Press release posted to Folkus January 10, 2012

Almonte’s Folkus Concert Series continues on Saturday, January 21, 2012 with a double bill featuring Cindy Doire and Kelly Sloan. 

Born in Timmins and based in Toronto, Cindy Doire has a wandering soul that has taken her to Mexico, Cuba, Brussels and Spain.    As a result she is a multi-lingual musician who is just as at home in a chansonniers’ bistro in Paris as she is in clubs and coffee houses across Canada.  A slim, petite presence, she has an evocative voice that can be both gentle and huge.  Using her fluency in four languages Doire has toured in Europe, and has a large fan base on both sides of the Atlantic.  Her songs are inventive and thoughtful, and her stage presence is dynamic and lively.  

She has three CDs to her credit.  The first, Le La Vie en Bleu, released in 2007, was a striking debut that blended southern blues with the romanticism of Europe.  To European audiences it was brilliantly French but with a difference.  At home it earned her Music in Film and Motion’s nominations for Best Album, Best Songwriter, and Best Vocal Performance.  Her second album, Chapeau de Pluie, was released in 2009 to critical acclaim in Quebec and Europe.   Each year it accumulates awards.  Last year alone it won major awards at Quebec’s prestigious Festival International de Granby and was nominated for three awards at the Gala des Prix Trille Or.   Building on this success, Doire has just released her first English CD Sticks and Mud.  Featuring an inspiring French jazz/folk sound, it is a varied, reflective collection of songs that range from intimate, to rollicking, to downright gritty.  Fittingly, the collection is dedicated to “all the troubadours, vagabonds and bandits with whom I’ve crossed paths.”.

The second half of Folkus’s January double bill features Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Scotia-based artist Kelly Sloan.   Sloan needs very little introduction locally.  She grew up in Almonte and has a large and loyal fan base in the area.  She is more than a local favorite, however.  She is a much sought-after performer in the Maritimes and beyond.  She was asked to launch Anne Murray’s 2009 autobiography, is featured in the compilation Atlantic Voices —– A Collection of Women Singer-Songwriters, and has performed with Irish singing legends Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers.  Sloan’s songs have emotional depth.  They are painstakingly crafted and reveal a rich inner world. Onstage, though, Sloan is witty and has an easy and clever banter that serves to soften the edges of loss.    Sloan’s new album, Kelly Sloan, is a follow-up to her debut album Always Changes.  It is a confident, sophisticated, and, rewarding CD that has the flavor of country folk, infused with soul.  The songs lay bare a concern for the particular that leaves enough interpretive room for listeners to find their own points of connection. The evidence is they work.  Sloan resonates with diverse audiences who will be there, looking over her shoulder, as long as she continues to share her winning hand.

On Saturday, January 121, 2012, Cindy Doire and Kelly Sloan can be seen in concert at the Almonte Old Town Hall. The show starts at 8:00 pm, with doors opening at 7:30pm.  Single show tickets for the three remaining shows are now available at a cost of $27 for adults and $12 for students. Tickets are also available at the door on the night of each show, but don’t wait.  Series passes sold well and the hall is already half full for each concert.   Single tickets for other concerts are selling quickly and we expect at least one sold out show before the end of the year. For ticket orders and information call Mill Street Books at 613-256-9090 or visit www.folkusalmonte.ca