If you’re in Edmonton this December and in the mood for candlelight and a cozy evening of festive, Celtic-fusion music, The McDades have got you covered.
Starting December 6, the JUNO Award-winning group – Jeremiah McDade, Solon McDade, and Shannon Johnson – will bring their long-standing Christmas show back to the stage.
Jeremiah and Shannon laughed when asked how long they’ve been bringing this holiday experience to people.
“That’s a hilarious question because we get asked every year and we don’t really know,” says Shannon.
“I think I started when I was 16, so it’s been about 30 years for me,” says Jeremiah.
Growing up playing music with their parents, they’ve been performing since they were kids. The Christmas show has evolved over the years and has become a beloved tradition for many families.
“Generations of people have come,” says Shannon. “We’ve actually seen kids grow up and then suddenly they’re the ones with a baby.”
They’ve been doing this for decades and it’s a heavy schedule of concerts each December. Do they feel Christmassed-out by the end?
“I feel especially Christmas-y, to be honest,” says Jeremiah. “It puts me really in the mood and I don’t really get tired of the songs.”
It’s also the one time of year they perform with their dad, harpist Terry McDade. “It definitely brings us together at Christmas,” says Jeremiah. “It’s really nice.”
From Christmas traditions to brand-new music, The McDades are also working on their fourth album, Thread The Light, to be released in the spring.
“It’s similar in vein as far as our style of music that we like, which is an amalgamation of a whole lot of things but definitely Celtic-rooted,” says Jeremiah.
“The original songs are mostly traditional songs that we take and mess around with and ‘McDade-ify,’” Shannon laughs.
“Shannon’s written a bunch of great tunes on there and I wrote a few,” says Jeremiah.
“Also great!” Shannon chimes in.
Edmonton’s Farhad Khosravi plays the santur on several tracks. “That instrument is really beautiful, it has a lot of texture to it,” says Jeremiah.
JS Williams, known for his work playing in Elisapie’s band, also plays guitar on the album.
“It makes a lot of nice textures, very atmospheric sounds with the baritone electric guitar and the santur together. It creates a bed of lush sounds,” says Jeremiah.
As for the album title, it holds several meanings, Jeremiah says. “I think Solon, Shannon, and I probably interpret it differently. But for us it’s a metaphor of hope, trying to stay positive.”
“The threads of all these different styles of music combined with the threads of all these different musicians, that is the hope and positivity and light,” says Shannon.
“There is so much negativity today. All we can do is send it out there and hopefully positive vibes touch somebody somewhere,” says Jeremiah.
Candlelight Christmas with The McDades will be performed on stages at the Muttart Conservatory and the John Walter Museum, starting December 6. Details can be found on their website. Many shows have sold out; if you can’t find a date that works for 2025, put it on your calendar for 2026!
“Dreaming On a Yuletide Night from The McDades’ album The Empress:
