Humber Humdinger at Hugh's
For the fourth year in a row, my friend, songwriter Bill McKetrick, has invited me to be a part of the annual Humber College Summer Song Studio Showcase. Bill and an all-star cast of Canadian music business professionals guide aspiring songwriters in a summer program at the famous Lakeshore music campus that attracts students from across Canada, the U.S. and as far away as Australia.
Together, they explore the craft of songwriting from a variety of angles with insights provided by some of the best known names in the music business. And to celebrate the conclusion of the course, they gather at Hugh's Room to hear a song each from most of the participants with back-up provided by a crack band including some of their illustrious teachers from the preceding week: Rik Emmett on guitar, Steve Goldberger on bass, Topher Stott on drums and Alistair Bradley on piano and keyboards. It's a long night - this one included 26 performers (about half of whom played Voyageur for their song) - but it's well worth it. While some of the songwriters are still finding their groove and their confidence, others are clearly stars in the making and there were some exquisitely poignant and powerful moments throughout the evening.
One of the most inspiring things about the event is the spirit of generosity that pervades everything - and not just among the students and their friends and families either. You watch a songwriter who is still developing and they nod to Rik Emmett who pours everything into a guitar solo in the middle of their song and you just know that he had as much fun doing it as they had thinking about how a famous guitarist just came to life on their cue!
Blair Packham plays host on these evenings and keeps things light and moving. He's such a gentleman and such a great songwriter himself and I'm always so proud that he is one of those musicians with a long-standing relationship with Voyageur.
There were too many highlights to mention but the picture above is of someone you'll definitely be hearing a lot more about... Kristen T. Clark - a 14-year-old songwriter and performer from a tiny community near Peterborough Ontario.
Thanks again to Bill McKetrick, Blair Packham, the SongStudio team, all the artists who played Voyageur and to Smokin' Joe Wiseman, who included the candid snap we took of him with Voyageur at last year's SongStudio event for the cover to his new album!
Posted at 1:03 AM