Dave Sampson 2nd Night

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

Dave Sampson

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

The Town Heroes

They’ve toured the world, released three critically acclaimed albums and won an array of industry awards. Anthemic choruses, 3-part harmonies, tender falsettos and big drums highlight their riff driven, dirty-yet-nuanced barrage of sound. 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 songwriting highlights what they are: friends playing music for the love of it, in it for the long haul.

Musically, TTH are reminiscent of the 90’s Alt-Rock bands they grew up listening to. Lyrically, at the root of every song is a passionate exploration of the things that make us all human. Whether good or bad, they’re the things that make us who we are: heartache, longing, society in the modern age, dreams and family.

Through comedic videos, social media hi-jinks, blogs, unexpected wardrobe, 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.

For the past 6 years, TTH have played as a duo – Mike Ryan (guitar, vocals) and Bruce Gillis (drums) – captivating audiences with their remarkably full sound and energetic performances. With a desire to push the envelope even more, in November 2016 the band expanded to become a 4-piece, adding Aaron Green (guitars) and Tori Cameron (bass) to the band. The new lineup reflects and effectively captures the growth, vision, and musical progression of the band.

Ages: 19+

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Villages

Villages is an indie folk group heavily inspired by the spirit of the Maritimes. However, creating music inspired by their Cape Breton roots seemed like a long shot when the members first started performing together. Back in the late aughts, Matt Ellis, Travis Ellis, Jon Pearo and Archie Rankin formed the indie rock group Mardeen and fled Cape Breton Island for Halifax. Aiming to participate in a music community with a penchant for melodic indie rock, the group strove to carry on the torch of their heroes in Sloan, The Super Friendz and Thrush Hermit.

After releasing several acclaimed albums and EP’s, there was a turning point in that endeavour. “One late night, a few years back, a singalong of Rankin Family tunes broke out” says vocalist Matt Ellis. “I remember saying to the rest of the band that we need to write something that evokes the sound of home.” Soon after that night, Ellis wrote just that song. It was called “Hymn After Hymn” and it captured the Maritimes musically and lyrically in a new and authentic way. This song was followed by a burst of creative output and the group quickly jumped into the studio to record these songs with east coast stalwart and producer Joel Plaskett. “Joel has such a strong knowledge of folk music from the UK and Ireland, he really brought our songs to life”. The problem was, these new songs had nothing in common with the edgy indie rock that Mardeen is known for. These songs needed their own home.

Inspired by an essay that comic artist Kate Beaton wrote about her hometown in Cape Breton, the project was named Villages. The group released their first single in October 2016 and have been writing, recording, and touring in the time since.

In February 2019, Villages will release their self-titled debut album. Recorded at their home studio in rural Nova Scotia with producer Thomas Stajcer (Joel Plaskett, Erin Costello), and mixed by Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Basia Bulat), Villages solidifies the group’s vision in capturing the spirit of the Maritimes in a fresh, yet familiar way. Combining Celtic and British folk music influences with the atmospheric arrangements of groups like the War on Drugs and Fleet Foxes, Villages’ debut record is just the first step of a journey into rediscovery and reinvention.

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