Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, November 16 to Wednesday, November 22.

If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.

If you’re a fan of singer-songwriters, then you’ll want to check out what’s on offer at Peterborough’s Market Hall over the coming weeks.

This Friday (November 17th), singer-songwriters Séan McCann and Craig Cardiff are performing in a double bill on November 17th. Then folk singer-songwriter Jeremy Fisher performs on November 28, with folk-rockers Skydiggers bringing their acclaimed new record of mostly original songs on November 29th. On December 15th, Pearls — a tribute to songwriting icon Carole King — comes to the stage.

With Christmas is just around the corner, Market Hall is also presenting a special concert on November 26th by world musicians Sultans of String, who will be performing from their first-ever Christmas record.

For the religious or spiritually minded among us, Peterborough City Church continues its free Sunday morning services at the Market Hall, including a Christmas concert on December 22nd.

Enjoy great music while supporting one of downtown Peterborough’s non-profit performing arts venues by buying tickets for one or more of these upcoming shows. And there’s a lot more happening at the Market Hall, including theatre, speakers, dance, film, and more music. Visit markethall.org for a list of all the upcoming events.

Séan McCann and Craig Cardiff – Friday, November 17 at 8 p.m.

For the first time ever, these two great Canadian singer-songwriters will be performing a double header when they come to the Market Hall on November 17th.

Séan McCann shot to international fame as a founding member of the renowned group Great Big Sea, which sold millions of albums, produced countless hit songs, and toured around the world. After 20 years with the band, Séan realized his personal demons (the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of a priest and his subsequent alcoholism) were holding him back.

He left the band and in 2014, released Help Your Self, marking the beginning of his healing process. McCann now using music as therapy, working with people who face physical, mental, and addiction challenges, and has become a sought-after speaker trying to help others to help themselves find light through the darkness. His most recent record, There’s a Place, was released this past September.

VIDEO: “Take Off My Armour” – Séan McCann

Craig Cardiff, from Arnprior, has been performing his own style of folk music for over two decades. He has recorded 16 albums, including his most recent Love Is Louder (Than All This Noise) Part 1 & 2. In 2012, Cardiff was nominated for a Juno Award for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo and for a Canadian Folk Music Award as Contemporary Singer of the Year.

Cardiff describes his music as “folk with a dash of sing-along and storytelling.” Blending the musical genres of folk, country, rock, and traditional, Cardiff’s lyrics always tell a story. He’s known his wide vocal range, engaging the audience during performances, and creating cohesive and emotional performances through his humour and storytelling.

While McCann and Cardiff have different approaches to music, both write on the theme of love. McCann’s songs focus on his struggles with abuse and addiction and his journey to recovery, with a positive message of forgiveness. Cardiff often writes about the human condition, with songs that reveal some of the most vulnerable moments in our lives.

VIDEO: “Love Is Louder” – Craig Cardiff

General admission tickets are $33 ($25 for students) and assigned cabaret table seats are available for $40. You can get tickets at the box office (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-749-1146) or order online at markethall.org

Sultans of String Christmas Caravan – Sunday, November 26 at 8 p.m.

Marking their 10th year on the road, world music performers Sultans of String — known for their fusion of Celtic, flamenco, gypsy, jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian grooves and rhythms — have released their first Christmas record, Christmas Caravan, and the band will be sharing it at the Market Hall on November 26th.

This isn’t your typical holiday album from the three-time Juno Award nominees and three-time Canadian Folk Music Awards winners. The genre-hopping record expands the traditional notion of Christmas music, injecting it with new-found energy and non-traditional sounds. You may recognize a few titles, but you’ve never experienced seasonal music quite like this before. Within the first week of its release, Christmas Caravan reached the #3 spot on Canada’s world music charts (Nielsen) and #6 spot on Billboard (world music).

“We wanted to make a real contribution to the Christmas repertoire and hopefully create some new standards,” says bandleader/violinist and Queens Diamond Jubilee recipient Chris McKhool. “This is a Christmas album, but approached from the perspective of a world-music band. We explored diverse genres, from Quebecois fiddle tunes to collaborating with a traditional Turkish string ensemble, and jump around from the classic sounds of the Andrews Sisters, to a Himalayan sleigh ride, African roots music, Gypsy-jazz, rumba flamenco, ska, and the grandeur of the symphony.”

VIDEO: “The Little Swallow (Carol of the Bells) / Al Vuelo” – Sultans of String

The record features some of the band’s favourite world musicians including Paddy Moloney (The Chieftains), Latin singers Ruben Blades and Luba Mason, jazz vocalist Nikki Yanofsky, Alex Cuba, Benoit Bourque (Bottine Souriante), Sweet Honey in the Rock, Cameroon’s Richard Bona (Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock), Mary Fahl (October Project), a recording collective of Turkish Roma violinists in Istanbul, Sudanese-Canadian singer Waleed Abdulhamid, Crystal Shawanda, sitar virtuoso Anwar Khurshid, hang drum player David Charrier from France, along with guest vocalist Rebecca Campbell (Bruce Cockburn, Emmylou Harris, Jane Siberry) — Rebecca will be joining Sultans of Swing for their Market Hall show.

General admission tickets are $25 and assigned cabaret table seats are $30. You can get tickets at the box office (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-749-1146) or order online at markethall.org

Jeremy Fisher with special guest Jim Bryson – Tuesday, November 28 at 8 p.m.

Singer-songwriter and two-time Juno Award nominee Jeremy Fisher will be performing at the Market Hall on November 28th.

Fisher first performed under his birth name Jeremy Binns, with the band The Obvious, which released a self-titled record in 1999. He released his debut solo album Back Porch Spirituals in 2001, and spent six months touring from Seattle to Halifax by bicycle, covering 7,500 kilometres and performing 30 times. He released Let It Shine, his first album on a major label in 2004, producing the single “High School” that received wide airplay on Canadian commercial radio and music television in early 2005.

In 2007, he released the career-changing Goodbye Blue Monday with Hawksley Workman, which produced the single “Cigarette” (the YouTube video for the song has almost 2.5 million views). The record led to Fisher’s U.S. television debut on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in the summer of that year.

VIDEO: “Cigarette” – Jeremy Fisher

Fisher has now embarked on a 10th anniversary tour across Ontario to celebrate Goodbye Blue Monday, which includes the release of a limited vinyl re-mastered anniversary edition that will be available at the show.

“Goodbye Blue Monday is still a favourite at the merch table,” says Fisher. “I’ve always wanted to offer it in the format I believe sounds best. We’ve remastered it for vinyl and it’s been amazing to hear the record again the way I remember hearing playback in the studio.”

During his 10th anniversary tour, Fisher will be joined on stage by Hawksley Workman and Matt Ouimet.

Opening for Fisher is Canadian singer-songwriter Jim Bryson. A founding member of the band Punchbuggy, he released his debut solo album The Occasionals in 2000 and has gone on to release five more records, including his latest, 2016’s Somewhere We Will Find Our Place.

Bryson was also a member of Kathleen Edwards’s touring band (her song “I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory” is about him) and has toured and recorded with other artists including Howe Gelb, Lynn Miles, Sarah Harmer, The Weakerthans, Hilotrons, and The Tragically Hip.

VIDEO: “The Depression Dance” – Jim Bryson

Recently, Bryson has been recording and producing records for artists in his Fixed Hinge Studio he built in 2013. Some or the artists Bryson has worked with include Oh Susanna, Little Scream, The Skydiggers, and Kalle Mattson.

General admission tickets and assigned cabaret table seats are both $22 ($30 at the door). You can get tickets at the box office (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-749-1146) or order online at markethall.org. Tickets for tables 8 and 9 are being sold (cash only) at Moondance (425 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-742-9425).

Skydiggers – Wednesday, November 29 at 8 p.m.

Performing their unique blend of roots, folk, and rock, Juno award-winning Skydiggers has been a Canadian mainstay since the late 1980s. Best known for their hit single “I Will Give You Everything”, Skydiggers have solidified their place in the Canadian musical landscape as one of the best live bands on the circuit.

The band is touring in support of their ninth studio album, Warmth of The Sun, which was just released in October. It’s the band’s first album since 2014’s Here Without You – The Songs of Gene Clark (a tribute to Gene Clark and The Byrds) and their first album of original material since 2012’s Northern Shore.

The 12-track album, which reflects the group’s elemental guitar-based origins and plaintive layered vocal style, was recorded by longtime band associate Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies). Along with 10 original songs — including the title track, which was inspired by the late Gord Downie’s “Secret Path” — the album also includes a cover of “The Rock” (Tragically Hip) and “The Air That I Breathe” (The Hollies).

VIDEO: “Warmth of the Sun” – Skydiggers

“Skydiggers have returned with not only one of their best albums, but one of the best albums of the year,” writes Aaron Badgley in his review from The Spill Magazine. “After waiting for these many years, Skydiggers have returned and not disappointed.”

At the Market Hall show, you can expect to hear songs from the new record along with older tunes.

General admission tickets are $38 and assigned cabaret table seats are $43. You can get tickets at the box office (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-749-1146) or order online at markethall.org.

Pearls (A Tribute To Carole King) – Friday, December 15 at 8 p.m.

Carole King is without a doubt, one of the most successful female singer-songwriters in this history of pop music history, and Tribute band Pearls — named after King’s 1980 album — will be bringing her music to the Market Hall stage on December 15th.

Pearls’ lead singer Sarah Kennedy began her professional vocal career at the age of 15, and has been performing at festivals and events throughout Ontario ever since. She has a passion for blues, jazz and musical theatre and, of course, Carole King.

VIDEO: Pearls – A Tribute To Carole King

Pearls will take you back to the 1970s with their custom tribute to King’s beloved lyrics and melodies. The band will re-create King’s Grammy Award winning 1971 album Tapestry, along with other chart-toppers written by King and made famous by the Drifters, Monkees, Chiffons, James Taylor, and more.

Assigned seating tickets are $38 ($36 for seniors and $28 for students/children) and are available at the box office (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-749-1146) or order online at markethall.org. Tickets will also be available at the door for $39.

Sunday morning services with Peterborough City Church

When you think of the Market Hall, you probably imagine performing arts rather than religious services. But the latter is one of the more innovative uses of the venue this year, after the formation of Peterborough City Church a year ago this month.

Pastors Chad Trivett and Sasha Trivett hold services every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. at Market Hall as part of their non-denominational church.

Both Trivetts are ordained with the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies, a pentecostal Christian association. They met at Toronto’s Tyndale University College and Seminary and eventually married. Just after getting married, they moved to Tokyo in Japan, where they started an international, interdenominational church.

In 2007, after spending six years in Tokyo (where their son Ari was born), they moved back to Sasha’s hometown in Peterborough to be closer to family, and decided to form another interdenominational church. Peterborough City Church was born.

But the Trivetts needed a location to hold their weekly services, and realized the Market Hall would be an ideal space. There’s also a connection between the church and the performing arts: Chad is in a band that performs contemporary music at the church.

Peterborough City Church offers “inspirational messages and music in an educational and engaging atmosphere where each can worship, pray and learn at their own pace.”

Upcoming services include “End Times: Ezekiel & the Aligning of the Nations” (November 19th), “End Times: Revelation & the Mark of the Beast” (November 26th), “Advent: The Pool of Bethesda” (December 3rd) and “Advent: Understanding Hanukkah” (December 10th). And at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 22nd, Peterborough City Church will be hosting a Christmas concert.

For a calendar of all Peterborough City Church services at the Market Hall, including topics and special speakers, visit www.ptbocitychurch.com.

Last year, Kate Story and Ryan Kerr of The Theatre on King (TTOK) hosted a murder mystery at the McDonnel Street Activity Centre, which proved to be a great success. On Friday, November 17th, they’re again rounding up the usual suspects for their second murder mystery luncheon, Murder on McDonnel 2: Murder Must Fool!.

Written by Simon Turner and directed by Kate Story, Murder on McDonnel 2 features a new dead victim and a new crime that can only be solved by one woman: local real estate agent Marianne Vandelinde of RE/MAX Eastern Realty.

Last year’s event saw a stable of regular TTOK players leave their King Street home to entertain a luncheon crowd at the McDonnel Street Activity Centre. As well as exposing their brand of theatre to a new audience, the event doubled as a fundraiser for TTOK.

“Last year’s show went really well,” says Ryan. “It was a fun show and the cast had fun and everybody left feeling really happy, so we decided we’d do it again.”

“We have the same cast as last year and even some of the same characters,” Kate points out.

“Some of the characters that got killed off aren’t in it,” Ryan adds, “But the same actors are playing new characters.”

Last year’s fundraiser helped support the theatrical work of TTOK and also allowed them to purchase a used computer to create posters and programs in-house. This year, proceeds from the luncheon will be used to purchase a street-front sign for TTOK.

Located off of the back parking lot of the building at 159 King Street, right next to the back entrance of The Wolf studios, TTOK is sort of a hidden gem without any street-front presence except for a sandwich board placed on the sidewalk on the night of an event at the theatre. Although TTOK is a popular spot in the Peterborough arts scene, for people not familiar with the location it can be difficult to find.

“People on their first visit to the theatre will often come in looking a little wild eyed and saying it’s really hard to find this place,” Kate explains.

“I’m sure there are people who haven’t been able to find it, or who have shown up late to a performance because they haven’t been able to find us,” Ryan says.

With a great cast of TTOK heavy hitters, Murder on McDonnel 2 is once again being written by Simon Turner, and takes place exactly one year after the last show.

“We’re back in the theatre world and a year has passed, and there is another murder,” Kate says. “Simon does a charming job of working in the genre of the murder mystery, but also within the world of the theatre community, with the bickering and egos.”

“Even though this show is a continuation, I have done it in a way where we explain a little bit of last year’s show at the beginning so that everybody is up to speed,” Simon explains. “So people can come into this year’s show without seeing last year’s, and it won’t matter at all. This is a new adventure and a totally different mystery.”

At the head of the show is Marianne Vandelinde, who is also a sponsor for the event. Although not an actress, she receives high praise from both Kate and Simon for her involvement in the show.

“The nice thing about Marianne is that she is a great performer although she is not an actress,” Kate says. “She’s a real estate agent, so it’s very brave that she does this. She’s great to work with, but she is also an outsider to the theatre scene. So, like her character as an amateur detective, in real life she is really an observer of the cultural weirdness of the theatre scene.”

“Marianne is wonderful at coming in to take the role of a sort of alternate universe version of herself, where she is experienced in solving mysteries,” Simon adds. “She’s been trained by a London detective named Shemlock Jones. Shemlock Jones was mentioned last year, but this year he makes an appearance and he is played by Matt Gilbert.”

The rest of the world of Murder on McDonnel 2 is created by a who’s who of TTOK talent, taking on the stereotypical stock players one would expect in a murder mystery taking place within the theatre world.

Dianne Latchford plays pompous theatre director Frida Hitchins, Naomi DuVall plays misunderstood playwright Samantha Beck, Dan Smith plays bitter actor Gregory Peychaud, Hilary Wear plays callous theatre critic Regina Ebner, and Lindsay Unterlander plays prima donna Meredith Margo.

Between the three-course meal, Marianne will interrogate the suspects, expose the twists and turns, and solve the case in this light and entertaining show. The afternoon will also feature live music by Chester Babcock, and prizes will be awarded to lucky audience members who solve the mystery in advance.

Tickets are $60 and include a three-course luncheon, a complimentary glass of wine (there is also a cash bar), and the performance from some of Peterborough’s most popular entertainers. It’s a perfect team-building activity for the office, or a way to spearhead your holiday celebrations while supporting one of Peterborough’s most beloved local theatres.

Tickets can be purchased at Black Honey (217 Hunter Street W), by calling 705-930-6194, or by emailing rkerr@cogeco.net.

When you think of Europe, you probably don’t think about traditional American folk music.

The Kruger Brothers will change your mind when they perform at the Market Hall in Peterborough at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15th, at a special benefit concert presented by Kawartha Cardiology Clinic — with all proceeds from ticket sales supporting emergency shelter programs for women and children fleeing violence.

Born in Germany and raised in Switzerland, brothers Jens and Uwe Kruger — along with American Joel Landsberg — are highly regarded within the world of acoustic music in North America, especially by other musicians. The legendary Doc Watson once said, “The Kruger Brothers are just about as fine a band as I’ve ever played with … I love to play music with them.”

While The Kruger Brothers began by playing the traditional American folk and bluegrass repetoire, they have since turned to original songwriting and composition to reflect their personal experiences, and have infused the music with elements of other genres such as classical and jazz.

VIDEO: The Kruger Brothers perform at Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville

Before Jens and Uwe Kruger came to the U.S. in 1997, they developed their musicial skills while growing up in Switzerland in post-WWII Europe. Part of a very musical family, they began started singing and playing instruments when they were very young. They would place a guitar on the floor between them and play it together, with one brother taking the upper three strings and the other the lower three.

“My mother was a kindergarten teacher and she had a song for everything,” Uwe recalls. “We sang a lot at home. We mainly sang old German folk songs. She was from Germany—East Prussia. My dad was from Northern Germany. For them, music was a way of keeping our culture alive. In Switzerland, German music was not very highly regarded.”

Their father, who would bring folk music records when he returned to Switzerland from business trips to the United States, introduced them to North American folk music. They were particularly inspired by recordings of Doc Watson, Flatt and Scruggs, Bill Monroe, and other American country, bluegrass, and folk musicians. Jens took up the banjo and Uwe the guitar.

“When you’re a boy of eight, nine, or ten years old, you think Western,” Uwe says. “The American West was a dream world for us, a place where everything was better. So, we learned to play American folk music. The melodies sounded really like German music to us, but with different words. One of the first songs I learned was ‘Tom Dooley’, the Kingston Trio version.”

VIDEO: “Forever and a Day” – The Kruger Brothers

Then the two brothers discovered bluegrass and there was no turning back.

“The first time my brother heard ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown,’ he went nuts,” Uwe explains. “He started spinning around like a Tasmanian Devil all around the living room. He said, ‘That’s what I want to do!’ He was playing a tenor banjo then, so he put a thumb-screw on it and added a fifth string so he could play bluegrass.”

By the time they were 11 and 12 years old, Jens and Uwe were performing regularly. They began busking on the streets of cities throughout eastern and western Europe. When they were still teenagers, they secured a recording contract with CBS Records and soon were hosting a radio show on Switzerland’s public broadcaster. In the early 1980s, Jens went to the U.S. to study with bluegrass musician Bill Monroe.

Several years later, the two brothers teamed up with bass player Joel Landsberg, a native of New York City who began playing classical piano and then turned to bass. He moved to Switzerland in 1989 to perform with various country/rock and jazz groups based throughout Europe, where he met the two brothers.

VIDEO: “Carolina in the Fall” – The Kruger Brothers

The Kruger Brothers began performing as a trio in 1995 and then oved to the United States in 2002. They are based in Wilkesboro in North Carolina — the home of MerleFest, an annual fundraising music festival in memory of Doc Watson’s son, the late Eddy Merle Watson.

In the trio, Uwe performs on guitar and lead vocals, Jens on banjo and harmony vocals, and Joel on bass and harmony vocals. Their musical style is perhaps best described as “new” American folk music — roots music enhanced with new and innovative compositional and thematic elements.

There are a few important hallmarks of The Kruger Brothers’ sound. One is the honesty of their songwriting and another is Jens’ melodic banjo playing and composition. While it originates from three-finger style popularized by musicians like Earl Scruggs, Jens’ playing has a more complex compositional style, often borrowing from jazz, classical and world music themes and techniques.

“Composers have been incorporating elements of folk music into classical compositions for over 150 years,” Jens explains. “As a musician and composer, I have always admired how masters such as Bartok, Smetana, Brahms, Dvorak, and Tchaikovsky incorporated folk music into their classical compositions.”

Since they began performing as a trio in 1995, The Kruger Brothers have released 19 records. Most recently, their music has ventured even further into the themes and forms of classical music, such as in their 2011 record Appalachian Concerto and their 2017 release Roan Mountain Suite.

In September 2013, The Kruger Brothers appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman with the Kontras Quartet and Steve Martin, who played clawhammer banjo. Jens subsequently received the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music.

VIDEO: Steve Martin and the Kruger Brothers on The Late Show with David Letterman

In addition to performing, The Kruger Brothers are strong proponents of musical education. They’ve instructed thousands of students through individual instruction, workshops, and master class presentations.

In 2011, they launched The Kruger Brother’s Music Academy, which hosts a weekend of master class workshops held each spring in North Wilkesboro.

Check out The Kruger Brothers at the Market Hall for innovative but unpretentious acoustic roots music, while supporting women and children in our community who are fleeing violence.

The Peterborough Folk Festival has announced its fourth annual Winter Downtown Folk Festival, running March 6th to 10th in downtown Peterborough, with headline concerts at Showplace Performance Centre featuring The Sheepdogs and Randy Bachman.

The expanded five-day winter folk festival will feature more artists and venues, to be announced in the coming months, including the lineup for Saturday, March 10th which will include free pop-up concerts at various downtown businesses.

“It’s really exciting to have two of Canada’s biggest artists perform at this year’s winter festival and support the downtown businesses at the same time,” says Ryan Kemp, organizer and artistic director of the Peterborough Folk Festival. “We are always trying to find ways to improve Peterborough culturally, economically and socially. Supporting our local musicians, music venues, restaurants, and business is very important. ”

The festival kicks off at Showplace with Juno Award winning band The Sheepdogs — featuring their newest member, Bailieboro’s own Jimmy Bowskill — on Tuesday, March 6th. Special guests will be rockers Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs.

The Sheepdogs will be releasing their new album Changing Colours on February 2, 2018. Tickets for the all-ages show are $40 plus fees, and each ticket includes a download of the new album. Tickets for The Sheepdogs go on sale at Showplace at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 16th.

Canadian rock legend Randy Bachman will be performing at Showplace the next evening, on Wednesday, March 7th.

Few artists can claim to have made a bigger impact on popular music than Bachman, whose list of hits with Bachman-Turner Overdrive and The Guess who include “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”, “Taking Care of Business”, “Looking Out for #1”, “Let It Ride”, “American Woman”, “No Sugar Tonight”, “Undun”, and “These Eyes”.

Tickets for Randy Bachman will be $61.25 and go on sale on Friday, November 17th.

Tickets for both shows will be available in person at the Showplace box office (290 George St. N., Peterborough) or by phone at 705-742-7469 (box office hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday), or online anytime at showplace.org.