Ever since Frank and Sandra White started booking shows after they purchased and renovated the Crossing Pub at the Sharbot Lake Country Inn, it has been known as the home away from home for Newfoundland musicians. This first performer in the new space, and this will make for a good trivia question some day, was the legendary songwriter, the late Ron Hynes.

Since then the range of musicians has expanded as the Pub has become established as an acoustic music venue on a regional, even provincial, scale. One of the lost boys from Newfoundland who were given a gig, and refuge, by the Whites, is Tom Powers and his band, the Dardanelles.

Powers is with the CBC in Toronto now, and has been playing duo gigs with virtuoso fiddler John Showman (Lonesome Ace Stringband, New Country Rehab, Foggy Hogtown Boys and many others) at the Cameron House in that city. The two have performed together at the Crossings Pub in the past. Powers is working on a bluegrass podcast, and in doing so, he came across Tatiana Hargreaves and Winnipeg-born Allison de Groot.

Hargreaves (fiddle) and de Groot (clawhammer banjo) are young stars in the bluegrass/old-time music tradition, and have performed with some of the major stars of the genre. They are both immersed in the Appalachian musical tradition, which is one of the prime sources for bluegrass, country and blues music. They put out an eponymous recording this year, and played Sharbot Lake last Friday night, in a double bill with Showman and Powers, as part of a short tour of Ontario and Quebec.

The Showman/Powers set was enjoyable, as Powers provided support on guitar for Showman’s inventive and technically masterful take on tunes from Newfoundland, Appalachia and beyond.

Hargreaves and de Groot played a somewhat more understated set, taken mostly from their album, as the audience leaned in to hear the intricate interplay between de Groot’s skillful and creative banjo and Hargreaves inventive fiddle and vocals. Their music, deeply rooted in history, but with the perspective of a contemporary political, social, and musical sensibility, was remarkable.

For too short a time, the four musicians performed together, and hearing Showman and Hargreaves together, two masters at work while listening and playing off each other, was another treat.

The quality of the sound in the Crossing Pub, even the vibrations from the audiences’ and musicians’ toes tapping on the floors, has made the venue itself part of the magic that happens during many of the shows. It is becoming a storied venue.

Upcoming shows at the Crossings Pub include: Turpin’s Trail on March 14th, a St. Patrick’s Day show that is sold out. On March 21st, Durham County Poets are performing (tickets are $25 – dinner reservations suggested) If you haven’t seen this band, get ready for fine music, and some wicked jokes.

AFTER 20 years of playing together as Madison Violet, Lisa MacIsaac and Brenley MacEachern have it down. In particular, they have the harmonies down.

They’re up there with Simon & Garfunkel, Lennon & McCartney, Crosby, Stills & Nash.

And that started right from the beginning.

“Lisa auditioned for my band (Zoebliss) one night in Toronto,” MacEachern said. “She was only playing fiddle at that time.

“So, she came over to my place and I put some guitar and vocals on a looper.

“I went upstairs to get us a drink and I heard this incredible harmony to my tracks.

“It was her.”

That band broke up but as a duo they’ve continued on through nine albums, numerous awards and nominations and a constant touring schedule. They just returned from three weeks in Germany and stopped in to The Crossing Pub in Sharbot Lake Friday night. This was their third or fourth time in town, Nobody seems to remember.

But nobody that was there Friday night will forget those harmonies.

It might be surprising that their music is so folk-oriented given that both have Maritime music roots.

Yes, MacIsaac is Ashley MacIsaac’s sister but she is not Natalie MacMaster’s cousin.

“Natalie lived maybe five houses down and we did go to the same school,” MacIsaac said. “Route 19 was full of fiddlers and we all learned from Stan Chapman.”

MacEachern was born in Montreal and grew up in Kincardine, ON. But her father is from Craigmore, NS.

“Mom can’t sing to save her soul but my father is the singer in the family,” she said.

MacIsaac said that while she grew up on Maritime music and Scottish fiddle tunes (as well as an admitted affinity for the song The Cat Came Back), “I wanted something different so I moved away when I was 19.”

Landing in Toronto, she fell in with the folk scene there and just sort of grew into it naturally.

“When you play a lot of folk festivals, you pick up a lot of things,” she said.

Curiously, one festival they’ve never played is Blue Skies, but they’d like to.

“I’ve heard it’s a lot of fun,” MacIsaac said.

They’d fit right in.

While there were a couple of tables of locals Friday night, most of the audience seemed to be from Ottawa, Brockville, or just elsewhere, opting to spend the night at the Inn after taking in the show.

Clearly, the audience was full of fans and the evening turned into bit of live by request as the girls seemed only too happy to oblige said requests.

In fact, in a crowd-pleasing twist, they even ventured into the audience, saving their (arguably) biggest tune, Crying, for an encore before finishing up with 99 Red Balloons.

Hell, they even covered The Stones earlier on in the evening (Wild Horses).

For the first time in its 20-year history, the Rock’n’Roll Toy Drive has been sold out before the night of the event.

“All of the 250 tickets have been sold,” said Tom Revell, Verona-area musician who’s been instrumental in bringing the event to fruition for more than two decades. “We’re really happy.

“We sold out last year too but the last of the tickets were sold at the door that night.”

The Rock’n’Roll Toy Drive is an evening of music and silent auctions at the Sydenham Legion Dec. 14. Doors are open at 7:30 p.m. with the music starting at 8 p.m. unlike previous years when it started at 9 p.m. This year’s bands include Little Betty, Still Standing, Project 29 and Bauderroad.

“We’re starting the bands earlier this year because even though it goes to 1 a.m., people start to leave about 12:30,” he said. “But as people go, others can come in.

“The folks at the door will deal with that.”

All proceeds go to the Sydenham Relief Fund and Christmas for Kids.

Although this is ‘officially’ the 20th such event, Revell said they actually held a couple of similar events before getting the current incarnation going.

“We actually started in 1994, I think, with Little Betty,” he said. “I think we did a couple but then took a couple of years off. Something like that.”

Revell acknowledged he didn’t organize these things all by himself.”

“Jamie Deline did much of the organizing again,” he said.

And, he said, they wouldn’t be able to do it without some corporate sponsors.

“Ryan Rose at Century 21 has helped us every year with a $250 donation to get things going,” he said. “Our other corporate sponsors who helped pay for the event are BDK Insulation and Cataraqui Cabinets.

“And Foodland Sydenham and Findlay Foods have been great.”

It was cold, and dark, last Friday night, but that didn't stop the crowd from coming out and packing the Maberly Hall for the Tay Valley Community Choir's annual Christmas concert.  

The choir's first number, which I partially missed, because I arrived fashionably late, was, from all accounts, one of the best of the evening and a great way to get the evening underway.  This piece was a medley called 'Jingle Bells through the Ages'.  It included many tunes and mini solos and ensembles from the choir, including a cameo appearance from Elvis himself, as Eric Zeigler rocked the mutton chops and mimicked the voice of the king, to the delight of the audience.

There were many participatory opportunities throughout the evening.  The audience was given song sheets and were highly encouraged to sing along a number of times.  This really added to the fun of the evening, we weren't just watching, we were part of it. There were no long, drawn out versions of any of the carols.  They were shortened to a few key verses, and this really helped to keep the evening rolling along.

The songs were varied, from beautiful old ones sung in Latin, to dynamic renditions of more modern tunes, like 'Whisper, Whisper' and 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' (complete with a real life grinch, Fred Barrett, coming out and scaring the audience. Even the choir's deft piano player, Mary Lou Carrol, leapt from her seat in a frightful scream). 

There were tunes sung in solos, small ensembles, and with the entire choir.  Some of these soloists were: Marily Seitz, Anne Thomlison, Sheila Kroetsch, Ted Bryant, Virginia Beckett, and Kathy Doornekamp.  A solstice carol, and a calypso Christmas lullaby were included in the mix.  There was even a funny skit involving two of Santa's elves, Robin Jones and Kim Bonner.  

After the intermission, local group, Fiddlers and Friends, took the stage to breeze through a short and varied set of a few of their favourite instrumental tunes.  The group was quite well received.  (I know this, as I am a member of this group.)  The choir and audience joined in on their final tune, Lullaby Noel.

One of the highlights of the night, was when choir director, Rebecca Worden, accompanied by choir member Faith Hutton on harp, sang two hymns, demonstrating at once Worden's vocal prowess, and the sensitivity of Hutton's playing.  Another highlight was Night of Silence/Silent Night, one of the choir's final songs.  These two songs were sung counterpoint, where a harmony was created by the two melodies being sung simultaneously by different voices in the choir; and in the last verse, the voices of the audience came in as well. 

To top it off, at the end of the concert, the audience was invited to stay to schmooze and to enjoy the many varied culinary offerings that choir members had brought to share.  The performance lifted our spirits and kept us warm, as we all left the hall to go back into that cold night. 

The choir is always happy to have new members.  Anyone interested should contact Rebecca Worden for information. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call: (613) 264-1458.   

Back in the day, John Fradenburgh was part of the Toronto music scene. These days, he runs a coffee house/music store in Northbrook.

The musician in him remains strong as does his desire to play with other musicians. That’s probably why he invites a bunch of them over on the third Friday of each month (from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) for a bit of a jam. Essentially everyone’s invited, whether you play or not.

“I go back a million years, playing in rock’n’roll bands in the ’60s and ’70s (such as Donnie and the Corvairs),” he said. “I was known as a drop-in drummer — anything, any style.

“I was even in a polka band.”

These days, he’s pretty much settled in on bass, but he can play most instruments.

“I got tired of lugging drums around,” he said. “And on drums, you don’t get your name in lights.

“And, you’re in the back and if you get flashed, you have to be paying attention.

“I’ve been flashed about 20 times and each time I wasn’t paying attention.”

He did spend many years in the garage business (“I’m still a licenced mechanic”), from 1976 to 1990 in Brampton and Mississauga. But he and his wife at the time bought a cottage on 41 just north of Bon Echo.

“My wife always wanted a Yarn Store so we opened up Log Cabin Yarns,” he said. “I said ‘let’s start a music store’ so we were music and yarn.

“In 2012, my wife left and I didn’t want yarn so we just started selling coffee.”

Fradenburgh is hardly a newcomer to the local music scene however. He and a group of friends started up The Old Farts and were known to play regularly in places like the old Northbrook Hotel. They also hosted an open mike there.

But, as bands do, that one sort of dissolved of natural causes and this past spring, he decided to start up monthly jams again with Spill the Beanz becoming magnetic north for such things.

“We started off with country but I’m a rocker, Johnny B. Goode,” he said. “But I’ve learned a few country tunes.”

The format at Spill the Beanz tends to be an ‘anything goes.’ There’s no house band per se, essentially just Fradenburgh on bass and whoever shows up.

“Whatever you want to play, we’ll play,” he said. “It just can’t be too loud.”

And some people drive quite a ways to sit in with Fradenburg.

Dale O’Hara came from the other side of Belleville to jam.

“At most open mikes, you get two or three songs and then you sit down,” he said. “Here, I can do 10 if I want to.

“It’s a fairly long drive but it’s worth it.”

The musical variety night held Saturday Nov 16 in BellRock was an evening of contrasts. Instruments ranged from the delicate sounds of handbells to the sweet sounds of flutes . From a the sounds of a strident bagpipe, to that of a gentle harp.

The hit of the night was almost certainly the Limestone Bellringers, conducted by Janet MacDonald. The delicate and magical sound of this group had the audience mesmerised. Honestly, the acoustics in this 150-year old former schoolhouse seemed to be made to best show off the resonance of these bells. Janet explained a few of the techniques and sounds that can be obtained from the instruments and the bellringers demonstrated.

Ian Mackay turned up in full Highland dress and delighted the audience with several medleys on his bagpipes. He educated us on some of the details of his outfit and also on the instrument. And no, we didn’t ask to see what he was wearing under that kilt!

Toute Ensemble, a flute group played a varied selection of music including a piece by Elvis, some swinging blues, a few classical pieces and finished with several Celtic melodies, accompanied in some of these by Merrilyn Barber on her harp.

Merrilyn Barber enchanted the audience with her selections on the harp. She played several traditional folk tunes and some less familiar Christmas carols. The audience was enthralled. The music was wonderful.

Ian finished up the concert, sending us back out to our cold cars at the end of the night with a rousing version of Amazing Grace.

A lovely evening for all who attended. We collected a good selection of items for the food bank and raised some much-needed funds for the maintenance of this special community building.

If you’ve ever been to the Flinton Community Jamboree, chances are you’ve seen Bill White perform. He’s played at every one, sometimes with The White Brothers Classic Country, sometimes with White Pines, his bluegrass band. For the 2019 edition, he played with both.

But as a good Plevna boy, the Flinton Jamboree is something of a ‘home game’ for him.

“It’s as close as I get,” he said. “I was here Day 1 and I don’t think I’ve missed a year (14 years actually).

“I don’t know why (laughs).”

Actually, it was growing up in Plevna that formed his musical roots, during those formative years.

“We had an old radio and at night we could get Wheeling West Virginia,” he said. “When the Beatles played Ed Sullivan, a lot of my friends were talking about it but I never had an interest in rock’n’roll.

“I listened to Mac Wiseman.”

(He actually got to be in Wiseman’s back-up band on two occasions and he mentions it with reverence in his voice.)

He says a song has to mean something to him for him to sing it.

“I’m not a writer,” he said. “But you have to sing a song with conviction.

“And I prefer a story song.”

While he admits to not being much of a rocker, he does excel at classic country and bluegrass.

He really doesn’t have a preference but does acknowledge that each genre is a slightly different headspace.

“With the country band, (which includes brother Murray on electric guitar, Tom Gardiner on electric bass, son Joe on fiddle and Gerry Ratz on drums), we do a lot of (Merle) Haggard,” he said. “Like we do at Little Texas on Sundays. “With the bluegrass, we don’t have drums keeping the beat so I have to do more of that, strumming heavier on guitar, so they’re marching to my time.”

And it all seems to be working.

White and his bands are busy every weekend in the summer and he rattles off a list of up coming gigs to prove it.

But he’ll always have a soft spot for the Flinton Jamboree.

“I’ve had a lot of good times here,” he said. “And I look forward to coming back.

“And, I’m available.”

As the Festival of Small Halls penetrates deeper into Frontenac, Lanark and Lennox and Addington, music fans from all corners of our region will have the opportunity to see a lot of music this September.

During the first week of the Festival, LeE HARVeY OsMOND are at the ABC Hall in Bolingbroke on Friday, September 13 at 7:30, and The East Pointers play the same night at the Chaffey’s Lock Community Hall. And just to the west for those living in the Hwy. 41 corridor, Justin Rutledge is at the Marble Arts Centre in Tweed on the same night.

The next day, September 14, Madison Violet is at the Tamworth Legion at 7:30pm, while The East Pointers play the Ag Hall in McDonalds Corners. Over in Lyndhurst, not too far from Battersea, Harrow Fair is playing at Furnace Falls Farm.

On week two, Cassie and Maggie will be performing at the Denbigh-Griffith Lion’s Club on Friday, September 20 at 7:30pm. For those who live in South Frontenac, a quick jog over to the Wilton Hall on Sunday the 22nd at 3pm is your opportunity to see Cassie and Maggie. That same Sunday, over at the Maberly Hall, Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys will perform, with the Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra opening for them.

In the third and final week of the festival, Friday, September 27 sees Union Duke at Seeley’s Bays Community Hall, Sultans of String at the Grace Hall in Sydenham, and the Devin Cuddy Band way up in the Matawatchan Community Hall. All shows start at 7:30.

There are other shows throughout Eastern Ontario over the three weekends of the festival. And the price is right, $25 a ticket to see and hear nationally and internationally acclaimed roots musicians of this caliber in historic local venues.

The Festival of Small Halls is a constantly innovative event. It started in Ontario in 2014, based on similar festivals in Australia and PEI. There were 3 venues that first year, and the festival has grown each year since then. It also features concerts during the Christmas season in Brockville, Delta, Manotick, Packenham, and at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

This year there is a new wrinkle, Chef’s Table events featuring well know chefs preparing 3 course meals, and a concert, at a price of $75 to $95 dollars.

For further information and ticket sales for all of the Festival shows and events, go to thefestivalofsmallhalls.com

Ken Garrett Memorial Park in Inverary was a hive of activity on the weekend as the first ever 3 Pitch, 3 Chords Spring Fling drew crowds in an effort to raise funds primarily for accessible washrooms.

“Everybody thinks this is a Township-owned park but it isn’t,” said Shawn Pearce, president of the Inverary Youth Activity Group, which owns and operates the park. “It’s used six, seven nights a week and we have nine minor ball teams — the most we’ve had in years.

“I grew up here and I’d hate to see it die — I even took a week of holidays this week to work on it.”

By all accounts, the Fling was the brainchild of Kimberly Allen, who, among other things, owns Little Texas Roadhouse in Kingston.

“I was very pleased when Kim approached me with this idea,” Pearce said.

Allen, who is originally from the 509 corridor north of Sharbot Lake, now calls Rickards Road home. She’s played her share of ball at Ken Garrett and other area diamonds, and she likes music.

“Growing up, I used to go to the Ompah Stomp,” she said. “This is my Ompah Stomp.”

To that end, she closed up Little Texas for the weekend, allowing all her staff to donate their time to this venture, if they so chose. Most did.

And so did 16 musical acts, all part of the musical family at Little Texas.

“Ninety-five per cent of the bands will just jump at the chance to do this for her,” said stage manager Ken Hemlow, who also played on Sunday. “We had one band who had to cancel because their drummer hurt his back but another one jumped right in.”

Country singer Courtney Kane is just getting started in the business and saw it as good exposure.

“I’m trying to make this full-time,” she said. “I’m working on a website and doing my own thing.”

Besides the ball tournament and concert, the day featured a beer tent, a kids area as well as several food and merchandise vendors.

They even brought the mechanical bull in from Little Texas.

“That bull has been all over,” Allen said. “It’s even been to the Havelock Country Jamboree.”

Even the mayor was there, but not in an official capacity.

“It’s wonderful that they’re fixing this up,” said Ron Vandewal. “It’s not a Township-run facility so thanks to all the volunteers donating their time.”

While Allen was very pleased with the way the weekend was unfolding, this may be only the beginning.

She can see potential to make it a yearly festival and has talked to local contractors and friends about fixing up an area for camping, just like many of the music festivals operating in Southern Ontario.

“This would be my Ompah Stomp,” she said.

If there was a Juno category for ‘longest song introductions,’ Dave Gunning would win hands down.

Thankfully, his introductions are as entertaining as the music.

Gunning was at The Crossing Pub in Sharbot Lake for the second time last Saturday.

He is a singer-songwriter in the tradition of Canada’s finest (think Lightfoot, Cockburn, McLauchlan). His tunes help define the Canadian experience, with a healthy helping of Nova Scotian perspective.

Probably his best-known song, A Game’s Goin’ On, from the No More Pennies album, was written with local songwriter David Francey, and it won the Great Canadian Song Quest, 2013 Hockey Night in Canada Song Quest.

Everybody was singing along (funny how that tends to happen when there are a lot of musicians in the audience).

“I met David in Denmark in 2003,” he said. “And we wrote that when he stayed at my house during the Celtic Colours Festival.

“We were both mad at hockey because of the strike at the time - millionaires fighting with billionaires - and we wanted to write something about the game that spoke to its roots.

“I wanted to have David sing on it and we produced it with that in mind, so his fans would be able to appreciate it.”

Gunning’s 12th album just came out “a couple of Fridays ago” and he has been touring relentlessly in support of it.

The album also features long-time collaborator J. P. Cormier.

“I’ve played with J. P. for 20 years,” he said. “He’s one of the best in the world.”

Even though his busy touring schedule takes him away from home a lot, he said he wouldn’t change it and it does have some advantages.

“You gotta do fool them again,” he said. “The secret is to keep moving, town to town.

“But even though I miss Sara and the boys, I enjoy the life and I feel very fortunate to be able to do it.”

And he tells you all about it, in song and song introductions.

Perhaps his most entertaining introduction featured his appearance on The Trailer Park Boys. It’s the episode with George Canyon, where the boys attempt to smuggle dope across the border and Gunning delivers the immortal line, “Shreddies?”.

“Yeah, it was one word but I got paid more because it was a speaking part,” he said.