Traveling west in a truck in the Canadian winter, Cape Breton musician J.P. Cormier will soon be on his way to Northwestern Ontario to play at the Murillo Community Centre on Saturday February 8. This rural hall has hosted some fantastic and memorable live folk music in the past year, and J.P. Cormier is set to raise the bar again for 2014. If the Winter Olympics had guitar playing as a sport, Cormier would be on the Canadian team.
J.P. Cormier is a multi-talented, award-winning Canadian musician, considered a genius on the guitar. His speed and mastery of the instrument comes from a lifetime of practice and training, and he has played some of the biggest stages in North America, including the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. A prolific songwriter, with numerous albums including one dedicated to Gordon Lightfoot where he plays and sings the “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” as richly as the original artist. He also recorded a banjo album and a fiddle album, and this year marks his 13th year of touring.
Hailing from Cape Breton, Cormier plays the east coast on a regular basis, and has a new studio where he produces music for other artists. He once toured with Stompin’ Tom Connors and he was part of the all-star band that helped say goodbye to Stompin’ Tom last year.
This is the second year Mr. Cormier will perform a winter show at the Murillo Community Centre. He will arrive early, prepare the sound, go for supper with his bass player, and then start the show at 8 pm sharp. He is a working musician, making his way across Canada, earning every new fan he gets. But he’s not a regular player. The moment he starts, you may start to hear the snow melt outside. Last year’s show had a special guest appearance by local fiddler Pierre Schryer. The energy in the hall was electric. This year’s show will be just as great.
Advance tickets for this all-ages show are $25 and available at Steeper’s Tea, Chaltrek, Calico, The Hoito and Murillo Variety. Just like last February, there will be a homemade pie auction for the Underground Gym, and catering will be provided by Steeper’s.
