On a sunny, early summer Thursday evening, we headed downstairs to the Dakota Tavern for the June edition of Four Chords and The Truth in Toronto.

Before the doors even opened the night was pointed in the right direction with ticket holders lined up on Ossington, waiting to get in and grab a table. It’s a dedication and enthusiasm that we’ve come to expect, with shows selling out quickly each quarter, always before a lineup has been announced. It was the same this time around.

The event, as always, was hosted by Andrea England who welcomed the audience, the performers, and special guests – and kept things moving throughout the evening.

And, Andrea made a big announcement.

Four Chords and The Truth will be making the trip to Boots & Hearts this summer with a Songwriters in the Semi-Round event at noon on Saturday, August 11. Special ticket information is coming soon with a great chance for Four Chords and The Truth fans to enjoy a special day at the festival.

The June 2018 edition of The Dakota Confessions brought four accomplished artists to the stage, plus two special guests, and a bonus guitar player to boot. It was an all-Canadian affair, with representation from the east and the west, and it was a story-telling, joke-firing, crowd laughing, good time!

From left to right, the night’s featured performers were Wendell Ferguson, Jadea Kelly, Mike Biggar, and Todd Stewart. Each took their turns telling stories and singing songs, the heart of the event. But they all also shared more than they needed to, whether it was Wendell with more jokes than I could have ever anticipated, or Mike’s voice dripping with emotion when talking about his friend and co-writer Larry Wayne Clark who passed away five years ago after a battle with cancer. And the crowd, seated, standing, and wholly invested, were appreciative for all of the emotions and moments they were given.

The first round of songs started with Wendell Ferguson getting a laugh from everyone. Throw Another Fiddle On The Fire was fun, setting the tone for some light-hearted moments in what can be a solemn and emotional environment… and it had toes tapping and hands clapping from the front to the back.

Jadea Kelly came next with Good Girl from her 2016 album, Love & Lust. Her smooth voice paired was partnered perfectly by the backup from surprise guest Kelly Prescott, and the song swept through the room, captivating the audience. It was sweet, and it was a great start from the once Toronto, now Los Angeles singer-songwriter.

Following Jadea was the east coast representation with St. John, NB’s Mike Biggar. The East Coast Music Awards winner for Blues Recording of the Year for his 2017 album Go All In, was in fine form, cracking jokes and smiling before launching into Blood From A Stone. The lead track on his latest album had grit and depth to it, even with just his voice and acoustic guitar. And after hearing the performance, there was no doubt as to why he’s an award winner.

Rounding out the featured performers first round was Alberta boy, Todd Stewart. An award winner himself as part of the Northern Beauties, Stewart has now released his first solo material and played the title track to his album, Everything You Want in his first round. It was a sad, honest song that brought attention to mental health and as he played it seemed that the room grew quieter… and we’d have bet that a pin dropping would have caused heads to turn.

The first special guest to step into the spotlight was Johnson Crook‘s Noel Johnson. An Alberta boy himself, now calling Toronto home, Noel has been writing and singing for years, and as a dad to an adorable toddler, he has new material in his library. On Thursday night he played a song called Slow Down written about his young son and a perfect, sweet way to get ready for Father’s Day.

The evening continued with round two, starting with Wendell breaking into an instrumental number that served as a reminder of his prowess and proof that he has earned every single one of his awards for Guitar Player of the Year and Hall of Fame induction from the Canadian Country Music Association. Jadea followed with Make Peace With It, with a life lesson of a message including “if I’m ever gonna lie this life, I’ve gotta make peace with it.”. Mike’s second offering was Hero, and throughout the song I had could feel an acoustic Bon Jovi bluesy/rock thing happening. Next, Todd came with Ordinary Love, the single from his solo album.

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The next special guest performance was a double shot from Kelly Prescott. Accompanied on guitar by Chad Murphy, Prescott played a heartbreaking track called Who Gets The Church (at the request of Andrea), following the sad thoughts that roll through the questions after a divorce. She followed that up with an acoustic performance of her brand new single Like You’re Leavin’ Her. It was a treat to hear the song in a different presentation than the single provides, and it’s great to hear that Kelly is receiving the positive feedback she deserves for the song.

The third and final round of Four Chords and The Truth had Wendell Ferguson dropping even more jokes with Great Big Johnson, Jadea Kelly singing Count On, Mike Biggar sharing I Just See You, Todd Stewart performing an ode to his wife, Kerry Anne, and was finished off by host Andrea England singing Picture Of You. The entire round was a fantastic way to wrap the evening, combining humour and charm with emotion and stories in the form of excellent song performances.

Thanks to Andrea for having us, to all of the performers for sharing their stories and songs, and to the crowd for being invested in great music. We can’t wait for the next edition of The Dakota Confessions.

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Joshua Murray

creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.