Every spring, touring songwriter and North River native Carmel Mikol returns home to Cape Breton for two concerts with special guest musicians. Past guests have included Kim Dunn and Kim Wempe. This year, Mikol brings award winning bluegrass/folk band The Modern Grass for two shows: May 1st at the Island Arts Café in Sydney and May 3rd at the Chanterelle Inn in North River.
Mikol spent the winter in the Echo Chamber Studio in Halifax recording her forthcoming third album that is being produced by Jon Landry of The Stanfields fame. The new album is not slated for release until later this year, but these concerts will feature some of the new material along with collaborations with dobro player Andrew Sneddon (The Modern Grass) and Otis Tomas.
A Halifax-based four-piece band, The Modern Grass is deemed “the Chieftains of bluegrass” by longtime CBC producer Glenn Meisner. With impressive picking and excellent songwriting, The Modern Grass blend traditional bluegrass with modern folk. Just home from a tour of bluegrass festivals along the American west coast, their brand new album City Ghosts will be available at these shows.
The Saturday, May 3rd show introduces a new partnership between Mikol and the Chanterelle Inn. Sitting high on a brae overlooking the North River and St. Ann’s Harbour, the Inn has won prestigious recognition for its commitment to sustainable practice and refined cuisine sourced entirely from local farmers. In 2009, it was included on the “Stay List” of the National Geographic Traveler, and in 2006 it was named among “500 Best Places to Eat in Canada” in Canada’s National Dining Guide.
Owner and chef Earlene Busch has designed a three-course dinner menu for the May 3rd concert and is offering a special package that includes dinner, show tickets, and accommodations all at a 15% discount. Dinner seating is at 5:30pm by reservation followed by the concert at 7:30pm. Guests are then invited to stay the night in any of the nine beautiful rooms at the Inn. Tickets are also available for the show only and can be purchased in advance at the Bean There Café in Baddeck or online at carmelmikol.com.