Summerfolk Discoveries and Last Chance Saloon Report

The Georgian Bay Folk Society held two major events at the Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound this past Saturday - Summerfolk Discoveries and the Last Chance Saloon.

The Summerfolk Discoveries Showcase in the afternoon featured performances from youth musicians aged 21 and under. With an aim to select three acts to perform at the Summerfolk Music & Crafts Festival, the talent level was so high that an unprecedented six were selected by the judges to play the Festival in August.


Added to the Summerfolk lineup were blues player Cody Zevenbergen, 12 year-old singing sensation Brontae Hunter, songwriter Mary Cassidy, the creative Pop Culture Parade, the charming harmony duo Kildear (pictured) and the fiddle/step dance pair of Adrianna Ciccone & Ariel Hyatt. All will be featured in a special Discoveries Concert that takes place Friday night of Summerfolk.

At Saturday evening’s Last Chance Saloon, a full-house crowd was in attendance to see Rockwood’s Ian Reid get the nod to play a main stage slot at Summerfolk. His riveting solo performance hushed the audience and had them hanging on his every word. Accompanying himself with guitar and ukulele, Reid’s fine voice delivered a set of well-crafted songs interspersed with the stories behind the songs.

His was not the only performance that was well-received at Last Chance. A total of 12 acts showcased, presenting a wide variety of music genres.

Summerfolk Discoveries Finalists

A Baker’s Dozen...thirteen acts have been selected to perform at the Discoveries Final this coming Saturday at the Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound.

After three highly successful Preliminary events, these talented young musicians move on to compete for an opportunity to play the Summerfolk Music & Crafts Festival:

From the Owen Sound Library - March 6
Kildear - Drumbo and New Hamburg
Lev Lewis - Toronto
Loveworthfinding - Allenford and Wiarton

From Back Eddie’s , Paisley – March 13
Adrianna Ciccone & Ariel Hyatt - Timmins (WLU, Waterloo) and Callander
Brontae Hunter - Kincardine
Cody Zevenbergen - Hepworth

From the Meaford Hall, March 20
Crimson Theory - Owen Sound
Grant Mask - Orillia
Pop Culture Parade (Liam Vaudyn Thompson) - Meaford

Wildcard Selections
Autumn-Joy Oleksinski - Wasaga Beach (Georgian College, Barrie)
The Electric Environment - Owen Sound
Jake Scott - Owen Sound
Mary Cassidy - Port Elgin

Discoveries is an initiative of the Georgian Bay Folk Society to showcase young musicians, aged 21 and under. A mentoring element is an essential component of the Preliminaries, as the judges provide feedback to each act at the end of the performances.

With a goal of bringing the brightest and best to the Summerfolk stage, Discoveries offers the opportunity for improvement, camaraderie and advancement for those pursuing an interest in music.

Starting at 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 26th, the Discoveries Final is open to the public. There is no admission charge but donations are gratefully accepted. The Bayshore Community Centre is located at 1900 3rd Avenue East in Owen Sound.

A 'New' Festival - Last Chance Saloon

The Last Chance Saloon promises to be a mini-festival of its own.
The lineup for the March 26th event at the Bayshore Community Centre is outstanding!
Don't forget the music starts at 7:00 pm and you won't want to miss a single minute.
One more act will come from our Open Mic nights at the Downtown Bookstore but here's a look at the eleven fine acts confirmed to play, in order of appearance.


The Monster Show
The Monster Show are four, they are female and male, they are melodic and ambient, they play guitars and drums, they sing and bleed. The Monster Show like releasing albums in the winter: March 2011 - Superheroes; January 2009 - And In Our Final Days as Archipelago; December 2007 - 7-song EP. The Monster Show are Daev Mulholland - bass, Kerry Mullen - drums, Duncan Nicholls - guitars, vocals and Laura Robinson - vocals, percussion.
http://www.myspace.com/monstershowmusic


Bucket of Shrimp Ears
Bucket of Shrimp Ears are Albert John Saxby: singer, songwriter, guitarist; Ian Pay: stand up bass and backing vocals; and the newest member Brandon Humphrey: lead guitar and backing vocals, who takes over for much loved shrimp brother Ric Pringle who passed away in early October. Their unique ‘folkabilly’ music is a blend of blues, country, Jazz, folk and roots. They perform only original material, able to play a full three set night without loosing the interest of their audience. If you enjoy a fun band, Bucket of Shrimp Ears is the band for you.
http://www.bucketofshrimpears.com/

Anne Walker
Anne is a singer-songwriter based in Toronto. She writes with heart and soul and mind; her strong well-crafted lyrics presenting vivid stories and images. Her haunting voice is strong, clear and expressive often drawing comparisons to Anne Murray and Jane Oliver. Her repertoire is a pleasing blend of folk, country, ballads and blues that explore both the lighter and darker sides of life. Anne’s performances, while intimate and thought-provoking, are buoyed up by her sense of joy and her lively wit.
http://www.annewalker.ca/


Graydon James & the Young Novelists
After appearances at Toronto's Winterfolk and NXNE, the Young Novelists are quickly garnering word-of-mouth buzz and critical praise from the media. The infectiously energetic band has a tight sound, punctuated by warm four-part harmonies and salted with layers of bouncy piano, moody organ, romping bass, plucky banjo, heartfelt melodica, spry mandolin and plaintive guitars; all centered by a roots-driving drum beat. They have been compared to The Traveling Wilburys for catchy hooks, The Band for heartfelt harmonies and Wilco for intricate arrangements, but Graydon James & the Young Novelists have a sound all their own.
http://www.theyoungnovelists.com/

Drew Parker

Drew’s debut album, ‘On My Way Home’, won Honourable Mention (top 500 worldwide) in the 2010 Billboard World Song contest. The single ‘Christine’ received FM radio play in North America, won ‘Best Folk’ at Barrie’s new music Awards , and the video launched to 21,000 views on YouTube. Drew has performed live on TV shows like A Morning and Rogers Daytime, shared the stage with supermodel Coco Rocha and Sterling Campbell of the B52s, and he was recently endorsed by Lashbrook Guitars, endorser of Brian May of Queen.
http://www.drewparker.com/

Al Parrish

His huge charismatic presence, boundless energy and ‘that voice’ (once described on CBC as being “halfway between melted chocolate and sex”) have brought Canadian, American and British fans to their feet at Tanglefoot shows over the past 17 years. Now performing solo, Al’s repertoire includes new, original material, as well as some carefully chosen covers including a couple of trad songs and some Tanglefoot favourites. He plays these songs on acoustic guitar, on his trademark double bass, or deftly performs them acapella.
http://www.alparrish.com/

Teal & Joyce

Carol Teal and David Joyce perform mainly original songs of life’s delights and dilemmas, as well as fulfilling the troubadour’s role of critical commentary on society today. They delight and engage audiences with their thoughtful and witty lyrics, tight harmonies and wide variety of instrumentation – guitars, mandolin, banjo, washboard, harmonica and feather boa! Serious, sensitive and audaciously funny, with a side of vaudeville thrown in; add a little laughter, a little blues, served up with love and compassion for the human state – that’s Teal & Joyce.
http://www.carolanddavid.ca/



Moonshiner’s Daughter

Hailing from the Durham area of Grey County, Moonshiner’s Daughter is a contemporary family stringband with roots steeped deep in the past. Around a single mic, they play traditional bluegrass fused with folk and good ol’ rock’n’roll – plus they bring a wealth of original material to their performances. Featuring Adam & Cara Croll and Trish & Mark Schnurr on guitar, mandolin, banjo and bass, the group’s sound is highlighted by strong female lead vocals and sweet sisterly harmonies. Moonshiner’s Daughter brings the jam from the kitchen table to the road. www.myspace.com/561582453


Ian Reid
Since the release of his second album in September 2008, Ian Reid has played over 300 shows, has won songwriting awards and has earned respect from fellow songwriters. Event Coordinator and Arts Promoter Lynn Broughton referred to Ian as “the hardest working musician in Guelph” – very high praise in one of the finest music cities in Canada. Ian is currently working on a new album and planning on a release in spring 2011. His songwriting reflects what we can and can’t change about life. Quirky, honest, irreverent, original; you may be laughing and crying at the same song.
http://www.ianreid.ca/

Parsons and Morel

Jenny Parsons and Steven Morel moved to Grey County four winters ago. With a background in musical comedy and improvisation, their most recent live show ‘The Funny Ones’ is a combination of sketch and comic songs. They have performed in the Hanover Civic Theatre for Sights and Sounds, at the beautiful Walkerton Jubilee and in the Durham Town Hall. Last summer they opened for Fred Eaglesmith in Carling and for the Symphony in a Barn. A highlight was making a splash in the beer tent at last year’s Summerfolk with a standing ovation from the musically savvy Owen Sound crowd. http://www.thefunnyones.com/


Dave Borins

A year or so ago, Tom Power, the host of Deep Roots on CBC Radio said: “I got a feeling you’ll be hearing a lot more from Dave Borins in the next couple of years”. He may be off by a few months, because you ARE going to hear a lot more about him now! One of Toronto’s most energetic acoustic performers, Dave played his 100th show in January 2009 at Hugh’s Room. Sold out to the rafters, it helped raise the money to make a new EP ‘The Lucky Ones’ – which in turn, spawned no less than three tours, touching almost every past of Canada.
http://www.daveborins.com/

Discoveries – Owen Sound Library – March 6, 2011

WOW! We were treated to some terrific performances this past Sunday.
I was very impressed with the talent and professionalism exhibited by each and every one of the participants.
Kildear, Lev Lewis and Loveworthfinding were selected to advance to the Discoveries finals, March 26th at the Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound.
We will also be selecting three additional acts from this and/or the 2 upcoming preliminaries to advance, so the possibility exists that others from the Owen Sound Discoveries will move on to the finals as well. We’ll announce these ‘wildcard’ selections as quickly as possible after the Meaford preliminaries on the 20th of March.
Thanks go out to the team of volunteers who helped make the day possible.
Looking forward to Paisley next Sunday.

Artists Selected to Perform at Last Chance Saloon

The selection committee has reviewed the submissions and chosen the following to perform at the Last Chance Saloon on Saturday, March 26th.

Al Parrish
Anne Walker
Bucket of Shrimp Ears
Carol Teal & David Joyce
David Borins
Drew Parker & Band
Graydon James & the Young Novelists
Ian Reid
The Monster Show
Moonshiner’s Daughter
Parsons & Morel

It promises to be a night of excellent music at Last Chance. It will make the judges’ decision difficult to pick just one act to join the Summerfolk lineup and play a main stage spot at the Festival.

Last Chance happens at The Bayshore Community Centre. The doors open at 6:30 and the music starts at 7:00. David Newland from Roots Music Canada hosts the evening. Snacks, chili and beverages will be available.

Admission to the event, $16 general admission or $13 for Folk Society members, can be purchased at the door.