Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Sons of Maxwell bring their Celtic/Country Sound to Spruce Grove

East Coast siblings return to Horizon Stage on Friday, October 6th

Last seen at Horizon Stage in February of 2003, Halifax-based brothers Dave and Don Carroll, aka Sons of Maxwell, have certainly kept themselves busy over the past three and a half years! With a new CD under their belts (Sunday Morning) and a second East Coast Music Award (2006 Country Recording of the Year) they reached #83 on CMT’s top 100 fan favourites of 2005. Their tours have taken them from Germany to China to the Dominican Republic, around Eastern Canada and now back to the west where they will perform at Horizon Stage on Friday, October 6.
Called “a cross between Great Big Sea, the Barenaked Ladies and The Everly Brothers”, Sons of Maxwell have been stretching their country roots. Their sound, in fact, has been described as a Celtic/Country cross with a little bit of pop and folk tossed in. Performing together for over 13 years, Dave and Don’s on-stage sibling interplay is warm, charming and often downright hilarious. Their unique vocal styles and harmonies mix with rich guitar textures, bodhran drumbeats and a stellar back-up band to energize and entertain. At each concert they thrill established fans and impress new admirers alike.
Winners of 2000’s Nova Scotia Group of The Year and 2002’s East Coast Music Award in the Roots/Traditional category, the brothers grew up in Northern Ontario, but have made their adult homes in the Maritimes. Dave writes most of their music and his thought provoking, original lyrics have brought both laughter and tears to listeners. Sunday Morning is their eighth full-length music release with their new single ‘Uphill Battle’ recently hitting the airwaves last January.
The first presentation in Horizon Stage’s 2006/2007’s regular concert series, Sons of Maxwell will “do it all’ by entertaining audience members of all ages and musical tastes. Don’t miss their eagerly anticipated return to Horizon Stage at 7:30 pm on Friday, October 6. Tickets are $20.00 for adults and $15.00 for students and seniors. Call the Horizon Stage Box Office at 962-8995 for more information or to purchase your tickets today!

"A duo of brothers from the Maritimes is proving to be the pair to watch on the horizon of success in Canada"
Raymond Arsenault, The Journal-Pioneer (Summerside, PEI)

" ... great energy, impeccable musicianship, intelligent and tightly crafted lyrics
... this band's headed for The Bigtime!”

Tom Wilson (Calgary's AM 1060 CKMX)

Be sure to visit www.horizonstage.com & www.sonsofmaxwell.com

Special thanks to the sponsors of this event: The Alberta Foundation For The Arts, Canadian Heritage, The Edmonton Journal, Royal Inn Express and Birdsell, Grant, Gardner, Morck Barristers and Solicitors

Monday, September 18, 2006

The Checkerboard Guy brings his outdoor show indoors

Comic daredevil will amaze and entertain the young and young at heart on Saturday, September 30.

He was a hit at this summer’s Spruce Grove Street Performers Festival. He’s been wowing audiences at the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival for many years. He was a staple on the outdoor stages at Edmonton Fringe in the 1990’s. If you haven’t caught The Checkerboard Guy’s show yet, what are you waiting for? If you have been entertained by his outdoor antics, then now’s your chance to see him shine on an indoor stage. That’s right, The Checkerboard Guy, aka David Aiken, will be Up Close and Personal at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove on Saturday, September 30.
With hilarious twists built into such stunts as The Six-Foot Unicycle of Death, The Tight Rope of Death and his signature piece, The Flaming Leap of Death, The Checkerboard Guy is known around the globe as a Comic Daredevil! Over two decades worth of experience manipulating everything from flaming torches to thirteenth-century battle axes to stinky shoes -- often while balancing on top of unicycles, tight ropes or unsupported eight-foot tall aluminum ladders -- has made this Vancouver native one of the best street performers in the country.
Crediting his success with the fact that he loves what he does, David Aiken’s joy for making people laugh transcends culture and language. The fact that he can do his show entirely in English, French and Japanese and dabbles in Spanish and Korean also helps. In the past twenty years he has performed at World Expos in Osaka, Japan in Seville, Spain and in Tae Jon, Korea. He represented North America on the inaugural World Street Festival tour in Australia and performed for the Prime Minister of Canada.
The first presentation in Horizon Stage’s 2006/2007 Family Matinee Series, The Checkerboard Guy is whimsical and fun. Like a live action Simpson’s episode, his show will appeal to children of all ages! Get ready to gaze in amazement, gasp in awe, and giggle until your sides hurt at 2:00 pm on Saturday, September 30. Free pre-show activities for kids start in the theatre lobby at 1:00 p.m. Tickets are just $10.00 for all ages. Call the Horizon Stage Box Office at 962-8995 for more information or to purchase your tickets today!

"The strength of the man is his genuinely witty sense of humour "
Craig Spencer - The Sunshine Press (Sechelt, BC)

"This Guy walks a fine line between alternative theatre and sickly-sweet Disney material
somehow managing to appeal to both little Joey and the jaded Gen Xer

Tom Zillich - The Westender (Vancouver, BC)

Be sure to visit http://www.horizonstage.com/ & www.thecheckerboardguy.com

Special Thanks to the sponsors for this event: The Alberta Foundation For The Arts, Canadian Heritage, Home Town Living & Grove Pontiac GMC