When Elvira Kurt is not writing about herself in the third person, she’s a Canadian Comedy Award winning, three-time Gemini Award nominated stand-up comic and Second City veteran, who’s starred, hosted or appeared in too many TV shows and comedy specials to mention. Except for these: Popcultured with Elvira Kurt on The Comedy Network, the first late night talk show hosted by a woman that she also created and produced; The Gayest Show Ever, co-created, co-produced and hosted by Elvira which won Best Pilot at the Banff World Television Festival, Queer as Jokes, with Elvira as host and headliner of CBC’s first ever all gay comedy special and Big Girl Now!, Elvira’s award winning one-hour CTV comedy special.

With appearances on everything from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CBC’s The Debaters, CBC comedy specials from Just For Laughs in Montreal and the comedy festivals in Halifax and Winnipeg to her own comedy specials airing on Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, E!, and Bravo, there’s definitely something for everyone. On MTV’s Logo Elvira headlines One Night Stand-Up from Washington D.C. and hosts First Comes Love and Cruising The Caribbean with Olivia. On CBC’s The Second City’s Search For The Next Comedy Legend Elvira was a judge along with Joe Flaherty and Dave Thomas; she’s guest starred on Degrassi: The Next Generation, hit the stage in the Vagina Monologues and is featured in several comedy films like the multiple award winning Laughing Matters…More!

In her spare time, ha, Elvira writes comedy for TV, from series like This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Little Mosque on the Prairie to specials, most notably for Ellen DeGeneres on HBO. But that’s not all! Elvira’s toured North America as one of the hottest college acts around, nominated as both U.S. College Comedian and Entertainer of the Year.

Want more? Just turn on the radio. Besides her stint as a panelist on CBC Radio’s As It Happens or as a regular on The Debaters, Elvira passionately skewers pop culture each and every week on CBC Radio One, PRI and Bold TV’s number one hit show, Q with Jian Ghomeshi.

If it seems that Elvira’s tireless work ethic is an indication of deep seated neuroses, don’t worry, she knows. And she continues to thank, as well as blame, her mother.

Michele Balan is a classy woman with attitude. Sometimes the class has to move over for the attitude. She was a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, and titleholder of "Last Woman Comic Standing." Michele was voted one of the “Top 10 Comics” by Backstage Magazine. The San Francisco Bay Times also placed her on their national Top 10 and Broadway World honored Michele at number two in their Top 10 List of cabaret performers.

Michele headlines around the country at top comedy clubs, festivals such as Montreal’s “Just for Laughs,” corporate events, JCCs, country clubs, on cruises, and more! She is appropriate for all audiences...well, maybe not children's parties! She is a recurring performer on The Joy Behar Show, and has numerous appearances on HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, Byron Allen's Comics Unleashed, and E!. Along with her stand-up, Michele writes for many well-known comedians and is a contributor to a variety of magazines.

Often told she was naturally funny, this Brooklyn native left a high-paying executive position at a computer company to pursue comedy and has been performing ever since.

What people say...
"Dynamite" - Cindy Adams The NY POST

"As part of the Nantucket Comedy festival, Balan had the full house in stitches." - Nantucket Mirror

"Michele Balan is on a roll, there is no stopping her!" - The Friars Club

"You know what I dislike about stand-up comedy—there’s too much standing.” - Michele Balan

Few entertainers can command a stage like the indefatigable, Sweet Baby J'ai. She is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, producer, arranger and actress who has toured the world with her distinctive sound. Although J'ai is known for her energetic stage presence and powerful vocals, some critics describe her as a "jazz singer", a "soul singer", others as a "blues singer" but all agree that this versatile singer-songwriter is a "storyteller". She can't be contained by one genre of music.  Talented both as a vocalist and musician, she takes unconventional instruments, the washboard and spoons, and claims them as her own special sound. As one critic pointed out, "This ain't no backyard hoe down ... she will have you swooning before the concert is over."

When your mom gives you such a memorable name as "Sweet Baby," odds are you’re gonna end up in the entertainment industry.  Sweet Baby J’ai continued the family business after sneaking into Kansas City jazz clubs as a kid. With an uncle who worked as a bassist for Billie Holiday and a cousin who played guitar with Dizzy Gillespie, J’ai was constantly surrounded by the music that would become her career.  She has been featured many times on Olivia Cruises, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Playboy Jazz Fest, Casablanca Music Fest, Tokyo, Jarkata and a host of festivals, concert and club venues throughout the world.  She has shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Joe Sample, Jill Scott, Etta James, Melissa Etheridge and many more; her velvety vocals gracing jazz, soul, and R&B songs. You can check out a dose of her latest cd, Introducing J'ai Michel on this trip designed to soothe your savage beast or feed it!

Here's a sampling of what critics are saying:
"Her voice is part cream, party honey and all soul." -New York Times
"Sweet Baby J'ai will no doubt be considered a legend in her own time ... She is by any critic's opinion, the real deal!"  - LN Magazine
"She proved it on all of us in the 1920's lesbian love story, Prove It On Me ... a flawless performance and spine tingling soulful vocalist ..." - Tolucan Times
"Show-stopper ... a sensational performer" - Durango Herald
"Extraordinary ... a stunning performer." - Jazz Now
"Swinging ... powerful ... and haunting." - Los Angeles Times

A Grammy-nominated, Bammy award winning composer, pianist singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Barbara has performed on more than 65 albums, including Carlos Santana’s 2007 release.

She has 11 recordings to her credit as well as contributions to 10 compilations that have sold in the millions.

As a cofounder, with Darol Anger, of the acoustic super group, "Montreux", she recorded “ Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival” for Windham Hill Records in 1984, a landmark genre defining album. She continued to tour world-wide with Montreux, until leaving to pursue a solo career.

Her 2 CD's with singer-songwriter Teresa Trull on Olivia/Second Wave and Slowbaby Records have won critical acclaim and a large nationwide following.

As a solo artist, Barbara’s first solo CD “Signs of Life” was named a Washington Post “Top Ten of the Year”. Three other solo releases, “I Surrender”, “Variations on a Happy Ending” and ‘Alive in Berkeley” followed to critical acclaim.

Raised in Indiana, at age 13 her family moved to Ghana, West Africa where she studied with master drummer Mustafa Tetty Addy. After musical studies at Mills College, studies at the Sorbonne and a sojourn performing in Paris, she returned to West Africa with a Watson Fellowship to collect traditional music. A professional musician since age 17, Barbara has played everything from Traditional Jazz, Bluegrass and Irish to New Classical Music and African Pop. She is known for her ability to compose both instrumental music and songs in a style that is both genre bending and accessible.

Barbara and her family recently lived in Hawaii for 18 months where she performed at the Manoa Jazz Festival, for Hawaii Public Radio and on 3 Hawaiian Music CD’s.

Barbara now resides in Berkeley, CA with her husband and 8 year old daughter. She is a board member of the non-profit Freight and Salvage, Society for the Preservation of Traditional music. Her 2007 solo release “Alive in Berkeley" followed a 40 city national tour. She is currently working on a fall 2010 recording of original songs.

Barbara has performed with Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Terry Riley, the Kronos Quartet, Pete Seeger, Holly Near, Cris Williamson, Bobby McFerrin, Milton Nascimento, Spyro Gyra, Michael Hedges, Greg Brown, Ferron, Vinnie Colaiuta, Teresa Trull, Vicki Randle, Amy Ray, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Rosalee Sorrels, Terry Garthwaite, Laurie Lewis, Liz Story, Will Ackerman, Benny Rietveld, Alex Di Grassi and Peppino D’Agostino among others.