Now that February is done and dusted, what better way to put that miserable month in the rearview mirror than by going to a kitchen party?
But we’re not talking about just any old cookroom Ceilidh, but a travelling trio of some of the best talent you’ll ever see this side of your favourite folk festival.
Jimmy Rankin’s Kitchen Party hits New Glasgow Square Theatre on Wednesday, March 4 (that’s tonight, if you happen to be reading this paper on delivery day), followed by a Saturday, March 7 stop at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.
Coming along for the final two dates in the Mabou-born songwriter’s musical road trip are two more talents that surely need no introduction: P.E.I. songwriter supreme Catherine MacLellan and Cape Breton singer-songwriter-string master J.P. Cormier. In truth, give any one of them a stage, a guitar and a microphone and you’ve got the makings of an unforgettable evening, but all three under the same roof is the sort of show you shouldn’t have to think twice about.
Rankin is still cruising on the strength of his latest album Harvest Highway, occupying that sweet spot between folk and country where his voice shines like no other on contemplative ballads and up-tempo good time anthems, leaving no doubt about last year’s induction into the Cape Breton Music Industry Hall of Fame with his Rankin Family siblings.
Cormier hit the ground running in 2026, following a successful string of Christmas shows with his brother-in-arms Dave Gunning, this time touring Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia with Ontario kindred spirit Jake Lauzon, a multi-instrumentalist who previously accompanied Gunning and Cormier on their 2023 Leather and Dust tour.
Cormier quickly followed those January shows up with a trip to the U.K. to play with another Celtic maestro, guitarist Tim Edey, so you know he’ll be in fine fettle by the time he hits the stage with Rankin and MacLellan. And look for him to re-team with Lauzon in spring when the award-winning Canadian Bluegrass guitarist of the year heads to Cormier’s home studio to complete his next album and play a few Maritimes dates in the bargain.
MacLellan stayed busy in 2025 with an acclaimed series of shows in the U.K. with Kent singer-songwriter Lucy Farrell, and festival dates galore, like the 50th anniversary of SummerFolk in Owen Sound and a Lunenburg Folk Harbour set accompanied by Creignish’s own Lisa MacIsaac from Madison Violet.
That plus a Western Canada tour didn’t leave much time for making new music, although MacLellan released the beautiful, haunting song Mary Ann on Dec. 5, Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. It’s a heartbreaking story of a Kings County, P.E.I. mother who stood up for her eldest daughter after she was abducted and sexually assaulted and paid the ultimate price for only doing what any mother would.
When you hear it, the song digs deep into your soul and perhaps provides a window into the new music MacLellan will be making during what she hopes in a website post will be a “quieter year” in 2026.
But quiet can wait, since there surely won’t be any of that at Jimmy Rankin’s Kitchen Party dates this week. And since the Casino Nova Scotia show in Halifax was sold out, it would be best to get to jimmyrankin.com, or the Glasgow Square and Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre websites, to get your tickets ASAP.
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The next big show at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre isn’t until Friday, April 10, when P.E.I.’s The Grand Tour rolls through with a tribute to the legends of country music, and the classic hits of George Jones, Johnny Cash, Charley Pride and more.
But there’s little downtime at Glasgow Square Theatre, starting on Saturday, March 7 when the Yuk Yuk’s 50th Anniversary Tour brings a top-flight trio of Halifax standup comics to Pictou County.
Francois Weber, Andrew Evans and Martin Edwards will wave the banner of the venerable Canadian comedy institution and probably make a few jokes about Pictou County pizza in the process.
Looking ahead to St. Patrick’s Day prep, Newfoundland’s Irish Descendants descend upon Glasgow Square on Friday, March 13 and, on Saturday, March 14, amped-up Cape Breton folk band Pretty Archie has its Countdown to 30 bash for a foot-stompin’ good time.