Murray McLauchlan to acknowledge Earth Hour at Kingfest this Saturday

Canadian music great Murray McLauchlan, along with special guests Pat Robitaille and Poor Tom will be performing at the Newmarket Theatre this Saturday (March 29) and each will offer a special tribute to Earth Hour.

Earth Hour, run by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is a global climate change initiative which calls on individuals and businesses around the world to turn off their lights between 8 and 9 p.m. Saturday. The Newmarket Theatre will shut off lights during this hour and the artists will mark the occasion in their unique way. In fact, Wanda Stride and Susan Luke of Poor Tom have written a new song honoring Earth Hour that Stride states "is about changing our habits in general."

The evening promises to be rich in musical entertainment.

McLauchlan is a Canadian legend, having won 11 Juno Awards as well as RPM "Big Country" and Toronto music awards. He began writing songs and performing them in his late teens at engagements at music festivals and clubs such as Toronto's Riverboat. Before he ever recorded an album of his own, his Child's Song was already well known after being recorded by American folk star Tom Rush. McLauchlan now has 20 albums to his credit and his music has been covered over the years by artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and John McDermott. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and is a member of the Order of Canada. His latest CD, Songs from the Streets, is a career retrospective, featuring 36 of his best songs, including previously unreleased material and a newly-recorded track.

Robitaille is a 21 year-old rising artist of folk and rock genres who has performed at hundreds of musical events and clubs, to near sold-out audiences across North America.

After spiking interest in nearly every major U.S. label by age 16, Robitaille had a career-changing revelation.

"I quickly realized that a real music career is about artistic integrity," he said. "To live with myself I just had to retain control over my work product . . . so my only option was to pursue my career as an unsigned, independent artist."

Over the past two years of touring, Pat has been asked to perform with the The Beach Boys, Ziggy Marley, The Tragically Hip, The Payolas, Matthew Good, Our Lady Peace, Sam Roberts Band, Bad Company, Bedouin Soundclash, The Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, Eddie Money, The Counting Crows, Sloan, Blue Rodeo, Robinella, and the list goes on. His latest record, summer of Love, was released in June 2007.

Poor Tom is a unique duo that has created a sound all of their own by adopting elements of Celtic, folk, bluegrass, blues and country roots music, with classic rock and classical music. Stride and Luke delight audiences with their beautiful vocals and everchanging instrumentation, from fiddle, guitar, and mandolin to piano. Their goal is "to reach as many people as possible, to take them somewhere through music to help people see the joy in everyday life."

Tickets to the March 29 evening show are $30 (plus GST) and can be purchased at the Newmarket Theater box office 505 Pickering Crescent, Newmarket, or by ordering online www.newmarkettheatre.ca or by calling the theatre's 24 hour ticket order hotline at (905) 953-5122.