Graham Wells

Graham Wells is an Newfoundland and Irish traditional multi-instrumentalist and singer from St. John’s, NL. He completed an MA in Traditional Irish Music Performance at the University of Limerick in 2013. He first learned the accordion from his grandfather, Edward Walsh at the age of 6. In 1998, Graham introduced the C#/D tuned, two row button accordion to Newfoundland traditional music. This system has since been adopted by many notable Newfoundland accordion players including Aaron Collis, Billy Sutton, Fergus Brown-O’Byrne, Stan Pickett.

Graham was a founding member of the acclaimed traditional group “A Crowd of Bold Sharemen,” recording and arranging a seminal album of Newfoundland traditional music. Shortly thereafter in 2004, Graham joined the Juno award winning band, The Irish Descendants. He performed with the Descendants for the next 7 years. Graham embarked solo with the release of his first album in 2008. In 2010, Graham founded and organized the first Féile Seamus Creagh – a festival of traditional Irish and Newfoundland song, music and dance, which is now running in it’s 13th year.

Multi-award winning singer/songwriter Jackie Sullivan was named Music NL’s Female Artist of the Year & CBC Galaxie Rising Star for her debut album. Sullivan also recieved the honour of Folk/Roots Album of the Year Nominee for her sophomore album.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Fergus emigrated to Canada in 1967 and, while living in Toronto, became a founding member of the Irish folk band, Ryan’s Fancy. The group moved to St. John’s, Newfoundland, in 1971 and for the next fourteen years, Fergus toured extensively throughout North America and Ireland as part of the trio. They were featured on the CBC network series, Ryan’s Fancy, for five years, and on the Tommy Makem/Ryan’s Fancy show, which was syndicated throughout Canada and the world. Ryan’s Fancy was also featured in the CBC TV production of The Last Run, which is part of the Newfoundland curriculum for Music (Exploring Music) at the intermediate level.

Ryan’s Fancy recorded fourteen albums during its tenure and songs from these albums can still be heard on local and national radio playlists. As a solo performer, Fergus has performed on numerous anthologies and collections of folk music, and has contributed to recordings by Newfoundland artists such as Great Big Sea, Jim Payne, Minnie White, The Sons of Erin, and Christina Smith. He recently produced a double CD collection called Ryan’s Fancy: What a Time, featuring material culled from the Ryan’s Fancy vinyl recordings of the 70’s and 80’s.

In 1987 Fergus graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a degree in Education. Since then he has been bringing folk music to children both as a classroom teacher and a performer. He has developed a program of songs, stories and slides related to his native Ireland for use in schools and leads a series of initiatives around the province through the auspices of the St. John’s Folk Arts Society called Young Folk at the Hall, designed to get young people playing traditional music.

Fergus has served on the board of directors for the St. John’s Folk Arts Society and spent several years volunteering at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival. He organizes the St. John’s Canada Day Concert on Confederation Hill, and was Chair of the Education Committee for the 2010 Juno Awards in St. John’s.

Fergus has been a member of the award-winning band Tickle Harbour, and is a past recipient of the NL Arts Council’s Arts in Education Award, as well as Music NL’s Music Educator of the Year Award. In 2004, Ryan’s Fancy received the ECMA’s Dr. Helen Creighton Award, in recognition of three individuals who had “a profound and lasting effect on the Atlantic Canadian music industry”.

Featuring: Jenny Gear, Sandy Morris, Darren Browne & Erin Best

Heather Patey is a fiddler, singer and dancer in St, John’s, having spent 15 years focusing on the musical traditions of Newfoundland and Labrador. She especially enjoys passing on the fun of Newfoundland music to young people, and has taught and performed at the Suzuki Talent Education Program, STEP Fiddlers, Young Folk at the Hall, the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, and schools and youth groups in the St. John’s area. Often in company of her duet partner, accordionist Terry Goldie, she can lead a group of kids through the Lancers, share a beautiful ballad or a chorus shanty for everyone to sing, add traditional dance-music to the repertoire of student musicians, or join in any size of group for a rousing set of tunes. Always happy to bring authentic Newfoundland and Labrador material to ears and feet of all ages!

Heather Patey has been dancing in squares, lines, and circles, and amassing dance tunes for her fiddle, for nigh on twenty years now. She has led Newfoundland music- and dance-workshops and classes for children with the Suzuki Talent Education Program (“STEP”), Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, Young Folk at the Hall, and Soundbone Traditional Arts Foundation; and at schools and youth groups around the province.  Sharing the fun of Newfoundland musical traditions with young folks is what makes her happy!

Harry Ingram was born and raised in Arnold’s Cove Placentia Bay, or as Ray Guy would call it, “That far greater bay”. Recitations have always been a core element of Harry’s upbringing, which he now performs in various venues. He’s a part of the popular “Stage to Stage” group and also a comedy recitation duo known as “The Liar’s Bench Show” with his cohort Ken Parsons. Harry writes his own original material with a published book titled “Don’t be Talkin’, however, he also enjoys keeping alive the works of greats such as John Joe English, Baxter Wareham and others. 

Glen Tilley and Bill Rose share a deep love and passion for the music they create. Their repertoire, an homage to the great songwriters and tunesmiths who gave voice to a generation.

With stops in New York’s Greenwich Village, Liverpool, Los Angeles and a waltz across Texas, the duo cover a sweeping range including country swing, rockabilly, dazzling guitar instrumentals, folk, contemporary singer songwriter material, alt country and original compositions by Rose and Tilley.