The Town Heroes Redux
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.
“The songs are filled with beautiful guitars, great ringing notes over big pulsing washes or strong chords. It’s a post-New Wave sound, energetic, melodic and very urgent, each song filled with drama and the feeling there’s something important being passed on. Topping all this is the passionate voice of Ryan, often at the top end of his register. He ups the ante on songs such as Only One, as he grows more intense as the song progresses, matched by the sharp guitar lines and Gillis’ increased punch. It’s crazy-danceable, hypnotic and haunting all at the same time, even euphoric in places.”
— Bob Mersereau, The Top 100 Canadian Singles
Willie Stratton
For more than a decade now, Willie Stratton has been building his good name on stellar sonic shape-shifting and a charismatic, super charged live show. The Halifax-based singer-songwriter has proven time and again that he can dive into any of rock ‘n’ roll’s various iterations—heartsick blues, twanged-up country, hip-shaking rockabilly, groovy surf, anything and everything in between—and emerge, again, as a maestro of the style. But on his latest album Stratton seeks synthesis: Drugstore Dreamin’ finds him playing alchemist, melting down the myriad sounds he’s mastered over the years to create singular sonic gold. As Stratton deftly weaves and mixes musical forms, Drugstore Dreamin’s intoxicating concoction brings his timeless songwriting to the forefront.
Lyrically Stratton delivers a dose of gravitas as-yet unheard in his catalogue, as he and his characters grapple with the pain of loss, of growth, of sallying forth; defeats both intimate and grand in scope; and failure to break old habits.
From the tremlo-heavy highway tune, “The Way She Holds Me”, to the album’s heart-wrenching piano ballad “Chasing Rabbits” finale and everything in-between, true blue craftsman Willie Stratton achieves a harmony of style and elevation of substance that remains rare in our modern world, resulting in his most moving—and grooving—collection of songs to date
The award winning album was produced by Carleton Stone and created with contributions from some of the world’s finest musicians, including Stone, Brad Kilpatrick, Aaron Goldstein, Andrew Boulos, Laur Joamets, Robbie Crowell, Jon Radford, Melanie Stone, Todd Lumley, and Ashley MacIsaac. Recorded in Nashville at Creative Workshop, and in Nova Scotia at The Sonic Temple in Halifax and The Loft in Cape Breton.
“Willie Stratton’s Drugstore Dreamin’ Retro-feeling country rock for fans of Orville Peck and early Johnny Cash sees Stratton earn a spot on our list of the year’s best records.” — The Coast
The Town Heroes
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.
“The songs are filled with beautiful guitars, great ringing notes over big pulsing washes or strong chords. It’s a post-New Wave sound, energetic, melodic and very urgent, each song filled with drama and the feeling there’s something important being passed on. Topping all this is the passionate voice of Ryan, often at the top end of his register. He ups the ante on songs such as Only One, as he grows more intense as the song progresses, matched by the sharp guitar lines and Gillis’ increased punch. It’s crazy-danceable, hypnotic and haunting all at the same time, even euphoric in places.”
— Bob Mersereau, The Top 100 Canadian Singles
Carleton Stone
Carleton Stone is an award-winning artist, a songwriter with a growing list of credits, and a founding member of the hugely successful Port Cities. He has recently added producer to his list of accomplishments with both Willie Stratton’s award winning “Drugstore Dreamin” and his own self produced, Papercut – a collection of sophisticated singer-songwriter pop with well-crafted lyrics and memorable melodies.
An outstanding writer, Carleton has written songs for and with such diverse artists as Ria Mae, Matt Andersen, The East Pointers, Quake, Donovan Woods, Classified, Bobby Bazini, and Neon Dreams.
Carleton has three solo records to his credit, multiple awards, and has toured internationally, most recently in the US with The Crash Test Dummies where he received an outstanding response to his solo show.
Daniel James McFadyen
Born in the hustle and bustle of Canada’s busiest suburbs, rising indie-folk artist Daniel James McFadyen prefers the simplicity of Canada’s quieter eastern coast. Whether Daniel is touring solo or with his band his interactive shows have sold out across Canada, filling large venues including Toronto’s iconic Great Hall and the Marquee Ballroom in Halifax. Amidst a year of remarkable growth, McFadyen released his award nominated EP, Songs to Show Your Friends in late 2023. A musical departure from his previous “Stomp and Holler” folk music, the 5-track offering introduces intricate melodies and compelling instrumentation — a result of his creative partnership with Montreal-based producer Quinn Bachand. With a renewed approach guiding his sound, McFadyen explores topics of love, loss, adventure, and feelings of home, all of which have defined his presence in the Canadian folk and indie scenes.
McFadyen rose to stardom in the Canadian music scene with the release of his debut album “August, I’m Yours” in 2021. Nominated for prestigious awards like ECMAs and Nova Scotia Music Awards, including Folk Recording of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, McFadyen is a talented musician making a big impact. When not on tour or creating music, he enjoys the peaceful life in the Annapolis Valley.
SCHALLER & HINES
Jon Hines of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia has toured throughout Canada in his young career as a blues man. Nominated for Music Nova Scotia Blues Recording of the year 2023, 2022 blues recoding of the year East Coast Music Association and winner of the East Coast Blues Society’s “Maritime to Memphis Blues Challenge”. Jon is a board member of Cape Breton Music and an official artist of Black Mountain Picks, Godin Guitars, Wild Dog Stomp boxes. “A Pale Blue Dot” has seen radio play nationally across Canada, and internationally in UK and the United States of America. Jon Hines & Joe Murphy started a duo after a recording session for “A Pale Blue Dot”. Jon is a semi finalist in the international songwriting competition two years in a row, 2017 and 2018.
2023 Music Nova Scotia Nomination Blues Recording of the year
RG Schaller is a world class songwriter from Canada. A country boy making his way. Writing from the blue-collar point of view about the hard times, the one that got away, life and death…and the illusion of freedom.
Dave Gunning
With fourteen albums to his credit, there’s no denying Dave Gunning’s impressive body of work. Fortunately, he’s just getting started…
The Nova Scotian folk musician has shared the stage with legends like Ron Hynes, Rita MacNeil, Stuart McLean, and Stompin’ Tom Connors, and has been recognized in his own right as a master of his craft, both as an award-winning singer-songwriter and a captivating performer.
Known for his abilities as a gracious storyteller, Gunning’s knack for connecting with audiences precedes the skills and experience he’s earned on the road—It is, for him, very much a way of life. Gunning shares the same sort of relationship with music as an eagle does with the sky. From a very young age, music has been Gunning’s way of interpreting the world around him, the lens through which he sees it, and the medium by which he engages with his community.
Dave has never needed to look far beyond his Pictou County, Nova Scotia backyard for inspiration. That’s where the characters live. That’s where the stories come from. Often shining a light on the well-deserving underdogs, he’s also never shied away from tougher topics, staying true to the folk music tradition. In recent years, those topics have tended to be more social and environmental in nature – causes that he holds near and dear. Nowhere has that been more evident, or public, than Dave’s strong stance against a local bleached kraft pulp mill – a proven polluter in the community.
Despite delivering some very important messages in his songs, audiences should also be prepared to laugh at a Dave Gunning show. His banter is perfectly timed, self-effacing, and very, very funny. It’s this finely-tuned balance of sincerity and impeccable performance that makes him one of the country’s most engaging entertainers.
“Once I’m out on stage and the audience has had their first couple of good laughs, it puts me at ease. I believe that’s why I lean toward stories with humour,” says Gunning. “It makes me less nervous. I love seeing people laugh, and I love knowing that there are moments when they are feeling emotional.”
2022 welcomed the release of Gunning’s latest recording, The Same Storm. Written and recorded mostly at home during the pandemic, the album continues along a similar path its predecessors walked – celebrating moments big and small, lending a voice to the folks that need it most, and indulging in a bit of nostalgia on the way. But always with an eye toward the future and the stories it will bring.
Begley, Morrison & Whyte
Breanndan Begley and Rose Morrison met in 2017 in West Kerry, Ireland. They have performed together on both sides of the ocean including Town Hall in New York City, Newport Folk Festival, Other Voices in Dingle, and throughout Germany. They’ve recorded on Oscar winner Glen Hansard’s album ‘This Wild Willing.’
Breanndan came to Cape Breton for the Celtic Colours International Festival in fall 2018 to build traditional rowing boats for their project ‘Voices of the Naomhóg.’ Rose, as artistic creator and director, alongside Breanndan collaborated with other artists and musicians from Scotland, Ireland and Nova Scotia to celebrate language, music and dance. Their debut album as a duo will be released March 2024.
Eric Angus Whyte from North Sydney, Cape Breton released his debut album in 2003 titled ‘Always Home.’ He has lived and performed internationally and is now working on an exciting new duo project with Rose to be released this spring.
Ages 19+ after 10pm
Kitchen open till 9pm
Bar licensed till 2am
Céilidh Matinee
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