Get back to your roots; Another busy week lies ahead on the roots music scene, as ALAN NICHOL reports.

Byline: ALAN NICHOL

CANADIAN artists have been well represented here lately and there is yet another one in the region this week.

Singer-songwriter Stephen Fearing, originally from Vancouver but brought up in Dublin (he returned to the mother country aged 18), has been one of Canada's finest exports for a couple of decades now.

He is a multiple winner of that country's Grammy equivalent - the Juno Award - and has drawn regular comparisons to our own national treasure, Richard Thompson.

His albums have been produced by the likes of Clive Gregson (in the region next month), Los Lobos's Steve Berlin and close friend and fellow Canadian, Colin Linden.

Over his 20 years as a recording artist, Fearing has maintained an exacting quality control over his output and his records feature finely-crafted lyrics with telling guitar work.

He has managed to interleave work with a band - Blackie & the Rodeo Kings which includes Tom Wilson and Colin Linden - with his solo career.

That extensive back catalogue is neatly, if not comprehensively, summed up by his recently issued album, The Man Who Married Music - the Best of Stephen Fearing (True North Records) - which includes 13 well-chosen selections from his earlier albums plus a couple of new cuts. Stephen Fearing plays the Rothbury Roots club at the Queen's Head Hotel, next Thursday night. Ticket info on [phone].

NEXT Thursday, at the Cluny brings the return of blues singer/guitarist, Ian Parker, who has established a reputation for his live shows both here in his native UK and also in Europe. Signed to German label, Ruf Records, Parker has played the area many times with his own band but also with Aynsley Lister and Finland's Erja Lyytinen. Parker recorded an album in Clarksdale, Mississippi with Lister and Lyytinen - Pilgrimage - in 2005 and toured extensively to promote it.

Since then, he has issued Where I Belong (2007) and more recently, The Official Bootleg. Parker has a real stage presence and fans of powerful vocals (emotionally as well as sonically) and electric-blues guitar will no doubt join his staunch supporters for his visit to the Cluny.

NEXT Friday, The Sage welcomes the current BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards' Best Live Act (2009), The Demon Barbers. Fronted by vocalist, Damian Barber, the group incorporate fiddle, melodeon, drums and traditional dancers in their folk extravaganza. BBC's Mike Harding said of the band, "one of the best live bands I've ever seen", and he has seen a few!

Staying with folk, The Sage also has a very familiar face lurking within the punk-folk act, The Bad Shepherds on Tuesday. The brainchild of actor/comedian Adrian Edmondson - TV programmes like Comic Strip Presents, The Young Ones, Jonathan Creek, Holby City etc - the Shepherds, essentially a trio, nurture (or should that be neglect) their flock of punkstyle songs on folk instruments. However, this is no hurriedly assembled outfit. Multiinstrumentalist Troy Donockley (cittern, pipes, whistles) has a great pedigree with artists like Barbara Dickson, Roy Harper, Del Amitri to Status Quo.

Andy Dinan is a twice All-Ireland Fiddle Champion and Mark Wooley (signed-up for this autumn tour) has played bass with a host of people from Barbara Dickson to Whitney Houston, Robbie Williams and even the late genius, Ray Charles.

Edmondson did have another "folk star" in his band, ex-Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull musician, Maartin Allcock but while he features on the album Yan, Tan Tethera, Methera (a nod to the late and uniquely talented Jake Thackray) - his other commitments precluded any participation on the tour. Edmondson himself plays "thrash mandolin" and sings but he has also produced videos for the likes of 10,000 Maniacs, Pogues, Squeeze and Nine Inch Nails.

The Shepherds also have a little lamb in their midst because Edmondson's 23-year-old daughter, Ella, is the opening act and has a debut album, Hold Your Horses.

One would assume that with parents like Edmondson and Jennifer Saunders, Ella was only likely to choose one career.

TOMORROW night, at the Cluny 2, the young Irish singer Mundy is in session. Born Edmund Enright in Birr, County Offaly, he made his recording debut in 1996 with his album Jellylegs (Epic Records).

The album did well, selling about 50,000 copies, but one of the songs - To You Bestow - also featured in the film Romeo & Juliet which sold over 11 million copies.

He released 24-Star Hotel in 2002 but year later was touring with US songwriter, Jimmy Webb. Mundy's record Live & Confusion (2006) had contributions from Sharon Shannon, Shane McGowan (also on his new album) and Damien Dempsey.

It was, however, a track with Steve Earle - Galway Girl which lit the fuse for major success. The record, Ireland's biggestselling single in 2008, led to an appearance at Glastonbury. He has new upbeat album, Strawberry Blood, on general release.

CAPTION(S):

BLUES SINGER - Ian Parker CANADA'S FINEST - Ella Ed, Bad Sheps and Stephen Fearing