The Iona Heights Inn

Cape Breton Celtic Trad Sessions
2026-07-19 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-07-26 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-08-02 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-08-09 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-08-16 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-08-23 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-08-30 16:30 - 19:30, 2026-09-06 16:30 - 19:30 (America/Halifax) | The Frolic’n Folk Pub & Grill, 4115 HWY 223, Iona, Nova Scotia, B2C 1A3, Canada
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
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

Trivia Night at The Frolic
2026-07-23 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-07-30 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-06 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-13 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-20 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-27 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-09-03 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-09-10 20:00 - 22:00
Come test your wits & win prizes!
3 Rounds – 12 general knowledge questions each round.
Play solo, or form a team. Funniest team name gets showered with accolades.
Hosted by your man – Ruarí Aonghas Lonce Murphy, every Thursday Night

Céilidh Matinee
2026-07-25 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-08-01 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-08-08 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-08-15 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-08-22 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-08-29 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-09-05 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-09-12 17:00 - 20:00
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 $5 cover
First come first serve at the pub. No reservations. Minors allowed up until 10PM

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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