Summer 2011

Greetings, Everyone!

Baddeck's much anticipated nightly ceilidh series has begun for yet another year!

The ceilidh lineup is full of the island's top players: Shelly Campbell and Allan Dewar, Isaac Fraser, Joel Chiasson, Mac Morin, Mike Hall and Jennifer Bowman, Melody and Derrick Cameron, Rachel Davis and Buddy MacDonald, Helen MacDonald, Susan MacLean & Scott MacKenzie, Anita MacDonald, Stan Chapman and more!

Be sure to come and check out some of the music that has put this island on the map drawing attention from all over the globe, bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Ever wonder what a strathspey actually is? How can you tell the difference between a reel and a jig? What about a fiddle and a violin? Come to the BGC and find out! We will do our best to answer all your questions about Celtic and Cape Breton music, and you will enjoy a night of music and dance experience what it is all about!

The ceilidh blog will not be active this season, as we are tapping into the 'microblogging' world of Twitter and Facebook. Please follow us there to keep abreast of ceilidh news.

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See you at the ceilidh!

Does it get any better?

Shelly Campbell and Allan Dewar hold our Tuesday night slot, and if you are yet to see them, you must! They have been playing together for years, and their combined musicianship is an uncommon treasure. Shelly is the keeper of a storehouse of wonderful and interesting tunes, gleaned from years of acquiring music at the feet of masters, and to sit and listen to her is a gift. She is much more than a fiddle player, however. She possesses yet another ancient and much more rare gift: that of storytelling. In an age of text messages and email abbreviations, Shelly can transport you to another era with her tales of folklore and local anecdotes. Her ability far surpasses the majority of her peers in the younger generations, in whom this art has been all but lost. Bring a hanky, though - you just might shed a tear laughing!

Allan's knowledgeable accompaniment is the perfect complement. His lively style is reminiscent of the late great John Morris Rankin on piano, and supports our traditional music to a T: understated, yet oh so tasty. He has toured the world with many of Cape Breton's top musicians, and is sought after for performances and recordings. He now runs the Judique Interpretive Center, another hopping center of music. If you are on the Inverness side of the island, check out one of their daily afternoon ceilidhs, or Sunday afternoon concerts.

Lovers of the music were out on Wednesday the 14th - we watched - more than one grew misty-eyed as Jennifer played a slow air, and many were actually tapping their toes to the music, just like we do! Lots of folks came in because of the rain, but stayed because of the tunes!

Thursday the 15th we had a wonderful ceilidh with the one and only Dwayne Cote, accompanied by music stalwart, Doug MacPhee. There were tunes to be heard that night that we forgot existed and here played in a style in which only inimitable Dwayne is capable. The 3 standing ovations stand as undisputable testimony to that! Have a listen to his newest recording- excellence and creativity you don't often come across! It is definitely worth it.

Friday the 16th we had 2, yes 2, guest guitar players. Scott was under the watchful eyes of both as they followed along Cape Breton style. Great dancing was had by all, and such fun!

We've seen visitors from all over the globe this week, as always! Including but not limited to, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Japan; a popular spot we have here!

Saturday the 17th Douglas Cameron was back with Jennifer Bowman. Hot times again at the ceilidh - hot tunes, hot dancing, hot King Cole tea, as always! A writer for CAA Travel visited and was taking notes for an article, requested a waltz and loved it!

Mike Hall and Jennifer Bowman rocked the house Monday night. We've come to expect this from Mike. He does not disappoint! There's a reason he is booked solid all summer long!
Come check them out this coming Monday again.

See you at the ceilidh!

From the four corners they come

to hear our music and learn of the history and culture. What an honor to be an representative of this rich heritage to so many people, themselves representing so many lands and cultures.


In the last week alone we've had visitors from South Africa, China, New Caledonia (an island in the South Pacific), England, France, Switzerland and others. Remarkable!

Tuesday the 12th Shelley Campbell and Andrea Beaton shared the stage. Stan Chapman of Antigonish visited and shared some tunes, and to our surprise, a fiddler from Ireland, Liz Doherty landed in. It is not hard to look forward to something new every night!

Wednesday, while Jennifer Bowman and Marion Dewar supplied the tunes, we had a special step dancing guest: Harvey MacKinnon, of Whycocomagh. Harvey recently celebrated his 73rd birthday and can dance rings around many half his age. He has been highly respected as one of the island's best since his youth, and rightfully so. His accurate and smoothly executed steps are a pleasure to watch. Another volunteer from the audience was a lady from Ontario, who joined in on a set of reels with her spoons.

We heard from the Walkers who had nothing but praise for the Chanterelle Inn in North River. This is their 4th season to stay there. They love it. The food is all locally grown and prepared. Excellent! What better to compliment good music than good food?

Thursday, we welcomed Andrea Beaton back, this time with Jennifer Bowman. They switched back and forth from fiddle to piano seamlessly. Andrea was excited to debut her new tune book. Congrats, Andrea! It looks great! The new tune book, as well as all of Andrea's cds and more bio info are all available at her site. Just click on her name!

See you at the ceilidh!