The Iona Heights Inn

Céilidh Matinee
2023-02-11 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-02-18 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-02-25 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-03-04 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-03-11 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-03-18 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-03-25 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-04-01 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Halifax) and 8 more dates | The Frolic’n Folk Pub & Grill, 4115 HWY 223, Iona, Nova Scotia, B2C 1A3, Canada
Get a taste of local celtic music & culture with our Saturday ceilidhs (kay-lee).
Expect to see world-renowned talent & budding entertainers from all over our native Cape Breton.
General admission seating ranging from $5-$10
First come first serve at the pub. No reservations. Minors allowed up until 10PM

Rg Schaller & Duane Nardocchio
2023-03-24 19:00 - 23:00
$5 cover
Live music 7-11PM
Kitchen open till 9PM

Crowdis Bridge
2023-03-31 20:00 - 22:00
From multiple ECMA performances to busking with Matt Anderson on the PEI ferry, Crowdis Bridge has been entertaining folks in small towns and strange places since 2008. Lovers and purveyors of roots and traditional music, they are steeped in bluegrass, old-time, folk, Celtic and country-blues. This Cape Breton group of multi-instrumentalists, vocalists & songwriters creates a musical landscape as amazing and diverse as the island they call home.
$20 cover charge (put on your bill)
Kitchen open till 9PM

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Cape Breton Celtic Trad Sessions
2023-04-02 16:30 - 19:30, 2023-04-09 16:30 - 19:30, 2023-04-16 16:30 - 19:30, 2023-04-23 16:30 - 19:30, 2023-04-30 16:30 - 19:30, 2023-05-07 16:30 - 19:30, 2023-05-14 16:30 - 19:30, 2023-05-21 16:30 - 19:30 and 1 more date
Come and enjoy a casual gathering of musicians who have come together to play traditional Cape Breton celtic music.
Anyone is welcome to join in, or just sit back and enjoy the tunes.
Sundays at The Frolic 430 – 730pm
Full kitchen and bar service.
Minors allowed till 10pm

The Town Heroes Acoustic Show
2023-04-14 20:00 - 22:00
Whether a sweaty rock show or an intimate acoustic environment, The Town Heroes want you to be entertained.
Born and raised in small town Nova Scotia, Mike Ryan and Bruce Gillis have played together for the past 10 years — touring the world, releasing 5 critically acclaimed albums and winning an array of industry awards. Anthemic choruses, danceable arrangements, and tender falsettos highlight their catchy yet thoughtful songs. At heart, a perfect soundtrack for contemplating life with a bounce in your step.
Musically, the band blends their 90’s alt-rock influences with singer-songwriter stylings in the vein of Neil Young or Ryan Adams. On stage they move like intense caricatures – soaked in sweat, pushing every chord, note and beat to the limit. A structured wall of sound emerges; familiar yet distinctive. Camaraderie shows in their musicianship, their song-writing highlights what they are: friends playing music for the love of it, in it for the long haul.
The band released their sixth full length album Home during the summer of 2021.
Home is a concept album. The entirety of the storyline takes place over a two week period during a summer in Cape Breton. The 9 songs, told from 3 different perspectives, tell the chronological tale of coming home, youth, summer love, and ultimately lost love. A father — longing for what he left behind — returns to his hometown after moving to San Francisco for work. A young “local” boy falls for his daughter, a short romance ensues, and the romance dies upon her inevitable return home. The album captures the energy and spirit of a youthful summer and coming of age.

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Songstress Showcase
2023-05-12 20:00 - 22:00
Folksy, bluesy, soulful and a dash of the unexpected; three vocal powerhouses and Cape Breton based singer-songwriters come together to share their experiences of love, life and the feminine divine.

Angela Macdonald : Based in Sydney, NS, Angela MacDonald, is a singer-songwriter and guitar player whose music can be best described as indie/folk alternative. Following in the footsteps of her aunt, Rita MacNeil, who inspired her to write and invited her to share the stage on several occasions, she has performed as a solo artist and as one half of the duo Angel Station a name that captures the timeless essence of her powerful and haunting voice.

Sonnie Greening : As an emerging artist in the post-lockdown renaissance, Sonnie is evolving as a finger style player and newcomer to the stage, both solo and as a member of the Baddeck based band, The Brackish. Rooted in indie acoustic folk, Sonnie’s songwriting and big, bold sound has branched into blues with classic rock influence while her guitar styling compliments her melodic vocals and harmonies.

Abbey Mullendore : A Lake Ainslie born sensation, Abbey’s killer power rock vocals will take you right back to the 70s, so it’s no surprise that she has been reprising Stevie Nicks, note for note, in the Classic Albums Live tour in addition to her solo work as a songwriter and dynamo duo with her brother. Her mushrooms might not be magical, but her voice is!

Mike McKenna Jr.
2023-06-02 20:00 - 22:00
2021 East Coast Music Award Winner Singer-songwriter Mike McKenna Jr. has emerged on the Canadian music scene with a raspy, soulful, intimate voice, his distinct indie folk/Americana tones, and songs laden with captivating storytelling. Originally from Cape Breton Island, he continues to bring us the nostalgia of his home through carefully chosen narrative, poetry, protest, and true stories about life and death in Nova Scotia’s coastal, working-class communities. Known for his powerful lyricism and intricate musicianship, Mike’s newest record At The Edge of the World (2020) continues to be met with incredible support both in Canada and internationally.
In just over a year since it’s release, Mike’s sophomore album has received a long list of awards and nominations; WINNER of the Rising Star Recording of the Year by the 2021 East Coast Music Awards (along with nominations for for Contemporary Roots Recording of the Year and Fan’s Choice Video of the Year), nominee for Contemporary Album of the Year by the 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards, nominee for Americana/Bluegrass Recording of the Year by the Music Nova Scotia Awards, and nominee for 2020 Album of the Year by Blues and Roots Radio. It was also listed on the Bluegrass Situation’s ‘Class of 2020 Playlist, Absolute Best of this Year’s Roots Music Releases’.
Several songs from the record have received high-profile features and recognition, including Spotify Editorial playlists Renegade Folk and Contemporary Folk, Mahogany Sessions’ Acoustic Coffeehouse and Chilled Folk Vol. 3, The Bluegrass Situation’s ‘Mixtape’, Americana UK, Exclaim!, Canadian Beats, Roots Music Canada, The East and many more. Two songs from ATEOTW finished as semi-finalists in the world’s largest songwriting contest, ISC (International Songwriting Competition); the opening song and title track At the Edge of the World in 2019 and the 7th song of the album, High Ground in 2020!
Produced by Berklee graduate, Victoria’s Quinn Bachand (Rosier, Kittel & Co, Brishen), At the Edge of the World delivers a wider, fuller sound than Mike’s previous records, lead by his incredibly raw, confident vocals and surrounded by a beautiful mix of electric and pedal-steel guitar, electric bass, vocal harmonies, strings, piano and drums. During post-production it would then pass through the talented hands of Canada’s top analog specialists; mixing engineer Jon Anderson (Andy Shauf, Rosier, Foxwarren) and Grammy-nominated mastering engineer, Juno/Polaris winner Philip Shaw Bova (Father John Misty, Feist, Bahamas).

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