Seventh Town to play Sharbot Lake As Part of Mini-Tour

Aug 07, 2025

Eastern Ontario-based Celtic folk band Seventh Town is bringing its traditional music to cottage country this August in a tour with stops in the Rideau Lakes, the Land O’ Lakes region, Prince Edward County and Trent Hills.

Heavily influenced by the music of the Scottish and Irish people who settled these regions generations ago, Seventh Town’s fiddle tunes and four-part vocal harmonies reinvigorate old songs with new life in a show suitable for all ages.

Performing since 2008, the band is made up of Martin Smit on vocals and guitar, Meghan Balogh on vocals and fiddle, Trisha Elliot on vocals and whistles and Fraser Hardman on vocals and bass.

Lead singer Martin Smit, who plays with other groups in the Prince Edward County region, points out that Seventh Town’s songbook reflects both lesser-known traditional songs as well as those that may invite nostalgia in listeners — especially in cottage country, where live music shared at home and in the community continues to be a part of the Canadian cottaging experience.

“The band members all have great memories of camping and cottages and making music in the summer with friends,” Smit says. “We know people will enjoy the songs, the stories and the humour.  This is a show with something for everyone —  traditional roots music with a fine balance of fun and heartfelt songs mixed with wonderful fiddle tunes.”

The band’s fiddle player Meghan Balogh, who grew up in the Sharbot Lake area, played in the Blue Skies Fiddle Orchestra for a short time and maintains close ties to the region, is happy to be returning home with her music after venturing out musically over the past two decades.

Balogh, who's a fixture weekly at the Cove Inn in Westport, has performed and recorded with many bands over the years across the province, including with now locally-based Canadian comedian Tom Green and touring with JUNO Award-winning folk singer, David Francey. She has shared the stage with some of Canada’s favourite folk musicians.

“Coming home to play in Sharbot Lake means a lot to me,” she says. “It’s where my love of folk music and fiddle music really got its start, playing with family friends in Sharbot Lake and learning these songs that are ancient, but really timeless.”

Seventh Town’s songbook is carefully curated with pieces that showcase not only traditional melodies, but also the band’s musicality and careful arrangements. Each member takes a turn singing lead vocals, which makes for a nice variety for audiences and band members alike.

“The attraction of playing in any band is the ability to make interesting and beautiful sounds together,” Smit says. “Traditional music has the added bonus of letting us learn what many people have played before and making it fresh and fun. We love songs that tell interesting stories.”

Smit says that Seventh Town’s music is for everyone.

“We so often see young children dancing to the fiddle tunes, and mature folks swaying to the traditional songs,” he says. “It is music that brings us back to a simpler time and reminds us of our past and our heritage.”

Seventh Town performs in Prince Edward County on Aug. 5, in Warkworth on Aug. 7, Delta on Aug. 10 and Sharbot Lake on Aug. 11. Tickets are available online or at the door. 

For more information, visit www.seventhtown.ca.