Tell the Band to Go Home & Steel Belted Radio proudly present:
Dylan Ireland (formerly Express & Co.) (www.facebook.com/dylanirelandmusic)
& Kayla Howran (www.facebook.com/KaylaHowran/)
at The Sunset Saloon (house concert in Westwood)
Friday, May 26, 2017
8:00
Suggested donation $20 (price flexible, all proceeds to the artists)
If you wish, bring a drink for yourself, and/or a snack to share, but we’ve always got plenty of all of those on hand!
All are welcome (bring the kids, friends, family, people off the street, whatever)! Our house is family friendly (we’ve got 3 kids, a trampoline, and plenty of room, so feel free to bring the family), easy-going, friendly, and open to all! If you don’t know us yet, come on down and make some new friends!
The Sunset Saloon is a house concert venue in Westwood (near the YMCA on Portage.) We’re open to all. Feel free to pass along the event info, bring friends, bring your kids (our kids will thank you), or just come by yourself and make some new friends! Admission is by donation, which goes directly to the artists. Most folks pay $20, but these hard working musicians wouldn’t turn down more.
Please RSVP for the address and more information!
Questions? RSVP? Fill out the contact form below! Forward this to a friend!
Dylan Ireland first came to my attention through the lamented 7th Fire Records 7″ Series. That label did an amazing job of spreading the word about some great Canadian talent that even I’d never heard of, much of it from the musical breeding ground of Peterborough, ON. Express and Co. was a vehicle for Dylan’s songs and singing, but it was also rounded out and aided by the talented Melissa Payne. Dylan & Melissa stopped in for a show at The Sunset Saloon (and the similarly lamented River City Social Club) in 2013, and it was a lot of fun. Each has gone on to a great solo career. Dylan has a new album coming out this summer under his own name, and I’m sure that we’ll hear plenty of great new songs when he stops in again, this time with his new gal, Kayla Howran.
Although Kayla has been around for a while, I know less about her, so I’ll have to lean on an official bio:
Kayla Howran sings country music, not by virtue of a Wrangler shirt, but a childhood in Peterborough spent fishing and wrestling dogs. Her songwriting is equal parts original and idiomatic, a fresh but faithful interpretation of the genre and proof that classic country doesn’t have to be old, but it does have to be timeless.
After moving to Toronto, Kayla found a foothold in the country and rockabilly roots of the Queen Street music scene. She and her band, The Fellas, began playing at The Cameron House in September 2010, and quickly established one of the hottest weekly residences on Queen Street. Every Friday night Kayla’s powerful vocals fill the bar as she and The Fellas spur on a dance floor full of patrons with bourbon-soaked two-steps, meandering tales of love lost, and everything in between.
Kayla has a rare ability to lean on her influences without imitating them, which lends a genuine quality to her music that is often absent from many of her country contemporaries. She sings with the conviction of someone who has lived every bit of joy, agony, and heartbreak contained within her songs. However, it is Kayla’s voice that truly sets her apart. Powerful enough to rise above the din of a packed hall, yet with a softness that evokes the tender emotions of transfixed onlookers, Kayla controls the mood of the room with the skill of a baton-wielding maestro.
Kayla Howran’s debut album “Pistol” was released on Cameron House Records in February 2012. She has a brand new records called Spare Parts, which was produced by esteemed guitarist Colin Cripps (Crash Vegas, Kathleen Edwards, Blue Rodeo, etc.) is a leap ahead and is sure to turn a lot of heads.
Feel free to fill out the contact form below if you have any questions or if you want to reserve your seat (your details aren’t public, just emailed directly to me.)