Ontario - Folk
David Francey and Mike Ford
In 2005, David Francey and Mike Ford spent two weeks aboard a 750-foot bulk carrier of the Algoma Central Laker fleet. The captain and crew let them in on life onboard, and sailing from Montreal to Thunder Bay and back along the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the majestic inland sea of the Great Lakes, they penned the 16 insightful songs that appear on their collaboration, Seaway. Three time JUNO winner, David Francey, and JUNO nominee Mike Ford, member of the eccentrically successful folk-pop-vaudeville band Moxy Früvous, are gifted solo musicians in their own right.
www.davidfrancey.com/seaway.html
David Francey and Mike Ford is appearing in
Lakes 'n Rivers Saturday at 3:15pm
Members of David Francey and Mike Ford appearing in shows of their own...
David Francey is appearing in
Rite of Passage Saturday at 1:15pm
My Folk Heroes Sunday at 12:00pm
Whiskey, Wood and Wire Sunday at 2:30pm
From My Heart Sunday at 4:15pm
Mike Ford is appearing in
I've Been Everywhere Saturday at 11:00am
Beavers, Loons & Polar Bears...Oh My! Saturday at 12:15pm
My Folk Heroes Sunday at 12:00pm
Canada Needs You Sunday at 2:30pm
Craig Werth is appearing in
Folkin' Guitars Sunday at 1:00pm
DAVID FRANCEY
From carpenter to songwriter – Since leaving construction and recording Torn Screen Door in 1999 Scottish-born Canadian, David Francey is recognized as one of today’s finest singer-songwriters. Francey has released 8 CDs to date. His most recent is "Seaway" - a collaberation with Mike Ford of Moxy Fruvous fame with songs based on their voyage on the M.V. Algoville. Francey’s CD, Right of Passage, earned him his third JUNO (Canada’s top music award) in less than 5 years. Francey also had the honour of receiving the prestigious SOCAN Folk Music Award.
"David’s straightforward songs tell honest stories of real people and real places. Poetic perception and a keen eye for the heart of the matter are trademarks of the man and his music. His songs and stories are a direct connection for audiences seeking depth and meaning in the day-to-day." Shelter Valley Folk Festival
David Francey was born in 1954 in Ayrshire, Scotland, where as a paper boy he got his first taste of the working life. He learned to read at an early age, and by age eleven was devouring the newspapers he delivered. This helped establish his interest in politics and world events while developing the social conscience that forms the backdrop of his songs.
He was twelve when his family immigrated to Toronto. He says he can trace his love of the land, the history, and the people of his adopted country to weekend family drives exploring southern Ontario. Music played a large part in these family outings. They sang traditional Scottish tunes as they drove through the Canadian countryside. Dad and sister Muriel sang melody, while mother and David sang harmonies.
His attachment to Canada grew with travel. He hitched across the country three times, then thumbed his way to the Yukon. This attachment surfaces in his songs of rail lines, farms, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. He grew to understand the people while working in Toronto train yards, the Yukon bush, and as a carpenter in the Eastern Townships. These experiences colour his first CD, Torn Screen Door, with songs like Hard Steel Mill, Gypsy Boys, and Working Poor and his second, Far End of Summer, with Highway, Flowers of Saskatchewan and February Morning Drive.
In concert David is a singer and a storyteller. His wry humour and astute observations combined with his openhearted singing style have earned him a loyal following.
David lives with his wife, artist Beth Girdler and their three children Amy, Julia and Colin in the quiet but charming Lanark Highlands in southern Ontario.
Accompanying David is the remarkable Craig Werth. Since October 2006, Craig has served as the accompanist/co-arranger for three-time Juno-winner David Francey. Craig co-produced Francey's "Right of Passage" which won a best album Juno in 2008. He is often on tour with David but is also performing solo shows and working on other creative projects. With the release of "The Spokes Man" Craig will be on the road much more as a solo artist in the Fall of 2010 and beyond.
MIKE FORD
Mike Ford is a Juno-nominated artist whose concerts and recordings are garnering critical and popular acclaim coast-to-coast. Known to many as 1/4 of the eccentrically successful folk-pop-vaudeville band Moxy Früvous (with whom Mike has entertained countless festivals, theatres, clubs across North America and Europe and recorded 7 acclaimed albums), Mike is immersed in a whole new career phase with his rollicking Canada In Song project.
In June of ’08, he released his most accomplished album to date, the sonically vibrant and thematically charged Canada Needs You, volume two - a 12-song musical journey through 20th Century Canada. His three solo albums, stars shone on toronto (featuring musical homages to Jane Jacobs, The Oak Ridges Moraine & Tooker Gomberg among others), Satellite Hotstove, and the MapleMusic Recording Canada Needs You, volume one (a Juno-nominated romp through pre-1905 Canadian History) are filled with provocative original compositions delivered in a multitude of styles.
He performs to sell-out club crowds and festival mainstages across Canada. He has also recently graced festival stages as a ‘swing’ member of The Arrogant Worms, and has teamed up of late with multiple Juno-award-winning singer David Francey, writing and performing new ‘Great Lakes’ songs for their Laker Music Project.
Mike lives in east Toronto with his wife Therese and step-daughter Jacqueline. He has worked in or visited every region of this incredible country and is dedicated to sharing his enthusiasm for Canada’s land and history with people of all ages.