Aengus Finnan

Last updated
Aengus Finnan
Born Dublin, Ireland
Origin Ontario, Canada
Genres Folk
Years active1999–present
Website aengusfinnan.com

Aengus Finnan (born January 31, 1972) is a Canadian folk musician and arts organiser. Finnan was born in Dublin, Ireland, and grew up in Ontario, Canada. [1] In 2003, he was awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal for his humanitarian and cultural work in Canada [2] He was the executive director of Folk Alliance International from 2014 to 2022. [3]

Contents

Early life

Finnan grew up on an organic farm in Shelter Valley, Ontario (near Grafton). He attended St. Mary's elementary school in Grafton, St. Mary's Secondary School in Cobourg, and was awarded a two-year scholarship to Lester B. Pearson United World College near Victoria, B.C. where he studied Fine Art (IB), before attending Concordia University in Montreal to study theatre (BFA). He later attended Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, to study Native and Northern Education, graduating as Valedictorian for the 1994 Faculty of Education. [1]

He taught elementary school in Moosonee, Ontario, for two years, [4] and in Inuvik, NWT. [5]

Music career

He released two albums, Fool's Gold, produced by Paul Mills in 1999, and North Wind, [6] which Finnan co-produced with Paul Mills in 2002, featuring his touring bandmates Trevor Mills and David Rogers along with backing vocals by Serena Ryder. For 6 years he toured the North America folk festival and club circuit but found it financially testing. [5]

In 1999 his song "Lately" was awarded the Songs From The Heart Award. [7] "O'Shaunessey's Lament" (later recorded by Irish-American artist Seamus Kennedy) was also awarded the prestigious New Folk Songwriting award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. [8] Finnan was featured on Beautiful, the first ever tribute album to Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot. [9] In 2003 he produced a compilation album entitled Valley Voices as a fundraising effort for a group of concerned citizens, and in 2005 he co-produced Coastline of our Dreams, an Ian Tamblyn tribute album.

In the winter of 2003 he traveled to the Yukon to record a collection of Robert Service poetry as field recordings (as yet unreleased) in the locations of the subject matter of the poems, including The Shooting of Dan Mcgrew, and The Cremation of Sam McGee. In 2004 he recorded a live album at the Grafton Town Hall called Once Upon a Time, which was released in 2013. [10] He essentially retired from music and has since become a full-time arts administrator. [5]

Art career, organizing

In 2002 he conceived of a tribute event called The Way We Feel as an annual event to celebrate the work of Canadian icon Gordon Lightfoot. [2]

In 2003 he returned to Grafton Ontario to found the Shelter Valley Folk Festival, for which he was the volunteer artistic and executive director till 2010. [2] [11] During that time he served as the board President of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals. [2] In 2005 he bought the Lawless and Sons general store (circa 1835) in Grafton and transformed it from an active butcher shop into the Lawless Gallery of Fine Art, where he was curator for 3 years. The gallery doubled as a performance venue for acoustic concerts.

In 2008 he began instructing a self-employment course for the Northumberland Community Futures agency, and later served as their Program Manager. In May 2010 he was hired as the Touring and Audience Development Officer for the Ontario Arts Council. [2] In 2003, he was awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal for his humanitarian and cultural work in Canada. [2] [12]

In 2014 he was appointed executive director of Folk Alliance International, [13] and tasked with organising the world's largest annual Conference for the folk music industry, held in Kansas City. [14]

Personal life

He currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

Discography

Solo albums

Studio and live albums by Aengus Finnan
YearAlbum titleRelease details
1999Fool's Gold
  • Released: 1999
  • Label: Shelter Valley
  • Format: CD, digital
2002North Wind
2013Once Upon a Time: Live in Grafton
  • Released: Jan 1, 2013
  • Label: Centre Stage
  • Format: CD

Singles

Singles by Aengus Finnan
YearSongAlbumNotes
1999"Lately"Fool's Gold
2002"Rolling Home"North Wind
"O'Shaughnessy's Lament"
"My Heart Has Wings" ft. Serena Ryder Flashpoint season opener

Compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Rogers</span> Canadian folk musician (1949–1983)

Stanley Allison Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Lightfoot</span> Canadian singer-songwriter (1938–2023)

Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. was a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s. He has been referred to as Canada's greatest songwriter and his songs have been recorded by some of the world's most renowned musical artists. Lightfoot's biographer Nicholas Jennings said, "His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constantines</span> Canadian indie rock band

Constantines is an indie rock band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Jackie Washington was a Canadian blues musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariposa Folk Festival</span> Folk music festival

Mariposa Folk Festival is a Canadian music festival founded in 1961 in Orillia, Ontario. It was held in Orillia for three years before being banned because of disturbances by festival-goers. After being held in various places in Ontario for a few decades, it returned to Orillia in 2000. Ruth Jones, her husband Dr. Crawford Jones, brother David Major and Pete McGarvey organized the first Mariposa Folk Festival in August 1961. The inaugural event, covered by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, featured all Canadian performers. The festival grew in popularity, size and rowdiness until the popularity of the 1963 festival, and the lack of sufficient security, led to a backlash from town locals. The city of Orillia secured a court injunction to prevent the festival from continuing in the town limits. The first festival held in the Toronto area, in 1964, was at Maple Leaf Stadium. The subsequent three festivals were held at Innis Lake in Caledon, northwest of the city. In the 1970s it was held on the Toronto Islands before shifting to Harbourfront (Toronto) and Bathurst Street and later Molson Park in Barrie. In 2000, the Mariposa Folk Festival was invited back to Orillia by city councilors Tim Lauer and Don Evans. The festival continues to be held in Orillia. As well as folk music, the festival highlights other aspects of folk culture including dance, crafts, storytelling.

Ian Tamblyn is a Canadian folk music singer-songwriter and record producer, adventurer and playwright.

The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival with camping, held for nearly three weeks each year, in late spring/early summer, at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville, Texas. The festival draws around 30,000 people. It aims to present established artists and promote new talent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. P. Cormier</span> Musical artist

John Paul "J.P." Cormier, is a Canadian bluegrass/folk/Celtic singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. To date he has won thirteen East Coast Music Awards and one Canadian Folk Music Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Manx</span> Musical artist

Harry Manx is a Canadian musician who blends blues, folk music, and Hindustani classical music. His official website describes his music as being a "blend Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues, add a sprinkle of gospel and some compelling grooves and you'll get Manx's unique "mysticssippi" flavour." Manx plays the slide guitar, harmonica, six-string banjo, mohan veena and Ellis stomp box. He studied for five years in India with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Bhatt is the inventor of the 20-stringed mohan veena, which has become Manx's signature instrument. He has released twelve albums in twelve years, and has his own record label Dog My Cats Records. He has received much recognition and many awards, including: seven Maple Blues Awards, six Juno nominations, the Canadian Folk Music Award in 2005 for Best Solo Artist, and CBC Radio’s "Great Canadian Blues Award" in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folk Alliance International</span>

Folk Alliance International is a non-profit organization that produces an annual conference that is the world's largest gathering of the folk music industry and community. Founded in 1989, FAI is an advocacy, professional development and networking organization, and is one of the five largest music conferences in North America. As of 2016, FAI has a membership of approximately 3,000, and a budget of US$1,000,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Wainwright Roche</span> American musician (born 1981)

Lucy Wainwright Roche is an American singer-songwriter. Preceded by two EPs, 8 Songs and 8 More, Roche released her debut album, Lucy in October 2010. In 2013, she starred as Jeri in the Stuff You Should Know television show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dala (band)</span> Canadian musical group

Dala is a Canadian acoustic-folk two-piece musical group, made up by Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther, both of Scarborough, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Lightfoot discography</span> Cataloging of published recordings by Gordon Lightfoot

The discography of Canadian folk and country music singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot consists of 20 studio albums, three live albums, 16 greatest hits albums and 46 singles. Lightfoot's songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon of Darkness"—a number one hit on the U.S. country chart with Marty Robbins's cover in 1965—and "Black Day in July" about the 1967 Detroit riot, brought him wide recognition in the 1960s. Canadian chart success with his own recordings began in 1962 with the No. 3 hit "(Remember Me) I'm the One", followed by recognition and charting abroad in the 1970s.

Maria Dunn is a Juno-winning Canadian songwriter and musician. She has been described as "an arrestingly powerful singer-songwriter who writes great historical and social commentary." A storyteller through song, her music blends Celtic folk with North American bluegrass and country influences.

Borealis Records is a Canadian record label, founded in 1996 by four Canadian musicians. It is notable as being focused exclusively on the recording and development of Canadian folk and roots music artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynne Hanson</span> Musical artist

Lynne Hanson is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Ottawa, Ontario who has released eight solo albums and has toured internationally.

Tamarack is a Canadian folk music group, formed in 1978 by James Gordon, Jeff Bird and Randy Sutherland. Tamarack draws heavily on traditional themes. Their début album Music of Canada consists almost entirely of traditional songs. Later albums included a number of songs penned by band members but maintaining the traditional folk / roots style.

David "Zeke" Mazurek was a Canadian fiddler based in Prince Edward County, Ontario who performed and recorded traditional and popular music across Canada with several musical groups.

Quantum Tangle are a Juno Award-winning Canadian musical group who combine traditional Inuit throat singing and spoken word storytelling with blues-influenced folk rock, consisting of vocalist Tiffany Ayalik, Kayley Inuksuk Mackay as drummer, vocalist and throat singer, and singer and guitarist G. R. Gritt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terra Lightfoot</span> Musical artist

Terra Lightfoot is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario who has released four albums with the independent music label Sonic Unyon Recording Company and is distributed by Universal Music Group in Canada and The Orchard outside of Canada. She performs in a folk and roots rock style known for bold vocals and electric guitar riffs.

References

  1. 1 2 "Aengus Finnan — Borealis Records". borealisrecords.com. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Aengus Finnan appointed Touring and Audience Development Officer at the Ontario Arts Council". Ontario Arts Council. April 23, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-11-17. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  3. ↑ https://folk.org/announcement-from-fai-board-president/
  4. ↑ Reid, Robert (March 9, 2000). "Life beyond Moosonee; Folk singer Aengus Finnan drops teaching to follow musical dreams". Kitchener Record. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 "Finnan finds his stage voice again". www.therecord.com. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  6. ↑ "Folk Plus – Interview with Aengus Finnan From North East Folk Alliance". www.wjffradio.org. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  7. ↑ "Songs From the Heart Past Winners – Folk Music Ontario". www.folkmusicontario.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  8. ↑ "Kerrville Festivals". www.kerrville-music.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-06. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  9. ↑ "Various – Beautiful: A Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  10. ↑ "CBC Music". music.cbc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  11. ↑ "Shelter Valley Folk Festival presenting fourth Songwriters Showcase". Trenton Trentonian. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  12. ↑ "Canadian songwriter Aengus Finnan received Canada's prestigious Commemorative Medal in honor of The Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II". Sing Out. 22 March 2003. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  13. ↑ "KITHFOLK, Issue 3". Atavist. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  14. ↑ "Aengus Finnan breaks down this year's Folk Alliance International Conference". Pitch. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.