This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
The Roots North Music Festival happens all weekend. The main stage is at St. Paul’s Centre with Bella Frances starting the Friday night show along with Doug Paisley and the Doghouse Orchestra. Saturday night Shawna Caspi opens with Mary Frances and Meredith Moon (first time in Orillia with a band) following.
Weekend passes get you into the main stage shows and the new event (below). You can stick around after the shows and catch Sleepy Jan in the banquet hall downstairs at 10:30 p.m. on Friday, and with Terry Savage on Saturday. Or, you can venture out and catch Rebekah Hawker at Lone Wolf Cafe on Friday and Danielle Duval on Saturday. There are a number of musicians playing at other venues around town.
Quayle’s Brewery’s has Ron Whitman, Stephan Bernard and Mark Gunn on successive days starting Friday.
Provenance Wine Bar has James Campbell playing on Friday and the Van Kessels on Saturday.
Apple Annie’s Café has B Knox in Friday afternoon and Shawna Caspi Saturday afternoon.
Lot 88 has Stan the Man playing Friday, Cindy Martin is in on Saturday.
Saturday
Mark IV Brothers has Ian McDonnell in over lunch.
Eclectic Café has Cassie Noble in for lunch too.
The Hog and Penny has Todd and Robyn playing the early afternoon.
Kenzington Burger Bar has Mary Simon playing mid afternoon.
The Maker’s Circle has Andrew Woodill plying mid afternoon.
Couchiching Brewery has Brock Mattson playing in the evening.
Rustica has Lincoln Baragar Saturday evening.
Sunday
James Gray is at the Common Stove for Brunch on Sunday.
Mr. Seto has Lincoln Barager at the same time.
Alleycats has Jaclyn Kenyon playing right after lunch.
Creative Nomad Studios is the venue for a new event, a songwriter’s circle featuring some of the headliners and others for a couple of hours on Sunday starting at 3 p.m.. Weekend pass holders need to email info@rootsnorthmusic.ca to attend because space is limited.
Congratulations
Last Saturday’s Mariposa Folk Festival audition concert at St. Paul’s drew the largest audience in 25 years of the event. There were maybe a bit more than 350 in attendance to hear ten acts perform.
The only act I thought was a sure bet to make the cut was JD Crosstown. He opened for Aysanabee at Mariposa’s fall concert. The others who made the cut are Vicki Brittle, Wreckless Harbour and Dane Pederson.
Vicki was last to perform and at the start for a brief moment I thought she had a style a little like Janis Joplin, but that soon faded as she went all Irish Mythen on us. Wreckless is a quartet from Hamilton who all sang harmony into one microphone. On top of that the bass player Mark Korczynski was cavorting on stage like he was in Van Halen, playing and generally getting lost in the music behind the others and sticking his head into the mix when he had to sing (he’s tall). I don’t remember much about Dane Pedersen other than he was a cut above the others. That’s because my head was still thinking about Emma Lamontangne, who I thought gave a worthy performance.
So after years of picking one or two, or none, of the acts the judges decided upon, I figured something out. Banjos rate pretty highly. If you’re from the East Coast or play that style of music, you will rate highly. If you have some kind of stage presence, you’ll rate pretty highly. Singing very well or writing very well are not as important. I’ve been blindsided many times because I tend to focus on the quality of the songs and voices. I picked three this time around the judges also picked. My personal best.
So, some of the performance factors I would coach audtionees on, sing loudly into the mic – all the time, get louder when you need to. This applies to all starting out musicians. Just because you can hear you on stage, does not mean you are putting enough into the mic for the house PA to balance things out. You need to sing louder than the instrumental accompaniment. There is no such thing as singing at a piano level of volume because most of the time your instrument, or the other instruments aren’t following dynamic levels well enough. Mezzo forte and louder is the key.
Be animated. The four acts and my pick that didn’t make it were more animated than the others. You are putting on a show and that includes the visual element.
Prepare what you say between songs, which should include something funny. Practice it until you can do it like it’s a thing you just thought of.
If you are on early in the cattle call, do something really memorable, even if its only for one tune (your last). Leave the audience and the judges talking about your performance. And for this event, end on something fast and loud. Especially if your instrument playing is busy enough and technically superior to grab the audience’s attention to the point of getting spontaneous applause before you have a chance to say your parting shots.
Get Yours Now
Will Dunlop executive produced an album featuring a number of local musicians in order to raise funds for the Orillia Youth Centre. Up From The Underground Vol. 1 has tunes contributed by Bleeker, Nixon Boyd, Alex Kaye Black, Jake Beers, Sidney Riley, Nelson Bell (as Valis 705) and Toronto bands Monowhale, Cudbear, Newmarket’s Shoemaker Levee and Kitchener’s Feral Minks.
Will used his connections as a DJ on 89.1 Max FM to contact the out of town bands who gained some radio popularity in this neighbourhood to get them to license their tunes for the project. It’s the first release on Will’s label Subcult Records and only exists on vinyl. Will said he is planning two more volumes.
You can buy it online, or at Alleycats Music and Gilbert Guitars. There are only about 80 copies from the first pressing available. Speaking of Alleycats, Saturday April 18 is Record Store Day Canada and they have many special deals on albums.
Bon Voyage
Sunday April 19 there will be a concert at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian on the occasion of organist Marshall Martin’s retirement. He’s been playing that massive instrument there for 30 years. He also oversaw the restoration of the organ, completed in 1997, which is the 7th largest in Canada with more than 5,000 pipes.
The concert is at 2:30 p.m. and there is no admission, but they will be collecting donations to the Orillia and Area senior’s Centre.
Orillia Concert Band’s 40th
The Orillia Concert Band is celebrating its 40th anniversary May 2 at St. Paul’s Centre. The concert menu starts with Passfield’s Parade, a tune written by Suds Sutherland to honour former Park Street Collegiate music teacher, Stan Passfield who was the founder of the band.
Then Randy Hoover will give the baton to Stan who will conduct the next piece, Amparita Roca. The next two pieces, A Trumpeter’s Lullaby and Stranger on the Shore feature Mark Smith on trumpet, and Hugh Coleman on clarinet respectively. Other pieces in the first half include The Magnificent Seven and Finlandia.
In the second half former conductor James Hiltz will open conducting La La Land and Roy Menagh will conduct English Folk Song Suite. Christina Bosco will sing I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis with James Campbell accompanying on piano.
You can get tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert online
The Shorts
- Mariposa Arts Theatre has performances Saturday and Sunday left of their run of Clue. You can see the review here and you can get tickets online.
- There’s an awesome concert happening Apr. 25 at St. Paul’s. It’s a fundraiser for Mariposa House Hospice. The lineup has Michael Martyn, Steven Henry, Ronnie Douglas and Samantha Windover playing. You can get tickets online.
- Don Tapscott has a new book out,You to the Power of Two: Redefining Human Potential in the Age of Identic AI and he will be at the Opera House Apr. 21 to present his new ideas. You can get tickets (free) online.
- The Mariposa Arts Theatre’s Film Night Apr. 22 has The President’s Cake playing. All shows at the Galaxy are at 4 and 7 p.m. Tickets at the door.
- Arts Orillia has their 2nd annual Showcase happening at the Opera House Apr. 24. The event involves dinner and some music, and an update on their youth programs, set on the stage in Gord’s Room. You can get tickets online.
- Anne Walker is having her summer concert series at the Coulson Church again this summer. All concerts are at 2 p.m. and the line is this: Apr. 26 Angie Nussey, May 31 Eileen McGann, June 28 Ian Bell, and Sept. 27 Anne Walker. You can get tickets online.
- Orillia Secondary School students are performing the play, Legally Blond: The Musical at the school Apr. 29 to May 1 at 6:30 p.m. and May 2 at 2 p.m. Get tickets at the school
- St. Paul’s is doing The Wizard of Oz May 20 to 24. You can get tickets at the church. There are matinees on the Saturday and Sunday of the run and a preview pay what you can performance on May 20 at 7:30 p.m. They also need volunteers to help with various aspects of the production. Contact howesfamily@sympatico.ca to help in the box office; 123cdavid@gmail.com to be an usher; cmar75111@gmail.com to help with dinner (oh yeah, you can get dinner – limit 50 people- before the shows); cjbrown099@gmail.com to help the kids in the play be where they need to be and put on the right costumes; cjbrown099@gmail.com if you can do makeup; and mcwhinb@rogers.com to help get the programs ready.
- The Youth Centre has a fundraiser concert June 13, venue to be announced, with the Weber Brothers, the Ronnie Douglas Blues Band and Andrew Ali/Josh Small. The first 100 tickets are on sale now online.
- There are a few concerts happening at the Opera House to be aware of. Ian Thomas will be in Apr. 28; Classic Lightfoot Live plays May 3; Marc Jordan is here June 11 and MAT is doing Clue with a two week run starting Apr. 9. You can get tickets for any of those online.
- Bleeker has a smoking new tune out, great video too. You can see here.
- OMAH has three new exhibits to see, the annual Women’s Day Art Show and Made in Orillia; and Face To Face: Portraits From the Permanent Collection you can also see Tracing Places: Advertising In Orillia and the permanent display of artefacts from Gord’s estate… Apple Annie’s has new art on the walls; among others, see works by Molly Farquharson.
- OMAH has some job openings, permanent and for the summer. You can check out what is available and application criteria online. They are also looking for people who would like to join the board of directors. In particular they are looking for people with these skills: fundraising, legal affairs and governance, human resources, business management, and financial/accounting. You can find out more here.
- Lake Country Grill has a comedy night happening Apr. 18 with 8 comics on the menu. You can get tickets online.
- The ANAF Club has Tres Hombres playing Apr. 18 and Rick and Jackie Apr. 19 at 2 p.m. … Samantha Windover plays the St. Paul’s Pub Night April 24; doors open at 6 p.m. and admission is $10.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied) Main: Roots North main stage performers Doug Paisley, the Doghouse Orchestra, Mary Frances and Meredith Moon.
