music. Their compositions draw on both traditional and contemporary influences, with a unique sound that ranges from quietly contemplative to fiery celebration.

Jude and Charlie have been working together on original material since the fall of 2010. During that time they have traveled across Canada many times, sharing their music in festivals and concerts in every province and in the Yukon Territory. They released The Edge of Waiting, their first full-length CD of original music in 2012; their second album, Row On, is due to be released later this year.

This is a Pay What You Can (PWYC) concert -- tickets range from $10 - $25.

*Accessibility: Regrettably, accessing our loft is restricted to using stairs and is therefore not accessible for those who require a mobility aid. For those with allergies we also have a (very small, cute, but still allergenic) dog.

*This is a ticketed concert - buy tickets here

Merry Time Music Co. presents an evening of fiddle, banjo and song with Bruce Molsky. 

Grammy-nominated, described as “an absolute master” (No Depression), Molsky transports audiences to another time and place, with his authentic and personal interpretations of rarities from the Southern Appalachian songbook and other musical traditions from around the globe. Best known for his work on the fiddle, Bruce’s banjo, guitar and his distinctive, powerful vocals also resonate with listeners. His combination of technical virtuosity and relaxed conversational wit makes a concert hall feel like an intimate front porch gathering.

“Performing and teaching traditional music are the biggest things in my world. For me, being a musician isn’t a standalone thing; it informs everything I do in my life. It’s always been about being creative and being a part of something much bigger than myself, a link in the musical chain and part of the community of people who play it and love it.” — Bruce Molsky

*Accessibility: Regrettably, accessing our loft is restricted to using stairs and is therefore not accessible for those who require a mobility aid. For those with allergies we also have a (very small, cute, but still allergenic) dog.

*This is a ticketed workshop - Purchase tickets here.

Merry Time Music Co. is pleased to present a Clawhammer Banjo Workshop with Bruce Molsky.

We’ll dig into right hand clawhammer banjo techniques, from simple frailing and drop thumb to different kinds of rolls, and left hand moves as well. We’ll see how they’re used to create melody, move chords and get that all-important rhythmic pulse under the music. You’ll come out with a few more tunes as well as some general ideas about picking up tunes out of the air and setting them on your instrument.

All ages and levels are welcome! If you have just a few tunes under your belt or a lot, you should find some useful techniques and resources to help elevate your playing.  

Participants are free to film or record any parts of the lessons. We ask that you do not post recordings on social media.

*Accessibility: Regrettably, accessing our loft is restricted to using stairs and is therefore not accessible for those who require a mobility aid. For those with allergies we also have a (very small, cute, but still allergenic) dog.

*This is a ticketed workshop - Purchase tickets here.

Merry Time Music Co. is pleased to present an Appalachian Old Time Fiddle Workshop withBruce Molsky.

The workshop takes a hands-on approach to old time fiddle. Tunes are taught a phrase at a time, first melody, then bowing, and then piecing things together. We'll dig into old-time music's unique phrasing, rhythm and syncopation, ornamentation, etc. The tune is the vehicle, so mostly we'll be playing!

If you can just play a few simple old time fiddle tunes, or if you’re an experienced player, this workshop will be useful and fun! We’ll take a few different classic tunes apart to understand what makes them sound unique and ‘old timey.’ Starting first with short melodic phrases which we’ll play them into our muscle memory, we’ll add advice about bowing, then double stops, ornamentation and build it from there. You can stay simple or go as far as you like. I want to push you to challenge your limits!

All ages and levels are welcome! If you have just a few tunes under your belt or a lot, you should find some useful techniques and resources to help elevate your playing.

Participants are free to film or record any parts of the lessons. We ask that you do not post recordings on social media.

*Accessibility: Regrettably, accessing our loft is restricted to using stairs and is therefore not accessible for those who require a mobility aid. For those with allergies we also have a (very small, cute, but still allergenic) dog.

*This is a ticketed concert - Purchase tickets here.

Merry Time Music Co. presents an evening of fiddle, banjo and song with Bruce Molsky. 

Grammy-nominated, described as “an absolute master” (No Depression), Molsky transports audiences to another time and place, with his authentic and personal interpretations of rarities from the Southern Appalachian songbook and other musical traditions from around the globe. Best known for his work on the fiddle, Bruce’s banjo, guitar and his distinctive, powerful vocals also resonate with listeners. His combination of technical virtuosity and relaxed conversational wit makes a concert hall feel like an intimate front porch gathering.

“Performing and teaching traditional music are the biggest things in my world. For me, being a musician isn’t a standalone thing; it informs everything I do in my life. It’s always been about being creative and being a part of something much bigger than myself, a link in the musical chain and part of the community of people who play it and love it.” — Bruce Molsky

*Accessibility: Regrettably, accessing our loft is restricted to using stairs and is therefore not accessible for those who require a mobility aid. For those with allergies we also have a (very small, cute, but still allergenic) dog.

The July 2022 Merry Time Kitchen Party features a duo of fiddle + guitar duos - The Bombadils (Sarah Frank + Luke Fraser) and Adrianna Ciccone + Colin Cotter.

The Bombadils — The Canadian Folk Music Award nominees bring together bluegrass, Celtic, and contemporary folk music with front-porch style and classical grace. Canadian arts journalist Bob Mersereau describes their music as "folk tunes done with musical adventure and sophistication" and Elmore Magazine calls it "an enchanting folk romp."

The Bombadils met in 2009 while studying music at McGill University in Montreal, Québec. In the years to follow, they began recording and touring throughout Canada, and internationally. Tour highlights include Koerner Hall in Toronto, ON, Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, and Wintergrass music festival outside Seattle, WA. In 2015 they released full-length album, "Grassy Roads, Wandering Feet," quickly followed by "New Shoes" in 2016 which was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards and won Folk Music Ontario's Album of the Year award. thebombadils.com

Ciccone + Cotter — Top Canadian fiddler meets California folky for very polite, sometimes mellow, always groovy fiddle madness! Colin + Adrianna met at Valley of the Moon fiddle camp in the Californian redwoods back in the summer of 2015. The two have toured the US, Canada and Ireland, and this will be their first live performance together since the before times.

With a “distinctive stamp and swing that is both rooted and infectious,” they crosses back and forth across the continent with ease, showcasing Cape Breton reels, crooked French-Canadian brandys, the rollicking rhythms of Ottawa Valley step-dancing tunes, way down to Southern Appalachian string band tunes. colincotter.com | adriannaciccone.com

Merry Time Kitchen Party is pleased to present our first concert of 2022 ft. Ragged Robin + Colin Dorgan + Seán Ó Feinneadha. Suggested donation: $20 / $5 kids. 90% of proceeds support artists 10% of proceeds support the Merry Time Scholarship Fund.

*Accessibility: Regrettably, accessing our loft is restricted to using stairs and is therefore not accessible for those who require a mobility aid. For those with allergies, we also have a (v cute, but still allergenic) dog.

Ragged Robin is the flute and harp duo of Erin Dempsey and Ellen Gibling. Drawn together by a shared love for the groove of Irish traditional music, Erin and Ellen have been playing together since 2015. Based in Nova Scotia, the duo has performed in festivals, concert halls, pubs, museums, markets, and trains. Their debut album, Deep in the Tangled Wood, was nominated for Music Nova Scotia's Roots/Traditional Album of the Year, 2017.

www.raggedrobinmusic.com

Seán Ó Feinneadha and Colin Dorgan both hail from regions in Ireland that are well known for folk and traditional music. They currently reside in Halifax and have brought some of their local styles to the Maritimes through various sessions, gigs and festivals over the past number of years. With Seán on banjo, and Colin on guitar, they play a blend of traditional and modern tunes and songs.