Today`s Performers

Today’s Performers
SPRAOÍ
DIANE FLACKS
ROB CRABTREE
MICHAEL BRENNAN
GREG LAWLESS
HOWARD WILLETT
Spraoí (pronounced Spree and
meaning the same thing) are Toronto’s premiere Traditional Celtic ensemble. Based around the
playing of New Zealander Pat
Simmonds and Canadian piper
Kelly Hood the band has evolved
over the years to include several
other musicians and collaborators from several different traditions including Cape Breton,
Ireland and Scotland. www.spraoi.ca
Diane Flacks is an actor, writer,
mom, author (of Bear With Me),
former Globe and Mail columnist, and a multi-tasker. She has
a long list of accomplishments,
which she either left in the car,
or accidentally put in recycling.
She is thrilled to be sharing the
stage with such incredible talent
for a great cause.
www.dianeflacks.com
Rob began bagpiping at the age
of 10 and was the 1986 North
American Amateur Champion. A
regular prizewinner at the world’s
foremost competitions, he captured the North American Professional Championship in 1997 and
the Gold Medal at Braemar, Scotland in 1998. His 1999 album, “The
Piper’s Legacy”, was nominated for a Juno Award. He is cofounder of one of the top bagpipe summer schools in North
America, plays Scottish smallpipes and tinwhistle and is also
a fiction writer.
His site can be found at http://www.robcrabtree.com
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia born
and raised, Michael Brennan is
considered the voice of REAL
country music in Toronto. Possessing a deep, rich voice that’s been
compared to Waylon Jennings
and Roy Orbison, Brennan writes
honest, straight-up working man
songs full of characters who’ve
loved and lost more often than
they’ve won.
www.michaelbrennan.ca
CBC Radio’s Shelagh Rogers describes Lawless as “...the best
singer/songwriter you’ve ‘never’
heard!” Over the years, Gregg has
built a remarkable underground
following and is described “as the
poster boy for the independent
musician,” garnering rave reviews
and impressing fans and critics
alike in headline shows at major venues all across Canada.
Gregg has been involved with Riverdale Share since 1998.
www.gregglawless.com
Vocalist and harmonica player
with the Bebop Cowboys Swinga-billy Orchestra, Howard has
spent most of his musical career
playing country music. He has
toured Canada a number of
times with R.W. Pawley and later
the Good Old Boys. Arriving in Toronto in 1990, Howard fronted his
own band, The Shifters. He has appeared on CBC Radio
and Television and has guested with Jack deKeyser, Downchild Blues Band, songwriter Danny Brooks and the bluegrass
band Whiskey Jack.
Riverdale Share Concert 2007
DEWSHANE WILLIAMS
FLYNN TANNER
TARA MACLEAN
JACK ROCHON
KRISTIN BRIGGS
BAD DOG THEATRE COMPANY
Driven to rise above Kingston Jamaica’s notorious ghettos, Dewshane strives to push his
own limits and channel his emotions through entertainment. He
made his first stage debut before
a rocking crowd of 1,000 at the
age of three. Now 17, he is the
founder of the positive urban music team “Revelation Army” and
the co-founder of “The Projek
Raw Dance Team.” Dewshane’s
lifelong dream is to establish himself as the strongest individual he can be within the entertainment world, and so his journey continues.
Flynn started playing at 7, after
Santa set him up with an electric
guitar and amp for Christmas.
Together with school buddies
Reed Hollett (drums), Dexter Hornsby (keyboards) and Jack White
(bass), Flynn formed the Burning
Boyz early in ’07. They debuted at
the Withrow Fun Fair in the spring,
and followed up with a gig at last summer’s North by Northeast Music Festival. Flynn loves listening to and playing Jimi
Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and personal fave AC/DC. There’s no
band web site yet, but check out the boyz killing Zeppelin
on Youtube—search “the burning boyz.”
Three years ago Tara, a single
mother and musician, hooked up
with a really great guy who came
with a house in Riverdale. Little
did she know that she was stepping into this amazing community
of parents, artists, and interesting
people. Tara is excited about participating in Riverdale Share, not
only because it is a chance to be a part of something great
for the community, but also to meet other parents she can
pawn her kids off on in the guise of a ‘play date’. Her third
child and third solo cd will both be released this spring!
Jack began playing guitar at the
age of 6 years when he began
taking lessons with Steve Briggs.
Starting out on a classical guitar,
his interest soon veered towards
an electric guitar and timeless
hits of The Who, Zeppelin, and
The Beatles. Now at 11, he is an
avid composer in his own right.
Jack enjoys performing at summer festivals, open mics,
and parties and is really pumped to be returning to Riverdale Share for a second time.
In addition to her singing contributions to a number of local bands
in Toronto, Kristin is a graphic designer, producing CD artwork
and promotional material for
such artists as Prairie Oyster and
the Bebop Cowboys (she is also
manager for the Bebops), as well
as many books published by EGS
Press, for whom she has been resident graphic designer for
almost ten years. Her best productions by far are her two
fabulous children, Cameron and Duncan.
A Riverdale fixture since 2003, The Bad Dog Theatre Company proudly brings funny business
to the Danforth. 2008 will mark our
5th year as Bad Dog, as well as the
25th year of Theatresports Toronto
- our flagship show returns in February. Hailed by NOW Magazine
as the BEST OF TORONTO for two
years running, we’re the improv
hub of the city... and we’re right
on your doorstep! Come laugh
with us! Currently, we’re ringing
in the holidays with our annual A Twisted Christmas Carol.
Check our website for show times and details on our improv
classes and workshops! www.baddogtheatre.com
JORY NASH
Jory Nash is a Toronto-based independent singer songwriter who
blends elements of folk, jazz, blues,
soul & pop into an original stew of
sound. He has recorded and released 5 CDs and regularly tours
all across North America, playing
music festivals, house concerts,
soft seat theatres and folk clubs.
Jory Nash has a hat collection that numbers in the hundreds
and is a long suffering fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. His
website is www.jorynash.com
Riverdale Share Concert 2007
THERESA TOVA
LORRAINE SEGATO
Theresa Tova is a singer, writer, and
Gemini-nominated actor (for her
continuing role on the TV series
ENG). She wrote, produced, and
starred in “Still the Night,” which
won four Doras including Best
New Musical and Best Production.
After performing at Stratford and
in the National Broadway tour of
“Ragtime,” Ms. Tova has focussed
her energies on her native tongue, Yiddish, producing three
critically acclaimed CDs. She sings modern interpretations
of old world classics, Yiddish theatre music, and jazz at music festivals, concert halls, and nightclubs throughout North
America and Europe. Ms. Tova is happy to be home and
lending her voice to Riverdale Share.
www.theresatova.com
As co-founder and lead singer of
The Parachute Club, Canada’s
most internationally renowned
worldbeat band, Lorraine Segato
has enjoyed a run in the music
industry that few can match. After The Parachute Club won five
Juno’s, five Casby’s, two Platinum
and one Gold record, Lorraine
went on to release two critically
praised solo recordings and produced several notable music scores. Most recently, she spent two years directing, writing, narrating, and music-editing a documentary film called
“Queen Street West, The Rebel Zone” with the Award-winning
Rhombus Media International. Segato’s work, regardless of
the medium, remains consistently topical and relevant.
FOR THE LOVE OF IT PERFORMING NORTHERN LEGS SOUTHERN FISTS
Toronto’s premier lion dance team is a group of multicultural
ARTS CENTRE
people committed to preservFor the past 9 years, the centre has offered a wide range of
dance instruction—from toddlers
to adults—in a fun, positive and
nuturing environment. Its faculty have extensive professional
dance experience and provide
a supportive atmosphere where
students can experience the love
of dance and self-expression.
(416) 691-0253
www.fortheloveofit.net
ing and promoting the Asian art
of lion dancing and drumming.
Members of NLSF are also practitioners of traditional Chinese Kung
Fu and pride themselves on educating people about the beauty
of Asian culture. The group’s most
recent project was the Chinese
Lantern Festival hosted by Ontario Place, in which NLSF made over
50 performances. The group is led by general manager and
coach Sifu Ian Chow.
FRANKLAND SCHOOL CHOIR
RUSSELL DECARLE
The Frankland School Choir consists of students from grades
three to six who love to sing. The choir performs at school
concerts and assemblies, along with community events, and
has even performed with the Barenaked Ladies at Massey
Hall. The choir is conducted by Tom Roedding and is accompanied by Patrick Hornsby on piano.
As lead vocalist, bassist and contributing songwriter for the multiJuno-Award winning, platinumselling group Prairie Oyster, Russell
has toured the world entertaining
young and old for over three decades. He is currently developing
material for a solo project.
www.prairieoyster.com
Riverdale Share Concert 2007
STEVEN PAGE
SANTA CLAUS
Steven Page is best known as
one of the lead singers of the
multi-platinum, multi-award-winning supergroup, the Barenaked
Ladies. Mixing socially conscious
observations with crafty lyrics,
BNL have toured the world and
have racked up memorable hits
like “Pinch Me,” “If I Had A Million
Dollars,” “Brian Wilson,” among
many others. Steve has also released a solo album through his side project; “The Vanity
Project”
This jolly old elf hardly needs an introduction. Santa has been gracing the Riverdale stage since the
very beginning and claims that
it’s a high point in his social calendar every year. He loves watching
all the talented performers and
meeting all the busy volunteers.
He says he is very proud of the
Riverdale Community and the way they all come together
to celebrate the season and help those who need it in their
own neighbourhood. He wants to wish all of you here today
a very merry and safe holiday season. Ho, Ho, Ho!!!
WENDELL FERGUSON
MURRAY MCLAUCHLAN
Wendell Ferguson is a buffoon, a
fool, a charlatan and a general
nuisance, but he can play the
guitar (a bit). He’s garnered nine
Canadian Country Music Awards,
an OCPFA Lifetime Musician
Award and was twice nominated
for a JUNO. Despite all this, he still
remains the same unapproachable snob he’s always been. He’s
just released a new CD entitled
“Wendell Live! “The $#!T Hits the Fans”. He’s proud to be appearing once more at Riverdale Share. Visit his site for sore
ears at: www.wendellferguson.com
Murray McLauchlan began writing songs and performing
them in his late teens and after
engagements at music festivals
and clubs such as Toronto’s Riverboat, began to attract wider attention. Before he ever recorded
an album of his own his Child’s
Song was already well known after being recorded by American
folk star Tom Rush. Now, twenty
years later, Murray has eighteen
albums of songs to his credit on
both True North and Capitol Records and has won eleven
JUNO awards as well as RPM Big Country and Toronto Music
awards. In 1993, McLauchlan received The Order Of Canada.
N’JACKO BACKO
Cameroon’s N’Jacko Backo is a
national treasure. Now living in Toronto, N’Jacko is the King of Kalimba and integrates the African
instrument into the enchanting
rhythms of Kalimba Kalimba. Their
latest record “The Conscience
of Africa” is a glorious ode to the
continent, its people and its being. N’Jacko will be performing today with his wife Valerie
Woloshyn. www.njackobacko.com
JIAN GHOMESHI
Jian Ghomeshi is a broadcaster,
writer and musical artist born in
London, England and raised in
Toronto. He is a familiar face on
CBC Television and is currently
best known as the host of the
daily national cultural affairs program, Q on CBC Radio One. He
has appeared as a regular on
various programs including The
Hour, Sounds Like Canada, and
The National. He spent three years as the host of the Geminiaward winning TV program, Play, and has interviewed subjects ranging from Woody Allen to Johnny Rotten to Jane
Fonda and Steve Nash. He has written for numerous publications including the Sunday Washington Post and The
Globe and Mail. Jian first came to public attention as a
singer and songwriter in the multi-platinum selling folk rock
group, Moxy Früvous.
CINDY CHURCH
Cindy spent her formative years
out west, touring with Ian Tyson.
That friendship led to the formation of Quartette with Sylvia Tyson,
Caitlin Hanford, the late Colleen
Peterson and later Gwen Swick.
Current projects include “The
Nearness of You - A Tribute to the
Music of Hoagy Carmichael” and
“Lunch a t Allen’s”, a collaboration with Murray McLauchlan, Ian Thomas and Marc Jordan. Cindy has been nominated for several Juno and Canadian Country Music Awards.
www.cindychurch.com
Riverdale Share Concert 2007
TOM LEIGHTON
Riverdale Share Band
Musical Director
(piano and accordion)
Tom Leighton is well known for
his energetic performances and
his ability to play several instruments at the same time. As half of
Haines & Leighton, he has three
CD’s with Borealis Records, including the award-winning “Hand To
Hand”. Tom teaches part of each
year at Wexford C.I. School for the
Arts, performs regularly with Conrad Kipping and Anne Lederman and is proud to be part of
the RSC team as musical director and orchestrator. www.
haines-leighton.com
STEVE BRIGGS
Band Leader (guitar)
A native of Powell River B.C., Steve has been a busy band
leader, freelance guitarist and
arranger in Toronto. He has performed, arranged and recorded
with a wealth of wonderful artists
including Sylvia Tyson and Quartette, Russell de Carle and Carroll
Baker. His popular western swing
orchestra, the Bebop Cowboys,
have garnered many glowing reviews and accolades across the
country. As a guitar/mandolin instructor, he runs the Kitchen Music
Instructional Studio in Riverdale
with his wife Kristin. He has been
featured twice as “Best Guitar Instructor” in Toronto Life
Magazine and has released two instructional CDs.
BEBOP COWBOYS -
Swing-a-billy Orchestra
Known as Canada’s premier western swingers, the Bebops
have toured across the country bringing the joy of country
swing to the people. With their third CD, “Canadian Dance
Hall”, featuring guests such as Sarah Harmer, Russell de Carle
and Alex Pangman, they have gathered enthusiastic recognition for their fun, danceable music, including a Canadian
Folk Music Award nomination for Best Ensemble, and were
named Best Roots/Country Act by NOW magazine.
www.bebopcowboys.com
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BURKE CARROLL (pedal steel, dobro)
Yukon native and Bebop Cowboy
Burke Carroll is an in-demand musician who has toured the globe
extensively, backing artists such
as George Fox, the Good Brothers, Shania Twain, Justin Rutledge,
Scotty Campbell and the Wilkinsons. Burke is also a talented arranger and producer.
RUSS BOSWELL (bass)
Russ has to be one of the busiest
bass players in town. He’s recently
toured with Ian & Dave Thomas, DK Ibomeka, David Wilcox
and Colm Wilkinson. He has also
toured with Corey Hart, The Parachute Club, Seals and Crofts, Holy
Cole, Dianne Tell and Mary Margaret O’Hara. Recording credits
include Serena Ryder, Corey Hart, Charlie Majors, David
Wilcox, Julie Crochetiere, Jullian Austin, John Landry, Sean
Hogan, and Beverly Mahood to name a few. Russ is actively
involved with ‘Folkalarm’ featuring Kevin Breit and Jorn Andersen and has been a long-time fixture at Riverdale Share.
BRUCE MOFFETT (drums)
Bruce has been a part of the Riverdale Community Concert for all 15
years. He formerly played with Prairie Oyster, Sass Jordan, Corey Hart
and Red Ryder, among others. He
owns PRB Pro Rehearsal & Backline, supplier of equipped rehearsal
rooms to bands and shows. Bruce
recently moved into recording with
the opening of his studio, The Drum Room, which specializes in recording drums, and his mobile recording truck, “The
Roving Recorder,” which records performances and events
of all kinds. www.torontobackline.com
PATRICK HORNSBY (piano)
Patrick lives in Riverdale with his wife
Karen and son Dexter. He works for
the TDSB as a Grade One teacher
and teaches private piano lessons
at his home. He has performed at
the Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax
jazz festivals and has recorded for
CBC Maritimes.
Riverdale Share Concert 2007
DANNY GREENSPOON (guitar)
Danny Greenspoon is a multi-platinum, award winning record producer, recording engineer and
guitar player. As a record producer, he has produced over fifty
albums, including Great Big Sea,
Ian Tyson, Colm Wilkinson, Sophie
Milman, Jane Bunnett and Spirit
Of The West. The albums have
garnered 4 JUNO Award wins out
of sixteen JUNO nominations and
seven ECMA’s. As a guitarist he
has performed with some of the biggest names in the country, including long stints with Murray McLauchlan, Kate and
Anna McGarrigle, Sylvia Tyson and The Great Speckled Bird,
and The Romaniacs.
Riverdale Share Horns
MEI KELLY (trombone)
Meirion (Mei) likes sharp suits and
plays a sweet trombone. He is a
permanent member of the National Jazz Award-Winning ensemble Kollage and has recorded
with the band on their most recent session; At This Time. Mei appears regularly on CTV performing
arts broadcasts such as Canadian
Idol and Canada’s Walk of Fame and has performed with
international artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Robert Goulet,
Paul Schaffer, Dan Akroyd, Doug Riley, Dr. Lonnie Smith and
Joey DeFrancesco. He can be found in the St. Clair/Christie
area walking his dog, or conducting the Jr. Band at Dr. J.M.
Denison Secondary School.
Riverdale Share Strings
MIKE MURLEY (saxophone)
ANNE LEDERMAN (fiddle)
JOHN MACLEOD (trumpet)
JOHN SHOWMAN (violin)
An engaging, lyrical saxophonist, Murley has emerged as one
of the nation’s finest jazz talents.
Active as a leader in various formations from duo to septet, Murley maintains a busy schedule as
a sideman with the David Braid
Sextet, the Rob McConnell Tentet
and the David Occhipinti Quartet, among others. Murley has
played on nine Juno Award winning recordings and has been named saxophonist of the
year eight times by the Jazz Report Awards and National
Jazz Awards. His latest recording, “The Melody Lingers On”,
finds him live in concert at the Glenn Gould Studio with a
twelve-piece string ensemble.
Trumpet and flugelhorn player, John played on 6 Juno
winners and 2 Grammy winning CD’s and is an active
Jazz and commercial freelance trumpeter. John was
a featured soloist with the
world-renowned Rob McConnell & the Boss Brass for over
15 years and has played back up to the likes of Ray Charles,
Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin and Linda Ronstadt. John’s also a professional arranger/composer who
leads his own big band - The Rex Hotel Orchestra and is currently teaching advanced arranging at Humber College.
Riverdale Share Concert 2007
Fiddler/singer/composer/multiinstrumentalist Anne Lederman is
known for her fiddle work with such
pioneering groups as Muddy York
The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band,
Njacko Backo and Kalimba Kalimba and LOKA as well as her own
group Fiddlesong and as backup
for many Canadian artists. Anne
has composed for the Roseneath
Theatre, The Blyth Festival, Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre, the National Storytelling Theatre and Veronica Tennant Productions, and is delighted to
be part of the Riverdale Share Band.
John Showman studied at Indiana
University and in Ottawa with Victor Pomer before moving to Montreal to begin his professional career. With the band ‘Nobody You
Know’, he recorded four albums
and spent 5 years touring Canada and the United States before
relocation to Toronto. John‘s melodic phrasing and original lines
can also be heard with the Eastcoast/Celtic group ‘Skraeling’, the bluegrass group The Foggy Hogtown Boys and with the creaking tree string quartet.
11
SUSAN BAKER
Riverdale Share Artistic Team
RANDI FRATKIN
PRODUCER AND CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
STEVE BRIGGS
TOM LEIGHTON
BAND LEADER AND CO-MUSICAL DIRECTOR
MUSICAL DIRECTOR AND ORCHESTRATOR
Susan has been a Riverdale resident for the past 20 years. She
dedicates every fall to wrangling
the Riverdale Share volunteers
but the rest of the year you’ll find
her sailing her boat off the Leslie
Spit; planning other community
events; cursing at her computer;
walking her dog Jack; home exchanging around the globe with
one of her kids or selling Riverdale
Real Estate. Riverdale Share is in
her blood.
Steve has played in the Riverdale Share Band for many years
and joined the artistic team in 2004. He is an accomplished
freelance guitar player; leader of the popular western swing
band, the BeBop Cowboys; and the best guitar/mandolin
instructor in Toronto (according to Toronto Life Magaizine).
He lives on Withrow with his wife Kristin and his kids Cameron
and Duncan.
Proud to be part of Riverdale
Share, Randi is the artistic director of Kingfest, and was the artistic director of the Mariposa Folk
Festival from 2000-2006 and of
Winterfolk for 2006 and 2007. She
has participated in numerous national music juries, and has been
on the Board of Directors of the
North American Folk Alliance and
the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals. Randi is a pediatric dentist at
the Hospital For Sick Children and maintains a private practice in Toronto.
Tom has been the musical director for Riverdale Share since
2004. He brings his boundless energy, creativity and huge
musical talent to the team. He prides himself in his ability to
keep all the members of the Riverdale Share band playing from start to finish. His wonderful orchestrations give the
show its spit and polish. Tom lives in Riverdale with his lovely
wife Sandra and is an avid windsurfer.
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Riverdale Share Concert 2007
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