CLEVER HOPES WITH GUESTS MATTHEW BARBER (SOLO) + REBEKAH HAWKER (SOLO)
Based in Dartmouth, NS, Clever Hopes is the indie folk songwriting project of Canadian artist Andrew Shaver, whose live shows seamlessly blend intimate storytelling, compelling musicianship, and theatrical performance. The lead single, Holding On, from his forthcoming album hit #1 on the CBC Music Top 20 across Canada inn December 2025. His most recent single, Keep On Going, can be heard in rotation on SiriusXM North Americana. Clever Hopes debuted with Artefact (January 2022). The album was named one of the Top Four Canadian Albums of the Year by Great Dark Wonder and hailed as “a beautiful album” by Glen Hansard. In May 2024, Clever Hopes released New Kind of Familiar. It charted for weeks in the NACC Top 200 and was nominated for Americana Album of the Year at the 2025 Music Nova Scotia Awards. Ten songs from the first three albums have been added to rotation on SiriusXM and CBC Music. A third album is set for a September 2026 release, produced by Daniel Ledwell and featuring Afie Jurvanen, Joshua Van Tassel, Kyle Cunjak, and Jenn Grant. Shaver also hosts the nationally syndicated radio show and podcast When We Wake with Andrew Shaver. It was nominated for the Media Arts Award at the 2025 Music Nova Scotia Awards and is currently up for a Media Excellence Award at the 2026 ECMAs. He is an in-demand interviewer, as well as panel and showcase host. Drawing on Shaver’s decades in theatre, radio, and performance, Clever Hopes’ shows offer immersive, emotionally resonant live experiences.
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Matthew Barber is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter who has been plying his trade for more than two decades, releasing ten records (including The Family Album with his sister Jill Barber) and touring across four continents along the way. His work has garnered a couple of Juno nominations, a handful of Canadian Folk Music award nominations and even a pair of Montreal English Theatre awards for his musical contributions in the world of the dramatic arts. Most comfortable slinging an acoustic guitar and crooning to an attentive audience, Barber has been known to plug in and get sweaty in the din of a rock club as well from time to time. Like his heroes Neil Young and Bob Dylan, he feeds off of the contrast of intimate solo performance and electric band energy and this balance has been reflected in his body of work. From his early Paper Bag Records and Warner Music Canada days and continuing throughout his longstanding relationship with Outside Music, Barber’s knack for melody has landed more than a few songs on the radio and in film and TV, and racked up millions of streams along the way. His new album, Find the Time, reflects on fatherhood, love, mortality and the renewed appreciation for life that comes with change.
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On her 2025 EP, Quit My Habit, country-folk singer-songwriter Rebekah Hawker tells heartfelt stories of loss, resilience, and self-discovery. Known for her emotionally rich songwriting and captivating live presence, she has opened for acclaimed acts like Dean Brody, Jim Cuddy, Langhorne Slim and The Good Lovelies. An award-winning songwriter, recognized by Folk Music Canada and the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, Rebekah was the 2024 winner of the Mariposa Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase. Her music has been featured on The Strombo Show and CBC Radio, and her song “Ticket” on rotation on SiriusXM’s North Americana channel. Her recent single “Take Me Back,” from her sophomore release Quit My Habit, was featured on CBC Music’s In the Key of C and heard on Indie88’s Weekend Café as well as SiriusXM’s North Americana Channel . Released in June 2025 with support from the Ontario Arts Council, Quit My Habit marks Hawker’s most personal and ambitious work to date, blending 90s country flair with intimate balladry that reflects her rural Ontario roots and evolving sense of self. Quit My Habit is followed by her 2026 single "Taking a Look In," with debut album Louise expected in 2027.
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