| PAST AND PRESENT LIVES... |
 GRAEME CARD
Guitar, Mandolin,
Drum Bass, Vocals
Graeme is a songwriting legend who began his musical career singing in choirs in Toronto, Winnipeg and Saskatoon. To this day, he sings in the Arion Male Voice Choir in Victoria. His professional music career began in 1967 in Saskatoon with “Humphrey and the Dumptrucks”, which he co-founded. The “Dumptrucks” went on to become one of the best-known string bands in North America. Their music was steeped in the traditions of the Ozarks and folk song, yet they were innovative in the originality of their self-penned songs, attracting extravagant praise from critics and audiences across the country.
After a three-album career with the “Dumptrucks” which included a #1 country hit, “Man from the City”, Graeme moved to Toronto where he released two solo albums. After a self-titled debut, he received a Canada Council Grant to work on the thematic “Dorothea’s Dream”. During the Toronto period, he also contributed to the Great Canadian Music Project, “In the Dawning”. Graeme toured England, played the Mariposa and Vancouver Folk Festivals, and also played the Redberry Lake (Sask.) and Lethbridge (Alta.) Festivals. Graeme has played innumerable folk clubs including The River Boat in Toronto, Le Hibou and The Yellow Door in Montreal, and has opened for artists as diverse as Kenny Rogers and BTO. He has appeared on Morningside Radio and other CBC, CTV and TV Ontario productions and with a parade of notables including Tommy Hunter, The Good Brothers and Stan Rogers.
Graeme continues to make a unique contribution to the Canadian music scene with “The Chattering Class” where his wonderfully inventive songs showcase his lilting fingerpicking guitar style, warm voice and refined sense of harmony.
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 ROSE BIRNEY
Mandolin, Guitar,
Harmonica, Vocals
In grade six, Rosie bought a cheap guitar and wrote her first song the next week. This song-writing trend continued through high school and after graduation she moved to Saltspring Island where she began to hone her craft. At this time, she also went to school in Victoria and earned an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts. Her interest in music prompted a move to Vancouver where she attended BCIT and received a Diploma in Radio Broadcasting. Next she landed in Yellowknife, N.W.T. working as a DJ and producer in the most Northern commercial radio station in North America.
Working her way through radio stations in the BC hinterland, Rose kept her hand in the music scene, performing at the Kamloops folk club and as a member of a trio called “Flying Cowboy”. Finally settling in Victoria, she made a career move to fixing brass musical instruments and opened up “Rose’s Repair Shop”.
A desire to learn more about her craft led to classes in poetry, music history and songwriting at UVic. This in turn resulted in her being chosen as a two-time songwriting delegate at the BC Festival of the Arts. As a member of the Victoria-based roots band, “Special Blend”, Rose has been a winner of the North Island Talent Hunt Showcase and performed at music festivals across Vancouver Island. With a gift for local colour in her original lyrics, she continues to be a staple of the folk club scene, leaving a trail of grace notes wherever she goes. |
