An award-winning songwriter, Chris MacLean plays harmonium, guitar and dulcimer while adding her "bell-like voice" and mischievous sense of humour to all her musical endeavours.
MacLean is nominated for a 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award for English Songwriter of the Year, and she is the 2008 recipient of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award by the Ontario Arts Council. Her winning song, Feet Be Still, is the title track on her sophomore solo CD.
The CD also features Sisters of Charity, which won the 2008 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Songs From the Heart competition for best historical song.
MacLean, who lives in the hills of western Quebec, is coming to Courtenay this Saturday to share her music at Joe's Garage.
MacLean has been recognized by the Ontario Arts Council as recipient of the 2008 Colleen Peterson Award for Songwriting for her song Feet Be Still (Feet Be Still, 2009); by the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals with the 2008 Songs from the Heart Award for Best Historical Song for Sisters of Charity (Feet Be Still, 2009); by CHIN Radio in 2007 with second prize in their annual World Music Songwriting Contest for The Road to Bamako (Galitcha Blé d’Inde Celebration 2006); and with an Honourable Mention in the Unisong International Songwriting Contest for Diamond In My Heart and The Light of Day.
MacLean performs solo or with accompaniment of bass, guitars/fiddle/mandolin and percussion. She has two solo recordings, Learn to Be Loved (2000) and Feet Be Still (2009).
From 2005 until 2008, MacLean was a member of Frida’s Brow, a roots/folk trio who were nominated as Best Vocal Group in the 2008 Canadian Folk Music Awards for their self-titled debut CD.
Most recently, MacLean has performed with The Pomelos, a collective of female performing songwriters, and TLC (Tannis Slimmon, Laura Bird and Chris MacLean), and she frequently performs and records as backup vocalist with renowned Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Tamblyn.
The kitchen at Joe's Garage opens at 6:30 p.m., and the music starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at Bop City Records.
For more information or to make your dinner reservations, contact 250-702-MILO(6456).
— Joe's Garage