KEN DUNN 

It was a great honour to celebrate David Amram's upcoming 88th birthday at NERFA 2018 (North Eastern Regional Folk Alliance) in Stamford, Connecticut.

David Amram has been described as "the Renaissance man of American music." He has composed over 100 orchestral and chamber works, written two operas, and many scores for theatre and films. He has collaborated with such notables as Leonard Bernstein, Dizzy Gillespie, Dustin Hoffman, Charlie Mingus, Elia Kazan, Odetta, Jack Kerouac, Betty Carter and Tito Puente.

Not everyday someone refers to me as a young man, Cheers, David!

This track , "Forsaken By These Blues" is from my 2015 album, "The Great Unknown" with Gypsy Starfish.   I had fun putting this together from Creative Commons licensed video clips. 

Just back from my first FAR-West (Folk Alliance International's Western Region) Conference in Los Angeles. Their catchphrase is #farwestconnects, and the weekend certainly lived up to that. From the get go, I was made to feel welcome, and included in this wonderful musical community. Being awarded five late night showcases meant performing until the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully, I had no trouble sleeping 'til noon!

The opportunity to perform before audiences comprised of booking agents, venues, media, etc. was definitely a big part of the conference. However, FAR-West was much more than that to me. I was quite simply blown away by the incredible musical talent being presented. One of the highlights was a chance to meet and hear one of my early folk music inspirations, Eric Andersen!  At 75, he is as inspiring, relevant, and soulful as ever. 

But, in the end, it was the relationships that I began building with fellow members of this folk community that I will treasure for years to come. #farwestconnects indeed!

 With Eric Andersen

Playing at Canada CabinEric & Sari Andersen with Susan Rivera

I am thrilled to be returning to Los Angeles this Thursday, October 11 to perform five showcases at the 2018 FAR-West, Folk Alliance International's western region conference! Looking forward to connecting with old friends and new, and debuting some new songs, including "Pot of Gold"!

This past fall, at the Folk Music Ontario Conference in Toronto, I had the pleasure of sitting down with renowned folk DJ Jan Vanderhorst. Jan is of course host of the wonderful "Just Us Folk" program on CKPC 1380 in Brantford, Ontario.

Jan quickly got to the heart of the matter, with topics ranging from the relevance of folk music in the quest for social justice, the motivation behind my latest CD, "Wondrous Beauty", and the role that my career in psychology played in my songwriting.

And, he managed to spin a couple of tunes from the album as well- "Wondrous Beauty" and "Hold On"... Enjoy !!

Anna and I are back home on the B.C. Coast after a very enjoyable tour of Ontario. Still buzzing with fond memories of our wolf howl finale with Piper and Carson in Hamilton, hanging with Steve Poltz in Grey County, rocking Durham with Our Shotgun Wedding, closing the 10th season of Dale's Coffee House in Leamington, and chilling with Tequila Mockingbird in Collingwood.

Time for a wee rest and a house move up the coast to beautiful Garden Bay...

We are so thrilled to be back in Ontario, free from the uncertainty that surrounded our travel plans!  After performing at Dale's Coffee House in Leamington we drove to Hamilton for the 24th Anniversary Special broadcast of Jim Marino's Freewheeling Folk Show. Listened to the previously taped interview with Jan Vanderhorst at CKPC in Brantford last night before nodding off. We are now taking a few days off for friends and family, and rehearsing for our May 30 concert at Hamilton's Artword Artbar with Piper and Carson. 🎶☮😀

ENJOYING A LIGHTER MOMENT WITH ANNA AT DALE'S COFFEE HOUSE IN LEAMINGTON

Well, it's finally coming together- my Spring 2018 Ontario (Mini) Tour with Anna Green! Only one glitch- the possibility of a pilots' strike at Westjet, which would leave us grounded here in B.C. Now, I'm a Union member myself (American Federation of Musicians, Local 1000),   so I sure hope this labour dispute gets resolved to everyone's benefit... fingers crossed!

Sending a big thank you to local arts and culture writer, Anna Nobile for the nice bio! And such a pleasure to perform with CBC Searchlight Winner, Desireé Dawson, and my sweetie, Anna Green... a long way from homeless on the streets of Toronto, and full of gratitude!

I first met Desiree when Anna and I performed in concert with her at the Sunshine Music Festival in Powell River, BC last fall. Blessed with a voice as pure and powerful as it is infused with sensitivity and soul, Desiree accompanies herself beautifully on baritone ukelele. Her songwriting exhibits a maturity and sophistication that belies her youthful demeanour. It is therefore easy to see why she was selected as CBC Searchlight's 2016 Winner over 2,000 contestants across Canada.

We are pleased to welcome Desiree for her very first performance on the lower Sunshine Coast, and the relaxed and comfortable Gumboot Cafe in Roberts Creek could not be a more fitting venue. As a special bonus, Desiree will be joined by another great young singer-songwriter Jody Okabe, also from Vancouver.

Anna and I will start off this special evening with a set of my original, folk-inspired songs. Of course, the fabulous cuisine and libations which the Gumboot Cafe is known for will be available for purchase.

Advance tickets can be purchased for $15 (plus service charge) ONLINE HERE, or for $20 at the door.  

Check out the CBC Music Website for more info on Desiree.