Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

Advance Tickets available at Lyle’s Place, Ditch, The Central and www.ticketweb.com / Discount At Door For SAC Members W/Card

Once a year this popular concert series, known for showcasing top-notch songwriters in a wide variety of musical genres, offers Victoria audiences a stage full of talented artists from right across the country. The 2006 Bluebird North National Tour will stop at the Central Bar and Grill February 1st, bringing such household names as Lennie Gallant and indie rocker Joel Plaskett all the way from Nova Scotia to share the stage with Ontario’s Jill Barber, Dala, Canadian “living legend” Bob Snider and BC’s own Shari Ulrich (who will co-host the evening with Gallant).

Now in its fifth year, the tour has brought Bluebird’s unique formula – seasoned performers, young rising stars and career songwriters all together onstage in an informal, acoustic atmosphere, sharing songs and stories – to enthusiastic audiences from coast to coast. This year, Victoria is one of a dozen stops on Bluebird’s cross-country flight, which will also include dates in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, Moncton and St. John’s.

The Bluebird North National Tour is produced by Shari Ulrich for the Songwriters Association of Canada. For more information on the SAC’s mandate, activities and membership programs please visit www.songwriters.ca. The Songwriters Association of Canada gratefully acknowledges the support of the SOCAN Foundation and the Government of Canada through the Canada Music Fund.

See below for performer bios…

Shari Ulrich (Co-host / Tour producer) a recent inductee into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, has excelled as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, television host, composer, scriptwriter and theatre performer since coming to Canada in the early 70s. After touring with Pied Pumkin and Valdy and the Hometown Band, Shari went on to record six solo albums (earning two Junos along the way) as well as two with Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes as UHF. Shari has also written and produced many songs, themes and scores for film and TV. She tours solo (with her 15-year-old daughter on violin) as well as with Pied Pumkin and UHF. She is currently recording a new solo album, due out in 2006. http://www.shariulrich.com

Lennie Gallant (Co-host)
This prolific songwriter/performer has released seven albums, which have won him a host of awards and nominations at both the Junos and the East Coast Music Awards. Lennie’s songs have been recorded by more than 30 artists, including Jimmy Buffett, who calls Gallant one of his favourite writers. Lennie has also composed songs for theatre, documentaries, special events, feature films and TV series, including most notably Dawson's Creek and Joan of Arcadia. On his new album When We Get There, he takes the listener on "a literary and musical journey that never fails to surprise and intrigue." http://www.lenniegallant.com

Jill Barber
Drawing on influences from old-time jazz standards, bluegrass-y folk and hook-laden pop, Jill Barber has the subtle assuredness of a songwriter with "dead-on phrasing, an impressive range and a knack for squeezing genuine emotion out of a cozy alto purr," says Toronto's NOW. With the release of Oh Heart, she was awarded Female Artist-Recording of the Year at the MIANS (Music Industry Association of NS) Awards and nominated for two 2005 East Coast Music Awards. Jill also recently garnered a nomination at the inaugural Canadian Folk Music Awards, in the category of Best New/Emerging Artist. http://www.jillbarber.com

Dala
Sheila and Amanda formed DALA during the summer of 2002, making use of their talents on guitar and piano. Amanda (the blonde) is a self-proclaimed control freak with a passion for gardening, and figuring out which controller works the dvd player. Sheila (the brunette) is very moody and she reminisces about things before they actually happen. Their friendship is the secret ingredient in their music. In 2005 Dala signed to Universal Music Canada, and their debut album Angels and Thieves is now in stores. http://www.dalagirls.com

Joel Plaskett is an incredible songwriting talent from Halifax, NS who is rapidly becoming a household word in this country. A founding member of indie rock legends Thrush Hermit, Joel has been making records on his own and with his band The Emergency since 2000. His solo effort La De Da (MapleMusic Recordings) topped the Canadian college radio charts for six weeks and had critics from coast to coast groping for new superlatives. Joel is readying the release of a retrospective DVD, Make Some Noise, which will feature live performances with The Emergency as well as from his SRO solo tour. It will also include three new songs produced by Gordie Johnson. http://www.joelplaskett.com

Bob Snider
Singer-songwriter Bob Snider has been called a "national treasure", a "living legend" and "author of some of the best Canadian songs of the decade". His songs have been covered by a who's who of Canadian musicians including Ashley MacIsaac, Meryn Cadell and the Leslie Spit Tree-O. "Poetreason", a Bob Snider tribute concert recording dating back to 1996, includes performances by the likes of The Barenaked Ladies, Change of Heart and Moxy Fruvous. Bob’s most recent album, produced by David Baxter, contains 13 new songs that are quintessentially Bob: direct, beautiful, sometimes quirky, sometimes funny but above all, songs that go straight to the heart. http://www.bobsnider.ca