The Song Circle concert format has been near and dear to my heart for decades. Some of you may have been at the concert in 2009 at Cates Hill Chapel where Barney Bentall, Tom Taylor and myself shared the stage for the first time. That magical evening inspired us to continue performing together to this day with BTU (Bentall Taylor Ulrich) recording Live at Cates Hill the following year and a second album in 2016.
I was introduced to the songwriters in-the-round format when I played my first Bluebird North in Toronto in 1993 for the Songwriters Association of Canada. The next year I started producing and hosting the event (now called SongBird North) as well as national tours. The additional moniker of “When Writers Sing and Tell” aptly describes the tone of the evening as we frequently tell stories of what is behind the writing of the songs.
On Wednesday, June 13 I’m very happy to be joining John Wort Hannam and Christopher Ward for a songwriters in-the-round concert at Tir-na-nog Theatre.
This is John’s second appearance as part of the “Trust Me” series. A Juno nominee, Canadian Folk Music Best Album of the Year Award winner and Winner of the Kerrville, Texas New Folk Song Competition, John is known for his unique take on the simple day-to-day dramas of common folk through songs that map the landscapes of both the human heart and this vast country of ours. Along his well-travelled road he has performed at The Kennedy Centre, The Smithsonian and Trafalgar Square. His seventh album, Acres Of Elbow Room, is due out in September this year.
Christopher Ward, best known for the worldwide number one hit for Alannah Myles, “Black Velvet”, has written songs for Diana Ross, Hilary Duff, Wynonna Judd, The Backstreet Boys, Amanda Marshall, Roch Voisine and many others, receiving the Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year in 1990. In 1984, after a stint in the Second City Touring Company, Ward helped launch MuchMusic as Canada’s first VJ. As a songwriter, Chris has contributed countless songs to film and television, as well as Cirque du Soleil, Idol shows around the world, and The Voice. Random House recently published his fourth book - Is This Live? Inside the Wild Early Years of MuchMusic.
I will be sharing some brand new songs I’m currently recording for a new album and will accompany these longtime dear friends from time to time on violin and mandolin. I can promise you a very entertaining evening of songs, stories, humour and wonderful music.
The concert is at 7:30 p.m. on Wed. June 13 at Tir-na-nog Theatre. Tickets are $25 and available at Phoenix and directly online at trustme.bpt.me
