Last Tuesday was a great night for the Hamilton music scene and you should have been there. Playing It Forward was the brainchild of Hamilton's Shari Dunn and Jonny Kerr. On their own, Jonny and Shari have been performing in the Hamilton and Brantford area and are a talented duo. Regular performances at the Cat and Fiddle and on the bill with many other local artists have connected the duo to many of the best performers in the Hamilton Area.
Playing it forward had the double goal of raising money for a worthy cause (the Brian Lee Grifith Guitar Bursary) and bringing together some of Hamilton's best singers, songwriters and performers for a celebration of their songs.
The evening was broken into two segments. The first part of the evening featured each of the performers playing one of their original songs. I felt like I was listening to part of a greatest hits album for Hamilton indie musicians with some stand-out performances from Sarah Beatty, Mary Simon and Deeps.
The Second segment of the evening was where things got really interesting. Each of the musicians had been secretly asked to perform a song from one of the other performers that evening. None of them knew who would be performing their song until they heard it being sung, and everyone was asked to put their own spin on the song.
The result was a celebration of local talent that was passionate, joyful and stacked with emotion. As a singer-songwriter I can attest that hearing others interpret your music is an incredible experience. For the artist covering the songs, the added pressure of knowing that the composer was in the audience seemed to add an edge to every performance resulting in enthusiastic, heartfelt and emotional renditions of what were without exception (and this really shouldn't be understated) really great songs.
The success of the night will hopefully encourage Jonny and Shari to make this a regular event and when pressed, Jonny did suggest that this may be something they'd like to do 3 or 4 times a year. Keep your ear to the ground people - if it does come up again, you should be there.
Glenn Matthews Shhh and livestalk @ HAVNThurs April 13th w Queerfang music from 8:30-11:15pm doors @ 8:00pm $ pwyc all ages genre: mixed punk,no wave,slowcore,hush, noise...etc... Who should go If you like a bit of angst in your tea. If you aren't afraid of a little dissonance and music that's far away from the mainstream. If you're comfortable in a smaller unlicenced venue. This is a queer/trans/femme identifying friendly event so you should feel especially welcome if you identify as such. Why should I go? Glenn Matthews, Shhh and livestalk & the bodies are a pretty solid lineup - this should be pretty great. Set Times 8:30//////// QUEERFANG (ham) So this is Queerfang's first show apparently - give them a shot 9:15/////// Glenn Matthews (philly) somber songwrite slowcore https://glennmatthews.bandcamp.com/ If you can't make it early try to make it by 9:15. Glenn's writing is solid. His songs (like next time we meet) hit
Corin Raymond + Treasa Levasseur & Brian Kobayakawa, Sat Apr 29 Genre: Folk Singer/Songwriter 8 pm $15. https://www.corinraymond.com/shows Singer/storyteller Corin Raymond will be joined by Hamilton-based keyboardist and songbird Treasa Levasseur, along with upright bassist Brian Kobayakawa, for an entertaining evening of new songs and old. Why Should I Go? If you don't know Corin or haven't heard of him I can personally vouch for the fact that you will absolutely enjoy this show. Corin not only writes great songs but also captivates the audience with the (often funny) stories behind his songs. Corin may very well still be celebrating the Juno nomination for his album Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams, as well as sharing some songs as yet unrecorded. “Corin Raymond is a storyteller who by the end of the night you’ll have known your whole life.” – The Globe and Mail.
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