The Nick Presents The Lonesome Ace Stringband with opening act Élise LeBlanc

The Lonesome Ace Stringband brings bring grit, skill and abandon to Americana music, bridging old-time, bluegrass and folk traditions into a seamless hybrid of original material that is at once fresh and timeless. Whether singing about climate change, modern love, BBQ techniques or life’s inevitable existential crises, the band cuts to the core. They can also turn and churn out a tune with so much verve that it will make your heart spin and set the dance floor swirling. Their sound is anchored in the fiddle and clawhammer banjo of John Showman and Chris Coole, who are joined by a rotating cast of extraordinary upright bassists. In 2007, they took up residency in Toronto’s legendary Dakota Tavern, routinely playing 10 sets of music every weekend. They went on to spend seven years as the house band before ever taking the show on the road or recording a note. Those years of musical percolation honed them into a group that thinks and plays as one —  something that comes from clocking thousands of on-stage hours together.   

 

A poet at heart, Élise LeBlanc is inspired by the romance of wild things.  Heavily influenced by classic country, Appalachia, and western swing – her songs explore queer desire, betrayal, hope, and nature lore.  Her gentle twang and rich, expressive vibrato nods to classic crooners Patsy Cline and Peggy Lee.  Her 2024 record The Fiddle & The Fire listed in the top 10 Best Country Records on Bandcamp review and featured in a recent CBC Radio-Canada interview on Culture et Confiture.  Between 2022-2024, Élise has played shows from Vancouver Island to Nashville, and has been a MainStage performer at prominent B.C. festivals including Cowichan Bluegrass Festival, Islands Folk Festival, Filbert Festival, and Tofino Jazz Festival.  In the summer of 2025 Élise successfully completed their first UK tour, including Maverick Festival.  Élise’s recent showcases at Folk Alliance International in Montreal was supported by Music B.C., Creative B.C. and the Province of British Columbia.