Morgan Toney weaves music and positivity at Acoustic Stage

MORRISBURG — If there was just one thing you could take away from Morgan Toney’s performance in Morrisburg on Saturday night, it was positivity. The Morgan Toney Trio played the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage May 2, closing out the organization’s 2025-26 concert series.

Toney, who is from Cape Breton Island and lives on the Wagmatcook First Nation, led the audience through a nearly two-hour show blending songs with personal stories and teachings from the Mi’kmaq people.

Toney and his trio opened the show with the Mi’kmaq Honour Song, written by Mi’kmaw elder George Paul in the 1980s, a tradition Toney has followed in all his concerts.

Throughout the night, even when talking of difficult topics such as residential schools, Toney spoke and sang about positivity and moving forward.

Toney and his trio recently won the Juno Award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year for the album Heal the Divide.

Songs performed in the concert spanned the range of his discography. These included from his debut album First Flight with Alasutamaqn (I need to pray), and The Circle from his most recent album. Toney also blended a traditional Scottish Celtic fiddle jig Green Grass, with a contemporary fiddle version of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck – a crowd-pleaser of the evening.

Toney’s storytelling was as prominent as his fiddle playing. While he has only played the fiddle since 2018, his performance was on par with contemporaries who have had careers decades longer than him.

The same can be said for the members of his trio. Mandolin player Ryan Roberts’ skillful playing added vibrancy and energy to the concert. His use of effects at the right time added depth to the music, leaving this reviewer to wonder how a mandolin can also sound like a Telecaster?

Equally impressive was multi-instrumentalist Keith Mullins, who played guitar, bass drum, tambourine, and harmonica — at times while also on backing vocals. The saying “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than the master of one,” is fitting here. Mullins skillfully balanced playing multiple instruments at the same time.

The song Golden Regalia brought out Toney’s dancing side, tied to the story of a Mi’kmaq powwow and a dance competition.

The friendship between Toney and his trio members added to the show, as did his message of communities coming together and living without discrimination or racism.

With all the negativity and uncertainty around in the world, it was great to be able to see an exceptional artist perform and leave feeling a bit lighter. It was such an enjoyable performance at the Acoustic Stage.

From trio to duo

Opening for Toney May 2 was Graham Lindsay, accompanied by Alanna Jenish. Ottawa-based Lindsay performed several Celtic tunes including original compositions, and some from musical friends from within the Celtic music scene.

Having an instrumental-only performance open the evening’s event could have been heavy for musicgoers. Instead it was a lighthearted complement to the evening. Lindsay’s dialogue with the audience between tunes and songs was funny and showed the inspiration behind his music.

Outstanding instrumental performances by Lindsay on the mandolin and guitar were accented and supported by Jenish’s skillful playing of the fiddle. Favourite songs of note were Pen Pal’s Waltz, Tune Machine, and Leaving Goderich. For anyone who enjoys Celtic music, Lindsay is definitely worth listening to — and seeing live if he is playing in your area.

In all, the opening act of Lindsay and the performance by the Morgan Toney Trio were a great sendoff to the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage’s 2025-26 season. It will be great to see what acts the organization books for next season.