FridayFolk Concert
October 30 , 2009
Don Bray
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FridayFolk Concert October 30 , 2009 Don Bray |
Orillia Folk Society presents
award-winning singer-songwriter Don Bray
Friday, October 30, 7:30 pm, Swanmore Hall
The Orillia Folk Society presents award-winning singer-songwriter Don Bray as part of its FridayFolk season on Friday, October 30. "A keen observer of the human condition, with sensitivity and wit. A brilliant songwriter... poetry married to an unsurpassed guitar style... lyrics clear as water." [David Francey]. Opening the evening will be four members of the Mariposa Writers Group — Christine Spear, Harvie Johnstone, Marilyn Rumball and John Forrest. The show starts at 7:30 pm, at the Leacock Museum’s Swanmore Hall, 50 Museum Drive, Orillia.
A limited supply of EarlyBird tickets are available for $12 through the Mariposa Office at 37 Mississaga St. W., or 326-3655 (cash, credit card or cheque — reservations upon payment only). Once the EarlyBirds are gone, regular-priced tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for youth (ages 16 and under) — these are also available through the Mariposa Office, AND (new this year) online at http://takenotepromotion.com/store/. Any remaining seats will be available at the door (cash or cheque only).
Doors open at 6:45 (no earlier, please — our performers need a relaxed sound-check), with our dinner Bistro offered 6:45 - 7:30 pm (sorry, no later, due to new regulations). This month’s offering is vegetarian or meaty chili served on a baked potato, garnished with cheddar cheese and served with a freshly baked whole grain roll. All this for a mere $6 per person — where else can you get fresh, healthy food for that little? To help our Bistro co-ordinators plan their cooking, please reserve in advance (preferably by October 23, though later bookings and walk-ins are welcome). Dinner reservations may be placed when you reserve your tickets, or by e-mailing bistro@orilliafolk.ca. The bar will be open before the show and between sets; cookies, coffee & tea will also be available.
Don Bray (http://donbray.ca)
"Imaginative songs well-sung and accompanied by some pretty fancy pickin'. Don Bray is an impressive artist."
Paul Mills, aka Curly Boy Stubbs
Listen to samples from taxi moon & I:
Noted for his brilliant guitar playing and impassioned songs ranging from the heartfelt to the humorous, Don Bray takes us on a journey through his vivid imagination, with "well-defined characters up there with Willie P." [David Bradstreet], enthusiasm for all aspects of life, and love for those he meets on his journey.
Don’s performance of Burning in the Streets (written from the firefighter’s perspective) at his CD Release concert on September 13, 2001 was the inspiration for the CD compilation project Tears of a Thousand Years, which raised several thousand dollars for the Red Cross and Salvation Army in the wake of the September 11th attacks. His many awards and accolades include a 1999 Great American Songwriting Contest award (acoustic/folk category), two from the Tucson Folk Festival Songwriters Contest (2005 finalist, 1999 first alternate), and the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals’ 1998 Songs from the Heart award.
Don’s rootsy, blues- and gospel-tinged style began developing during his childhood in Kentucky, where he was immersed in the passionate swells of the music his father, Colin Bray, sang regularly for Billy Graham. Later influences on both his playing and writing included James Taylor, Bruce Cockburn and Leo Kottke. As a recently-retired Captain, those qualities that made Don a great firefighter likely also influence his songwriting the most: “themes and lyrics that cut right into the soul of the working-class – plucked from his lifetime of living from his heart, the heart of an honest, vulnerable man” [Jim Marino, Freewheeling Folk Show, CFMU].
Don Bray’s newest CD, taxi moon & I, was released in 2008 at Hugh’s Room in Toronto. With fourteen new tunes (one written by the OFS's Paul Court), it features guest appearances by several other well-known Canadian musicians, including Dave Clarke, David Francey, Tannis Slimmon, and Terry Tufts. Earlier this year, he released Live Love Dream by The Brights – his duo with cellist and singer-songwriter Alyssa Wright, also featured on taxi moon & I.
Don has performed live at Toronto’s Hugh’s Room and Tranzac Club, Alliston’s new Gibson Centre, as well as in house concerts and performance venues throughout Ontario and Manitoba, and in the Maritimes and United States. Festival appearances include Mariposa, Live From the Rock, BarrieFolk, Eaglewood, Trout Forest, and the Tucson Folk Festival. His CD’s have received airplay on stations around North America, and he has been interviewed for several Canadian folk shows.
Mariposa Writers Group
Visit their community listing here The Mariposa Writers Group celebrates and promotes writing in our community, enabling its members to learn and grow as writers and share their knowledge, ideas and work with others. The group meets the first Tuesday of each month, giving its members critiques, as well as providing instruction and guidance regarding genre, styles, editing and publishing. Writers are able to share their own works such as poetry, fiction or non-fiction works with the group. They also host the Lake Country Literary Lapses at the Leacock Museum every August.
Get your tickets now:
Online ***NEW***
Reserve tickets online at the Take Note Music Store, and pick up your tickets the night of the concert. (Regular-priced adult and youth tickets only)
At the Mariposa Office
EarlyBird and Regular-priced tickets can be reserved at 37 Mississaga St. W., tickets@orilliafolk.ca or 705-326-3655 until October 29
At the door
Remaining Regular-priced adult and youth tickets will be available the night of the concert (cash or cheque only)
