Craig Cardiff
2026-02-07 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Halifax) | The Frolic’n Folk Pub & Grill, 4115 HWY 223, Iona, Nova Scotia, B2C 1A3, Canada
Join Craig Cardiff in concert. Come ready to sing, dance, and become part of the show. Everyone comes as strangers and leaves as a group. Folk music, singersongwriter, canadiana / americana – label as needed. Four chords and the truth, capo’d as required. Invite your friends and enemies – they all need to be there. Juno / Canadian Folk Music award Nominee, streamed often, and 100% fan powered.

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Dave Gunning
2026-03-20 19:00 - 21:00
With over two decades on the road and fifteen albums to his credit, Nova Scotia’s Dave Gunning has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s most engaging and respected folk singer-songwriters. A multiple East Coast Music Award and Canadian Folk Music Award winner, Gunning is celebrated for his warm stage presence, razor-sharp wit, and songs that honour everyday heroes while tackling hard truths.
His music has long reflected his deep roots in Pictou County, where stories of working people, small-town struggles, and local pride shape his songwriting. Whether he’s shining a light on unsung community champions or confronting social and environmental issues close to home, Gunning brings an honesty and empathy to his work that have become his trademark.
Known for his ability to connect with audiences through both laughter and reflection, Gunning’s live shows balance heartfelt storytelling with moments of perfectly timed humour. His rapport with listeners—equal parts genuine, self-effacing, and deeply human—has made him a beloved fixture on stages across Canada and beyond.
Over the years, Gunning has shared the stage with folk greats like Ron Hynes, Rita MacNeil, and Matt Andersen, yet he continues to carve his own path, grounded in the values of community and craftsmanship.
In June 2025, Gunning travelled to Point Lonsdale, Australia, to record his fifteenth studio album, Field Notes, set for release in 2026. Stripped-back and emotionally rich, the new collection returns to the heart of what he does best: telling stories that remind us who we are, where we come from, and what matters most.

Steve Poltz
2026-04-20 20:00 - 22:00
It might’ve even been last night, but Steve Poltz just played the greatest show of his life. Guess what?
The next show will be even greater, making that show the greatest show of his life.
Are you starting to notice a trend?
He isn’t shy about it either.
Even after most likely thousands of shows (but who’s counting?), he hits the stage with the same amount of energy and always makes sure to declare, “This is the greatest show of my life.”
It’s why he’s quietly emerged as the kind of live phenomenon celebrated passionately by a diehard fanbase worldwide and renowned as a festival favorite everywhere from Bluesfest in Byron Bay and High Sierra Music Festival in California and Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado to Cayamo Cruise (where he actually got married). It’s why his music has crept into pop culture via collaborations with everyone from Jewel and Billy Strings to Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Nicki Bluhm, Oliver Wood, and even the late Mojo Nixon. It’s why after over a dozen albums, he’s still creatively firing on all cylinders and critically acclaimed by the likes of Rolling Stone, Associated Press, Billboard, and many more.
Nevertheless, the next gig will be the greatest show for him (and maybe for you too)…

The Back Pack
2026-05-08 20:00 - 22:00
The Back Pack is a band from Sydney, Nova Scotia, known for their incredibly smooth and funky sounds. The group uses live looping to seamlessly blend vocal harmonies with both real and synthesized instruments. The “pack” is full of Viktor Dugandzic, Jeff Shaw, Ed Woodsworth, and Steve Luxton. Their sets are marked by tight grooves that get people moving, and instrumentation that gets you grooving.
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Mike McKenna Jr. w Dane Pedersen
2026-05-29 20:00 - 22:00
Singer-songwriter and Cape Bretoner Mike McKenna Jr. has become a compelling new voice in the North
American folk scene. With a raspy, soulful delivery and warm acoustic tones, his songs are anchored by
captivating storytelling and a deep connection to place. Born in the town of Glace Bay and raised along
the Mira River, McKenna’s songwriting aesthetic draws heavily from his small-town East Coast roots.
Blending folk, country, and Americana—he’s earned over one million global streams, shaping a sound
that is both timeless and unmistakably his own. His music has brought him to major festival stages like
Ottawa Bluesfest, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Vancouver Island MusicFest, Montreal’s Folk Fest sur le
Canal, Lunenburg Folk Harbour Fest, Reevestock and many more across the continent.
Over four studio albums, he’s brought forward the nostalgia of home through stories about life and death
in Nova Scotia’s coastal, working-class communities. His 2020 release ‘At The Edge of the World’ was the
winner of an East Coast Music Award, and was nominated at both the Canadian Folk Music Awards and
Music Nova Scotia Awards. Two songs from the album, High Ground and At the Edge of the World were
also semi-finalists at the International Song Competition, the world’s largest songwriting contest.
Mike’s 2024 Canadiana folk album ‘Smokey Mountain High’, produced by Quinn Bachand, has received
outstanding reviews since it’s November release, including features by Roots Music Canada, Canadian
Beats, SaltWire, V13, Tonic Grain, and many others. His first single ‘Grassfire’, cowritten with Nova
Scotia-born, Nashville-based Makayla Lynn Parry and touted by The Wild is Calling as “A brilliant piece of
recording art”, was as Semi-finalist in the 2025 American Songwriter Song Contest, and has been on
regular rotation internationally with both CBC Radio and Sirius XM’s ‘North Americana’.
“Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with and developing a wide range of Canadian
artists, including Sam Roberts, The Tragically Hip, Sarah McLachlan, Great Big Sea, Buck 65, Ashley
MacIsaac, and Tegan and Sara. Canada has consistently produced some of the most authentic and
influential voices in music, and I firmly believe Mike McKenna Jr. stands in that lineage.”
– Scott Graves, Head of A&R American Songwriter

Dane is a singer-songwriter and actor from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He has been performing since age 8, in a wide range of settings, from cafes to professional theatrical productions to folk festivals, such as the Stan Rogers Folk Festival and Celtic Colours International Festival. He is also a recent graduate of the Jazz Studies Program at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS. He now aims to blend the vibrant palette of his influences in service of his love of story and song.
Dane’s debut EP, Travelling Alone, a blend of heartfelt original songs and reverent reinterpretations of songs by his heroes, is now available. The project was made possible by the Big Sampie Award, given by the Celtic Colours Volunteer Festival Drive’ers Association and Lakewind Sound Studiosin support of rising Cape Breton folk music talent.

Garrett Mason
2026-06-06 20:00 - 22:00
Garrett Mason is a Juno and Maple Blues award winning artist from Truro, Nova scotia. Widely regarded as the greatest guitar player in Canada, Garrett’s one man show is a unique blend of blues, soul, funk, rock n roll, country, and psychedelic. It is one show you do not want to miss.

Maggie’s Wake
2026-07-01 20:00 - 22:00
Multiple award winning Maggie’s Wake is a mod-trad, female-fronted folk-celtic crew creating an exciting splash in the roots music scene. Showcasing a fiery fusion of Celtic tradition with roots swagger, expect driving jigs and reels, soaring whistles, double fiddle, flashes of country twang not to mention Cajun/global roots twists that’s pure joy from start to finish.
The acclaimed quartet came together in late 2022 and quickly took Ontario by storm — selling out dates on their very first “Spirit of the Season” holiday tour. Since then, they’ve showcased at major music industry events across Canada, the US and UK, have whirlwind 2026 & 2027 tours on the books, won the 2025 Canadian Folk Music Award (‘New Artist of the Year’) for their debut CD, launched a Holiday EP, and have a sophomore CD on the way… not bad for a band just a few years in!
United in their passion for triumphant tunes, soaring vocals and poignant storytelling, Maggie’s Wake embraces their wide ranging influences and have built an exciting, new sound. The band features award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tara Dunphy and award-winning violinist/fiddler/songwriter, Lindsay Schindler, backed by powerhouses Andrew Kosty on bass and Kenneth Palmer on guitar.
Their work is 100% original, penned by Tara and Lindsay, and their first single, Bridget O’Brien, won the NERFA Songwriting Award.
After their NERFA showcase, they were told that if Maggie’s Wake was a soup, it would be a hearty bowl of everyone’s favourite folk styles finished with a dash of Loretta Lynn and a pinch of Nick Lowe.
Doesn’t that sound delicious?!
Dale Watson, the Texas honky tonk legend, says “You can’t grow if you rip your roots out of the ground” and Maggie’s Wake have taken that to heart. They are honouring tradition while forging their own path in roots music.

Pretty Archie
2026-07-15 20:00 - 22:00
Pretty Archie is a Cape Breton-based roots band with a sound built on honest songwriting, warm harmonies, and the kind of East Coast charm that feels like an old friend pulling up a chair. Blending folk, country, bluegrass, and Americana with stories that hit close to home, the band has spent years earning a loyal following through countless shows across Canada and beyond.
Known for their energetic live performances and songs that carry both heart and grit, Pretty Archie has a way of making the personal feel universal. Their music is full of road-worn stories, kitchen-party spirit, and melodies that stick with you long after the last chorus.
Their new album, Wherever You Are Tonight, arrives July 24th. Recorded live, the band’s sixth studio album captures the warmth, chemistry, and raw honesty of Pretty Archie in its most natural form — a new chapter that stays true to the sound and spirit that have made them a standout voice in East Coast roots music.
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The Town Heroes
2026-07-21 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 Cape Breton, Mike Ryan and Bruce Gillis have played together for the past 16 years—touring 9 countries, releasing 7 critically acclaimed albums, raising over 30k for charity, and winning an array of industry awards—13 Music Nova Scotia Awards, 5 ECMA’s.

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.

The Town Heroes have shown dedication to their craft and prolific output throughout their career. Each album has garnered them an increase in fanbase, industry recognition, and bigger stages and venues. The band won Music Nova Scotia’s “Entertainer of the Year” in both 2021 and 2022—the only act to ever win two years in a row. They have risen to be one of the most popular and sought-after bands on the East Coast of Canada.

In addition to their music, the band has become known for their ability to make people laugh. Through comedic videos gone viral, online bingo, unexpected wardrobe, operating late night sandwich stands at music festivals, amusing acceptance speeches and interviews, the band has earned a reputation for making people laugh.

Though vastly different, the band has found a way to balance these two sides in a seamless, cohesive manner. They see it as a crucial, necessary part of what they do. In a world where so much negativity fills the news, where the media endlessly focuses on the bad, The Town Heroes want to bring something positive into it all, as small as it may be. They see it as necessary because it is: it’s who they are. That’s something they’ll never change.

Since 2018, The Town Heroes have raised over $30,000 for various charities. Done entirely through grassroots initiatives on their social media, the band’s philanthropic side has supported groups like Feed Nova Scotia, The Red Cross, various animal shelters, and even paid for life saving hospital treatment for a young Colombian boy who singer Mike had met on his travels.

The band released their 7th full-length album SINGIN’ on June 21st, 2025. The album is a 9-song collection of songs that each reflect memories of the past—both the good and the bad. Each track serves as a vignette, offering listeners a journey through the corridors of time and nostalgia.

From “Hockey Fights” — a fun, youthful recollection of falling in love at a hockey game while fights are taking place on the ice in front of you—to “In Your Head” — a song about zooming out and looking at your life from 30,000 feet and seeing that the little things that bother us often aren’t that big a deal. Each song looks at how we perceive memories and how the past comes to shape who we are. Sometimes it’s a warm nostalgia smothering you in all the best ways, other times it’s a punch in the gut you’re still trying to come to terms with.

Ultimately, the album is a reminder of our shared humanity. It reminds us that despite our unique stories and backgrounds, we all navigate the same fundamental emotions and experiences. Through its honest and heartfelt exploration of the human experience, SINGIN’ fosters a sense of empathy and unity, encouraging us to embrace our commonalities and support one another through the ever-changing journey of life.
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The Town Heroes Redux
2026-07-22 20:00 - 22:00

The Turnbull Brothers
2026-08-05 20:00 - 22:00
Famously known from their talent, and deep run on Canada’s Got Talent, the brothers bring tight harmonies, upbeat covers of hits from the ’70s–’00s (often with a country or Southern rock edge), and original songs, that are crowd-pleasing, and dance-floor-ready!

Dave Sampson
2026-08-12 20:00 - 22:00
Dave Sampson writes heart-on-your-sleeve folk/pop songs, delivered with a captivating and
authentic voice that could blow down a brick house. His knack for crafting simple ear-worms
and his high-energy shows have been winning him fans across Canada. He has collaborated
and shared the stage with some of Canada’s top exports such as Classified, Alan Doyle,
Donovan Woods, and more. His 2019 EP All Types of Ways, produced and recorded by
Grammy award-winning songwriter Gordie Sampson in Nashville, TN, earned him two 2020
ECMAs for Country Recording and Rising Star Recording of the Year, as well as a
nomination for Songwriter of the Year. The album features several singles which received
hundreds of thousands of streams on DSPs, were added to many editorially-curated
playlists, and were placed in several national television series and advertising campaigns.
In 2014, Dave released his anticipated debut album “No Pressure, No Diamonds” with
producers/collaborators Carleton Stone, Gordie Sampson and Dylan Guthro (Port Cities).
With the release of this album, “ No Pressure No Diamonds” was nominated for Music Nova
Scotia’s Pop Album of the Year, reached #1 on the East Coast Countdown charts twice and
received national airplay throughout Canada. Dave was also invited to Germany in 2014 with
songwriters Carleton Stone and Breagh Mackinnon to participate in a songwriting retreat
followed by a tour.
Fast forward to 2015, his song “No Pressure, No Diamonds” was interpolated by Canadian
Hip Hop icon Classified and released as his first single (“No Pressure”) on the billboard
charts via Atlantic Records. “No Pressure’ features hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg, and was
awarded Gold Record status by Music Canada. Dave also received a songwriting nod on
Classifieds “Oh No” track on his album “Grateful”, and Neon Dreams’ singles “Find a Way” &
“Love Experts” which made it to the billboard EDM top 40.
Dave has also been hand-picked as one of Nova Scotia’s most promising young songwriters
to take part in the prestigious, invitation-only Gordie Sampson Song camp for the past 10
years. Through this opportunity, he has been fortunate enough to collaborate with some of
Canada’s most sought after writers: Gordie Sampson, Caitlyn Smith (Nashville), Sam Ellis
(Nashville), Thomas AWG Salter (TAWGS), and many more.

“Heartfelt, energized and emotional, Dave Sampson has obvious natural talent as a Maritime singer-songwriter.
Recommended for fans of Joel Plaskett, David Myles and Hawksley Workman. ” – Grant Lawrence (CBC Music)

“Not only is Dave Sampson a fantastic singer/songwriter, but his live performance during both shows (as a band
and as a solo artist) was second to none. The level of comfort that he and his band have on stage oozes with
every movement made.” – HalifaxBloggers.ca @ EAST COAST MUSIC WEEK 2016

“Dave Sampson writes a great, heartfelt pop song and has a warm, inviting, laid-back style that will no doubt
appeal to a wide cross-section of people. It’s not hard to imagine his music lighting up the radio and drawing
crowds” – The Scope, St. John’s, NL

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Folk'n Blues Song Circle hosted by Charlie A'Court
2026-08-19 20:00 - 22:00
Grab your harmonicas, slide guitars, and storytelling hats—it’s Blues Song Circle night at The Frolic & Folk! Picture this: cozy pub vibes, frothy local pints, hearty pub grub, and three killer bluesmen trading licks, tales, and soul-stirring originals in a laid-back, round-robin jam. No set lists, no egos—just pure, raw blues magic where the songs circle like old friends swapping secrets. Whether you’re a die-hard blues fan or just popping in for the atmosphere, this is the kind of night where the walls sweat Delta heat even on a cool Cape Breton evening.

Meet the Circle:

Charlie A’Court (Nova Scotia powerhouse)
Born in Truro, Nova Scotia, Charlie grew up in rural Canada with a guitar in his hands and a voice that could shake the rafters. A 6x East Coast Music Award winner and multiple Music Nova Scotia honoree (including Entertainer of the Year nods), he’s built a reputation for mighty, soul-drenched vocals, fierce guitar work, and songs that blend blues, folk, soul, and roots with heart and grit. He’s toured Canada, Australia, and beyond, and even runs a scholarship to support young Nova Scotian musicians. Expect big energy, emotional depth, and riffs that hit you right in the feels.

Jon Hines (Cape Breton’s swampy blues king)
Hailing from Judique, Cape Breton, Jon is an award-winning national touring artist known for his gritty slide guitar, haunting vocals, and storytelling that feels like a back-porch session in the Mississippi Delta. A two-time Maritime to Memphis Blues Challenge winner (and International Blues Challenge semi-finalist), Music Nova Scotia Blues Recording Artist of the Year, and two-time ECMA nominee, his releases like Memphis Sun have topped Canadian roots charts. Fresh off Australian tours and packing venues with that raw, funky East Coast blues fire—think Elmore James meets Sonny Landreth with a Cape Breton twist.

Frank Sultana (Australia’s award-winning blues troubadour)
All the way from Kiama, New South Wales, Frank brings authentic pre-WWII Delta fire down under (and now across the ocean). A late bloomer who quit the 9-5 to go full-time blues in 2018, he’s a multi-instrumentalist with a dark, gritty voice and raw slide guitar that channels Skip James, Son House, and Blind Willie Johnson. In 2023 he became only the third Australian to win the prestigious International Blues Challenge (Solo/Duo) in Memphis—then recorded at Sun Studio! With multiple Sydney Blues Society awards and a string of killer albums/EPs, Frank delivers haunting, emotional originals and traditional mojo that travels perfectly across the Pacific.

Come early, stay late, and get ready for a night of foot-stompin’, soul-cleansing blues at one of Cape Breton’s coziest listening rooms. The Frolic & Folk Pub knows how to throw a proper musical gathering—don’t miss this one! Who’s ready to holler? See you at the circle.

J.P. Cormier
2026-08-26 20:00 - 22:00
Nobody really knows who J.P. Cormier is for sure. That’s to be expected, believe me.
In 1974 he was a five year old boy, discovering an innate talent for playing the guitar, I had a little hand in that, guiding him through the beginning stages. He learned faster than I could teach.
By the mid eighties, not out of his teens, he was a sideman for bands and artists of many different genres in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and all across the deep south. As he travelled and worked he added more and more instruments to his arsenal of capabilities. He became indispensable to the bands he worked for.
In the early Nineties, he became a sideman for one of Canada’s favourite sons, Stompin’ Tom Connors and also became a staple of the recordings at Studio H in Halifax. His work with the CBC there, spanned musical, production and arranging duties.
All this before he was 20.
In the mid nineties he reentered the musical scene of his beloved East Coast and the Island called Cape Breton. He exploded onto the trad music scene there as a fiddler, performing some of the most difficult music ever produced by legends like Winston Fitzgerald and Angus Chisholm with a facility that stunned onlookers. Especially those who knew he wasn’t born there, but born in Ontario to Cape Breton parents. Somehow, some way, his music was the real thing, sounding like he had been steeped continually in a handed-down brew of family tradition from the old country.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
His previous gig was in Nashville playing mandolin and banjo in a grammy nominated bluegrass gospel band and performing on the Opry, and playing television shows with the likes of Waylon Jennings. All those people also thought he was one of them, American, reared in the ways of bluegrass, old time and Americana music. They knew he was from Canada, but it just didn’t seem possible.
Then in 1997, something amazing happened.
An album released in Canada, out of nowhere, called Another Morning. This time it was him as a songwriter and a lead singer.
And what a songwriter he turned out to be. Some of the performances on that album are literally part of the musical vocabulary today in the East Coast. Songs like the title cut, and Kelly’s Mountain, The Molly May (co written with his cousin Gervais) and others. It inspired, 25 years ago, some of the biggest names in the business today. People like Dave Gunning, Matt Andersen, David Myles, Joel Plaskett, all of which will tell you: that record changed things.
The Canadian industry thought so too, and it received a juno nomination and won an ECMA.
And that was just the beginning.
36 years later after stepping on stage as professional union musician for the first time at the tender age of 13, JP is still going, and frighteningly, still getting better.
16 albums followed the success of Another Morning, winning 12 more ECMA’s, another Juno nomination, a Canadian Folk Music Award and 5 Music Nova Scotia Awards. Each album was a snapshot of each thing that he can do. There are fiddle albums, Mandolin, Banjo, Guitar, tribute records, songwriting collections, a purely astounding spectrum of talent and musical vision.
His catalogue of recordings and the 150 or so records he’s produced on other artists, resemble the tapestry he weaves in live performance. Where he used to carry 3 and 4 piece bands, he tours alone now.
Just him and the instruments.
People still leave his shows confused, amazed and wondering what they just saw. Did they see a storyteller? A Songwriter? Arguably one of the best guitar players in the business today? Someone who crosses the lines between different instruments like there are no lines? Who was that masked man, anyway?
Accolades aside, and there are many from people like Chet Atkins, Marty Stuart, Waylon Jennings, Gordon Lightfoot; JP sees himself as just a performer. He’s shy, but has a razor sharp wit and lightning sense of humour. He can be reserved or edgy to the point no return. He speaks for soldiers, first responders, other artists, the forgotten and lost. He speaks sometimes only for himself and refuses rebuttal.
Of all the things he is, foremost he is an entertainer. I think one of the best. After you’ve seen what he does, I’m certain you will too.

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Hawksley Workman
2026-11-07 20:00 - 22:00
Hawksley Workman is a JUNO Award-winning and Gold Record certified singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Since his ground-breaking self-produced indie debut For Him and The Girls (1999) through to chart-topping singles of 2020, Hawksley has careened between major label international smash hits to Canadiana soaked indie releases. Boasting a catalogue of 17 solo records, Hawksley’s genre defying style strings together folk, chart pop and irrepressible cabaret. His show-stopping vocals on songs about weather, love, heartbreak and tales of end-times have garnered him a league of devoted fans.
Performing over a thousand shows worldwide, Hawksley has headlined prestigious venues like Massey Hall and The Olympia in Paris. For a uniquely Canadian artist Hawksley has built loyal fan bases in the UK, France, Norway and Australia launching many successful tours, demystifying and delighting fans while drawing on an enviable catalogue of mischievous favourites, glammy stompers and heartfelt hymns to small town Canada.

Social Media Links:
Website: https://hawksleyworkman.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HawksleyWorkman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkmanHawksley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hawksleyworkman/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HawksleyWorkmanMusic
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hawksleyworkman
