Where Have All the Protest Songs Gone

By Greg Quill Entertainment Reporter, Entertainment Columnist

Winterfolk VIII – A Different Kind of Folk Festival

Winterfolk VIII – A Different Kind of Folk Festival   By Martin C. Winer, www.martincwiner.com – Reprinted from Folkprints Magazine, Spring / Summer Edition, 2010 – Photos by Madelon Cooper

Danforth Magazine on Winterfolk VIII

WINTERFOLK VIII — FEB 12-15, 2010 TORONTO – Mark it in your calendar! The EIGHTH ANNUAL Winterfolk Festival is back for, not three, but FOUR days of your favourite folk, roots and blues musicians. After an extensive search for new talent through auditions held in several Ontario cities, the Winterfolk festival – which runs from

COMMUNITY IS KEY AT WINTERFOLK VIII

Not only will the EIGHTH ANNUAL WINTERFOLK FESTIVAL entertain with some of Canada's finest artists, but the festival will once again feature community stages showcasing pioneer folk artists like

Winterfolk next weekend

More than 100 musicians to performs at four Danforth venues

By Norm Nelson The eighth annual Winterfolk festival is coming back to the Danforth, running all four days over the Family Day holiday weekend, Feb. 12 to 15. More than 100 musicians will perform in four Danforth venues on six stages. The venues are the Willow Restaurant and the Black Swan Tavern, each with two stages, as well as Dora Keogh and the Mambo Lounge.

Moonshine Cafe Hosts Winterfolk Preview

 Reprinted from Toronto Moon Magazine

Roots, blues and folk musicians can audition at the Black Swan for Winterfolk VIII

Auditions for Winterfolk VIII are heating up and aspiring performers have two more chances to try their luck. The Toronto festival promoting roots, blues, folk and other musical styles has been expanded to four days.

MUSICIANS CAN AUDITION FOR TORONTO FESTIVAL

October 15, 2009

News Briefs

Peterborough will host auditions next month for a chance to perform in a Toronto roots and blues festival. The Winterfolk VIII Roots and Blues Festival is set to run Feb. 12 to 15 in Toronto and organizers are holding auditions across Ontario this winter. Interested Peterborough musicians get a chance to audition at The Spill Café on Nov. 11 from 9 p. m. to midnight, a press release states. There is no cost to audition and two artists will be hired at each venue — based on audience voting and a festival jury, the release states.

Winterfolk auditions at The Black Swan

October 14, 2009

Winterfolk auditions at The Black Swan

What he really wants to do is perform

Reprinted from the Toronto Star

GREG QUILL - ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST

Musicians hit snowy streets

  Jessica Brooks – A & E Reporter

Winterfolk takes over Danforth next weekend

NORM NELSON | Feb 05, 2009 – 1:49 PM The seventh annual Winterfolk music festival, which runs next weekend at four Danforth establishments between Broadview and Chester subway stops affords a great chance for local roots music fans to beat both the February blahs and the recession blues. About 100 artists will perform throughout the weekend, which runs Friday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, Feb. 14, 2 p.m. to 1 a.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 15, 2 to 7 p.m. They'll perform on six stages in the four Danforth establishments – The Black Swan Tavern (two rooms), The Willow Restaurant (two rooms),

7th Annual Winterfolk Festival February 13-15, 2009, Toronto

7th Annual Winterfolk Festival February 13-15, 2009, Toronto Published Jan 24, 2009

- PRESENTING 80 ARTISTS, 100 SHOWS AT 4 VENUES ON THE DANFORTH AT BROADVIEW WHAT: WINTERFOLK VII ROOTS AND BLUES FESTIVAL An all-ages indoor music festival featuring over 80 artists in 4 venues for 3 days of roots and blues music. WHEN: FEBRUARY 13-15 WHERE: Venues are at the corners of Danforth and Broadview, including the Black Swan (2 stages), Dora Keogh, The Willow Restaurant (2 stages), Mambo Restaurant TICKETS: IT’S FREE (with the exception of one paid stage.

Sound Proof Reviews Winterfolk

Live: Winterfolk Music Festival 2008 FEBRUARY 8 – 10

Tzatziki + Acoustic Guitar + Snow = Winterfolk by Laila Boulos

   Winterfolk -  February 8 – 10, 2008 • Various Venues • Toronto Tzatziki + Acoustic Guitar + Snow = Winterfolk by Laila Boulos with photos by Dougal Bichan A folk music festival on the edge of Toronto's Greektown? It seems ambitious and, perhaps, a tad out of place. Yet, surprisingly, the neighbourhood and venues chosen are perfect complements for the music during this annual folk festival. A brief history of Winterfolk: originally created to heal all those suffering from that dreaded illness that inflicts the majority of our population at this time of year. Yes! We’re talking about the reviled…Festival

2009 Winterfolk Festival

Reprinted from Guitar Licks and Tips

By: Chris Category:. The 2009th Winterfolk Festival is a roots/folk/blues festival that is held in the East end of Toronto known as The Danforth, in selected Pubs.

Castle building

Feb 07,08 Music Feature – By Tim Perlich – Reprinted from Now Magazine,Fast-rising songster Jennifer Castle benefits from an unlikely connection to Fucked Up   ALEX LUKASHEVSKY and guests JENNIFER CASTLE, ANNA LINDA SIDALL and RYAN DRIVER as part of the WINTERFOLK BLUES AND ROOTS FESTIVAL at Eastminister United Church (310 Danforth), Saturday (February 9), 4 pm. $5. www.abetterworld.ca. ..

Hundreds of Rejections Catalyst for Eclectic Folk Festival

Feb 08, 2008 By Rick Kardonne Tribune Correspondent  TORONTO – Perhaps one of the most openly creative eclectic folk festivals yet to be experienced in Toronto will happen at various venues on Danforth Avenue on from Feb. 8 to 10: the Sixth Annual Winterfolk Blues and Roots Festival. Festival Director Brian Gladstone personifies this feeling of creative openness.

Beat February blahs with Danforth music festivals

January 2, 2008  BY NORM NELSON – 03:10 PMTwo local music festivals on Danforth Avenue are once again pencilled in to help residents beat the February blahs.

Penguin Eggs on Winterfolk

Reprinted From Penguin Eggs Magazine Issue 32, Winter 2006 Winterfolk V by David McPherson Brian Gladstone, a child of the folk revolution of the 60's, was bred on Dylan. Forty years on, he still sports the hippie-long locks as a physical reminder to this seminal time in roots music. Meeting the founder of Winterfolk for a pint, one learns how this former design and research engineer gave up a six-figure day job to pursue his passion. "It's a vision I had," he says. "Its one of those spur-of-the-moment things that came to me and it has taken on a momentum of its own" What Gladstone did with this musical momentum, from the outset, was try to emulate a summer festival. He lined up a bunch of venues in close proximity on the Danforth,

Hearts Open Toronto June 10, 2007

Benefit Concert for Street Haven ..

Live Music Report

Winterfolk Roots and Blues Festival   February 9 – 11, 2007 • Broadview and Danforth • Toronto Winterfolk V – Report and photos by Dougal Bichan Ah, folk festivals. I love them. Summer, sunshine, trees, birds, sunscreen, hormones. Sitting in the outdoors, listening to handpicked guitar tunes waft across the grass on a warm breeze. Then the frigid air slaps me back to reality. Why am I standing at the corner of Danforth and Broadview in February, minus 10-degree weather, while the chilling winter wind howling across the Bloor Viaduct blows up my kilt?

This is the Winterfolk Roots and Blues Festival, a different kind of music event. It happens in the winter, for one thing, but you might already have guessed that. The brainchild of local guitarist and songwriter Brian Gladstone, it was created in 2003 to fill that mid-February void for both audience and performers. Featuring a festival mixture of concerts in the evening and afternoon workshops, Winterfolk brought more than 80 performers to six venues at Broadview and Danforth — two stages at the Black Swan, The Willow, Dora Keogh, Terry O’s and the Prince of Egypt Restaurant this year on February 9, 10 and 11. For the first time, the festival was free. No admission charge. Consider that!   Musically it was a very mixed bag, all in the roots and blues style. Veteran artistic director Randi Fratkin assembled a diverse line-up, including programming themes such as “The spirit of New Brunswick”, which featured Hot Toddy, Brent Mason, Vishten, and Shanklin Road. Performers were young and old, mixing the up-and-coming, Justin Nozuka, Pat Robitaille and Ariana Gillis and the more experienced, Greg Quill, Danny Marks, Steve Payne and Brian Blain. The women Looweeze de’ath, Sarah Moni Mezrin, Julie Long and Laura Fernandez, to name a few, were particularly strong, reaching deep into the wells of emotion for their soulfulness.   Wendell Ferguson   ChoirGirlz

Winterfolk drew artists from all over the globe, some from as far away as Australia, the US, England and Vancouver to share their music and bring warmth to the frozen Toronto night. There were lots of local treats as well, some coming from the open stages around the GTA, John Marlett’s Moonshine Cafe, Dr B’s Acoustic Medicine Show, the Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar Association, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International.   Wandering from one club to the next, schedule firmly in hand, the vast smorgasbord of musical delights invited grazing and sampling for the full effect, and all within an easy walk. With all the pedestrians crossing the Danforth, they will need a traffic light there next year.

Although impossible to pick a favourite, some fragments of the programming highlights included Greg Quill rousing a tough Terry O’s crowd with Australian folk songs, Justin Nozuka’s youthful, idealism and exuberance, Looweeze de’Ath singing and playing keyboard as if she would squirm right out of her skin with the intensity of it, the 30, count ‘em, flying fingers of the Guitar Boys of Alderon, Steve Payne in Dora Keogh backlit haloed like an angel and sliiiiiiding Alastiar Artingstall’s delicate British sensibilities and tunings with capoes and half capoes, Wendell Ferguson throwing another fiddle on the file, Sarah Moni Metzer’s sometimes guttural throutings, David Ross Macdonald’s serious demeanour, Shawn Brush, the crooked cowboy and his circle of fans in the back room of the Willow, father and daughter intermingling of David Gillis and Ariana, playing amidst the exotic spicy aromas of the Prince of Egypt cuisine, David Hobbs carefully crafted observations. Too many impressions to write them all down. You will have to come out to see and hear for yourself.   Crowds, crowds, crowds! On Saturday night the Swan and the Willow were turning people away in fear of the liquor police. From out on the windy streets, ChoirGirlz, The Bebop Cowboys and Shanklin Road had the crowd lined all the way up the dingy old stairs of the Swan to the dumpy second floor bar. Amazing!   Looweeze de’Ath

Back again next year. What could be improved? Well, maybe the weather? Sunshine, warm breezes, hormones?

Songs For A Better Planet Reviewed by Dianne Wells

SONGS FOR A BETTER PLANET – VARIOUS ARTISTS

 ©2005 by Dianne Wells, an independent music journalist living in Newfoundland. Copy of original text
 
 This subtly engaging collection of songs gives new meaning to the term, “global warming”.  Mainstream music listeners won’t find anything musically or politically offensive here and may even be encouraged to join the movement.  That being said, it won’t appeal to listeners who prefer edgier instrumentation or to cynics who have developed a “full speed ahead for destruction” attitude towards the world in general.
 
 Environmentally-friendly producer Brian Gladstone, Director of The Association for a Better World, a non-profit organization, has consistently taken time out from his own musical career as a singer-songwriter-guitarist to expose and promote the music of other people who are similarly-minded.  He has a knack for selecting the cream of the crop, too, adding to the group of accomplished female recording artists that appeared on his Songs for Peace compilation CD.  All proceeds from CD sales are donated to Earth Day Canada.
 
 Songs for a Better Planet is not entirely comprised of offerings from the fairer sex, either, but there is a better-than-average representation, both Canadian and American.  Their voices are diverse in their songwriting and instrumental expression, but they are united in their dedication to resolving their environmental and humanitarian concerns.
 
 There is a good variety of genres, too, ranging from acoustic blues and roots to bluegrass as well as more high-end productions such as “Rescue” by Liquid Blue.  While the lyrics fit the topic, it’s a bit too jarring compared to the rest of the low-key numbers.
 
 The numerous achievements to date by this musical collective can be readily obtained by visiting each performer’s website.  These are obviously all serious musicians who have learned to market their product accordingly and appropriately.  This knowledge makes their potential for even greater success limitless.
 
 There were a number of songs here that I was particularly pleased with – the opening track, “Our World”, performed by Kate MacDonald, of Miramichi, New Brunswick, “Global Warming Blues” by Lenny Solomon, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, “Earth Mother” by Beliss (a.k.a. Melissa Underwood), of Portland, Oregon, “Pesticide” by (Ms.) Terry Winchell, of Water Mill, New York, and the funky-reggae “Reverence and Ridicule” by Layah Jane of Toronto, Ontario.  The latter’s vocals wonderfully recall Molly Johnson, Nelly Furtado and Ricky Lee Jones all at once.
 
 “Moving Mountains”, by Amilia K. Spicer, originally a Pennsylvania country girl and now resident in L.A., was my overall favourite, both vocally and instrumentally, on this dreamy lullaby-like track.  She’s a singer I could easily imagine doing a complementary duet with Daniel Lanois.  First Nations Vancouverite singer Sandy Scofield is a stark contrast to Amilia, taking a much more forthright approach in her vocal expression, but she’s got the lung-power to make it effective.
 
 Toronto-based music fans who have followed Brian Gladstone’s own recording career will recognize the final track, “Save the Wolverine”, and might think its inclusion here to be a bit self-serving.  Still, it’s an excellent musical performance and a composition that fits the overall theme of respecting nature, including those from the animal kingdom.
 
 The artists appearing here were selected from hundreds of submissions received from around the world.  This had me wondering why only North American ones were selected for the final compilation, but perhaps it just wasn’t a cost-effective venture, distribution-wise.  Perhaps a more international compilation is in the works.  With Brian, there’s no telling what his next brilliant strategy will be in his quest for world peace!  Oh, but wait – he’s now taking submissions for Protest Songs for a Better World.CD-Beschreibung: Peace Songs For A Better World

Peace Songs For A Better World Reviewed by Diane Wells

Sept 26, 2006 

This 15-track collection of songs from both female and male North American artists (with Australian and Norwegian representation) is a life-affirming musical project humbly shadowing its more famous and forceful predecessor, “Woodstock”. Check out the Bob Dylan-inspired ‘Gift (One Iraqi Child)’ and ‘No One Can Stop Me When I’m Out to be Good’, from Josh White Jr., a latter-day Richie Havens.

One of the many things I like about this CD is that it offers a wide exposure to lesser-known female musicians, who, unless they are willing to expose more than their musical talent, are very often overlooked in the higher echelons of the industry. West Coast ladies Christa Couture, Quincy, Elaine Dempsey, Blair Hansen, Adrienne Jones, Margo Hennebach and Toronto’s Laura Fernandez all deserve recognition for their demurely sweet, lilting vocals as well as their thought-provoking lyrics on a peaceful world.

Among the renowned Ontario male performers appearing here are Guelph’s James Gordon, Whitby’s Roger Ellis, and the winner of the 2004 Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award, David Gillis, of Vineland – all wonderful musical ambassadors for Canada!

The most memorable “hit” track, among these otherwise beautiful ballads, would certainly be the riotously poetic ’60s-pop-rocker ‘Change My World’ (by NY’s Sean Altman and Billy Straus). My other favourite was Norway’s Finn Coren, who offers ‘Riverboatman’, a well-enunciated, musically dramatic piano-and-strings opus that speaks to homesick refugees. It would have been great if Belgium’s Yanah had been included here, particularly for her ‘Girl in the Picture’ tribute to Kim Phuc, a Vietnamese victim of a napalm attack, but there are only so many songs that can fit on one CD.

This is a very admirable initiative by humanitarian Brian Gladstone, who also organizes several other socially conscious music endeavours such as Earthday, Winterfolk Festival and the Outrageous Summer Open

Protest Songs for A Better World Reviewed

 .

Various Artists

Available from IndiePool.com

A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
by Mike Jurkovic (rnrcurmudgeon@yahoo.com)

Well you won’t find anything close to Blowin’ In The Wind or The Times They Are a-Changin’ here, but you will find plenty of awareness and the need for vigilance in these unstable times.

Produced by Brian Gladstone, Protest Songs For A Better World is a thirteen-track rally cry anthology of original protest songs selected from submissions from around our troubled globe. All the tracks are wake up calls, but my personal highlights include: Southpaw Jones humorously ominous Protest Song, Lenny Solomon’s evocative Gettysurg, Maria Dunn’s rousing Troublemaker’, Joe Dolce’s Did You Get Stupid from Being Ugly (Or Ugly from Being Stupid?) and Williams & Williams’ Between Iraq & A Hard Place.

All proceeds from the sale of this forward looking collection are donated to United Nations Foundation.

CD-Beschreibung: Peace Songs For A Better World

Vertrieb-Nr.: 001-2004

Titel: Day 4, Give It Away, Beggar’s Audience, Gift (One Iraqi Child), Hollows, Our Love Is Beautiful, Guardians, Change My World, Riverboatman, Too Young To Die, Weapons Of Mass Instruction, Catch The Spirit, A Mouse’s Crumb, The Other Side, No One Can Stop Me When I’m Out To Be Good

“Peace Songs For A Better World” ist ein Projekt von Sänger Brian Gladstone, der jetzt auch als Producer in Erscheinung getreten ist. Bekannt für seine ausgefallenen Ideen, hat er sich jetzt die Arbeit gemacht und verschiede Künstler zu einem großen Projekt für den Frieden zu versammeln. Mit dabei sind Christa Couture, Qunincy, Big Wide Grin, Joe Dolce und viele weitere. So steuerte Josh White Jr. den Song “No One Can Stop Me When I’m Out To Be Good” bei. “Weapons Of Mass Instruction” kommt von James Gordon. So bunt wie die Zusammensetzung der Künstler ist, so nachdenklich sind die einzelnen Songs. Die 15 Titel fallen nicht unter reinlegen und loslegen. Es sollte sich beim anhören der Titel die Zeit genommen werden genau auf die Texte zu hören. Die Stilrichtungen bei den einzelnen Songs fällt zwischen Folk bis Country.

Vertrieb: www.abetterworld.ca

Concert For Peace Comes to North York

Copyright 2006). All rights reserved. )

Music lovers can enjoy a little free entertainment and goodwill at the fifth annual Brian Gladstone’s Picnic for Peace at Mel Lastman Square.

The event, presented by the Association of Artists for a Better World, will feature 13 blues and roots artists continuously from noon to 10 p.m. on July 29.

The Toronto performance is part of a series of peace-themed concerts held in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Bands interested in participating can apply through www.Sonicbids.com until June 30 for a fee of $30.

The first-place submission will be given the opportunity to open for the Jack deKeyzer Band at the event.

Other performers include children’s entertainment Sho Mo and The Monkey Bunch, Brent Mason, Rik Leaf, Danny Marks, Brian Gladstone and Michael White.

Mel Lastman Square is at 5100 Yonge St.

Visit www.abetterworld.ca for details.

Credit: North York

Sonicbids Features A Better World

Protest Songs For A Better World 2006 Submissions are open: Learn More Years with Sonicbids: 2 # of Artists Selected in 2006: 12   1) How many Sonicbids artists did you select?   We selected twelve Sonicbids artists for the compilation CD ‘Protest Songs for a Better World – Volume 1’. Due to the large numbers of high caliber submissions received, we found the evaluation and selection process to be tremendously difficult. However, after much deliberation, our team of judges was able to narrow it down to required twelve tracks 2) What are you looking for in an artist submission? The motto of A Better World is, ‘We can Use Voice to Change the World, There is magic in our words’. We fulfill our mission by encouraging change in the world through artistic expression. On this project, we are accepting songs on any topic based around a central theme of ‘change for improvement’. The tracks we consider cover many related subjects including war, violence, peace, hunger, abuse, violation of rights, injustice, minorities, poverty, prejudice, freedom, homeless, children and more. A portion of our target market is radio and media coverage, so we try to listen through the ears of a program director. 3) What is your review and selection process like? We have a team of judges who are personally selected by me. The only upfront information they get is to ensure they understand the nature of the project, and have a good awareness of the theme. Then they are free to make their own selections. All of our compilation CD’s get good global airplay, so we need to deliver a professional quality album to the media to maintain the high standards of musicality and sonic quality they expect from us. (This is a different criterion than is used to evaluate a festival or performance submission) There are several key stages to our review and selection process. Every song is listened to several times. The first listen through is a cursory sorting process, and unfortunately most of the submissions don’t make it past this stage. Songs that pass to the next level exhibit common characteristics such as high production value; studio quality mixing and engineering; strong vocals and instrumentation; and overall inspiring musical experience in their presentation. We look for songs that are well written, and prefer an original approach to the theme. Regrettably, most of the submissions are rejected at this stage for reasons of weak or off-pitch vocals, poor musicianship or poor writing, sonically inferior recordings, or just the overall low standards used throughout. Songs without recording or musical flaws are elevated to the next level. At this point, all remaining songs are deemed to be of ‘radio play’ quality. The next stages of evaluation become more subjective, and the judges listen with no pre-conceived ideas other than waiting to be ‘moved’ by the song. (Like the first time you hear the Beatles). When they are ‘touched’ by the song, it is put into the ‘favorite’ category. The attraction may be a musical hook, a haunting lyric, an upbeat or unusual tempo, an emotional magnetism, the spontaneous energy of a live recording, some tight harmonies, a bit of studio polish and more – it’s not always easy to define this step in the evaluation process as it relies on artistic selection and personal preference, rather than a predefined rule set. There are about 25 songs left at this stage – all of which are high quality recordings and worthy candidates – and we have to further narrow the selection down to only twelve. This is the most difficult part of the process. Final selection from this stage is based on criteria such as the overall ability of the song to comply with our theme, as well as many other factors. This is the point in time when we closely scrutinize the lyrics for interpretation of the messages and symbolism, and especially to ensure there is nothing objectionable or offensive. We look for a mix and balance at this point, and some selections are made for reasons of cohesion and coherence to the overall album. We like to put an upbeat catchy song as the first track, and a reflective large lasting production as the last track. We try to ensure no two successive tracks are recorded in the same key, nor are in the same style. For example, if there are some acoustic tracks, we will try to spread out and transition them with other styles. We are conscious to continually introduce new sounds as the album progresses, to maintain high listener interest level so they are more likely hear the album in it’s entirety. There is a large challenge to combine rock, blues, roots, pop, and more on the same record, and present a strong coherent album – and not just a collection of assorted songs. So, the last stage of the selection process may be more related to how each track fits into the big picture, rather than the track on its own merits. We have to look at the goals and the mission at all times when assembling a compilation CD, and always upholds a high quality standard and does our best to keep the vision alive. It’s not an easy undertaking. 4) What can artists do to be better prepared to submit to your opportunity? Simple – Submit a well-written, well-recorded song with good musicianship and high production value. Then you will get our attention. Many of the reasons songs are rejected are totally correctable by the artist prior to submission. We have received many excellent songs, which we regrettably could not consider for very simple flaws, which should have been edited out at the time of recording. Many times artists send us excellent songs bursting with passion and commitment – you can hear the emotion embedded in the recording. Often, very moving lyrics and beautiful melodies are trapped within an amateur musical production. We can’t consider the song for simple reasons such as the vocal is weak, strained or off key; the guitar is out of tune or guitar playing (or instrumentation) is weak; production value is poor, and more. Often it is apparent the artist hasn’t mastered the song yet, and should spend more time practicing prior to recording. Sometimes we get great songs which have obviously recorded with mundane studio musicians playing routine patterns, rendering the product unexciting and lacking inspiration. Basement recording studios are fine when used properly – we are not suggesting that an artist make a large investment in studio time. You are competing with every musician in the world. If your tune stands out it will be noticed – often the production value make the difference. Great musical artists are not necessarily great studio engineers. To create a track of the required sonic quality, an inexperienced artist should solicit assistance from an audio engineer and producer with a proven record of accomplishment. A poor quality recording masks a good song. There is no substitute for practice – artists must practice their songs until they are fluid and smooth. Prior to recording, a few weeks of rehearsing the vocals and mastering all the guitar licks can make a world of difference. Sometimes artists submit material above their ability to play. We don’t look for intricacy, speed, or complexity. A simple well-played clean accompaniment is always preferable to a sloppily played complex arrangement. 5) What sets this opportunity apart from other events like it? We are a not for profit organization registered in the province of Ontario, Canada. All of the funds raised through our work go directly into the community, and we partner with such agencies as Earthday, and New Songs for peace. We have recognized the power of artistic expression, and encourage artists to make a difference in the world through their artform. We offer our artists worldwide exposure and open new markets. This is accomplished through global contacts in radio and media established by Brian Gladstone through his own albums releases. 6) What is the importance of this opportunity to an artist’s career? We like to feel that we have made a positive impact to the artist’s career. Following are a few quotes from artists who have appeared on our compilation CDS. The artists’ own words speak for them selves. “Being on this CD reminded me of my original mission.” “Not only did I receive a great deal of positive feedback as a result of my submission, I also felt I was contributing a positive message to the world”. “You’ve got me the first airplay in twenty years” “I’ve received emails from people around the globe who are enjoying my song “Change My World” and thanking me for participating in the project. It feels good to contribute to a worthwhile effort like this. Thanks for the opportunity.” 7) Little Known Fact About the Promoter or Opportunity: After twenty five years working as a self-educated engineering director and mad scientist, Brian Gladstone walked away from a six-figure salary to intentionally become a starving artist, and then founded ‘The Association of Artists for A Better World’. He is a child of the 1960’s, an attendee of Woodstock, an aging hippie, and a perpetual quixotic dreamer, whose lifestyle and belief system was shaped by a mindset and mentality that is somewhat foreign today. He grew up during the roots revolution, and witnessed first-hand how the power of music can alter the course of history, and turn underground ideas into the policy of a nation. There are so many vital causes and injustices in the world today, and we want to create an avenue for the artists of today to be heard and make a difference.     JOE DOLCE   Member Since: 2003 Hometown: Carlton, Victoria, Australia   Complete Story Featured on the “Protest Songs For a Better World” 2006 CD. What’s the coolest show you’ve ever played? Here are a couple of memorable ones that come to mind – with a thirty-year span between: When I was in my twenties in the 70s, i was invited to back up Muddy Waters on blues harp in a little club in Boston.   LENNY SOLOMON & THE SOLOMON BAND Member Since: 2004 Hometown: Cambridge, MA, USA   Complete Story Featured on the “Protest Songs For a Better World” 2006 CD. What’s the coolest show you’ve ever played? I think most of the places I’ve perfomed in have been cool in their own way… a few weeks ago we played as the open mic feature at a gathering where all of the other performers were spoken word folks, (i.e., writers and poets). That was very cool.

Pop Duo Joins Winterfolk’s Roots Music Bill

(Copyright (c) 2006 Toronto Star, All Rights Reserved. ) The connection with folk music becomes apparent, says Amanda Walther, when she and Sheila Carabine perform live. The former Scarborough high school-hallway harmonizing chums are now professional singing and songwriting partners in the Toronto pop duo DALA. “We play acoustic music, just guitar and voices, and the folk community has been really supportive of us. We have lots of fun with audiences, but I’d have to admit that DALA live and DALA on record are very different beasts.” One of the featured acts at this weekend’s fourth annual Winterfolk Festival on the Danforth, DALA was spotted last summer by Mariposa Folk Festival artistic director Randi Fratkin when the two 20-something women performed at a showcase for hopeful newcomers and won a slot on the Mariposa bill. Fratkin, who knows a thing or two about how to put together crowd- pleasing roots music events, was impressed enough to offer the duo a headlining spot at Winterfolk when she took over programming duties this year from the festival’s co-founder, folk-singing fingerpicker Brian Gladstone. Fortunately for Walther and Carabine, the two festival appearances – the biggest shows to date for the young performers, who have been honing their chops for three years at open-mike sessions and pay-what-you-can shows in roots boites such as Graffiti’s, the El Mocambo and Holy Joe’s – bookend a recording deal with Universal Music Canada and the release a few weeks ago of their debut CD, Angels & Thieves. Produced in his Aurora studio by Walther’s and Carabine’s novice manager Mike Roth, DALA’s first effort is a pretty mix of light, harmonic pop and introspective, post-teen lyricism. It’s peppered with unusually diverse covers – Neil Young’s “A Man Needs a Maid,” The Cure’s “Love Song,” Donovan’s “Catch the Wind” and the cabaret standard “Dream a Little Dream of Me” – that would seem a tad misplaced at a more traditional music gathering. But Winterfolk is hardly that, despite recent changes at its helm. Late last year founder Gladstone traded his day job – as partner with brother Howard in a electronics component design and manufacturing business – for the life of a gypsy troubadour. (Howard is also a songwriter and, coincidentally, the producer of the summertime City Roots City Wide acoustic music festival in the downtown Distillery District.) Winterfolk was intended from the get-go in 2002 to be an all- inclusive, renegade alternative to folk festivals that Gladstone felt had become too fastidious and clique-ridden. Maintaining a full-time performing and recording career is work aplenty, however, so this year Gladstone handed programming responsibilities over to Fratkin, a seasoned professional. There was one proviso that this successful addition to Toronto’s cultural life maintain its local flavour and continue to reflect the diversity of styles and genres of the city’s countless independent country, folk and blues musicians. Hence DALA appears on an eclectic and adventurous Winterfolk bill among 100 better known local roots artists, including Bebop Cowboys, Cindy Church, Digging Roots, Gregg Lawless, Heather Dale, Jason Fowler, Jory Nash, Lynn Harrison, Marigolds, Steve Payne and Wendell Ferguson. Winterfolk takes place through tomorrow evening at five venues on Danforth Ave. east of Broadview – the Bad Dog Theatre, Dora Keogh, the Danforth Cafe in the Danforth Baptist Church, The Black Swan and The Willow. For details, see www.winterfolk.com. DALA’s Walther and Carabine, who opened recently for Jann Arden at Massey Hall, say they’re not fazed by their relative lack of experience. In fact, it seems to have worked in their favour. “When we started performing, our friends and families encouraged us to keep it up, so when we heard the Trebas Institute was looking for guinea-pig bands for its recording engineering students to work with, we offered our services,” says Carabine. Carabine had studied piano at the Royal Conservatory but never considered herself a singer till she started writing songs with Walther, a naturally gifted vocalist from an intensely musical family. “That’s how we met our producer, who started recording us whenever we wrote something we liked, or had a new idea for a cover tune that would help introduce our style of music to audiences.” The video for the duo’s first single, “20 Something,” has landed on both CMT and Bravo! play lists. It was shot in a single day by a self-taught videographer and friend who flew in from Vancouver with just one camera and blocked an outdoor ad-hoc scenario on the fly. “This has all been our own doing,” Walther adds. “The rest has been good luck.”Who DALA When Today at 10 p.m. Where 285 Danforth Ave., in Danforth Baptist Church Tickets $50 for weekend passes at www.winterfolk.com, and $20 for day passes at all five Winterfolk venues Pop duo joins Winterfolk’s roots music bill Live they’re ‘just guitar and voices’ Festival presents diversity of styles [ONT Edition]         Toronto Star – Toronto, Ont. Author: GREG QUILL Date: Feb 4, 2006 Start Page: H.09 Section: Arts Text Word Count: 804          Document Text         [Illustration] DALA’s Sheila Carabine, left, and Amanda Walther are one of the featured acts at this weekend’s fourth annual Winterfolk Festival.     Credit: Toronto Star

North York Guitarist Behind Winterfolk

North York roots musician Brian Gladstone is bringing a huge roots festival, called Winterfolk, with more than 80 artists to the Danforth area of Toronto this weekend. But for his next major endeavour, the former student at William L. Mackenzie Collegiate Institute is promising to stay right at home in North York where he was born, raised and still lives. He said the first annual Brian Gladstone picnic for peace will be held July 19 in Mel Lastman Square. “I’m having a good old-fashioned peace rally,” he said in a recent interview. This weekend, however, all his energies will be on his huge Winterfolk festival, which is now in its fourth year, having started at College and Spadina but is now in its second year at the Danforth location. Winterfolk is billed as a blues and roots festival, “which basically leaves it wide open”, said Gladstone. “Roots music, to me, what that means is music that evolved or is indigenous to Canada or North America, which is all the folk styles, country music, bluegrass – those things evolved here. And that’s mainly what we’re focusing on.” Perhaps the most recognizable name to mainstream audiences is Russell DeCarle, founding member and stalwart of Prairie Oyster. He’s on tap tonight. Gladstone, this year, has brought in Randi Fratkin as artistic director. “She’s also the artistic director for the Mariposa Festival so she’s very well connected. She brings a great amount of expertise to us.” Besides the performances, workshops are also scheduled. Any guitar picker or roots music fan will want to check their web site out at www.winterfolk.com. Gladstone, a singer-songwriter with a unique finger picking style, will also perform at Winterfolk. He has four CDs to his credit, including his latest, A Time For New Beginnings. For anyone who enjoyed ’60s folk, this CD could catch you by surprise. But it’s no throwback. It’s completely relevant to today, commenting on a variety of issues, ranging from the Iraq invasion (Flags of Freedom) and the nine-to-five rut (Office Tower Blues) and is presented in a variety of moods. Also of note is a compilation CD he has produced called Protest Songs For a Better World. Any fan of ’60s folk would no doubt be ecstatic to see the protest-song tradition very much alive and relevant. The joke for many aspiring musicians is … don’t give up your day job. With Gladstone, the local music scene has obviously benefited from his doing exactly that. He spent the last 25 years as a director of engineering and as a research engineer and has two patents to his name, but since he put out his first CD in 1999, his obvious love and talent for music has taken over. “Just in the last year, I’ve basically retired from the corporate world, and 100 per cent of my time is devoted towards my creative interests,” he said. One of those interests is the registered non-profit Association of Artists for a Better World. It is under that umbrella that he puts on Winterfolk and issues the compilation CDs. Check out that web site at www.abetterworld.ca. For more on his own CDs and performance schedule, check out his web site at www.backtothedirt.com Credit: North York North York guitarist behind Winterfolk [Final Edition] The North York Mirror – North York, Ont. Author: Norm Nelson Date: Feb 2, 2006 Start Page: 01 Section: Lifestyle Text Word Count: 537

Chill Out At Winterfolk

By MARY DICKIE Chill at Winterfolk – Thu, February 2, 2006 Popular weekend music festival will help you get out of the doldrums Local singer-songwriter Brian Gladstone started Winterfolk in 2003 to bring together people who love acoustic folk, country and blues music at a bleak time of the year. Obviously, he was onto something because this weekend the festival’s fourth edition will fill five venues in the Broadview/Danforth area — the Black Swan, Dora Keogh, The Willow, the Bad Dog Theatre and the Danforth Cafe — with music and talk from 100 rootsy artists. You can buy a pass for $55 and wander around, or pick and choose from the impressive lineup. Perhaps you will discover Linda McLean, a singer-songwriter based in Huntsville, Ont., who kicks things off Friday at The Willow. McLean’s second album, No Language, has been attracting attention for its forthright lyrics and likable, countryish tunes, as well as her lovely Harmer-esque vocals. Also playing Friday are higher-profile country singers Cindy Church and Russell De Carle, whose gorgeous voice put the sparkle in Prairie Oyster, as well as Gladstone himself, Jory Nash, Greg Hobbs and Digging Roots, the duo of Raven Kanatakta and ShoShona Kish who draw from aboriginal music traditions as well as blues and jazz. On Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the festival offers workshops and discussions on subjects like road stories, songwriting, influences and six-string mastery, as well as a children’s show. Saturday evening’s highlights include the beautiful, sharply observed country songs of two-time Juno winner Jenny Whiteley, Cape Breton-bred roots-rock singer Michael Brennan, country swing band the Bebop Cowboys and up-and-coming vocal duo DALA. On Sunday, check out the Sisters Of Sheynville, an all-female band led by Lenka Lichetenberg and Isabel Fryszberg, who came together two years ago to play music influenced by Eastern European Yiddish traditions, Czech musical theatre and American country blues. Greg Wyard, Maury Lafoy and Jason Fowler are also on Sunday’s lineup. For details, go to winterfolk.com.

Winterfolk Brings Roots Music To Danforth

Reprinted from the North York Mirror Newspaper by NORM nelson

More from this author  Jan. 26, 2006

Winterfolk Brings Roots Music To Danforth

Big city residents who are fans of guitar pickin’ and roots music usually have to pencil in a summer folk festival in a rural area to get their fill.

Next weekend, however, a festival is coming to you.

In its fourth year, Winterfolk will run all next weekend (Feb. 3-5) from Friday night to Sunday. And for the second straight year, it’s being held right in our neck of the woods, in a cluster of a half a dozen venues on the Danforth, near Broadview.

The festival is the brainchild of Brian Gladstone, born and raised in North York and a noted roots musician himself with four CDs to his credit. He is also one of the more than 80 performers lined up.

With Randi Fratkin on board this year as artistic director, Gladstone, the founder and festival director, said it should appeal to an even broader audience.

“She’s also the artistic director for the Mariposa Festival so she’s very well connected. She brings a great amount of expertise to us.”

The festival started out originally at Spadina and College for the first two years but moved to the Danforth last year to allow the festival room to grow.

“There’s a lot of good venues, all of them walking distance from the subway. Also the Danforth BIA (Business Improvement Association), they’ve welcomed us, and they’re working with us very closely,” said Gladstone.

Winterfolk is billed as a blues and roots festival “which basically leaves it wide open,” said Gladstone. “Roots music, to me, what that means, is music that evolved or is indigenous to Canada or North America, which is all the folk styles, country music, bluegrass – those things evolved here. And that’s mainly what we’re focusing on.”

Toronto Community News, which publishes The Mirror, is also one of the sponsors

There are literally too many artists to mention. Many of the national and internationally renowned artists live in the area, particularly in Riverdale which has a noted arts community, including the Bebop Cowboys.

But certainly, the rest of the province and the country will be well represented along with a some key international acts, including Russell deCarle, the lead singer, bass player and a founding member of Prairie Oyster.

DeCarle has been awarded Canadian Country Music Association, Juno and SOCAN awards, has been a guest on the CBC Songwriters’ Circle Series, toured with the Bluebird North Series and opened for Merle Haggard.

The festival also reserves a handful of coveted spots for new or emerging artists, some of whom have used it as springboard to a performing career.

The locations, all within easy walking distance of the Broadview subway stop, include three bars – the Willow, Dora Keogh and the Black Swan (two stages, main floor and upstairs) – as well as the Bad Dog Theatre and the Danforth Cafe in the Danforth Baptist Church.

There are plenty of ticket options. You can buy a three-day festival pass, single day pass or single venue admission.

The best way to check it out further is to log onto their website located at www.winterfolk.com.

A Better World, One Song At A Time

reprinted from to-nite Magazine, GTA CORE -  Issue 329, Sept. 9 – 22, 2004

  Brian Gladstone Trying To Make  A Better World

One Song At a Time

 You may call him a dreamer, but Brian Gladstone’s not the only one. The self-described ‘psychedelic pholkie’, who’s also the impresario behind the now annual Winterfolk February Folk festival (the third edition takes place this Feb. 4-6 ‘05) has started up yet another new initiative to promote local music and, hopefully, improve the mental environment.

The Association of Artists For A Better World is a non-profit organization Gladstone has registered to “advocate artistic activism” by stimulating artists’ “awareness of social, cultural and ecological issues” and encouraging them to express their understanding through their art.

To get the ball rolling, Gladstone has assembled a collection of songs from artists across the country whose songs he became aware of through their applications for or performances at Winterfolk. A compilation disc, Peace Songs For A Better World, contains 15 original tunes and is now available for sale at www.abetterworld.ca .  A follow-up disc, ‘Songs For A Better Planet’, is scheduled for release in January.

Gladstone also continues to hold a very successful weekly open stage at artist-friendly Renaissance Café at 1938 Danforth Ave. a block west of Woodbine. He’s bringing is some of Folk’s local superstars as weekly feature guests, including Noah Zacharin (Sept. 9), Michael Laderoute (Sept. 16) and, coming Sept. 30, Suzie Vinnick. In the midst of all that the gifted fingerpicker also finds time to perform — recently he placed fourth in the Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Competition.

by Gary 17

Folkies offer A Winter Warm up

Feb 2, 2004 

Festival takes over five venues this weekend Blues and country acts join varied line-up

(Copyright (c) 2004 Toronto Star, All Rights Reserved. ) Jan 2004

Someone out there had a psychic connection to Mother Nature. Between the cold and the snow, we can use a bit of a distraction right about now, and the various events happening under the Wintercity festival umbrella should help do the trick.

Among these happenings is Winterfolk which, despite its name, also has a substantial blues and country component.

Starting tomorrow night and running to Sunday night, Winterfolk rounds up 70 musicians into five College St.-area venues for music, talk and schmoozing. The organizers are billing it as an indoor winter equivalent to a summer folk festival.

The venues are, from east to west Swallow Deli and Lounge at 292 College St.; Rancho Relaxo, 300 College St.; the Free Times Cafe, 320 College St.; Thymeless Bar & Grill, 355 College St.; and the Silver Dollar Room, 486 Spadina Ave.

Here are some highlights (warning tomorrow night’s line-up is the hardest to choose from)

Hot young Winnipeg multi-keyboard player Michael Johnston is one of the “showcase” acts specially chosen by the organizers. He’ll perform at the Silver Dollar tomorrow at 8 p.m.

What better way to truly warm up than at the Silver Dollar’s 11 p.m. Acoustic Delta Blues program, followed at midnight by Jack de Keyzer and his band.

There are two late-night events of interest tomorrow at Thymeless, starting with a program of “high-speed-pickin’” guitar aces at 10 and a song-writing workshop at 11 hosted by Norm Hacking.

The Star’s own Greg Quill sings and strums with the Usual Suspects at Free Times on Saturday at 9 p.m.

Josh White and Michael Pickett share some blues music and stories at the Dollar Saturday at 11 p.m.

One of Sunday’s highlights is The Ballad Of Phil Ochs, Zachary Stevenson’s one-man historical “folk musical” set in the social and political turmoil of the mid-1960s. It starts at 4 p.m. at Rancho Relaxo.

The full schedule is available at www.winterfolk.com

Single-day pass tickets are $20, or it’s $40 for the weekend. Tickets are available at each club and at Ticketmaster.

[Illustration] Winnipeg showcase performer Michael Johnston hits the Silver Dollar stage tomorrow night.  Document Text Toronto Star – Toronto, Ont. Author: John Terauds Date: Jan 29, 2004 Start Page: G.04 Section: Entertainment Text Word Count: 355 Credit: Toronto Star

Winterfolk warms souls with rootsy music in Toronto clubs

Toronto Sun          Posted on Thursday January 29, 2004
There’s a movement afoot to keep us from succumbing to the obvious temptations of hibernation this weekend. It’s called Winterfolk, an annual festival that brings nearly 70 folky, bluesy and otherwise rootsy artists to five club venues in the College and Spadina area starting tomorrow and running through Sunday. Besides showcases from well-known artists like Ray Materick, Joe Hall, Bill Garrett, Ron Nigrini, Norm Hacking, Jack de Keyzer, Danny Marks and Michael Pickett, Winterfolk also presents the winners of its continent-wide emerging talent showcase, who include New Mexican Kyle Lange, Saskatchewan guitarist Joel Fafard, acclaimed “sentimental soul” pianist Michael Johnston and Ottawa jazz/folk duo Clear.

Festival To Chase Off Winter Chill

 Jan 30, 2003

Festival to Chase Off Winter’s Chill

First Winterfest debuts tomorrow Roster includes folksy who’s-who

Copyright 2003 Toronto Star, All Rights Reserved.Jan 30, 2003

“When we did our last CD release concert at Hugh’s Room a few months back, Brian Gladstone approached us with this idea about a giant acoustic music festival in downtown Toronto in the middle of winter,” says local singer/songwriter Ember Swift.“It sounded okay to me. I mean, there are so many roots artists playing in and around Toronto, but the work is scattered and you never really know in advance what’s going on.

“Besides, everyone’s so busy hustling their own acts … you hardly ever get a chance to see other players, or share stages with them.”

Swift, with seven independent albums to her credit, including the recent Stiltwalking (available at www.emberswift.com), is no stranger to folk festivals. She’s about to embark on her fourth tour of Australia in half as many years, playing at several large outdoor events in March and April, and is quickly winning hearts with her punk-tinged jazz-pop songs at festivals across North America.

But like others in the folk community, she had doubts that Gladstone, a champion finger-picker and an earnest songwriter, could pull off a 100-act, three-day event in Toronto in January, when most performers are either on the road in warmer climes, or hibernating and woodshedding in preparation for the 100 or more acoustic music festivals that fill the Canadian summer.

“He’s a really persistent guy,” Swift continues. “It looks as if he has pulled it off.”

In Brian Gladstone’s world, there’s no such thing as a missed opportunity.

Winterfolk, the festival he has been planning for the past two years, kicks off tomorrow night at five clubs within walking distance of each other in the College and Spadina Aves. district- El Mocambo, Rancho Relaxo, The Comfort Zone, Oasis, The Silver Dollar- and will conclude Sunday with an all-day event at UofT’s Convocation Hall.

The roster is enormous, considering Winterfolk is a new starter on the festival agenda.

More than 100 acts have signed on, most of them Canadian artists, most of them local- Swift, Ron Nigrini, Brent Titcomb, Bill Colgate, Bob Snider, Dennis O’Toole, Ian Tamblyn, Jory Nash, Marianne Girard, Melwood Cutlery, Norm Hacking, Terry Tufts among them- with a couple of veteran U.S. folk artists- Tom Rush and Josh White Jr. to round things out.

“If no one’s knocking, you’ve got to build a door,” is one of many aphorisms that pepper Gladstone’s conversation.

“Unless you’re part of that very close circle of people who make it onto the summer festival circuit every year, it’s hard to find decent places to play in Toronto.

“And if city folk want to see roots artists in a festival setting, they have to wait for the summer and drive way out into the country.

Winterfolk is the first festival to bring so many artists together in one downtown neighbourhood at the time of year when people are going stir crazy.”

A designer of electrical transformers and sound reinforcement equipment by day- “the work has financed my music for 25 years,” he says- Gladstone has recorded three albums since 1999 (check out www.backtothedirt.com).

He’s particularly proud of the fact that Winterfolk exists without government grants and tax dollar assistance of any kind, and that it’s predominantly a celebration of homegrown talent.

He expects the event will clear its financial obligations after 1,500 weekend passes are sold at $35 plus tax apiece.

Day passes ($15 tomorrow and $20 Saturday and Sunday) are also available at the venues and through Ticketmaster (check local listings or www.winterfolk.com for the schedule).

Children under 12 are admitted free, and there’s an “all ages” permit at three venues- Comfort Zone, Convocation Hall and, until 9 p.m., Rancho Relaxo- which means no liquor, wine or beer will be sold.

“We’ve had help from other festival organizers, particularly Northern Lights in Sudbury, and from the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals,” Gladstone adds. “But basically this thing has come together one brick at a time.

“You just keep moving your brush till the picture tells a story.”

TREVOR MILLS RELEASE

Another story worthy of attention is the CD release party tomorrow at Hugh’s Room for Trevor Mills’s debut solo effort, Karaoke Cowboy.

Trevor’s the bass-playing, songwriting son of elder folk statesman Paul Mills.

A fine picker- he’s known in the trade as Curly Boy Stubbs- Paul now runs his own studio, The Millstream, where many fine roots and folk recordings have emerged in the past five years, including his son’s.

Expect tomorrow’s gig to be a gathering of intergenerational folk music families- on stage and off.What: Winterfolk festival

When: Tomorrow to Sun., Feb. 2

Where: Oasis, Rancho Relaxo, El Mocambo, Comfort Zone, The Silver Dollar, Convocation Hall

Tickets: Weekend pass $35 plus tax @ 416-870-800

Festival to chase off winter’s chill
First Winterfest debuts tomorrow Roster includes folksy who’s-who
[Ontario Edition]
Toronto Star – Toronto, Ont.
Date:	Jan 30, 2003
Start Page:	K.03
Section:	ENTERTAINMENT
Text Word Count:	814
0 or at the door. Day passes $15 Friday, $20 Saturday and Sunday.    [Illustration] Caption: Singer/songwriter Ember Swift, who is winning hearts with her punk-tinged jazz-pop songs, performs at Winterfolk this week.

Ember Swift

Winterfolk 2004 -Toronto-In Review

Held January 30-February 1/04

By Angela Boudreau, Tuesday, February 03, 2004

This was the second year for this indoor folk festival. Held in 5 venues in the Spadina/College area of downtown Toronto. Friday evening at the Thymeless Bar & Grill I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing one of my favourite singer/songwriters David Leask. David is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, but has been living here in Canada for 12 years now. His latest CD is called Tightrope of Dreams and I highly recommend it. Every River is included on the CD along with Caledonia. You can check out his website at http://www.davidleask.com and hear clips of the songs. The same night we heard Michael Laderoute, Doug Doughty, Michael Troy, and then we had a show titled Guitar Aces – High Speed Pickers which included David Gillisas host (neat man), Shane Simpson, Norman Liota, and Noah Zacharin. If that wasn’t enough for one night we went onto a Song Writing Workshop which included the amazing Norm Hacking as host, David Bradstreet, Joe Hall, Tony Turner, Sam Larkin, and Norman Liota, and Michael Laderoute again. This was a neat session as each one talked about where their inspiration comes from to write.

Saturday got off to a later start then I would have liked. I slept in a bit too late, and Jen was joining me for the day as well. The party animal she is didn’t get in until 5:30am was it? Anyway lol we started off at the Swallow Lounge and Deli (new place for me!) We managed to catch the end of the Ballad of Phil Ochs. I’m just going to post what it says in my program about this show. Zachary Stevenson as protest singer Phil Ochs – A riveting one-man folk musical set against the backdrop of the political and social unrest of the 1960′s. I would have liked to have seen this as it was raved about the entire weekend. What we did see was interesting. Trevor Mills was next up, and very entertaining. I think I’ll have to check him out around town more often as he often plays at Hugh’s Room, and with other musicians around town. Ron Nigrini who has over 35 years of experience performing and recording, took the stage next. Then there was a break in the schedule so we went for a quick bite to eat before heading over to the Thymeless Bar & Grill to hear Toronto native, Peter Verity belt out tunes, play his guitar and harmonica. We sprinted back over to the Swallow Lounge and Deli for the last few songs from SisterLune. Amazing vocals, harmonies, and beats on the drums. Next was a show I was really looking forward to as it included one of my favourites… (yes another) Wendell Ferguson as host to Master of the Acoustic 6 String. Joining Wendell was the great David Gillis, Manitoba Hal, Normal Liota, Brian Gladstone (director of the festival), and the amazing Tony Quarrington. There might have a couple more folks in there as well. Lots of instrumentals played during this 2 hour session, but I was kept awake by the few vocals snuck in here and there. Yes it’s no secret… I am not a fan of instrumental music. I think I know talent when I see it (hear it) though, and all the musicians were incredible. Next was my favourite of the whole festival… Jory Nash. Some of you have seen him before. His set was cut a bit short when someone in the audience passed out, fell, and hit their head pretty hard on the floor. They were out cold for sometime.. 911 was called and they took him away in the ambulance… or I assume he was taken away. We left before that. So the night didn’t end on a very high note.

Sunday I was working the door at the Free Times Cafe. It’s one of my favourite venues in the city as it’s very quaint. First off we had a workshop titled Submitting Successful Showcase Applications which was intended for up and coming artists of course. Tony Quarrington was the host. He’s actually the one who goes through all their submissions looking for showcase artists for this festival. It was an interesting hour even for those of us non-artists. If I ever by some miracle become a musician…. I bet I could get a showcase spot for Winterfolk! Next up was Gregg Lawless who was fantastic!!! very funny, talented, and funny. He had his merchandise person put a CD in front of everyone, and it was pay what you can lol he joked around a lot on stage. It was great. I’m definately going to keep my eye open for future Lawless dates. David Gillis and Jason Fowler took the stage next for many instrumental tunes, stories, ballads, and instrumentals. The crowd was very into which makes a big difference. I found during the other shows you could always hear too many people talking in the background, and it was annoying. You don’t have that at Free Times. Last up for the evening was once again Ron Nigrini. My shift was over so I only stayed for half his set before heading back over to the Swallow Lounge and Deli where Ray Materick from Hamilton was playing. He’s a singer/songwriter who definately has lots of stories to tell.

Well that was Winterfolk for this year. I’m already looking forward to next years. It’s only in its second year so it’s still growing. I’m sure next year will be even bigger and better. Take care all, Ang .

 www.AtlanticSeabreeze.com