Summerfolk Tune Up 2011

Summerfolk Tune Up 2011, a set on Flickr.

Young musicians had the opportunity to hone their skills at this outdoor concert held on Sunday, June 12. This year at the Owen Sound Visitors Centre (Marine and Rail Museum) 1155 1st Avenue East in Owen Sound.
Photos by Carol Parsons

Youth Talent at Summerfolk

One of the many highlights of Summerfolk is the ‘Discoveries Concert’ held Friday night at the ‘Over the Hill’ stage.

This concert features youth talent, generally performers in their teens and early twenties....the incongruous ‘Over the Hill’ refers to the stage location at the south end of Kelso Beach Park.

It is always exciting to see and hear young musicians with their infectious enthusiasm. This year the ‘Discoveries Concert’ will showcase eight acts, each of whom bring something special to Summerfolk.

Let’s start with Australian band The Little Stevies, renowned for their casual blend of folk and pop music. Highlighted by the vocal blending of sisters Sibylla and Bethany Stephen, this Melbourne group has a stage presence that is mesmerizing. They deliver their songs in a beautiful way as three-part harmonies float through catchy melodies. Yet it is perhaps the charm of the witty Aussie banter between songs where their personalities shine through.

The 24th Street Wailers were crowned 2010 winners of the Toronto Blues Society’s annual New Talent Search and a worthy representative of the new face of the blues they are. The band first met at Humber College while studying jazz and discovered they had a mutual love for playing the blues. The result is a band chalk full of energy, soul and lots of drive.

Mittenz, an alternative/folk foursome, comes to Summerfolk from last year’s Open Stage where one act is selected to play the Festival the following year. Picked in 2010, soloist Emily Bones suggested she bring her band and how could we say no. The genesis of Mittenz was a meeting between Emily and Mary Deth in 2004, at the ages of 14 and 15. With a love for writing and performing music together, the pair were joined by bassist Laura Jaworski in 2010. The three of them performed acoustically for almost a year before auditioning drummer Lindsay Bird who was the fourth and final missing piece to the band.


In recent years, since 2007 to be exact, the Georgian Bay Folk Society has initiated the ‘Discoveries Showcases’ to bring the brightest and best in youth talent to the Summerfolk stage. This year, five acts were selected to join the Festival lineup and perform in the ‘Discoveries Concert’.

Brontae Hunter is nothing short of a sensational singer and performer with veteran stage presence well beyond her years. The 12 year old Kincardine resident is quickly making a name for herself throughout the area. You may have seen her last year at Summerfolk’s Sunday morning gospel show where she galvanized the show with a display of poise and talent that had everyone talking.

Cody Zevenbergen comes from Hepworth and attends school in Wiarton. This young man has a passion for the blues and he delivers his songs accompanied by strong rhythm guitar playing. Since his first appearance at the Discoveries Showcases two years ago, Cody improved his skill level so much that he was an obvious choice to be selected to play Summerfolk this year.

The charming harmony duo Kildear features the two Anna’s – Anna Horvath and Anna Wiebe. They come from Drumbo and New Hamburg respectively but both have summer jobs in Sauble Beach. They met at a folk festival at age 6, so playing Summerfolk is a big thrill for them.

Ciccone and Hyatt wowed the crowd at Back Eddie’s in Paisley during the Discoveries Showcase Preliminaries and they did the same at the Finals. Step dancing, fiddling and guitar playing of the highest order. Adrianna Ciccone was Maritime Open Fiddle Champion at age 18 while Ariel has won a number of Canadian Open stepdancing championships.

Port Elgin’s Mary Cassidy plays guitar, sings beautifully. She comes by it honestly, coming from a musical family, her brother Joe was a finalist in last year’s Discoveries. It is Mary’s compelling songwriting that sets her apart.

As an opportunity to further hone their skills, the Georgian Bay Folk Society invites not only the five ‘winners’ but all of the Discoveries finalists to perform at ‘Summerfolk TuneUp’. This event will be held at the Owen Sound Visitors Centre (1155 1st Avenue West) on Sunday, June 12th at 1:00 pm.

Nine of the finalists are available to play at TuneUp: innovative synth-pop The Electric Environment, Cody Zevenbergen, multi-instrumentalist Jake Scott, Mary Cassidy, high energy trio The Crimson Theory, the creative Loveworthfinding, Brontae Hunter, Kildear and songwriter Grant Mask.

Two Discoveries alumni have also come on board as host MC’s - 2009 Discoveries winner Jon Farmer and from the 2010 competition, Anne Beverly-Foster.

It is my hope that Summerfolk TuneUp will grow into a bit of a ‘happening’ with a focus on youth talent, driven largely by the creativity and enthusiasm of the ‘kids’. This will be the third year for the event. We had 100 people out the first go round, 150 last year and if we attract a crowd that’s close to 200, I’ll be very pleased. There is no admission but donations are gratefully accepted. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy the fabulous music served up by these young performers as they prepare to bring their best to Summerfolk.

A Look at Summerfolk

Amphitheatre

Evening concerts in the amphitheatre are magical. With the waters of Georgian Bay as a backdrop, this intimate outdoor venue is a famous Summerfolk landmark. This is the stage that has hosted countless memorable Festival performances in its long history. Concerts each night from 6:00 - 11:00 pm.

Down By the Bay

Summerfolk's licensed Down By the Bay tent rollicks to lively workshop sessions during the day and special concert performances each night of the Festival - Friday and Saturday from 7:00 - 1:00 and Sunday 6:30 - 8:00 pm.

Over The Hill - Dance Tent

You can learn the steps and kick up your heels on the wooden dance floor in the Over the Hill Tent. The name has nothing to do with age, it's just that the tent's location is 'over the hill' at the south end of Kelso Beach Park. Contra, folk and multi-cultural participatory sessions are scheduled throughout the daytime hours and Saturday night is highlighted by a grand dance.

Gazebo

The Gazebo stage is a great workshop stage to see and hear performers share their collective knowledge. Workshops are what folk festivals are all about and a unique feature that makes festivals like Summerfolk so appealing.

Cafe of the Senses - Homemade Jam

The cafe offers a seat and table to enjoy tghe fabulous offerings of Summerfolk's food vendors who serve an eclectic and international variety of nutritious and delicious treats. While there, you can listen to music on the Homemade Jam stage.

First Nations Village

Learn more about the traditions of our First Nations people. Participate in the storytelling, singing, cultural teachings and drumming sessions.

The Children's Village

Kids and families love hanging out in the Children's Village. All day long there are musical performances, games and hand's-on craft projects for them to actively participate in.

The Sharing Circle

All are invited to actively participate in the song, tune, drum and storytelling sessions at Summerfolk's Sharing Circle. Bring your instruments, songs and stories to share with others.

Under the Willows

Under the Willows is home to Summerfolk Choir. Rehearsals are held here in preparation for the opening Sunday night concert slot at the Amphitheatre. With the guidance and enthusiasm of Choir Director Tom Leighton, everyone with an interest in singing is invited to join. In between choir practices, in-the-round workshops are featured in this intimate location as well.

Todd's Musical Petting Zoo

Todd Crowley travels the folk festival circuit with an enormous collection of traditional folk instruments covering the musical alphabet from accordion to zampoya. Cool thing is... he invites everyone to play them. If you've ever wanted to try your hand at an instrument, then this is the place to do it.


The Summerfolk Finale - The closing of the Festival Sunday night - not to be missed!

The Final Three Monday Night Music Sessions of the Season

Maria Dunn and John Wort Hannam

This Monday, May 2nd, an exceptional opportunity to catch 2 Juno Award nominees inj concert at The Downtown Bookstore – 7:30 PM.

Pay what you can with a minimum $10 suggested donation. All proceeds go to the performers.
Seating is limited but you can reserve by contacting the Georgian Bay Folk Society: gbfs@bmts.com or 519-371-2995


Monday, May 9th is Songwriters Circle. Create a song the ‘JumbleJam’ way with hosts Ken Dow & Martin Cooper.


Monday, May 16th: The Monday Night Music Sessions season wrap up with a ‘Hundred Mile Music Show’ first anniversary party.

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.