We a proud to be a part of this year's Halifax POP Explosion. This show is a POP Explosion Show,tickets are ONLY available through Ticket Pro ww4.ticketpro.ca/achat_CLT22JS08.htmlThe shows will be seated on a first come first served basis. For those in the know we recommentd you get your tickets sorted and then call us at The Carleton at 422-6335 to make a dinner reservation to secure the best seats available.Reservations are only available to ticket holders.

It's going be be one more than awesome

Ghost Notes is the title of a stunning new record by acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Matthew Barber, his first since 2005's Sweet Nothing.  Ghost Notes departs from Barber's most recent efforts in that it emphasizes the moodier, more stripped-down side of his songwriting. Recorded in six gray November days at the famed Bathouse studio near Kingston, Ontario, Ghost Notes is the culmination of almost two years of writing and demoing, and stands as Barber's most mature record to date.  

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This is raw, no frills, home made music, gutsy country / soul "

 Joe’s musical education came from stealing songs and stories from the many road-worn acts that, week after week, rolled through the local beer joint his family ran in northern Ontario. Every night he'd fall asleep to the sound of country music filtering up through the floorboards .  His first appearance was at his parent's hotel, at age 12, filling in for the hired act who was too drunk to play.

 A move in the early part of 2001 to Nova Scotia was, in many ways, the start of Joe Fournier's current career. After having exhausted his creativity and enthusiasm in Ontario, Joe decided that the east coast was where to recharge.

 By January 2002, at age 41, Joe had recorded his first CD and sent it out into the world. In no time flat he was fielding calls from publishers and managers from Nashville to Europe and beyond.

 Now Joe's proud to release his best disc yet, Dirt Road Joyride. He plays everything himself including guitars, drums, keyboards, accordion, mandolin and banjo. It covers all the stops from hopped up bluegrass, full out power pop, twangy cajun waltzes, country soul and Rockpile-style rock n' roll. With titles like I Drive A Wreck, Gooned Up, Juanita Dog Walk and Bigger Than Actual Size, you just know it's gonna live up to what the Halifax Daily News called Joe's music - a junkyard Bakersfield rant!

www.joefournier.com

Gillian Boucher - Gillian is known to many as the wife of stunning guitarist Andrew White but she's an accomplished artist in her own right, as this show will attest. Gillian will be playing with a full band on the occasion of the release of her brand-spanking-new CBC-produced CD. The show is on Wednesday, October 8th. Tickets will be $20 + taxes and show time will be 9 PM.

If pissed off, lonely, feeling sorry for yourself and missing your home—while not knowing exactly where it is—had a soundtrack, it would be written by Amelia Curran. If the art of making misery and the depth of personal enigma into something that becomes happy and uplifting enough to throw in the odd mandolin lick, Amelia Curran can paint your picture.
 
Curran draws upon influences such as Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young. Upon seeing her live, it is impossible not to draw the very same comparison. Usually live, especially live...although, oddly the similarity among these influences remains strongest within her lyrics. Once described as "a performer who can smoke, drink a beer, and sing at the same time...harmoniously", Curran has that dirty raspy "I've been there and felt it" conviction to her songs. There is no putting it on, she is real and she’s here to sing about it. The audience is not left to wonder who these songs are about. It's her, but it is also everyone. The difference, however, is the crisp and melodic tone that leaves the song humming through your head as much as the lyrics echo through your conscience.

-Wendy Walters

www.ameliacurran.com

The Return of Steve Poltz September 28 and 29 2008

Steve delighted us in July and we are thrilled to have him back. I don't know if he has been off of the road since he last graced our stage. He'll be back home for two nights then off somewhere else. I think Steve is a juggernaut. If you saw Steve before, I am sure you'll be back for more, if you haven't seen him check with the folks you have. If you have any friends who did see the show I am sure they will drag you out to this one. Look at our Past Performances tab to get a taste of Steve.Tickets will be available shortly.

www.poltz.com

To top things off at the end of the shows Steve lept off the stage and performed sans mic, i.e. right on the floor with the rabid Poltz fans and performed Dick's Automotive, which is something you don"t see everyday, but is something that can happen at The Calreton, this is why you shoudn"t miss anything at The Carleton. Tis clip feature Coco Love Acorn another performer at The Carleton  on the trumpet...go figure

This dynamic in the round style performance features great Canadian songwriters from Atlantic Canada playing their songs and sharing the intimate details of what inspired them. Join featured songwriters: Catherine McLellan, Tim Baker (Hey Rosetta), Alex Madsen (The Divorcees) and Amelia Curran.

Sponsored by the Songwriters Association of Canada – celebrating 25 years of advocacy, education, and community. www.songwriters.ca

The S.A.C. gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the Government of Canada through the Creator's Assistance Program through the SOCAN Foundation and through the Support to Sector Associations Program through the Canada Music Fund.

Tickets are $15.00 available through www.ticketpro.ca

We tie into the Atlantic Film Festival:

Following the screening of the documentary  Of All Things

7:00 PM  Wed, Sep 17  Empire 8 Park Lane - 8

Dennis Lambert, the star of the film  will be performing at The Carleton, wih an all-star band.

From the Atlantic Film Festival program:

Welcome to the world of retired hit songwriter Dennis Lambert—now working as a Florida real estate agent—and his grueling comeback tour of the Philippines.

Lambert, often with British songwriting partner Brian Potter, wrote 600 songs with 75 chart hits and produced more than 100 albums for other artists. His one solo album, 1972’s Bags And Things, was a renowned flop except in Asia. In the Philippines, his song Of All The Things from that album has become a wedding standard. Almost two decades after he left the music industry, Lambert engages in a five-city tour that mixes the bizarre with the unlikely, reviving his passion for music. Featuring such memorable Lambert classics as Rhinestone Cowboy, Baby Come Back, One Tin Soldier and yes, Starship’s We Built This City, Of All The Things examines the music business from the late 1950s to present day with a precise affection that can only come from a music veteran reborn in a popular art form.

is was an awesome evening filled with storiies, hit after hot, greeat music and laughter

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Occasionally we get some last-minute offers for shows and we consider (a) whether or not the talent is up to Carleton scratch and (b) whether we have enough time to properly promote the show. In the case of this show, it was a no-brainer on the "talent" part of the equation. Whether we have/had enough time to promote it is anyone's guess...

I've followed, and covered (in my previous life as a MuchMusic guy) the Ennis Sisters over the years. Their brand of rootsy, harmony-laden, music was a joy to the ears. Teresa's stuff is great. As I understand it, Sue Smith (and her guy, Jeff, from the Cowboy Junkies) are on a "working vacation" in our province. They just want to play a show somewhere and I'm very happy to say that they've decided to give The Carleton a try.

I know it's "last minute" but I hope you'll join us, for what promises to be an excellent show. Tickets are $20 + taxes each (cheap). Dinner reservations are recommended, but not necessary. You can secure a seat in the venue by calling 902-422-6335 and giving us your credit card info. It's not hard. You'll be happy you decided to come. Tell your friends...

Due to popular - and I do mean popular - demand, The Carleton has added a third Lennie Gallant show for Wednesday, August 20th. Due to commitments of Lennie's band members, this show will start at 8:30, instead of the usual 9 PM. Lennie will be doing one extended set on this night.

Tickets can be reserved by calling The Carleton at 902-422-6335. Do it soon, they're going very fast indeed...

Lennie Gallant is a storyteller, and on his new recording “When We Get There, " he takes the listener on a literary and musical adventure that is sure to guarantee repeated listening. From the opening departure song “The Gypsy Wind “ to the closing instant classic “The Innkeeper,” Gallant masterfully weaves his tales in ways that never fail to intrigue and surprise. Early reviews suggest that “When We Get There” may be Gallant’s best album yet, and that is saying something considering the critical acclaim and numerous awards this artist has received in the past.

A native of Rustico, a village on the north shore of Prince Edward Island, Gallant grew up surrounded by music, stories, and dramatic scenarios. His family is very musical and when he was young, they were often involved in creating concerts and local theatre to help raise money for someone who had fallen on hard times or some other cause, and that was where Gallant first appeared on stage. “There always seemed to be something happening in that small town that everyone would be connected to in some way….some tragedy at sea or house fire, a great hockey victory, some guy pulling out a gun at a wedding….life was definitely not boring.” His love of travel and adventure led him to set off on ocean passages as a crew member on a 47 foot wooden schooner hitch his way around Europe, hop a freighter to the Middle East, and take part in a human rights tour in Central America. In the past he’s been a truck driver, laborer, actor, festival director, movie location manager, housepainter, teacher, stevedore and bartender to name a few of the jobs he held before playing music full time.

Since then this prolific songwriter/performer has released 7 albums, which have won him a host of awards and nominations from both the Juno’s and the East Coast Music Awards. In music, as well as in life, Gallant is always ready for a challenge

Check Lennie's web-site out at  http://www.lenniegallant.com

Here are some pictures from Tuesday August 19,