As individual artists, these men are amazing. Together, they are phenomenal!
"Western Roots" they call it - music that draws on all the aspects of life in the west. Music that echoes the mountains and the sea, the cowboys and the fishermen, the oil-well roustabouts and the loggers, the sunsets and the rain, the streak of rugged independence and contrariness, generosity and warmth.
Valdy & Gary: two experienced entertainers who know how to earn the respect of their audiences and deliver shows night after night that send people home with smiles and the knowledge that they've experienced something special and heartwarming.
Together, Valdy and Gary Fjellgaard are a near-perfect team. Their songs touch a common ground with the affection and warmth only old friends can share. Two memorable and endearing guys, two guitars, and two dozen songs or more to tell you where they've been, where they're at, and where they're heading.
Two of Canada's true gentlemen singer/songwriters, storytellers and troubadours teamed together on record and on the concert stage. This is a live performance that should not be missed by anybody!
Presenter Quotes
"Valdy and Gary are two of Canada's most loved performers and an absolute plus for any festival line-up. Simply put, when it comes to the spirit a performer should give to a roots music festival - these two guys helped write the book! They are Canadian icons in the folk music scene and deserve to represent the very best of Canadian tunesmiths at any event in or outside of Canada. More importantly, they are both great people. Please feel free to contact me for more accolades on this dynamic duo!" - Doug Cox, Artistic Director, Vancouver Island MusicFest
The show was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the time spent with Valdy & Gary. They left behind many happy fans. I'd work with either or both of them again.
Mike Bradford, Second Storey Group Inc.
Press Quotes
"Valdy and Gary Fjellgaard harmonize in a way old friends should, with an innate understanding of each other's rhythm and pitch." - Calgary Herald
"Their voices and guitar styles join and blend with the smooth elegance of finely fitted Chippendale furniture." - The Hamilton Spectator
Two of Canada's best loved performers.
Greenman Review
"Seasoned pros and best buddies, exuding laid-back charm and chemistry." - The Daily News, Halifax
"Gary Fjellgaard and Valdy are in top form, both musically and with their humour." - Country Music News
Concert Reviews
Valdy and Gary Fjellgaard Contenders II - Still in the Running
Stony Plain
By John Roman,
Penguin Eggs Summer Issue No. 34
Still in the Running showcases folk-country icons Valdy and Gary Fjellgaard. Affectionately known as the Contenders, these gentlemen are longtime friends and active performers on the folk club and festival circuit. They are Canadian troubadours who meld close harmonies with fine instrumental work and great song material. Fjellgaard sharpened his pencil to write a number of the choice tracks including For the Love of It, Billy Miner, The Fever, and the title track.
John Prine's Speed of the Sound of Loneliness, Troy Seal and Edward Setser's Seven Spanish Angels and Ian Tamblyn's Bay Of Sails are fine additions to the album's song list.
Contenders II is a fitting continuum to the Contenders library and I trust it will not be the last because these guys are Still in the Running.
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Port Hardy, British Columbia
February 2002
A review by Angie Poss, Gazette staff
Valdy must have been the irrepressible clown in every Grade 5 class and the bane of his teacher's existence. The veteran folk singer took to the stage Saturday night at the Port Hardy Civic Centre with touring partner Gary Fjellgaard in the North Island Concert Society's third show of the season.
The pair played several songs from Contenders, the CD that galvanized their career as a duet, in a boisterous performance that hasn't been rehearsed into submission.
"There are plenty of talented people ready to take our places up here. It's just that we're not ready to go just yet," joked Fjellgaard at the start of the performance.
Valdy played the kinetic clown to Fjellgaard's gentle cowboy in a show that swirled folk and country roots into an ear-pleasing acoustic mix. As well as duet performances to open and close the show, Valdy and Fjellgaard took turns in the spotlight for solo sessions.
Fjellgaard drew the audience into his bucolic tales with yodelling lessons while Valdy drew a round of applause with the first chord of "Play Me a Rock and Roll Song." With knee-slapping drum solos, yodelling and harmonies from the audience, we're left with the impression that even the performers don't quite know what will happen on stage.
Decades into their careers, both men retain the mark of a gifted songwriter - the ability to take the tiny moments of everyday life and turn them into something dramatic and lighthearted simultaneously.
"I thought it was a wonderful concert," says a gleeful Malcolm Fleeton, president of the North Island Concert Society. "It was high energy, a good mix, the audience seemed to love everything that was going on there."
NICS sold 375 tickets - making it an even bigger crowd than the record-breaking 341 people who attended the Bill Hilly Band performance in January.
