Events / Activities
Although we do not generally plan activities for our guests, St Andrews is one of the busiest small towns found anywhere. Depending on the season visitors to town can take in theatre, movies, opera, contemporary music, visual art, sailing kayaking, world class challenge events and more. Salty Towers has also been known to host the occasional concert on the porch or in the living room!
COMING SOON
ERIN COSTELLO
Sunday Nov. 19th 7:30pm
Anglican Church Hall 75 King St. St Andrews
Tickets $20 available at Cockburn's and online below
The question of what constitutes great soul music has been endlessly debated for decades. But what’s been proven by now is that it’s the domain of any artist with an ability to reach audiences not only on a personal level, but a spiritual level as well. Her latest album Down Below, The Status Quo, is a reflection of her (and our) complicated world, expressed through a voice unlike any other in Canada.... so it has the potential to “hit” us all.
This show will feature not only songs from the album but a set dedicated to Carole King’s greatest album “Tapestry”.
Skye Wallace and
Dom Frico
Wednesday November 8th 7:30pm
Salty Towers House Concert
Tickets $15 RSVP 529-4585 or steeljm@nbnet.nb.ca
Pay at door night of show
Skye Wallace is what happens when a classically trained singer with east coast roots discovers punk rock in their youth. Her newest album Something Wicked, produced by Jim Bryson, was listed as one of Vancouver Weekly's Best Albums of 2016 and CBC's Top 8 Albums You Need To Hear This Month.
Brent Mason
Cd Release
Friday October 20th 7:30 pm
All Saints Anglican Church Hall St Andrews
Tickets $15 available at Cockburn's on online below
Brent Mason has been one of Atlantic Canada's most prolific songwriters over the past 25 years. The new album "Highwater Mark" is his 10th release. In addition to writing he has had the occasion to tour throughout the Maritimes, across the country and internationally to the UK, the US and China. His releases have all had a certain flavour, characterised by a gift for thoughtful and revealing lyric. Singing or speaking, this love of language shows. His live performances are legendary for their mix of narration and music, the former running from poetry to puns, the latter sampling from a menagerie of influences, from the novels of Jack Kerouac to music legends – Dylan, George Jones, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Lightnin’ Hopkins and The Band among others. Mason feels that this release is his best yet and he is full of praise for those who collaborated on its production, from songwriter Jessica Rhaye and engineer/producer Grant Heckman to his bandmates who have been with him through thick and thin.
Songwriter's Circle
Allan Fraser, Marianne Girard, Dylan Menzie andJake Morely
Saturday September 23rd 8pm
Sunbury Shores Water Street
Tickets $20 Available at Cockburn's and online below
GROUCHO MARX liked Allan Fraser’s music so much he invited him for dinner at his home in the Hollywood Hills. The New York Times said of Fraser’s songs, “...with this range of feeling, dense imagery and unexpected depth, these words may well find a place in the oral tradition of poetry.” Fraser’s compositions have been recorded by John Oates (Hall and Oates), Tom Russell, Garrison Keillor with Andra Suchy of Prairie Home Companion, Cal Hand with Leo Kottke, Pat Donahue, Bill Hinkley and Judy Larson, (also on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion), The Duhks, Penny Lang and Ron Hynes. NPR listed Allan’s signature song, Dance Hall Girls, as one of the 10 best songs of all time.
CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARDS nominee Marianne Girard has recorded three solo albums and appeared on many compilation albums, as artist and session musician. She has toured her music in North America and Europe to such praise as: “This Canadian Nightingale has not left my player in weeks” –RTL Radio Belgium. “... a revelation ... served exquisitely by a voice that’s unequivocally pure and unrestrained.” –Toronto Star “Consistently stellar performance.” –All Music Guide
Dylan Menzie an unmistakable and compelling vocal range and adept songwriting ability Is one of Atlantic Canada’s prime musical exports. Two albums and multiple awards and accolades.
Jake Morely – His latest album “The Manual” - "Exquisitely realised... it deserves to reach a very wide audience" "Incredibly Original Musicianship” "An undeniable melodic and lyrical piece of art". "Bold and stark; At times touching and intimate"
Joel LeBlanc Trio
Friday September 8th 7:00pm
Minister's Island
Tickets $10 plus admission to the Island
Available at Cockburn's and online below
Joel LeBlanc is no stranger to St Andrews. As a member of the award winning roots/jazz trio Hot Toddy he was a regular performer between the late '90's and mid 2000's. He is one of New Brunswick's premier guitarists and jazz interpreters. Known as a musical innovator LeBlanc oftens goes where no one else will go in music.
This new project, highlighting the music of pianist Thelonious Monk, has been getting rave reviews around the region. Monk himself was an innovator and known for his improvisation. As a composer he wrote a number of pieces that have become jazz standards and he became the second most recorded jazz musician after Duke Ellington. The interesting aspect of this show will be the fact that LeBlanc has transcribed Monks piano works to guitar. Playing them is a musical feat in itself.
Laura Smith
with Kim Dunn
Friday August 4th 5:30pm
Minister's Island
Tickets $10 plus admission to the Island
Available at Cockburn's and online below
In Laura Smith's music, real emotions ebb and flow. Smith's music is direct and honest. As she sings, her strong, melodious voice waves and catches, snagging on a scar here and there, surfing on a wonder, staring down a riddle. Sometimes, the music gently lifts and carries her spirited vocals, while her melodies and careful poetry dig deep.
Her career took off in 1994 when her album "b'tween the earth and my soul" elicited unbounded critical acclaim, enormous airplay, national television appearances and a hungry demand for live performances. From the stages of Denmark to Newport, Rhode Island to Vancouver to the Yukon, Smith shared the secrets of her soul, laying out for rapt audiences her private, yet ultimately universal experiences.
Olympic Symphonium
Chamber Folk
Friday July 21st 6:00pm
Minister's Island
Tickets $10 plus admission to the Island
Available at Cockburn's and Online below
Since 2006, The Olympic Symphonium have been creating contemplative, moody music and making audiences croon to their beautiful harmonies, lush soundscapes, and to ponder their poignant lyrics.
On their fourth album, the award winning “ Chance To Fate”, the band further establish themselves as a unique voice in Canada's contemporary music landscape. The album was recorded in St Andrews at Salty Towers in 2014.
Though the band has toured Europe several times, performed at world-renowned events (the Olympic Winter Games, Pop Montreal, and Liverpool Sound City), and joined forces with an international label, the past couple years have been spent concentrating on their home province of New Brunswick. Specifically, the band has been developing the highly successful Shivering Songs winter festival they curate.
Alan Jeffries
Bluegrass
Saturday July 22nd 4:00pm
Minister's Island
Tickets $10 plus admission to the Island
Available at Cockburn's and Online below
Alan Jeffries was raised on bluegrass. The Nova Scotia based artist is well-known to Canadian music fans from his childhood days preforming on bluegrass stages around the Maritimes and more recently from his years of touring with David Myles.
In 2013, Jeffries returned to his bluegrass roots to launch his solo career and debut album, "Coffee ‘til Midnight", which won him the 2014 East Coast Music Association’s (ECMA) ‘Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year’ award. In the past, Jeffries has received accolades from World Wide Bluegrass (Artist of the Month) and The East Coast Bluegrass & Oldtime Music Association (Bluegrass Guitarist of the Year).
Hailed as a “fleet fingered guitar phenom”, Jeffries’ now tours with some of the best bluegrass players in the Maritimes to preform shows filled with fast-picking solos, heartbreaking harmonies and a level of musicianship that you won’t soon forget.
Max Keenlyside
Friday July 7th 6:30pm
Minister's Island
Tickets $10 plus admission to the Island
Available at Cockburn's and online below
Max Keenlyside has made an auspicious entry into the music world. Born in 1991 and starting in music at the age of ten, he has written and performed music in ragtime, stride, and classical styles, gaining a reputation as a top young artist in his field.
In 2009 Max represented Prince Edward Island in the National Artist’s Program, held in the conjunction with the Canada Games. A favourite at jazz and ragtime events around the world, he has headlined at major festivals across North America including the Scott Joplin, West Coast Ragtime, and Blind Boone festivals. While equally at home in ragtime and classical styles, he is especially lauded for his stride and traditional jazz chops. These demanding, two-handed and rich piano styles were crafted by the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, and James P. Johnson; Max plays them all with stylistic flair and an ear for detail.
Scott MacMillan &
Colin Grant
Friday June 23rd 6:30pm
Covenhoven on Minister's Island
Tickets $10 plus admission to the Island
Available at Cockburn's and online below
Macmillan is a musical treasure, who has played a significant role expanding audiences for Atlantic Canadian music both nationally and internationally for over 40 years. Acknowledged by Rita MacNeil as an integral contributor to her success, Scott played an equally pivotal role in the rise of the Rankin Family Band, Symphony Nova Scotia’s Maritime Pops programming and the Nova Scotia Mass Choir. A multiple ECMA winner he has performed around the world including 3 appearances at Carnegie Hall.
Colin Grant’s fiddle playing has stepped to the forefront of the East Coast traditional music scene being hard-driving but clean, lively and passionate and traditional yet original all at once.
Jesse Mea and Roland Bourgeois are world class performers. Accordion and trumpet : the combination of these two wind instruments, played by these accomplished performers opens up a musical universe that exists outside of stereotypes. Their beautifully intimate and lyrical creations live in the realm of jazz world music and their playing will transport you to a place where your pulse and breathing will remain suspended. It’s certainly something different and from the comments of those who heard them at Winter Warmer the show is fantastic.
Jesse Mea &
Roland Bourgeois
Friday June 9th 7pm
Covenhoven on Minister's Island
Tickets $10 plus admission to the Island
Available at Cockburn's online online below
Garrett Mason
Friday May 19th 6pm
St Andrews Legion Queen Street
Tickets $15 Available at Cockburn's and online below
Juno Award winning bluesman Garrett Mason returns to St. Andrews for Solo acoustic based show. His unique style and accomplished musicianship make him a great performer worth travelling to see. Based in Truro, Nova Scotia Mason has toured internationally in support of his critically acclaimed albums. Garrett would be the first to tell you that riding the coat tails of others won’t take you very far in this business, but striving to be truly original is the secret to longevity and lasting success. He is certainly an original!
Ian Janes
Saturday May 20th 6pm
Sunbury Shores Water Street
Tickets $15 Available at Cockburn's and online below
Ian Janes has returned to the music scene after a 10 plus year absence raising a family. His early albums won him critical acclaim internationally and way back in the early 2000’s he was named by McLean’s Magazine as one of the 100 Canadians to watch! He has just released a new album “Yes Man” which Rolling Stone Magazine called “one of the most beautiful albums of the year. Brilliant, inspired, magnificently played and written”. At the beginning of March Janes’ song, “Can’t Remember Never Loving You”, was featured on the hit TV show Nashville and in April he spent time at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio before opening for Matt Andersen at a sold out show at the ECMA's
Jamie Junger
Saturday May 20th 4pm
Sunbury Shores Water Street
By Donation $10 Suggested/Family
Jamie Junger has been a versatile award winning songwriter for 3 decades. During the 1980's he arrived in Vancouver, and stayed put for the next twenty years. Here, he co-founded the bands: Bob’s Your Uncle and The Wingnuts and spent the next two decades recording (10 albums) and touring. During those years he had the good fortune to play with all kinds of incredible musicians/bands, including: Trooper, J.J. Cale, Hole, Los Lobos, Billy Bragg, The Tragically Hip and The Bare Naked Ladies. After moving back to his home of Nova Scotia he eventually honed his abilities at crafting and delivering music for kids again becoming a tunesmith known far and wide!
Songwriter's Circle
Sunday May 21st 2pm
Algonquin Hotel Van Horne Ballroom
Tickets $10 Available at Cockburn's and online below
Music New Brunswick has also partnered with Paddlefest to host “The Great Canadian Song Challenge”. This event brings together four New Brunswick emerging songwriters to work with each other and collaborate with well known tunesmith Old Man Luedecke in a three day series of workshops and mentoring sessions which will culminate in a Songwriters Circle Concert on Sunday afternoon. Participants include East Coast Love Story frontman Ryan Hillier from Moncton, cello playing songstress Lydia Mainville from Darlings Island, Fredericton’s new emerging voice Jane Blanchard and seasoned St Andrews troubadour Owen Steel.