Songwriters Circle – Woody Woodburn, Steve McIntyre & Dennis Ellsworth
Words that make you think. Melodies that get stuck in your head. Steve MacIntyre offers up both in abundance. An East Coast storyteller who makes his home in Cape Breton, Steve grew up surrounded by the best artists and entertainers in the world. It is here that he honed his craft and ability to capture an audience. It is here that he began writing songs of love and loss, travel and reflection, and it is here that you can find him spinning stories that leave people wanting more!
Born & raised in Mississauga, Ontario, with roots in Cape Breton. Woody now calls the small town of Rockwood Ontario home. He has spent time in Cape Breton every summer of his life. His music gives life to your own struggles. Like listening to an old friend. The kind of melodies that linger in your head well after you’ve heard them. Woody is an unassuming, humble guy that will surprise you with his powerful voice. A voice that combined with the real & “come from the heart” lyrics will leave you more hopeful & inspired in your life.
Dennis Ellsworth is a songwriter, performer, sideman, and record producer from Charlottetown, PE. His songwriting career started in high school, filling notebooks with lyrics and poems. He grew up on the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Ray Charles, Kris Kristofferson, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. His tastes evolved in grade 6 and he began collecting cassettes. His personal music collection is stylistically expansive. Some might call his love for music an addiction, but whatever.
Over the years he has collaborated with Josh Finlayson and Andy Maize from Skydiggers, Gord Downie from The Tragically Hip, Joel Plaskett, Donovan Woods, Rose Cousins, John Smith, and David Barbe (producer of Drive-by Truckers and bass player for 90’s alt rock band Sugar.)
In 2015 Dennis signed a publishing deal with Cymba Music Publishing in Toronto and has since written songs in a wide variety of styles His music has appeared in television shows for CBC, Netflix, HBO and was featured in the award-winning film, The New Romantic.
Ellsworth has released 2 full length albums with his previous group, Haunted Hearts, an album as a duo with Kinley Dowling, two EP’s and 10 full length solo albums, including his most recent triple album project called Bound by Love.
Songwriters Circle
Jordan Musycsyn, Elyse Aeryn & Brian Cathcart
After a sold out songwriters circle in April, Jordan Musycsyn, Elyse Aeryn and Brian Cathcart decided to take the show on the road to beautiful Iona. Join us on June 14th for an evening of stories and songs with 3 of Cape Breton’s finest songwriters.
Jordan is a hard-working singer/songwriter and a masterful storyteller, writing songs about life and love with pathos and humor in a Folk/Americana style. He sustains a busy touring schedule throughout Canada in support of his third album ‘Around The Fire’ which won him an ECMA in 2021. His sophomore album ‘Old State Of Mind’ (2017) was nominated for a Music Nova Scotia award for best Americana album of the year. Drawing on his own life experiences he writes relatable songs of love, loss and the human condition. A dynamic performer, Jordan moves the audience from laughter to tears and back again. His first album ‘The Pitch’ (released in the fall of 2014) was nominated for 2 Music Nova Scotia awards. He has toured across Canada many times playing his songs solo and with his band. He has played the majority of the major music festivals in Atlantic Canada such as ‘Stan Rogers Folk Festival’, ‘Cavendish Beach Festival’, Celtic Colours Festival’ and the ‘Evolve Music Festival’. He also writes, performs and tours with the ‘Cape Breton Summertime Revue’ and ‘Tis The Season’ annually since 2015.
Singer-songwriter Elyse Aeryn is known for her fiery and rebellious rock and roll. Her soulful melodies paired with her bold, warm voice make for an authentic and ageless sound. From supporting names like Amanda Marshall and Blue Rodeo to being named one of five JUNO Wavemaker Ambassadors for the 2024 JUNOs in Halifax, Elyse is making a name for herself with her dynamic, high-energy live show. Her debut album “Joy State of Mind” won Music Nova Scotia’s Country Recording of the Year and earned an East Coast Music Award nomination for Rock Recording of the Year.
Brian Cathcart is the lead singer for the ECMA nominated group Pretty Archie. Known for his high energy performances, Brian will have you on your feet and singing along.
Songwriters Circle
An evening of storytelling and songs, featuring Carmen Townsend, Ian MacDougall, & Victor Tomiczek
Carmen Townsend is known for her gunning riffs, soaring vocals, and empowering live shows, Cape Breton’s Carmen Townsend has been performing since the age of 15 and has wowed audiences all over the world with an incomparable sound that is undeniably her own. She is a multi-award winning rock artist in a male dominated genre. In a world full of singer/songwriters, it is her birth right to rock. Carmen’s award winning debut album was named Album of the Year at Nova Scotia Music Week and landed her on stage in front of thousands supporting female rock legends, Heart, all over Canada. She has lent her voice to many projects including Matt Mays’ Juno winning Album, Coyote. Carmen continues to perform regularly and is currently working on a new release.
Ian MacDougall holds a strange and unassuming presence on the East Coast musical landscape. Fronting his internationally acclaimed, musically obese, Cape Breton institution The Tom Fun Orchestra, Ian has spent years touring around the world bringing epic anthems and odes to packed clubs, massive festivals and empty taverns. He has shared the stage with a curious array of musicians ranging from Primus to Fred Eaglesmith; Julie Doiron to The Men of the Deeps. Outside of the successes and excesses of Tom Fun, Ian has developed a catalogue of songs that read like a hazy surrealist commentary of life and lure on Cape Breton Island. By himself, these songs stand truly engaging. His complicated musical lulls of ennui and frustration find solace in triumphant melodies of reckless elation. Sometimes. Sometimes it’s something else all together.
Victor Tomiczek is a singer-songwriter from Dominion, Cape Breton. He plays banjo and guitar in The Tom Fun Orchestra and leads the Sydney-based rock group Ladyslippers. Victor’s songs range from tales of working class strife to whimsical flights of fancy and all the high, low, and in between. Victor is currently working on his first solo album. He lives in Sydney with his wife, daughters, kitties, and dog.
Full Bar till 11PM & Kitchen Service till 9PM
Ages 19+
Songwriters Circle
An evening of storytelling and songs, featuring Dylan Devoe, Jordan Musycsyn, & Colette Deveaux.
Dylan Devoe is a Canadian singer/songwriter, hailing from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. He writes relatable stories about life on the east coast, eccentric roadside characters from his travels and hometown barflies alike.
Late nights & long days, rocking out with his bandmates in Pirate Jenny, and currently recording his debut album, this maritime musician remains diligent in the studio and on the stage. With high energy, multi-instrumental live performances and heartfelt songs sang with just the right amount of angst and wit, Devoe stays true to his rock n’ roll roots, while adding a flavour of folk, punk & the east coast blues.
Jordan is a hard-working singer/songwriter, is a masterful storyteller writing songs about life and love with pathos and humour in a Folk/Americana style. He sustains a busy touring schedule throughout Canada in support of his sophomore album ‘Old State Of Mind’(2017, nominated for Music Nova Scotia award for best Americana album of the year). Drawing on his own life experiences he writes relatable songs of love, loss and the human condition. A dynamic performer, Jordan moves the audience from laughter to tears and back again. His first album ‘The Pitch’ (released in the fall of 2014) was nominated for 2 Music Nova Scotia awards. He has toured across Canada many times playing his songs solo, with his band, with the Cape Breton Summertime Revue and Tis The Season.
There is a tangible, indelible honesty woven into Colette Deveaux’s music, which is known for evoking a powerful, oftentimes somatic response from her audience. Colette’s ability to describe and inspire emotion through music can break you open and delicately put you back together again. Currently based out of her hometown of Sydney on the beautiful East Coast Island of Cape Breton, Deveaux has been quietly and diligently making a name for herself among Canadian artists for the better half of the decade. Inspired at a young age by the works of Leonard Cohen and Canadian independent icon Greg MacPherson, Colette creates a mixture of thoughtful, moving poetry and infectious melodies to create a truly memorable sound. Colette and her band were the winners of the 2019 “Under the Breton Sky Emerging Band Contest,” winning an opening spot at the festival headlined by The Trews. She performed at the 10th anniversary HUFF songwriters show later that same year. Her first single “Honey” was released in 2019 and featured on CBC Radio, Sirius XM, Stingray Radio’s East Coast Channel, and many local and national stations.
Full Bar till 10PM & Kitchen Service till 9PM
Ages 19+
Songwriters Circle
Featuring: Molly Babin, Danny MacNeil & Rudy Pacé
Molly Babin is a Cape Breton based singer songwriter who is always working on projects meant to connect with other musicians. Over Covid, Molly released a series named “Virtual Jams” where she did virtual video collaborations with local musicians like Jordan Musycsyn, Wayne Bedecki, Aaron Lewis and twelve others. Molly is also the co-founder of “Open Doors: Cape Breton Women In Harmony”, which is a group aimed at encouraging, supporting and promoting female musicians in Cape-Breton.
Rudy Pace is a Halifax based singer songwriter from Cape-Breton. Rudy is a dedicated East Coast Canadian songwriter who’s been compared to legends such as Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. He is also the host of the Carleton’s “Campfire Songwriters Series” which showcases some of Nova-Scotia’s best up and coming songwriters.
Cape-Breton singer-songwriter Danny MacNeil is a confessional folk artist, with songs influenced by the continuous struggle for contentment and true peace of mind. Danny has spent the last number of years learning the skills of carpentry. During this time, music has remained a vital component of Danny’s life. Despite the busy work and education schedule, he has begun a beautiful piece of musical craftsmanship in his new album, including his single “Ten Hour Day” released this past June and his upcoming single “Trouble That I’m In” being released on November 18th.