Time: 9:30 p.m.

Cover: $5

http://www.myspace.com/seanpinchin 

www.seanpinchin.ca

 Powered by incredible guitar skills and raw emotion, Sean Pinchin’s music is part passion, part therapy.

Sean first picked up the guitar at the age of 14, and never put it down. Teaching himself by ear, trial and error and picking up tips from more skilled players, Sean eventually advanced from acoustic to electric and on to his preferred style of slide guitar.

“From my late teens to early twenties I was back and forth and had all sorts of ups and downs,” Sean says about his struggles with depression.

“I have been dealing with depression for a long, long time. I guess I feel close to the music because there is a sense of optimism and hope. The blues singer to me was a very strong, wise and experienced person. I always looked up to them for clues on how to deal with my own issues.”

After playing with several different bands Sean was eventually forced into the limelight when the front man of his then-band fell ill and Sean had to pinch-hit on vocals. That fateful night was the first step to his debut album, Folkore (2007).

A collection of original, soulful folk tracks with several reinterpretations of classic blues poems included, Folklore was praised by the Yorkton This Week for revealing “the heart of folk laid bare for all to see.”

Praised by Tambourine Magazine as “one of the most talented and hardest working musicians in the GTA,” Sean has gained renown for his intimate live shows, where his strong vocals and intricate guitar work combine to make a sound much richer than you would expect from a one-man show.

The intimacy of those live performances is evident in Sean’s recorded work. He has used a live-off-the-floor recording style to record each album honestly, in single sessions, resulting in In Transit (2008), A Day Without May (2009), and 25 John Street (2010).

“In this day and age everyone sounds produced and all glammed up,” Sean says of the recording industry. “I am not a pop singer and I have no interest in sounding like one. I make art, if I painted a picture I would display it, not photocopy it or put it through Photoshop. I am what I am and the only way to be honest about that is to display what I actually sound like.”

Crediting music and the inspiration of idols such as Robert Johnson, Kelly Joe Phelps and Chris Whitley with turning his life around after struggling at a young age, Sean hopes to be able to do the same with his own work going forward.

Sarah Burton http://www.sarahburton.ca/

Sarah Burton packs a deadly musical punch using charisma, charm and a rock and roll attitude. With songs that are at the core, folk, Sarah draws from country, pop and rock to create a sound that is both fresh and familiar.

Lyrically, Sarah blends traditional folk sensitivity with quirky and sometimes sarcastic word play. Honest and intimate, coy and sometimes brash, Sarah writes provocative songs that slide nicely under the skin and into the heart.

Since 2003 Sarah has graced many stages in Canada with her bitter-sweet irony. She has held two residencies in Toronto, and shared the stage with many talented performers. In 2006 she earned a FACTOR demo award, completed her first cross-Canada tour, and began recording her first CD, Love is for Pussies, with Juno Award-winning producer, John Switzer.

Love is for Pussies is the story of a self-proclaimed non-expert on Love. Sarah speaks for all sides of the picture – heart-breaker, heart-broken, heart-strong and weak in the knees. Sarah’s playful and still ‘dark around the edges’ release openly incorporates the honest emotional landscape of a woman, as well as the raw side of human emotion. Love is for Pussies is a collection of the playful moods stored somewhere in the darkest corners of the heart.

The disc features Gary Craig on drums, Steve Briggs on guitar, John Switzer on bass, and numerous special guests, including guitarist/vocalist, Graham Powell, pedal steel magic-maker, Burke Carroll and Flamenco guitarist, Jorge Miguel.

Since the release of Love is for Pussies Sarah has enjoyed a busy touring schedule, gaining notoriety for her energetic live show in the Canadian touring and festival circuit. She was runner-up in Mike Pinder's (of the Moody Blues) songwriting contest, for her song, "I hate you," and she has been selected to perform at many great Canadian festivals. She recently was selected to open for pop starlet, Kate Voegele, at the prestigious Opera House in Toronto, and movie goers can also look forward to hearing two of Sarah's songs in the upcoming horror-flick, Cabin Fever II.

Sarah has just released her first full-length album, Mayflower. The new disc is a pastiche of stories collected from years of traveling, and covering new territories, both physically and metaphysically. Paying homage to her lost heritage, May Flower is Sarah’s personal pilgrimage through the North American landscape, and the solitude of mind. Produced by Andre Skinner (of Canteen Knockout), and featuring the talent of Matt Blackie on drums and backing vocals, Andre Skinner on bass, Grady Kelneck on mandolin, Olesh Maksymiw on guitar and pedal steele, as well as many special guests, the new disc is raw, sweet, and sure to please.