This Week’s Shows - And Review Request!
We have had the BEST summer so far! Between our rowing centre and live music venue, we are doing everything we love, at work!
Incredibly, we’ve already moved NINETEEN shows onto our past shows list. Looking back to our two Julian Taylor shows that kicked off the summer, it seems like just yesterday, and, a completely different year, at the same time!
If you’ve had anywhere near as much fun as we have, we would love if you could leave us a google review (click for link). We’re told that this is the best way to get the word out about the venue and to continue to have it show up on people’s radar. We plan to have roughly the same number of shows as last year in future years, and would love if we could sell out each show so that our artists and guests can have the best experiences together, since that’s what music is all about in our brains - bringing people together for a shared experience. Thank you in advance for your feedback! As we did last year, we’ll be sending out a survey in the fall asking what artists you’d like to have back, and suggestions for future artists - we used this feedback in our selections this year! ❤️
THIS WEEKEND COMING
Good Lovelies - Friday, August 21st - 80% Sold
The Good Lovelies were actually the first musicians to play at Duke’s - back in 2014. Back then it was an active boat shop, and we asked the Good Lovelies to come and share. We cleared boats out of the way, shop vac’d the space, had Grand Electric cater some chips and dip and bourbonade, and learned how to use eventbrite to sell tickets for a sold out show with 85 people (we had a bit more space upstairs then). 12 years later, we are so lucky that they are interested in returning to our small venue, and we are so excited to be a part of this experience with many of you.
Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough and Susan Passmore are Juno Award-winning songwriters and multi-instrumentalists known for their rich harmonies and nostalgic sound. Blending folk-roots, old-time swing, bluegrass, pop and soul, their music is perfect for any setting.
10 tickets left - get yours before they are gone!
Zachary Lucky - Saturday August 22nd - 70% Sold
Zachary Lucky reached out to us through another artist who plays at Duke’s, and after listening to him on our Duke’s Summer Playlist - we are very excited to meet him in person and hear his songs and stories.
Zachary Lucky is an award nominated Canadian songwriter celebrated for his timeless blend of folk, country, and rootsmusic. Hailing from the prairie province of Saskatchewan, Lucky crafts songs steeped in place, memory, and the quiet resilience of everyday life. His warm baritone voice and evocative storytelling have drawn comparisons to Gordon Lightfoot and Kris Kristofferson, while his authenticity and dedication have earned him a loyal following across Canada and the world over.
The grandson of Canadian country music pioneer Smilin’ Johnnie Lucky, Zachary continues the family legacy that proves the apple truly doesn’t fall far from the tree. For more than 15 years, he has built a reputation as one of the hardest-working independent songwriters in Canada’s folk and roots scene, often performing well over a hundred shows each year. A seasoned road veteran, in the past 18 months alone Lucky has toured extensively across Canada, completed multiple European tours (Ireland, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany), a run of dates in Japan, and a 35-date coast-to-coast tour of the United States.
His album, The Wind, released on November 1st, 2024, amassed over half a million streams within its first few months and received rave reviews from international publications. KLOF Magazine (UK) hailed it as “up there with the best, alongside Guy Clark, Tom Rush, and Townes Van Zandt,” while Great Dark Wonder wrote, “The Wind deepens Lucky’s growing reputation as a laureate poet of the rootless and restless, the lonesome and forsaken.” Bandcamp also featured the album in its Best of November 2024 list, noting, “Lucky’s resonant baritone feels like a soft and comforting pillow, and the strums of his acoustic guitar sound so close, you’ll swear you’re inside the thing. All of this is a good match for the Canadian troubadour’s patient country-folk tunes about the irresistible lure and aching solitude of life on the road.”
Already praised as a master storyteller by outlets such as No Depression and The Globe and Mail, Zachary Lucky stands among the foremost voices in contemporary Canadian roots music and has safely reserved his spot at the table of Canadian roots royalty.
Zachary Lucky returns with his new album The Lost River Sessions available everywhere February 27th 2026.
