Greg Stuart, Gord Maxwell, Marc Gladstone and Scott Jackson have been drawn together because of their mutual desire to *be the change they want to see in the world, and use their music as a conduit to connect people, create community and bridge *The Great Divide. Peacenik Collective has been dubbed a super-band, because it’s made up of highly acclaimed musicians, many who are award winning. Bruce, Cherelle, Greg, Gord, Marc and Scott have been recording and performing for many decades in various projects. You can read their respective bios for extensive details, but notably Bruce (Tiller’s Folly) just won International male vocalist at the ISSA awards; Gord (Chilliwack) was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame and is set to be inducted into the BC Hall of fame; Marc (Prism) was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame; Cherelle (Stone Poets) is an Ethel Tibbits recipient; Scott (Stone Poets) garnered extensive radio play for his solo albums “My World” and “Distractions”; Greg toured with iconic performers Frank Mills and Bo Diddley. In September 2023 Bruce was asked to assemble a cast of performers for a “Songs of Peace” broadcast for http://www.uniteuslive.com. He immediately reached out to Cherelle, Marc and Scott who had just released the 5th Stone Poets album, HUM∀N, music that fit the concept, Gord whose songwriting features a humanistic quality and Greg for his wealth of experience and like-minded philosophy on life. From the very moment they got on stage and started performing each other’s songs together, magic occurred. Something so intense they couldn’t ignore the call to form a band and as they like to say, “start a peace and love movement using their music as motivation.” They could no longer wait on the sidelines for change to happen so decided to toss a pebble in the pond, create a ripple effect, knowing that small changes create big changes and the profound influence of even the tiniest actions can create positive change. Peacenik Collective has only just begun. They know that unity is strength, that we are more similar than we are different and their music reflects that message. Music truly heals and if you get a chance to see them live, you’ll witness how uplifting their music is and feel the powerful message within. You can’t find better medicine than hearts connecting as we all navigate this thing called life. Their new song and video, “Back to Love”, will be released in November. It's a compelling song that asks a lot of questions, and talks about how we’ve lost sight of what we believe in. The tag line sums it up perfectly, “let’s bring the whole world back to love”. It’s super catchy with a powerful message. They also perform songs from their collective musical vault. Peacenik Collective is on a quest to grow this modern day musical flower power idea of theirs into a groovy global peace and love movement. Sounds lofty, but they’re okay with that! The band’s mantra is “May peace and love be with you, and may kindness light your way”. For more info about the band visit http://www.peacenikcollective.com
Listen to our playlist at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/09T6DzezCVOSAU82FJ7nRq
“The Peacenik Collective performance was beautiful! Your music filled the air with melodies of peace and love all the way to the mountains with your full rich sound! The performance was so melodic and full of beautiful songs. What a fantastic performance. Beautiful sound, beautiful location and beautiful people! Back to Love sounded beautiful! What a great song!”
(Pamela Windeyer, Vancouver Multidisciplinary Artist)
"Peacenik Collective, thank you all again for the gift of music and most of all spirituality. Everyone in the audience today really felt the message and responded positively and appropriately." (Cory Krisko, Vancouver Musician)
"This group is newly created with a 100% shot of iconic Canadian talent! Members from Prism, Stone Poets and Chilliwack to name a few, sang new and old songs of Peace, Love, Faith and Humanity. The message I grew up with seems to resonate the same now as it did then! You left us all wanting more!"
(Gary Lillico, Photographer)
*Be the change you want to see in the world - Bruce Coughlan - All Good People
*The Great Divide - Stone Poets
Meet the band. Bruce Coughlan is a career performer. A songwriter, recording artist, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, compere, and storyteller par excellence with nearly five decades of experience. Bruce Coughlan has written hundreds of songs and performed at thousands of venues, ranging from coffee houses and folk clubs to a Canada Day performance on Parliament Hill! He’s recorded 14 albums of original and adapted traditional music across a broad range of the Roots Music genre. Along with his band Tiller's Folly, Bruce has been welcomed internationally as a touring artist. His eclectic mix of original Roots-based songs are honest, timeless & authentic. His storytelling is intriguing, matched by his expressive voice and masterful guitar work. www.songsmith.ca
Cherelle Jardine has been writing and recording since 1995. She’s released 13 cds during her career including her 4 solo albums and albums with Stone Poets and The Jardines. Her beloved Stone Poets is her heart and soul, where she joyfully writes songs of peace, love and human connection. Jardine was honoured with 2 prestigious awards, the Ethel Tibbits (Woman of Distinction Award) and The Richmond Art Award (Cultural Leadership). She's toured in North America and the UK and has worn many hats in the music industry including President of Pacific Songwriters' Association. www.cherellejardine.ca
Gord Maxwell hails from Saskatchewan, where he began singing at the age of six and has been singing ever since. His voice was part of the signature sound of Juno-Nominated One Horse Blue. He was one of the primary songwriters in the group and co-writer of their number one Canadian Country hit, “Hopeless Love”. Since moving to the West Coast in the 80’s Gord has been sought after as a studio singer and his voice continues to be heard on Canadian country radio on a daily basis. Gord recorded and toured in Ian Tyson’s concert trio until recently. He played bass and sang harmony for Mr. Tyson for 20 years. Gord is one three “Gords” in a country pop, singer-songwriter group called The Gords. He is now the bassist and a vocalist in the legendary Canadian Music Hall of Fame rock band Chilliwack. www.maxwellandthain.com
Greg Stuart, a long-time professional drummer in Vancouver, Canada's music scene is also an accomplished songwriter, engineer and producer. Greg and has toured with artists as diverse as Frank Mills & Bo Diddley and has participated in many festivals and theatre productions. A long-time accomplice in Bruce's musical endeavours, Greg is passionate about the environment and writing music to connect with audiences as well as fellow musicians. For more information, please visit
Marc Gladstone delivers the anchor of music and melody for the songs, derived from an extensive history of musical experience. He has played piano/keyboards since he was seven years old. His playing and singing has been heard on many recordings, live, as well as television appearances. Marc performed with Doug and the Slugs from 1998 until 2005 as well as Nick Gilder and did a Canadian tour with Toronto, Brandon Paris Band and Abandon Paris. Marc is a piano teacher at Long and McQuade in Port Coquitlam BC. Currently Marc plays keys with Prism, Stone Poets, and In my Life, The Abbey Road Rockers - a tribute to the Beatles. www.marcgladstone.com
Scott Jackson draws from a sphere of influence a little different from the other two members of Stone Poets. His background in English literature, specifically in Elizabethan poetry, provides a somber and moody depth to the lyrics. Like his Stone Poets collaborators, Scott draws from extensive experience in the songwriting world. Scott's solo career has seen the release of two CDs titled “My World” and “Distractions”. Scott’s musical library garnered extensive radio play across Canada and the USA. 4 songs from “Distractions” are still spinning on CBC across Canada. In 2010 Scott joined Marc Gladstone in the rock/reggae band Abandon Paris and in 2011, tripped into the collaborative magic of Stone Poets. www.scottjacksonmusic.com
