HUFF is absolutely giddy about bringing Leamington (that’s right, Leamington) Ontario’s Billy Raffoul (pronounced ra-fowl) to play on Canada’s East Coast for the first time. He’ll be performing solo and with The Halifax All Stars and we cannot wait for you to catch him live at The Carleton on Saturday, October 3rd. The night also features an opening songwriters’ circle with Friday night’s headliner, Sloan’s Chris Murphy, Thursday night’s headliner Ria Mae & local Mat Hughes. Show time is 8 PM and tickets are $72.50 + HST.
FUN FACT: Billy would be the first HUFF artist with over a billion collective streams on Spotify and upwards of two billion views on YouTube
Last summer, Billy Raffoul set out to reveal two sides of the same soul, releasing a pair of full-length albums that mirror both intimacy and magnitude. The first, Billy Raffoul, arrived on July 18 as a hushed, acoustic meditation on connection-born from a transformative journey through South Africa and shaped by songs that affirm, challenge, and gently push beyond boundaries. Just weeks later, on August 15, he returned with When I Cross The River, a gritty, rock-leaning counterpart-songs forged in the studio and built to be played at full volume. Together, the records form a single portrait, capturing who Raffoul is in this moment: grounded, expansive, and unafraid. Music, after all, knows no borders. It moves faster than any plane or passing moment, leaping from a pub in Germany to a festival in Africa, then finding its way back to a late- night room in Ontario.
Through melodies that linger and stories that feel instantly familiar, Raffoul writes toward something universal-those shared emotions that connect us, no matter where we stand. That rare sense of recognition has carried his music around the world, earning hundreds of millions of streams and sold-out shows for the award-winning Ontario singer, songwriter, and producer. Surrounded by an inspired circle of collaborators-Mike Elizondo, Linda Perry, Daniel Tashian, and longtime bandmate Justin Zuccato, Raffoul followed a creative current strong enough to release both albums just four weeks apart, each informing and amplifying the other.
OPENING SONGWRITERS’ CIRCLE
Chris Murphy has been in the band Sloan for over 30 years. Chris got into the super group game in 2015 when he formed a trio called TUNS (rhymes with buns) with Matt Murphy (Super Friendz/The Flashing Lights) and Mike O’Neill (The Inbreds). Now on a supergroup kick, he formed Trans-Canada Highwaymen in 2017 with Steven Page (ex Barenakedladies), Moe Berg (The Pursuit of Happiness) and Craig Northey (Odds). Then in 2018 some of his other musician friends were complaining they weren’t in a super group so Chris went ahead and agreed to make Anyway Gang with Sam Roberts (Sam Roberts Band), David Monks (Tokyo Police Club) and Menno Versteeg (Hollerado). Please don’t ask Chris to form a group with you. He doesn’t have time. What little time Chris has left over has been earmarked for solo shows where Chris plays songs and tells stories accompanied by acoustic guitar.
Ria Mae is a platinum-selling pop artist and songwriter from Halifax, Nova Scotia, known for crafting songs that feel as intimate as they are undeniable. With a signature blend of confessional lyricism and instinctive, hook-driven songwriting, her music captures the quiet, complicated emotions people don’t always know how to say out loud – and turns them into something immediate, repeatable, and lasting.
Mat Hughes is a Halifax-based singer-songwriter who makes each audience member feel like they’re catching up with an old friend. From playing dive bars and DIY house shows to touring across Canada and gracing hundreds of stages in his home province, he’s quickly made a name for himself as one of Nova Scotia’s most original talents.