John & Sheila Ludgate
Ludgate is a cross-generational family band that merges different musical genres into a new and original sound-John & Sheila Ludgate's roots/folk music is merged with Luke, Anthony and Shane Ludgate's alternative/indie sound. The result is an award winning hybrid that has generated numerous positive critical reviews and radio airplay of the two previous CD's that they have produced (Running Through The Innocent Years and Northern Soul) - across Canada and the U.S. Their most recent studio CD - "What The Camera Couldn't See" (2018) also received a number of positive reviews and was selected by radio DJ Jim Marino as one of his 2018 Top 10 CD picks for Penguin Eggs Magazine.
All three CD's (Running Through The Innocent Years, Northern Soul, What The Camera Couldn't See) can be described as family fusion projects bringing together the roots sounds of John & Sheila Ludgate with the more electric sounds of their sons – Luke, Anthony and Shane Ludgate, who belong to the popular alternative band Beautiful Nothing. This pairing creates a unique sound and sensibility.
John Ludgate has been playing in clubs and pubs, coffee houses and music festivals for the past 25 years. He has won numerous awards for his song-writing and has received radio airplay across Canada and the USA. Over the last fifteen years he has been joined by his wife Sheila on bass and harmony vocals. Together they have been performing as a duo across Southern Ontario and into Montreal and the U.S. They have played at a number of festivals in addition to their regular club and intimate concert appearances. Audiences enjoy the strong rhythms, harmony vocals and original song writing that the duo creates.
Luke, Anthony and Shane Ludgate are the lead guitarist, singer and drummer (respectively) in the alternative band Beautiful Nothing. Beautiful Nothing has amassed significant college radio and video airplay across Canada. Their videos have received rotation on both Aux TV and MuchLoud and their live shows had them sharing stages with names like The Trews, Monster Truck, The Arkells and Finger Eleven.
Both John & Sheila Ludgate and Beautiful Nothing have received numerous FACTOR awards for their songwriting and the Ludgate CD’s have appeared on many folk/roots radio playlists in both Canada and the U.S. The title track of their Northern Soul has won the Multicultural Category Award in Folk Music Ontario's Songs From The Heart competition.
While Luke, Anthony and Shane have worked with their parents (John & Sheila) on various recording projects in the past, with successful results (see reviews on this website), it is only recently that the Ludgates have started to perform live together as a single band – Ludgate. The fusion of folk/roots and alternative/indie sounds within the context of a family band dynamic creates a unique and entertaining live performance of original music.