the Album Release Show:
-Free, All-Ages-
Sunday, June 9
at
Fieldcote
Memorial Park
& Musem
64 Sulfur Springs
Rd.
Ancaster, ON
1:00pm-5:00pm
a
Hamilton Arts
Week
Signature Event
Featuring a live,
outdoor,
immersive
theatrical
experience,
storytelling,
reenactments,
a gallery exhibit
and
Full-Band
Album Release
Concert!
the Album:
"MINE!
True Stories
and Legends
of the
Porcupine
Gold Rush"
"MINE! True Stories and Legends of the Porcupine Gold Rush"
is the latest full-length album by Canadian Singer-Songwriter, Musician and Entertainer Will Gillespie.
It features 12 original Folk songs in historical styles from Bluegrass to Ragtime, Barrelhouse Blues, Music Hall, Waltzes, and MORE!
Telling real-life harrowing tales of adventure and perseverance from a forgotten chapter of Canadian history.
It celebrates the unsung heroes behind the local legends of the Porcupine Gold Rush of 1909.
Come along on a musical journey back in time to a world of pioneers, prospectors, bootlegger-bandits, high-graders, dogsledders and moonshiners!
Originally from the small northern Ontario Gold mining town of South Porcupine,
Will Gillespie is a finger-pickin' Folk troubadour.
The album features the musical talents of :
Will Gillespie
(Vocals, Guitars, Harmonicas, Percussion)
Chris Cracknell
(Accordion & Piano)
Tyrone Ramsey
(Banjo & Upright Bass)
Matt Coleman
(Violin & Fiddle)
Ryan Barwin
(Dobro)
Mike McCurlie
(Mandolin)
and
Severine Salvador
(Trombone)
The songs were researched and written thanks to the support of the Ontario Arts Council.
The historical photos came from the collection at the Timmins Museum National Exhibition Centre.
Mastered by Ryan Barwin
at Hazy Grove Studio
Graphic design by Jason Diesbourg
Original concepts, design and Art direction by Will Gillespie
Artwork development by Susan Robinson
the First Single:
"BUTCH BURNS"
Singer-Songwriter Will Gillespie
announces the release of
"BUTCH BURNS"
the first single from his new album
"MINE!
TRUE STORIES & LEGENDS
OF THE PORCUPINE GOLD RUSH"
Available in streaming and digital formats on April 26, 2024.
Singer-Songwriter Will Gillespie announces the release of the first single, “Butch Burns”, from his album “Mine! True Stories & Legends of
the Porcupine Gold Rush”. “Butch Burns” will be available for download and streaming on April 26, 2024 on CD Baby, Band Camp, Spotify and YouTube.
The official album release is set to take place during Hamilton Arts Week (June 5-14, 2024) as a Signature Event at Fieldcote Memorial Park & Museum in Ancaster, Ontario on June 9, 2024.
“Mine! True Stories & Legends of the Porcupine Gold Rush” features 12 new, original songs written and performed by Gillespie in historic styles including Bluegrass, Ragtime, Waltz, Barrelhouse Blues, Music Hall, Cabaret and more. The songs on the album tell harrowing real-life stories from a forgotten chapter of Canadian history, the Porcupine Gold Rush of 1909.
You can preorder the album on iTunes (digital), Spotify (digital), Bandcamp (digital, CD & vinyl) or via www.willgillespie.ca (digital, CD & vinyl). Physical copies can be signed at the June album release event.
The real-life Butch Burns was a true folk hero. The song “Butch Burns” captures the feeling of being with the bootlegger bandit, narrowly escaping the police in his boat as he leads them on a merry chase through the rustic back woods of Northern Ontario.
The driving, thumping bass line on the piano and the sliding, ascending riffs on the dobro sound like Butch’s motor boat engine revving into high speed, bounding over waves. “Butch Burns” recalls a distant time and place with a sense of fun, excitement and adventure.
Featured on this track along with Gillespie (vocals, guitar, harmonica, percussion) are local Hamiltonian musicians Chris Cracknell (piano), Mike McCurlie (mandolin) and Ryan Barwin (dobro). The album was mastered at Barwin’s Hazy Grove recording studio in Hamilton, Ontario with graphic design by Jason Diesbourg.
WILL GILLESPIE: Will Gillespie is a singer-songwriter, musician and entertainer from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Originally from South Porcupine, Ontario, he is a finger-pickin' folk troubadour with an expansive and eclectic repertoire of his own unique original songs: from whimsical ditties to foot- stomping rockers, and heart-breaking ballads, exploring Folk, Folk-Rock, Jazz, Cabaret, Blues, Waltzes, Old-Time, Rockabilly, and other timeless, classic musical styles.
(Photo Credit: Susan Robinson)
CHASING SHADOWS PRODUCTIONS: Will Gillespie and Susan Robinson formed Chasing Shadows Productions in 2017. They created and produced the award-winning musicals “Swingin’ in St. John’s” and “Diamond in the Rough”. For every Chasing Shadows production Gillespie is the writer, director, composer, lyricists and lead actor while Robinson is the producer and visual artist. In 2022 and 2023 they toured across Ontario with an original theatrical production that evolved into the “MINE! True Stories and Legends of the Porcupine Gold Rush” concept album.
HAMILTON ARTS WEEK: Initiated in 2015 by the Hamilton Arts Council, Hamilton Arts Week will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2024.
The festival has become a key event in Hamilton’s cultural calendar and continues to grow in its promotion of the arts and culture sector.
Publicity Services: Provided by Lyla–The Publicist
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