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WHO: Jon Brooks & Kim Beggs in Concert
With a basketful of awards and nominations between them, these master
songsmiths join forces in a rare double bill performance!
with Sean Cotton, Brian Kobayakawa and Natalie Edelson
WHERE: Hugh's Room. 2261 Dundas St. W., Toronto
WHEN: Tuesday, August 17, 8:30pm
COST: $15 advance / $17 door
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[Toronto ON] Toronto Star's Artist to Watch, Jon Brooks, joins forces with Yukon's
Gold, Kim Beggs for a rare double bill appearance at Hugh's Room on Tuesday, August
17th! What closes the 3300 mile gap of these musical peers you ask? A love of the
song, of story, of community and a serendipitous and happy collision of their busy
tour schedules.
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Jon Brooks is a self-described ‘bard of the topical song’: a songwriter dedicated
to uniting folk song tradition with today’s stories, with an uncanny ability to
press his ear against the heartbeat and the soul of the times we live in. In only 4
years, Jon's been nominated twice for a Canadian Folk Music Award (Songwriter of the
Year), been profiled on CBC's "The National", named the Musician to Watch in 2010 by
the Toronto Star, garnered an OCFF Award, and took home the US Mountain Stage
NewSong Contest. Jon's music is featured on Neil Young's Livingwithwartoday website
and he also recently won both the Kerrville New Folk Competition in Texas, a special
spring round of the International Songwriting Competition (out of 15,000 entries),
and placed as a Finalist in the Music2Life Contest (run by 'Paul' of 'Peter, Paul &
Mary' fame).
______________________
Likened to Nanci Griffith and Iris DeMent, Canada's Kim Kim Beggs hasn’t always
made her living as a singer-songwriter, and as someone who began work at the
tender age of 12, the road has never been easy. Born in Val d’Or, Quebec and raised during her younger years in the mining towns of Northern Ontario, Kim inherited a
worker’s hands and a sturdy disposition before leaving for the Yukon in the winter of 1991.
With only $50 in her pocket and a pawnshop guitar, Beggs spent more than a decade
swinging a hammer, and working in the trades before she started performing away from
the campfire and singing her own songs.
It was well worth the wait... like all of Beggs’ music, her songs authentically
capture the rustic charm of the Canadian north, and allow people down south to
experience the vicarious thrill of life in the outback from the comfort of their
homes or a seat in a concert hall. It’s not surprising that Kim has garnered a lot
of praise and attention throughout her career. She represented the nation at Canada
Day celebrations in London’s Trafalgar Square and, most recently, was a nominee in
CBC Radio’s Songquest competition. She's a Canadian Folk Music Award and Western
Canadian Music Award nominee. To boot, she is 3rd place winner in the International
Songwriting Competition (Americana).
The audience will be treated to these award winning songs, including her spankin'
brand new CD, Blue Bones (recently featured in No Depression and Exclaim!).
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT JON
"Toronto's Jon Brooks stands among an exalted few in the enduring Canadian song
tradition – Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Fred Eaglesmith, Bruce
Cockburn – as a lyricist, composer and performer with a fierce commitment to his
craft and his vision."
Greg Quill, Toronto Star
“Brooks follows the tradition of poking holes in accepted truths, a path blazed by
the likes of Woody Guthrie and John Lennon... truly impressive songs that will
likely be sung for generations to come.”
Penguin Eggs
" 'Political' songwriting is all too often assumed to be shouty simplistic protest,
and all too often it is and therefore tends to be ignored by those who should take
the most notice of it. Canadian Jon Brooks knows this and his songs are songs first
and messages second. The result is a powerful set that cuts to the heart of all that
matters, and one that Brooks, a man with a powerful and at times brutally
clear-sighted vision, has created armed only with an acoustic guitar, a harmonica
and a gritty ragged voice... this is a real find of an album and Brooks a star in
the making."
Maverick Magazine, UK
“Jon Brooks is the latest in a long, honourable --and depleting -- line of
folksingers who write and perform to further the cause of social justice.”
Waterloo Record
"What the f___ is that? That’s good! Jon reminds me of Steve Earle, Bruce Cockburn
and Ray Bonneville in his honest, gritty vocal delivery and his straight-shooting
political songwriting which honours the tradition of folk music without the
contrived earnest format of many folk songs."
Harry Manx, 5x JUNO nominee & CFMA winner
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT KIM
"A masterful writer of engaging personal narratives that evoke place and time in the
manner of the finest folk traditionalists. Blessed with a fascinating, sweet voice,
Beggs conjures up a rugged Northwest peopled by battlers whose quirky resilience
makes these story songs a compelling listen"
Greg Quill, Toronto Star
"The lyrics are as enjoyable to read as they are too listen to. They are high poetry"
Michael Enright, CBC, 'The Sunday Edition'
"A great piece of Americana, NNNN + bullet for recommended disc"
NOW Magazine
"One of the few roots records that has honestly, and so beautifully, captured
Canada’s rustic back roads."
Exclaim Magazine
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ARTIST INFO: http://www.myspace.com/jonbrooks
http://www.sonicbids.com/jonbrooks
http://www.sonicbids.com/kimbeggs
PUBLICITY: Lisa Weitz
Interviews, LW Communications
CDs, MP3s lw@lwcommunications.ca
Video http://www.lwcommunications.ca
416-624-3466 (office)
416-846-6877 (cell)
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INFO & LISTINGS BY: VENUE BLUES (TBS) 905 MISS. AREA
