Dave Penny has been beating around the great city of St. John’s, sometimes with an accordion and other times not. He’s allowed out through the overpass to other parts of Newfoundland and off to the Mainland when he’s lucky enough to land a reason to do so. One of the proud members of From Stage to Stage, he has written several comedy songs such as Johnny Chrome and A Townie Courted a Bayman’s Daughter, and enjoys poking fun at the more trivial events in life, such as a shortage of mustard pickles and people going around licking shopping cart handles during a pandemic (actually, that’s serious!). He has performed in many Newfoundland and Labrador towns and festivals, the Meriposa Folk Festival in Ontario, and parts of New England. In fact, as of this writing, he would have been gearing up with fellow musical companion Daunt Lee for a jaunt to Maine and New Hampshire but it’s not going ahead now. Rotted with 2020, he is.
His second recording, All Turned Around, has been nominated for a 2017 MusicNL award for Celtic/Traditional Artist of the Year and a 2017 Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Singer of the Year. He’s something now–thinks he is, anyway.
Dave is set to release his third solo recording, Chip Wagon Ahead, in October 2020.
Dave Penny wrote this biography himself. It’s the first and last time he’ll be writing in the third person.
“Much of Penny’s work is infused with themes and idioms particular to Newfoundland and Labrador…like most excellent songwriters, he manages to find the universal elements of those localized experiences.” Jean Hewson, Penguin Eggs Magazine
“Dave has some gems. If it happens, and it’s songable.. Dave will song it.” @kookybouzouki, Jason Whalen; Musician, producer and owner/operator of The Sound Solution.
Dave Penny has established himself as a Newfoundland and Labrador comic songwriter/storyteller, which over the past 25 years has brought him around the province as well as parts of Ontario, PEI and New England. He chronicles current events, or makes up stories loosely based on personal experiences or news articles using his unique brand of clever satire. Whether the issue is localized to Newfoundland and Labrador, such as a state of emergency following a record snowfall, or a more global issue such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Dave ties them with humourous narrative and catchy melodies. His 2017 release, All Turned Around, was nominated for a MusicNL and a Canadian Folk Music award for Traditional Artist of the Year.
In October 2020, Dave released Chip Wagon Ahead, another album of original songs, which has been nominated for a MusicNL award for Celtic/Traditional Artist of the Year. Dave has teamed up with veteran multi-instrumentalist Daunt Lee and regular host of Folk Club, whose intricate guitar arrangements and mandolin accompaniment add to the uplifting spirit of Dave’s comical songs and driving accordion. The two have been playing at folk festivals and small venues for the past six years and together have released two singles, Who Stole the Rack for Mini Spoons? and Zombie Bullet.
Dave Paddon is a retired airline pilot originally from Northwest River, Labrador. He grew up listening to the songs and stories of the trappers and attending many a late night “session” around many a kitchen table. In 1986 he married a Gander girl and subsequently became immersed in Island culture. As a result he accumulated a store of material which suddenly bubbled to the surface when he and Kim returned to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2005 after 20 years upalong. He wrote his first recitation in 2007 and has now written 50. Five of these have been published in handmade chapbooks and his work is available on 2 CDs or through electronic download. His recitations “Ralph:Flying Hound” and “Kimmy and Mike” were recently released as illustrated children’s books and his latest work is “Half the lies you tell are not true”, a collection of 13 of his funniest recitations.
Dave lives in St.John’s and is a regular at festivals and fundraisers throughout the province.
A multi instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer who hails from St. John’s, NL.,
Dave is moving into his fifth decade as a professional musician.
A winner of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award,
Dave is a long time member of the AF of M and SOCAN and Music NL.
Among the instruments he plays are acoustic and electric guitar, members of the mandolin family, banjo and bass as well as Greek bouzouki, durass and baglamas.
Over the years he has been called upon to play many genres of roots music: Celtic, Newfoundland traditional, Folk and Country, Blues, Rock, Reggae and Greek among others.
His creative gifts have enabled him to combine all these influences into his own unique style and he continues to work on new songs and instrumental music on a daily basis.
Dave was a founding member of the influential Newfoundland folk band Figgy Duff as well as the artistic driving force, song writing engine and co – producer behind Atlantic Canada’s award winning multi genre group Rawlins Cross [7 ECMA awards, 8 albums, videos and a concert DVD]. He was also a member of the Irish Descendants, Juno award winners and one of Newfoundland’s longstanding musical mainstays.
Other projects include:
The Forgotten Bouzouki [a Greek music project based in St. John’s].
Tanglecove
Cotillion
Detour [with Nova Scotia’s Greg Simm]
DAVE: Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, Bouzouki GEOFF: Vocals, Accordion, Keyboards
Dave and Geoff have been part of the Newfoundland and Labrador music scene since the early 70s. As well as veterans of national and international touring. They are both founding members of and principle songwriters for Rawlins Cross Atlantic Canada’s influential Celtic rock band. Dave is also a former member of Figgy Duff and the Irish Descendants. He has recieved Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival and the East Coast Music Awards. Geoff is also a recipient of the ECMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award and a former member of the Sheliagh’s Brush Theatre Co. Expect an eclectic evening of of original and traditional tunes from Newfoundland and Celtic to Blues and Country.
Raised on a diet of big band swing and 1980’s hair metal, Darren Boobie Browne is a downtownie who spent much of the Lady Gaga era as a musicking globetrotter. These days home is where the art is and when not backing up fabulous performers he enjoys dabbling in languages and learning the bebop style of jazz guitar.
Daunt Lee is a life-long performer of folk music and a veteran of the traditional scene in Newfoundland. He brings joy and excitement to every stage or session, with friends and newcomers alike. His passion is creating community through music, friendships through sound, and generating unforgettable experiences with all those around him. For the past year, he’s been the face of Folk Night at the Ship, Newfoundland’s longest continuous running music event, going strong since 1976; He’s a musician and emcee for the legendary St. Pat’s Dancers, and half of the duo with the incredible Dave Penny. Daunt is delighted to join the Heave It Out of Ya! session again at the 2024 Folk Fest this year.
Darcy Scott‘s passion for creating rhythm began as a child beating on bowls in his Nan’s kitchen and has led to performing as a percussionist, guitarist, and singer-songwriter on stages throughout his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Participating in open mics, songwriters circles, traditional bands and rock camps provided early opportunities for collaboration that further fueled his creativity.
During the winter of 2019, he recorded his first song – Happy Place – which debuted in the Top 100 of the CBC Searchlight Competition. That same year, he was awarded the top prize in the Newfound Talent Contest at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival where he had the privilege to perform his original song – Hold On – to an enthusiastic main stage audience. These early wins lit a fire in the young performer and he has not looked back. His follow up singles – Canadian Folk Singer and 1000 Words – landed in the Top 100 of CBC Searchlight in 2020 and 2021 and led him to being named a Rising Star for 2022 by MusicNL.
His debut EP, Wasted Spaces, was released in the spring of 2023 to the delight of his growing fan base. A respected musician and songwriter, Darcy’s songwriting and stage presence have been called engaging and beyond his years. Wasted Spaces is a collection of stories inspired by his ability to observe and interpret the world around him. From the melodic hook in the EP’s title track to the haunting message in Nobody Has the Time, if this first release is any indication, we are watching a great musician in the making.
‘He has the best Irish traditional voice currently around; if there’s better, I’ve yet to hear it.’ Folk Radio UK
A product of Dublin’s famous club An Góilin Traditional Singers, since launching his solo live career at Celtic Connections in 2016, Daoirí Farrell has gone from strength to strength. He can boast numerous honours from BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and RTÉ Folk Award nominations, to ALSR Celtic Music accolades, with his music and live performances earning the acclaim of respected publications including MOJO, The Irish Post, Songlines and more.
Daoirí’s fourth album, ‘The Wedding Above In Glencree’, was released in 2023, made the RTÉ Radio 2 playlist in Ireland and reached number 11 on the Official UK Folk Albums Chart.
He has toured and played major folk festivals across the world, including at the National Folk Festival in Australia, in the USA as a guest singer for Lúnasa, and with Transatlantic Sessions across the UK.
‘The finest Irish male folk singer-storyteller this side of Christy Moore and Paul Brady.’ The Weekend Australian
