May 21, 2008 Roy Thomson Hall, Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 8 p.m. Tickets on sale to FriendsFirst on Thursday, May 22, at 10 am Tickets on sale to the GENERAL PUBLIC on Saturday, May 24, at noon Tickets: $74.50 – $94.50 National Arts Centre, Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 8 p.m. Tickets on sale to the GENERAL PUBLIC on Friday, May 23, at 10 am Tickets: $79.50 – $89.50 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, ON May 20, 2008 – Lennon. McCartney. Rescuers of rock ’n’ roll. Leaders of a generation. No songwriting duo ever – or since – has made such an indelible imprint not only on people around the world but also across generations. This October, Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Rik Emmett, mesmerizing singer/songwriter Damhnait Doyle, Prairie Oyster’s celebrated frontman Russell deCarle and renowned multi-instrumentalist Andrew Craig come together for Let it Be, a once-in-a-lifetime concert celebrating the legacy of Lennon and McCartney. Let it Be marks the first time these four talented vocalists will take the stage together. They will be accompanied by the 9-piece Day Tripper Band, which includes the exceptional musicianship of Canada’s best touring and studio artists: Tim Bovaconti (lead guitar), Kevin Fox (cello), Blake Manning (drums), Maury LeFoy (bass), Kevin Adamson (keyboards), and Marcus Ali (saxophone). Musical Director Fergus Hambleton, best known as Sattalites’ front man, lends his own talents on rhythm guitar and vocals. Let it Be features a cadre of outstanding vocalists representing a wide spectrum of musical backgrounds from gospel, and jazz to pop, rock and country. “Canada is one of the richest and most diverse musical communities the world over and this unique collection of artists have touched every corner of that spectrum. The fact that each of these accomplished musicians has been influenced by what Lennon and McCartney gave to the world is a testament to the power of this music,” Hambleton, a life-long Beatles fan, explains. “We are all excited about putting on a show that honours the history of this songwriting phenomenon.” John Lennon and Paul McCartney comprised the most important songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. In total, the duo co-wrote an astonishing 23 No. 1 singles, and changed the voice of popular music forever. Some of these hits will be featured in Let it Be, including Yesterday, In My Life, Eleanor Rigby, Let It Be, Hey Jude and Magical Mystery Tour. Produced by Phil Bathols and Andrew McKinnon, Let it Be was an unprecedented hit in their native Australia. Featuring a lineup of some of their country’s beloved vocalists, including the legendary Leo Sayer, Let it Be: Australia gave audiences a unique chance to re-live the Beatles’ music with the help of multitalented artists who lent their style and vocal ability to some of the most famous lyrics, and who shared their own personal and captivating connections to the music of Lennon and McCartney, creating an unforgettable concert event. Let it Be features: Rik Emmett One of the most proficient and eclectic guitarists of his generation, Rik Emmett is best known as a rocker with an approach that incorporates blues, jazz and classical styles. Rik is a founding member of the Canadian Hall of Fame rock band Triumph, who are heading back out on their first tour dates since '88 later this year. A versatile vocalist and recording artist he also has two new projects in the works: a follow up to the melodic-rock hit “Airtime”, with Mike Shotton, as well as a new follow-up CD to “Strung-Out Troubadours”, a duo with Dave Dunlop, which earned the 2006 Canadian Smooth Jazz Album and Group Of The Year honours. Damhnait Doyle An award winning artist, Damhnait Doyle has just released a new solo cd “Lights Down Low” which is getting rave reviews across the country. A hit-making songwriter with covers by numerous Canadian artists and placements in film and television, Damhnait is also a member of Shaye. Damhnait has toured Canada extensively, opening for legends such as Willie Nelson and sharing the stage as special guest with Nelly Furtado, Dido and Jann Arden, among others. Russell deCarle Lead singer, bass player, and founding member of Prairie Oyster, one of Canada's most enduring and celebrated country groups, Russell has received the Canadian Country Music Association’s All-Star Band Bass player of the year citation nine times, has earned numerous CCMA, Juno and SOCAN awards. deCarle’s latest project is “Under The Big Big Sky”, a solo album slated for release later this year. The album is produced by John Sheard and engineered by Juno Award winning L. Stu Young, known for his work on Prince's album Musicology among others. Andrew Craig Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, director, composer, broadcaster and impresario, whose work in jazz, world music, R & B, gospel and classical music has won him acclaim in North America and abroad. He has worked with a diverse range of musical artists, including Molly Johnson, Jackie Richardson, Measha Brueggergosman, Ashley MacIsaac and Wynton Marsalis. For tickets and information Roy Thomson Hall National Arts Centre 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto 53 Elgin Street, Ottawa (416) 872-4255 (613) 755-1111 www.roythomson.com I www.ticketmaster.ca April 11, 2008 "Say What You Will" receives Honorable Mention in the Performance category in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition Damhnait's co-write, "Say What You Will" (co-written with Aubrey Winfield) has received a Honorable Mention in the Performance category in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition (ISC). ISC received over 15,000 entries from 100 countries throughout the world, so this acknowledgement of the song by ISC and its judges is a noteworthy achievement and is highly applauded. March 10, 2008 CBC TV CBC TV news ran a feature story in reference to the Dav and friends trip to Kenya. She appears in several sections of the footage and you can take a look at http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/2008/03/030908_5.html. March 7, 2008 The Telegram – St. John’s, NL STEVE BARTLETT New beginning Damhnait Doyle kicked back, relaxed and put together an album of covers 'just for fun' Damhnait Doyle's new CD happened by accident. Before sitting down to write a song at friend Danny Michel's studio, she and her pal shared a glass of wine. The Bob Marley song "Is this love" was on the radio and, according to Doyle, one of them said, "Let's do a weird recording of this song." They did. Doyle's manager, Sheri Jones, later heard it and suggested they do a few more like it. Two years and a couple of projects later - including Doyle's work with Shaye - those songs comprise the 10 on "lights down low." More available at: http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=114991&sc=84 February 23, 2008 Edmonton Journal At some point in every artist's career, he or she toys with the idea of recording an album of cover tunes. It just so happens that more artists than ever seem to reaching this point. In the last 12 months, we've been treated with cover collections by Jann Arden, Carly Simon, Bryan Ferry, Anne Murray, Cat Power, Willie Nelson, Josh Groban, and Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning tribute to Joni Mitchell, not to mention the soundtracks for Control, Across the Universe and I'm Not There. Add Labrador native Damhnait Doyle to the list. Fresh out of failed girl trio, Shaye, her latest effort, Lights Down Low, features 10 covers -- opening with an intoxicating version of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart and ending with a sprightly dub take on Roxy Music's More Than This. Doyle's song selection is eclectic and delicious -- ABBA's Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, The Hip's Bobcaygeon, The Clash's Train In Vain -- and her sultry, electro-acoustic renditions, including a demented music-box version of Cheap Trick's I Want You To Want Me and a duet with producer Danny Michel on Bob Marley's Is This Love, are simply stellar. To Read more: http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/culture/story.html?id=4208db95-a2e8-4de9-9605-c26327118dbb January 21, 2008 Damhnait is crazy busy as she gets ready to launch her new recording (Lights Down Low) at the East Coast Music Awards Weekend in Fredericton on Februrary 7- 10. She will be performing with her friends "Slowcoaster" at the CBC Shift radio program on Friday, at the Songwriter's Circle on Saturday and the 20th Anniversary Show on Saturday night. The cd will be available digitally on Valentine's Day with a streetdate to follow of February 26. The story of Damhnait's new album, "Lights Down Low" This record was born quite by accident one lazy afternoon when songwriters Damhnait Doyle and Danny Michel decided that instead of writing a song, they would open a bottle of wine, head into the studio, and record the song that was playing on the stereo -- Bob Marley's "Is This Love." With Danny taking the reins as producer and engineer, Damhnait literally sat back on a cozy little chair with her head laying on the armrest and Danny positioned the mic an inch above her head. The outcome was so fun and so fresh that it set them off on a journey of reinvention. The next step was choosing the rest of the songs, a process that spanned two years. The result was a quirky collection of songs from their favourite artists which crosses both genres and generations. From the music box intro to Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me," to the wanton vocals on Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," the interpretations are intelligent and irreverent. There are flirtatious forays into 80's pop with chart topping singles from ABBA and Roxy Music, interspersed with the 'film noire' sound of the Foo Fighter's "Everlong" and Lucinda William's "Essence". Damhnait has already established herself as an extraordinary vocalist and a powerhouse writer, but Lights Down Low showcases her voice in ways no one has heard before. Her vocal performance is sometimes sultry, sometimes innocent, and always unpredictable. Danny's arrangements and his virtuosity as both a producer and an instrumentalist are the perfect partner to Dav's vocal versatility. Ultimately, Dav and Danny's unique partnership yielded performances that are playful yet smouldering, fresh yet familiar. Pour yourself a glass of wine, turn the lights down low and enjoy . . .