Articles by W. Gibb – Leader staff

The Great Lake Swimmers like to do things a little differently. 

While other artists spend most of their time recording in closed, high tech studios, where the sound is strenuously manipulated, this innovative five man band chooses to record in some unusual settings. They put an album together in an empty grain silo. They taped deep in the woods. They’ve even recorded in an abandoned subway station. 

“To me, playing and recording in unusual sites harnesses a certain energy and draws special performances from the musicians,” explained Tony Dekker, lead guitar and vocalist with the Swimmers. “When we first began recording like this I was surprised at the environmental sounds we picked up, the wind, crickets, and, instead of erasing them, we began to embrace them in our music. Our music became a kind of document about a certain place and time.”

Audiences at the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage, the Morrisburg Meeting Centre, will have the opportunity to experience first hand the critically acclaimed Great Lake Swimmers when they kick off the SLAS season on Saturday, September 20, at 7 p.m. With the multi-talented Musettes opening for them, one thing is certain: this is going to be quite a concert, and a great start to the 2014-15 year at the Stage. 

The Great Lake Swimmers is composed of Tony Dekker, Erik Arnesen, Bret Higgins Joshua Van Tassel and Miranda Mulholland.

“We’ve been a band now for about 11 years,” said Dekker, “with the cast evolving a bit over the years. But this group is, I guess you could say, the final cut. What draws us together is the music itself, and wanting to bring that music to life.” 

The Swimmers are generating growing interest among fans and critics alike. Nominated for two Junos and other musical awards, their latest album (not yet named) is being developed right now, for release in early 2015.

The group resists being conveniently labelled.

“We come at some elements of folk in our work, but ours is, I think, a younger approach to that music. We have an acute respect for the folk tradition, but I believe we come at it with an “Indie” feel, maybe even a “neo-folk” approach, What we really create,” Dekker laughed, “is a unique Swimmers sound.”

Their bold, exciting melodies and vocal strengths have a deep appeal to audiences. They have performed everywhere from Massey Hall, to venues like a small night club in Gravenhurst. The intimacy of the St. Lawerence Stage setting is one they are looking forward to.

Tony Dekker is the chief lyricist of the group. 

“The idea for songs can come from a melody, or a phrase or a rhythm which comes to me. But there has to be a good combination of words there. I go in to the band with a finished thought and we work together on the musical arrangements that make the finished piece.”

Not surprisingly (he was raised on a farm, and has strong rural roots) Dekker finds themes for his writing in the “natural world. Finding spirituality in nature inspires music. I like to draw metaphors from the environment: just feeling the silence of a forest can give me a unique perspective which I can bring to the lyrics I write.” The mythology of the Great Lakes (which inspired the band’s name) fascinates him as well.

He is pleased at the steady rise in the band’s career. “People are still learning about us, but that’s alright. We’d rather be a slow burn than a brief flash in the pan,” he laughed.

Opening for Great Lake Swimmers is a trio of young artists who literally exploded on to the stage during an Intimate Acoustics concert last season. The Musettes, made up of Meaghan LaGrandeur, Rachel Harrison and Brigit O’Reagan (sitting in for regular Lora Bidner, who is currently on a solo project) have a sound and a range that will astound audiences. 

“Our songs are very eclectic, and all are quite different,” said Meaghan LaGrandeur. “We all write, although Rachel, who is a brilliant song writer, can create songs that range from Sea Shanties to love to high adventure. I tend more to story telling and history. I think we take my songs and ‘folksy/popify’ them,” she laughed.

Accomplished artists all, who have been singing together since they met at Ottawa’s Canterbury High School, they, like the Swimmers, don’t really label their musical style. “We love music old and new from Judy Garland to the Andrews Sisters, to modern folk singers,” LaGrandeur explained. “If I did pick an umbrella genre, it would be folk, with pop influences.”

The Musettes just had a huge CD launch party in June filling St. Luke’s Church in Ottawa. Their new album Wanderlust is garnering praise and a lot of fan attention. They have an extensive touring schedule arranged for next year.

With The Musettes as the opener, and the Great Lake Swimmers on stage, September 20, 7 p.m., is going to be a memorable opening concert at the Stage. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Contact www.st-lawrencestage.com 

[…]

“Music, I think, comes out our pores, and expresses itself in all sorts of ways,” laughed Raven Kanatakta, who, with partner and wife ShoShona Kish, is part of an extraordinary  multi-member musical group, Digging Roots, which will perform at the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage on Saturday, April 12, at 7 p.m. “Music is like food to us,” he added.

Digging Roots, which originally formed in 2004, has garnered extensive critical and popular praise. Nominated for numerous awards, the group won a Juno in 2010 for Best Aboriginal Album of the Year, Best Pop Recording at the 12th annual Native American Awards and Best Blues CD at the Aboriginal People’s Choice Awards.

Bill Carriere, on the board of the SLAS, is simply awed by the musical versatility and talent of the band.

“One number finds you immersed in reggae, the next…the music is clearly blues with vocals and guitar working together. Next up one hears something that might have…been done by the Fifth Dimension. Then you’ll be treated to something that is clearly contemporary hip hop. Terrific voices, amazing harmonies…it all comes together beautifully.” 

I asked Raven about the band’s eclectic approach to music.

“Well, I come from the 70’s generation, a kind of ‘hippy child’ on the Rez,” he explained, laughing. “I was always listening to the Beatles, to rock bands, jug bands, classical music. It was the same for ShoShona, growing up in Toronto. 

I was attracted to a wide variety of music. Listening to music, playing music, and travelling (Digging Roots has toured throughout North America, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand), all these influences come out in our music.” 

I asked Raven about the themes, the ideas, the group find themselves exploring through their compositions and performances. 

“We spend a lot of time on identity and understanding the world around us. ShoShona and I fell in love in Hawaii, and one Christmas I bought her a ukelele. A uke just seems to lend itself to love songs, and we wrote a whole series of those.”

However, reflecting  their rich heritage, Raven and ShoShona have also begun working on a traditional form of composition called Song Lines.

“The Anishinabe were  nomadic people who often followed the rivers and waterways, camping at night on the beaches. People sang by the water, sometimes just to hand drums. By the waterside, you could look out, right or left, and see the landscape spread before you, mountains, hills, valleys, forests, and the melodies literally followed the contours of the scenery, rising and falling. 

Modern chord progressions allow us to take the same approach, creating songs from the land. We take panoramic photos wherever we go to inspire our melodies. I always say that we are nomadic ourselves in our musical travels.”

Raven and ShoShona are strong advocates of the importance of introducing children to music and the arts. 

On Friday afternoon, April 12, in collaboration with the St. Lawrence Stage, and with the support of the Akwesasne Mohawk School Board, they will be performing with, and for, grades 6-8 students at the Akwesasne Mohawk School.

“Holding workshops with students is vitally important,” Raven said. “This is the next generation, and the education children get dictates the kind of adults they become. I believe that exposure to music, dance, culture is important. We need to bring creativity to our schools.”

Finally, I asked Raven the origin of the band’s name.

“Well, Digging Roots is about understanding where we came from. But it also has a symbolic meaning for us as well.” 

For seven years, despite conventional medical therapies, Raven’s hands caused him serious health issues. Finally he approached a medicine person on a Northern Reservation. “He took me into the bush, and said to bring a shovel.”  Directed to dig up certain roots and plants, (“some in the middle of a bog!”), Raven made a special tea and began drinking it regularly. “In two months, my hands were back to normal and I was playing again. That is also why we chose our name.”

With a new album, For the Light, due to be released in June of 2014, and a cross Canada tour scheduled for the summer, Digging Roots has a very busy schedule. “We are really looking forward to the intimacy of the St. Lawrence Stage, to doing numbers from the new album. It will be fantastic,” said Raven Kanatakta.

Tickets to the Digging Roots concert April 12 are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. Contact www.st-lawrencestage.com

[…]

“I’ve been captivated by his ability to take simple, everyday things and develop them as metaphors for something much greater. His music is humourous, heartfelt and highly entertaining,” said Bill Carriere, a member of the board of the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage. 

He is describing, in these glowing terms, the artist who will be coming to the Stage on Saturday, February 15, at 7.m.,  Old Man Luedecke. 

Winner of multiple Juno awards, a musician who has toured extensively, a singer and song-writer whose most recent (and sixth) CD,  Tender is the Night, was long listed for the Polaris Prize, Luedecke is charming, warm and an extraordinary performer.

On Saturday night, audiences will also have the opportunity to enjoy a performance by the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter (and proud Aussie), Jordie Lane, who will open for Luedecke. Lane is also an international award winner. He and Old Man are just completing a tour together which took them to Australia and back to North America. “Jordie is a wonderful singer, charming, who tells great stories,” Luedecke said. 

I talked to Chris Luedecke (his real name) about his upcoming concert in Morrisburg. But first, I had to ask how such a young musician has come to be known by the moniker of “Old Man.”

“It’s a name I like, and it gives me a kind of focus,” Luedecke explained. “I admire the old time things, and the old story tellers. From an early age I admired the stars of Grand Ole Opry, especially those who played banjos and told stories. Many of them were called “Old Man” so I thought that name would be fitting and colourful (and maybe a little more interesting than Chris). I could retain my true identity, but still have a traditional link.”

Although he is multi instrumental, Luedecke’s par-ticular passion for the banjo has carried strongly into his life as a performer.

“I love the rhythm of that instrument,” he said. “I feel it has been under used as a song writing tool. A banjo sort of accompanies itself. The moment you play it, you want to move. It also seems to me that lyrics are well placed on the banjo, that they are married to its drive.” 

Luedecke’s style has been glowingly described as roots, folk, bluegrass, pop, country, traditional and completely non-traditional.

He laughed. “Those various labels are all very nice and they do fit to some degree. But I am not a heritage performer (he is from Chester, Nova Scotia), and I am not performing the stylized music of the past. Instead, I am creating new music, unique music, and I have a real affinity for the folk approach. 

At the same time, I love country, the old time country. I find, within reason of course, that I enjoy things simple and stripped down to the basics. I try to get to the heart of a story.”

Old Man Luedecke is a prolific writer and composer. Over the years he has written hundreds of songs, although only some of them ever make it on to albums.

“I was listening to Pete Seeger, an old interview from maybe 10 or 15 years ago. He did get involved in environmental concerns, but his basic approach was ‘the meek inherit the earth.’ That’s a theme I have found in many of my most successful songs. I would say I don’t sing for the winners, but rather for the people trying to make life work.”

Luedecke has a reputation as a warm, good natured performer on stage.

“I actually think I am a fairly serious person,” he said. “I try to approach subtle subjects, but I often mask them with humour. I want my songs poignant, humourous and engaging. People come to a concert to be entertained.”

He will have mandolin, violin, and upright bass backing him up at Saturday’s concert. He is looking forward to the St. Lawrence Stage.

“If you open yourself musically up on stage, and the crowd lets you in, well there is this terrific flow. I’ll be playing classic pieces so audiences can see how I got to where I now am musically. I hope they will appeal. And of course, there are new wonderful songs which I’ve written.” he added with a laugh, “that we’ll also perform. If people are excited to be at my concert, then there’s magic!”

The Old Man Luedecke concert, with Jordie Lane opening, is one night only at the Meeting Centre, the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage, February 15, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. They are available from the Basket Case, Strung Out Guitars or at www.st-lawrencestage.com

[…]

“It is just an incredible honour to be working with a musical legend like Garnet Rogers,” said musician Shawna Caspi, who will be opening for the renowned Canadian folk singer when he appears at the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage on Saturday, November 23, at 7 p.m.

Caspi is certainly not the only one to speak in superlatives when it comes to Rogers.

“Garnet Rogers has a deep baritone voice and impressive vocal range,” said Sandra Whitworth, on the board of the St. Lawrence stage. “He toured with his brother Stan until Stan’s death, then went on to establish a solo career that has spanned more than 30 years. So, no question, we are excited about this show.”

I talked to Garnet Rogers about his career, his music and his  upcoming concert in Morrisburg.

Rogers sets the highest of musical standards for himself.

“Pete Seeger once said that musicians are the luckiest people in the world, ‘because they are always failing.’ Music is challenging. As a musician I am constantly learning, constantly problem solving, and that is what makes it so exciting. You create something new, something that never existed before. A song reveals itself as a puzzle, and you have to seek the solution.”

He describes the process of practicing, and writing songs as ‘solitary activities’. “What brings a song alive for me, is the audience, their responses to what I am doing. Sometimes,” he laughed, “I feel the show isn’t about me, really, it’s about them. It may sound strange, but I am actually trying to eliminate myself from the equation. I want the song, just the song, to come through.”

If the songs themselves are the focus, then Rogers draws on a vast range of emotions and experiences. 

He continues to love his Maritime roots, but he nonetheless insists that his is not a traditional Maritime sound. (“I couldn’t play a fiddle even with a gun to my head,” he laughed.) 

“In my songs, I explore different things, the ‘big stuff’ I guess you could say, life, death, love, how we deal with them. I find I laugh at life a little, since, as we grow older, we tend to look more closely at this ‘mortal coil.’ Humour often comes out of pain, and I try to see the laughter, even in the bleakness.” (He did not record or perform much for a couple of years, as he went through a rough time in his personal life.) 

“My songs may be serious, but I am mindful that people have come to a concert to be entertained, and I make fun of myself, and share that humour with the audience.”

A strong narrative provides the basis of many of Garnet Rogers’ songs. “As a writer, I feel somewhat defeated if I can’t paint a picture that allows an audience to draw its own inferences. I want people to relate to my themes their own way.”

Rogers will be presenting a song writing workshop during his visit to Morrisburg from 2-4 p.m. on November 23. (Space is limited, so those hoping to participate should register as soon as possible with the Stage).

“I’m not a teacher exactly,” the artist  explained. “I am actually interested in seeing how others solve the problems of writing. I ask workshop participants to bring their own songs. That way we can experience other people’s language, forms and approaches to writing as we work together to find the right ‘voice’ to tell our stories.”

Rogers tours with as many as a dozen guitars: and he takes most of them on stage with him at a concert.

“I always try to play my performance sets in different ways, to keep them fresh and alive. Every one of my guitars has a different, unique voice. Each guitar will speak to me, help me solve my musical problems and help me create on stage. When I go out before the audience, I pick one guitar at random, playing as I learn what the audience is ‘feeling.’ When I have that sense, I go from there, and reach for other guitars as well.”

Garnet Rogers is currently about half way through recording a new album, his first in a while.  “I’m glad to be back on the road, back writing again, although I tend to find it painful to record just because what is on the tape never sounds the way I want it to. But I am lucky,” he laughed. “I can sing in tune.” 

Another artist who can “sing in tune” and then some, is Shawna Caspi, who was first introduced to local audiences at an Intimate Acoustics showcase at the St. Lawrence Stage about three years ago. The classically trained young performer made a strong impression on concert goers on that occasion. 

She is an accomplished finger style guitarist, an ability which allows her to create often complex, lyrical accompaniments to her songs. 

“I really like to highlight small snapshots of events, to make them important in my music. My latest songs are a lot about other people, sometimes even a social commentary. This may make my music a little uncomfortable at times, but true stories don’t always have happy endings, However, I also write funny songs, almost sing-along songs,” she added laughing.

She was the recipient of a prestigious Toronto Arts Council Music Creation program grant, “the first grant I ever received. This grant gave me the time and the ability to focus directly on writing, letting me learn that writing requires steady, daily and disciplined practice.” Her new release should be out sometime in 2014.

Since she received the grant, Caspi finds her musical output has greatly increased. She has been touring extensively since early September.  

“I try to establish a direct, strong relationship with listeners. I believe that audiences like a narrative in a song, and I use narrative in the banter and exchanges with my audience between songs as well.”

Her voice is big, strong and rich. She is regarded as a folk singer, but she laughs that hers is not the “traditional, sweet, wistful voice often associated with folk music. No question, music is the focus of my life.”

Tickets for the 7 p.m. November 23 concert are available at www.st-lawrencestage.com, $18 in advance, $20 at the door. 

Garnet Rogers has requested audience members bring food donations for the local food bank to his concert at the Stage.

[…]

Sandra Whitworth of the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage is excited.

“It’s going to be an absolutely fantastic show,” she said. “These are lovely people and amazing musicians too. Having a duo like this on our stage is like getting to have your cake and eat it too.”

Ian Sherwood and Coco Love Alcorn,  a dynamic, exciting singer/songwriter duo, and recipients of numerous music awards, will be in Morrisburg on Saturday, October 5, 2013, for a 7 p.m. concert at the Morrisburg Meeting Centre.

The St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage has a sparkling line-up of artists in their 2013-14 concert series: Alcorn and Sherwood are two very bright stars in the musical show case.

“Coco has a jazz, a bit of pop and an R&B sound, with some folk tossed in,” Whitworth explained. “She is the daughter of Canadian jazz singer John Alcorn and has toured extensively (with 54-40, Ani DiFranco and Burton Cummings). She is a mesmerizing performer with an absolutely (absolutely!) fabulous voice.”

Ian Sherwood “starts from ‘folk’ and then he moves from there into …R&B and soul. He’s more of a traditional singer/song writer,” Whitworth said. “There is wonderful story-telling in his songs accompanied by beautiful melodies…He’s also multi-instrumentalist.”

Together, these two artists will guarantee a terrific evening of music on October 5th.

“We like the audience to be close to us,” Ian Sherwood said. “We like the interaction with people, and to build a relationship with the audience. We want people to be truly into our show.” 

Already noted solo performers on the concert circuits, Sherwood and Alcorn first got together in Halifax around six years ago.

“Actually, a promoter in Halifax contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in opening for Coco,” Ian Sherwood explained to The Leader. “Well, I looked her up, listened to her music, and said to myself, ‘this chick is pretty good,’” he laughed. “We only met during the sound check, but we seemed to really connect on stage. Our music fit well together. Coco later asked me to tour with her for five weeks around B.C., performing in all these little towns and villages. Well, after five weeks in a van, you really get to know someone as a performer: our marriages remained intact, and we’ve worked together a lot ever since,” he added.

They are planning a studio album together, “although it would be great to tape a live concert one day.”

Sherwood admits he has tried other arts careers,  but in the end, “I simply love music.” He tends to write in phases, a group of love songs, perhaps a group of jazz songs, even a wave of children’s songs. Then he re-explores his songs, polishing and developing the work. 

When he sings, “I tend to borrow vocally from everything, depending on what I am listening to,” he said “I am not sure myself how to describe my voice. I’ll pick up falsetto, or a country twang, and it will be somewhat unintentional. I like whatever works for me and on stage. I lean more to a story telling narrative when I perform.”

Coco, he feels, has a strong folk background, and rhythm and blues is a powerful force in her vocal style.

“Our work is original. We have begun writing together, and there is real variety to our stage show music. Our songs are different enough in style: Coco approaches melody differently than I do. She plays her instruments differently than me as well. She sings back-up to my songs, and I do the same for hers. The overall aim of our concerts is to create a seamless, blended performance.”

Ian Sherwood has twice been named Music Nova Scotia “Musician of the Year,” He was a 2011 ECMA nominee for Male Solo Artist and was recently named best Male Artist at the 8th annual International Music Awards.

Coco Love Alcorn has been the recipient of multiple ECMA, Music Nova Scotian and West Coast Music Award nominations. 

Critics have called Sherwood’s songs “romantic as they are clever and snarky…his are often funny, often poignant lyrics.” (Halifax Chronicle Herald) The Ottawa Xpress described Alcorn’s voice as “sparkling and distinctive…a bright burst of colour amidst many shades of indie grey.”

“Folk, blues, jazz, a little pop, a little country, these are the influences that seep into our music,” said Ian Sherwood. “These are the influences that we will make part of our Morrisburg concert.”

For tickets to the 7 p.m. Ian Sherwood, Coco Love Alcorn concert on October 5, contact www.st-lawrencestage.com. Tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. 

[…]

…“Canada is the ‘what’ in ‘what’s new’/We are the true North strong and free/ And what’s more/ We didn’t just say it…We made it be…”

Shane Koyczan exploded on to a world stage before 3.8 billion viewers when his poem, We Are More, brought audiences to their feet during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics’ opening ceremonies. His poem, laying raw the spirit of a nation, caught the public imagination, and fired Canadian pride.

“He is a phenomenal artist,” said Sandra Whitworth of the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage. “He has the audience moving from laughter to tears in a few words. His pieces are very emotional and incredibly moving.”

Shane Koyczan will be in Morrisburg, at the Morrisburg Meeting Centre, on Saturday, September 14, at 7 p.m., to open the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage 2013-14 season. 

I had the opportunity to talk to Shane about his poetry and his upcoming show in Morrisburg. At the outset, I asked Shane about his inspiration for We Are More.

He had originally hesitated about participating with the poem,  which had been commissioned by the Canadian Tourism Commission, but then he recalled what his grandmother once told him. “Once you say no to an opportunity, it’s gone, and so are all the opportunities that could have come with it.”

“I’d been away travelling for a long time,” Koyczan said. “I grew a bit reflective about Canada on the road. There are political aspects of this country I don’t feel so great about, sure, but I think deep down most Canadians take pride in this nation. The Olympics were kind of Canada’s house party, sort of ‘come on in and turn up the music!’”

Has life changed for him since 2010?

“Life really hasn’t changed for me. This was not a sudden earth-shaking event. But I think what the experience did do, was it shone a light on the spoken word, gave people a reference point.”

Shining a light on life, even its harsher aspects, is very much part of Shane Koyczan’s poetic philosophy. Words are a passion, an outlet, a force in his life. “I love language.”

Born in Yellowknife, moving to Penticton, British Columbia, he grew up facing the brutality and soul ache of bullying. 

“I was not a social creature. Words became for me a way of dealing with people. Paper and ink don’t judge me. If you grow up being told that nothing you do or say is good or right, this affects you. A lot of times, you can be consumed by your feelings. They can be like a storm cloud following you around. Writing was a way to let me let go of what was weighing me down.”

“…and if you don’t see anything beautiful about yourself/get a better mirror/ look a little closer/stare a little longer…”

Shane was featured at TED Talks, a forum that deals with anti-bullying. His video containing the piece, To This Day, literally went viral, its impact strongly praised.

“I don’t really know the appeal of poetry,” Koyczan said. “I can’t explain it. But I believe that it’s an outlet for many, that poetry connects people. Poetry, I think, reminds people that it is okay to be emotional.  Pet a puppy, or just cry if you want to.”

Clearly, his poetry has touched, and continues to touch, an extraordinary range of people. 

“I am actually always really surprized at the age range at my shows. Kids will bring their grandparents.”

His Morrisburg show September 14?

“It will be a Shane Koyczan performance,” he laughed. “Lots of variation, an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows, emotional places, happy places,” despite some occasional rough language.

He has headlined in venues as large as the Vogue Theatre (1,100 seats) but, “I’m a small town kid, looking forward to coming to a small town to perform. Backstage, I disconnect with myself. I go back in time to remember why I wrote a poem, the moments, the feelings, so I can connect with an audience.” 

Is poetry the centre of his life?

“I like to laugh, love film, reading and exploring water. I can’t restrict my interests and passions to just poetry. I believe that is too limiting. Don’t make your life around just one thing…you could end up hating the very thing you love.”

Opening for Shane Koyczan, with two songs, will be Tone Cluster, an exciting, talented Ottawa-based choir. “They recently did an entire show on bullying and acceptance and they seemed the perfect way to get things started for this show,” said Whitworth.

Tickets for the dynamic and passionate spoken virtuoso, Shane Koyczan,  appearing  for one evening only at the Morrisburg Meeting Centre September 7, 7 p.m.,  are available by contacting www.st-lawrencestage.com. 

[…]