Events Archive - Page 2 of 59 - Old Church Theatre

Josh Piché & Sandra Bouza

Josh Piché is a Toronto based singer-songwriter, guitarist & producer. Born & raised in Winnipeg, he learned playing, singing, songwriting & performing from some of the city’s best musicians, eventually moving east to Toronto for a taste of the big city.

Piché’s early career saw him cutting his teeth as a sideman, playing with bands all over Toronto. He eventually landed the position as guitarist & musical director for award winning blues/soul band Irene Torres & The Sugar Devils. With Torres he wrote two studio albums, toured internationally, & showcased at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. They soon found themselves opening for Gino Vanelli, New Orleans pianist Jon Cleary, performing with Downchild Blues Band & playing some of Canada’s biggest blues festivals.

Their second album featured collaborations with organ legend Ike Stubblefield & electric bassist/TV actor Cornell Williams.
Josh also performed & recorded with Juno nominated troubadour Julian Taylor, appearing on his album Desert Star, including his UK hit single “Just A Little Bit”. In 2020, Piché found himself on the Canadian Country Music Awards performing with Canadian country superstar Brett Kissel.

Josh can also be seen playing with blues singer songwriter Sandra Bouza, Country music frontwoman Angela Saini, Country/rocker Ty Wilson, rising country star McKenzie Leigh Meyer. Piché’s 2021 self titled EP garnered play on Jazz FM91.1 & CBC Radio. The disc features Steve Pelletier on bass (Colin James, Jarvis Church, Matt Andersen, Julian Taylor), drummer Don Pham (Jarvis Church, Jacksoul), Eddy Ruyter on Keys (Shawn Mendes), guitar session master Mitch Lewis (Prof. Piano, Chuck Jackson, Raffi), Pat Rush (Jeff Healey, Johnny Winter, The Allman Brothers) & guest singer Irene Torres.

As a dedicated member of Toronto’s live music community, Josh is also a founding member of
Canopy Music Theatre, an open air, socially distanced venue formed in Toronto for musicians
during the COVID19 pandemic. The project was featured on CBC National Radio, Blog TO &
went on to win NOW Magazine’s Best Live Music Venue.

2024 will see the track by track release of Piché’s new full length studio album Strobo. Featuring
collaborations with Steve Pelletier, Mitch Lewis, Miles Gibbons (Serena Ryder, Aysanabee , The
Strumbellas) Kurt Nielsen (Noah Reid, Banners ), Sandra Bouza and cowrites with Derek
Downham (Andy Kim, Broken Social Scene, Serena Ryder).

Sandra Bouza is an award winning Independent Soul Blues artist with decades of live
performance experience. She cut her teeth performing in Toronto and Vancouver clubs
and then spent three years honing her craft overseas in Europe and North and West
Africa.
Upon returning to Canada she invested in her songwriting career and immediately
received recognition winning the 2019 Toronto Blues Society Talent Search and
representing Toronto at the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
Her EP ‘Three Years’ received significant radio play in Canada, and her following
FACTOR funded album ‘Falling Away From Me” received Canadian radio play and rave
reviews in Europe.
This past year was full of night notes, performing at Massey Hall as part of the Women’s Blues Revue and being nominated for her first Maple Blues Award. Her latest album, ‘A Sound in the Dark’ is available now.

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Jerry Leger, with opening by Katie Cruel

It’s always a great time when Jerry Leger comes to the Old Church Theater and this time he’s bringing Katie Cruel to kick off the show!

As Toronto’s music scene has grown in stature on the world stage, singer/songwriter Jerry Leger has been making his own significant contributions. A favourite of Uncut Magazine and Rolling Stone Germany, Leger has also earned the praise of fellow artists Ron Sexsmith (“he’s the real deal”) and Doug Paisley, while maintaining a long relationship with Cowboy Junkies as part of their Latent Recordings roster, with their songwriter/guitarist Michael Timmins serving as producer.

On his new album Donlands, Leger has taken a different approach, teaming up with legendary Canadian producer/engineer Mark Howard (Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Neil Young), whose trademark atmospheric sound adds an entirely new dimension to Leger’s approach. Named after the street in Toronto’s east end where it was recorded, in what once was the Donlands Theatre, Donlands presents Jerry Leger as he’s never been heard before.

On songs like “I Was Right To Doubt Her,” the film noir vibe recalls Howard’s work on Willie Nelson’s Teatro. But mostly, Leger wears his poetic heart firmly on his sleeve on “Three Hours Ahead Of Midnight” and “The Flower And The Dirt,” songs that underscore Leger’s uncommon ability to pen timeless music and lyrics. Further, as on the Roy Orbison-esque opening track “Sort Me Out,” and the heart-wrenching piano ballad “Wounded Wing,” Leger digs deep to express the strength and resolve we’ve all needed to get through the past few years. He says, “This record is a place I’ve known about and where I’ve always wanted to live, so it was a nice and rewarding visit. It’s another piece of me that floats in a dream. It’s surreal at times, just like writing can be surreal.”

For Jerry Leger, the search for the elusive creative spark remains never-ending, but there are always new routes to explore in getting to it. With Donlands, he has made an album that stands as one of the peak moments in an already towering body of work.

Katie Cruel released her debut album, Lost Vagus, in Sept 2023. Produced by Mark Howard (Neil Young, Bob Dylan, REM, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson etc) her 2 singles, Desert Valley Nights and Calling Out Your Name, received multiple plays on CBC radio, ZOOMER radio and many college and indie stations. A great start!

Music Mecca in Nashville not only called the record “strikingly unique and pristinely crafted”, they later selected Katie Cruel as #3 on their emerging artist list for 2024. Billboard Magazine called Lost Vagus, a “mesmerizing lament”.

Since releasing her debut, Katie Cruel has supported Timber Timbre on a sold out Ontario tour, and completed her own small release tour in celebration of Lost Vagus alongside Jerry Leger.

Cruel has honed her live show beautifully. Accompanied by her 1937 Gibson acoustic guitar, the performance whether solo or with a band, is honest, animal and fiercely intimate. Katie Cruel is a ghost on the move with much to come in 2024.

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Seventh Town

Seventh Town is a four-piece Celtic Folk band from Prince Edward County, Ontario. The band blends traditional Irish, Scottish and Canadian songs with tasteful instrumentals and fiddle tunes.

Seventh Town delivers high-energy engaging performances with thoughtful arrangements and well-crafted 4-part vocal harmonies and instrumentals.

The core members have been playing together for more than a decade. That musical chemistry shines through in Seventh Town’s fresh and harmony-driven arrangements of old and new Celtic and traditional music.

Seventh Town’s latest album,10,000 Miles, is a collection of contemporary and traditional songs and instrumentals.

Though they’re often found playing in pubs across the region, Seventh Town isn’t a pub band. There’s not much of the raucous or brash about them — audiences are treated to melodic arrangements with instrumentation that showcases the band members’ several decades of combined musical experience and practice. Seventh Town’s members have performed on both sides of the Atlantic, and as members or guests with bands such as Killiecrankie, The Wakami Wailers, The Gertrudes and others.

Seventh Town has entertained audiences on festival and theatre stages, and for live music series, house parties, fundraisers, weddings and other events. View Upcoming Shows and past performances

Seventh Town’s members are Martin Smit on guitar and vocals, Meghan Balogh on fiddle and vocals, Trisha Elliott on whistles and vocals, and Fraser Hardman on bass and vocals.

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Nicholas Campbell and the Two Metre Cheaters

From slick hot-rod rockabilly to smooth crooning honky tonk, Nicholas Campbell is the real deal. Inspired by some of the last century’s most iconic country sounds, from Faron Young to Brian Setzer,

Campbell first picked up the guitar at age 10 and was gigging by 11. Having found a fresh start during the pandemic, Nicholas began playing consistently with his band, The Two Meter Cheaters, who quickly rediscovered their groove as live shows began to become an option once again—and they wasted no time in seizing the opportunity.

The band worked to release Campbell’s debut album, Livin’ and Other Western Ideas in 2021, combining elements of rockabilly, western swing, and good old-fashioned honky tonk. The result was a brisk, invigorating album that feels as fresh as it does familiar. The band has enjoyed worldwide coverage and airplay since, spanning from Western Canada to Spain, to Italy, and beyond. As live music has begun to blossom again Nicholas has had the opportunity to share the stage with the likes of Melissa Payne, Paul Reddick, Blue Rodeo and plenty of other artists.

With Campbell’s new singles and the album to come, Gonna Have A Ball Tonight, the group has shifted their tone to include a more rock n’ roll-centric sound, adding a renewed breath of energy and excitement to Campbell’s signature country sensibilities.

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