Our Roots Are Showing

Singer-songwriter Larry Jensen is a local legend. He has released twenty albums of original music, and two books. He recently published an autobiographical book/CD set titled These Streets I Know. The first winner of an Owen Sound Cultural Award, Larry has performed with many outstanding musicians, and served as an Owen Sound Poet Laureate with Rob Rolfe.

Dave Hawkins is a gifted performer who writes and performs original acoustic music out of Owen Sound. He loves performing and has spent decades entertaining audiences in Grey Bruce and beyond with his rich, velvety voice. His compositions have a timeless feel and his joy in performing them is contagious.

Rob Rolfe has published six books of poetry and co-authored one book of poetry and songs. His writing has appeared in numerous anthologies and literary magazines. Rob served for two years as Owen Sound Poets Laureate alongside Larry Jensen.

Will Henry’s book Juggling the Notes introduces readers to traditional music and dance culture, locally in the Grey/Bruce area and as far away as Manitoba, Ireland and Cuba. With live music, a slideshow of photographs taken over 40 years following fiddle culture, and excerpts from his book, Henry offers a glimpse into traditional music culture that few have seen.

With Henry on fiddle, concertina player Lynda Henry, Dan McGee on Irish flute and clawhammer banjo, and Ian Harper on Irish uilleann bagpipes and whistle, the quartet known as WILD will perform traditional dance music, including compositions from Juggling the Notes.

Henry is known locally for his fiddling with the contra dance band Scatter the Cats, and for his 25 years as a journalist with the Owen Sound Sun Times newspaper.

Juggling the Notes, available for purchase during the event, includes more than 80 of Henry’s original fiddle tunes, illustrated with dozens of original photographs and stories about the people and places that inspire his music. Learn out more about the book at scatterthecats.com.

Uniting her passions for music and history, Camryn (she/her) explores the Gaelic lineage through song, reclaiming the traditions of her Scottish ancestors and tending to their embers to honour the ancient ways through this modern era. As a folk musician, Camryn draws from her inspirations—the 60’s, Earth-centredness, Ancestral lineages—and weaves their medicines into her own creative tapestry through poetry, songwriting, vocal improvisation, and instrumentation (primarily piano/guitar/bodhrán).

Learn more about Camryn here.

Josh Ritchie is a born performer. Ever since he could stand, he's had a guitar in his hands and songs in his bones. As a performer, he's eclectic, charming, and captivating. As a songwriter, he's poignant and elegant, showing a wisdom beyond his years. Ritchie admires music with purpose, and, as a young, ambitious person of colour, he takes pride in weaving social issues into his work. This, combined with Ritchie's infectious charisma and significant musical chops, makes him a complex artist that will leave you wanting more. His unique brand of story-driven art-rock will move you, inspire you and, most importantly, have you dancing and singing along.

In Ritchie’s young career he’s enjoyed significant achievements on and off stage. He has released two successful independent albums, the first being featured in the CBC Searchlight Top 100 list; the second going on to get features on “CBC Ontario Morning” and the “Key of C,” as well as being streamed thousands of times internationally. Ritchie’s commitment to artistic integrity combined with his larger-than-life rock energy make him an exhilarating up-and-coming act that you won’t want to miss.

Learn more at joshritchiemusic.com.