JiiG
Saturday March 11th 2017
Date: Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 8 pm (doors open at 7:30 pm)
Location: Mill Road Community Space, 8 Chemin Mill, Chelsea, QC
Tickets: $20 in advance, or $22 at the door
In 2005, Ian Robb invited three of his favourite local musicians, James Stephens, Ian Clarkand Greg Brown, to record an album with him. Out of that recording, which received glowing reviews and won one of the inaugural 2005 Canadian Folk Music Awards, came the band JIIG(the initials of the band members). The band performed for a while, and then for various reasons, faded from view. But now, by popular request and with some persuasion, they're back, at least for one Old Sod Society show, with their signature blending of mostly old songs and great tunes from all over the map ....well played, well crafted arrangements of traditional and traditional-sounding songs and tunes...JIIG is the perfect example of what can happen when good friends, who also happen to be extraordinary musicians, breathe new life into magnificent old songs...Sing Out! Magazine
James Stephens
Well-known as a record producer (Finest Kind, Pierre Schryer, Glen Road, Genticorum, The Brian Pickell Band and countless other artists in the folk/acoustic genre; winner of the 2003 Porcupine Award as "Producer of the Year"), James is one of Canada's most versatile and inventive fiddle players, mastering a multitude of styles from Cape Breton to Bluegrass, Quebecois to Appalachian Old Time, Irish to Ottawa Valley. James plays "anything that has four strings", and often works his way through violin, 5-string violin, mandolin, tenor guitar and bass in the course of a performance. He has played with a Who's Who of Canadian folk music, from Lynn Miles to Eh?, Ecosse and Finest Kind, and has a shady previous life in classical and alt-rock music.
Ian Clark
Ian C's driving and creative guitar accompaniments have been a fixture on the Ottawa celtic music scene since the early '90s. Ian toured for a while with Canadian fiddle great Pierre Schryer, and recorded a superb live album with Pierre at Ottawa's venerable Rasputin's Cafe. Outside of the celtic scene, Ian's musical roots are in swing and rock'n'roll, and he plays rockabilly with Ottawa bands, The Lowball Bidders and The Dimestore Playboys.
Ian Robb
Ian R is, as he puts it, "a singer and occasional writer of old songs." The London, England-born singer and concertina player has spent the last 46 years in Canada, and in that time has helped to establish a number of well-regarded bands, including the Estelle Klein Award-winning Friends of Fiddler's Green and the internationally known harmony trio Finest Kind. He also co-founded Ottawa's Old Sod Society, and won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Traditional Singer in 2005.
Greg Brown
Alumnus of many bands including Matapat, Tuq and Glen Road, Greg is originally from Newfoundland, and cut his musical teeth on the tunes of Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit under the guidance of Newfoundland fiddle great Christina Smith. In more recent years he has added a variety of styles to his tune repertoire, most notably from the Irish and Quebecois traditions. Greg has also added accordion, anglo concertina, viola and guitar to his amazing arsenal. He also moonlights as one of Ottawa's most in demand live sound engineers.
All four JIIG members play regularly in The Old Sod Band, house band for the Ottawa Contra Dances for more years than any of them care to admit.