Upcoming Events
Mad Folk presents:
David Francey
Feb. 9, 2025 (Sun)
3 pm
(Doors at 2:30pm)
North Street Cabaret
610 North Street, Madison, WI 53704
Non-perishable donations of food will be collected for local food banks.
Flyer (Please print/post/share!)
Tickets:
$25 advance
$30 day of show
David Francey is a Scottish-born Canadian carpenter-turned-songwriter, who has become known as "one of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers" (Toronto Star). Born in Ayrshire, Scotland to parents who were factory workers, he moved to Canada when he was twelve. For decades, he worked across Canada in rail yards, construction sites, and in the Yukon bush, all the while writing poetry, setting it to melodies in his head and singing it to himself as he worked. A truly authentic folk singer, Francey is a documentarian of the working person who never imagined earning a living from his music. But when he was in his 40s, his wife, artist Beth Girdler, encouraged him to share his songs and sing in public. The reaction was instant. His first album Torn Screen Door came out in 1999 and was a hit in Canada. Since then, David has released thirteen albums, won four Juno Awards and has had his songs covered by such artists as The Del McCoury Band, The Rankin Family, James Keelaghan and Tracy Grammer.
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Francey also had the honour of receiving the prestigious SOCAN Folk Music Award as well as taking home the Grand Prize in both the International Acoustic Music Award and in the Folk category for the John Lennon Songwriting Award.
David Francey was born in Ayrshire, Scotland where he got his first taste of the working life as a paperboy. At age 10 he was devouring the newspapers he delivered, establishing a life-long 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 in the quiet but charming Lanark Highlands in southern Ontario. They are visited often by their son Colin, daughters Amy and Julia and grandkids Tristan, Alice and Millicent.
For more see artist website.
Mad Folk presents:
John Gorka
with special opener Joe Gorka
Apr. 18, 2025 (Fri)
7 pm (doors at 6pm)
North Street Cabaret
610 North Street, Madison, WI 53704
Non-perishable donations of food will be collected for local food banks.
Flyer (Please print/post/share!)
Tickets:
$27 advance
$30 day of show
"Gorka is widely heralded for the sophisticated intelligence and provocative originality of his songs."
- The Boston Globe
In 1991, Rolling Stone called John Gorka "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement." Already active on the folk scene, his first album "I Know" produced by Red House Records in 1987 was critically acclaimed. This led to a record contract with Windham Hill and later High Street Records for five albums. He returned to Red House Records in 1998, producing another eight albums. He joined forces with Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson in 2010 to form the folk group Red Horse. As of 2024, he has produced 15 albums, two DVDs, and one compilation album, in addition to the album with Red Horse mentioned earlier. He is active on the folk scene, performing on tour in the US and internationally, and at various venues including the Kerrville Folk Festival where he first got his start in 1984.
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Many well known artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. John has graced the stage of Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown and has appeared on CNN. His song “Where No Monuments Stand” is featured in the documentary "Every War Has Two Losers," about activist and Oregon Poet Laureate William Stafford (1914-1993).
For more see artist website.
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