Concession 23 Band Bio
Concession 23 [kuhn-sesh-uhn] - noun. 1 to concede; agree; work together + 23 (the number of strings from a guitar, banjo, bass and mandolin). 2 a bluegrass band from the Ottawa Valley.
Concession 23 is an award-winning bluegrass band from the Ottawa Valley, founded on October 23, 2003. The name reflects the democratic nature of the band; while bluegrass bands have traditionally been autocratic in structure, Concession 23 is a group of equals. Collectively, there are 23 strings in the band, and we work together, conceding to one another as we strive to create a sound that is greater than the sum of its parts.
The band's strength is derived from its musical teamwork, its energetic playing style, and the relaxed relationship we establish with our audiences.
In 2006 Concession 23 was named Most Promising Band of the Year at the Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards, held in the beautiful Deerhurst Resort, Huntsville, Ontario. Since then, we've been nominated in nearly every award category, including Recording of the Year; Band of the Year; and Vocal Group of the Year.
During our tenure, we've been fortunate to play a number of terrific venues across Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. These include the Ottawa Folk Festival; the National Arts Centre (Fourth Stage); Casino du Lac-Leamy, Quebec; the Evangeline Music Festival in Prince Edward Island; Ottawa-Cisco BluesFest; the famous Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield, Quebec; and every major bluegrass festival across Ontario. We are continuing to seak out new venues and expand our playing field.
Concession 23 is Jonathan Ferrabee (bass and vocals); Kevin Golka (mandolin and vocals); Sherry Philp (banjo and vocals): and Nick Strachan (guitar and vocals)