Folk Fights Back - Raising Money For Immigrant and Refugee Enablers Romero House At The Tranzac

 Many of Toronto's most very important Folks brought solidarity to the Tranzac Club on the first day of spring, to celebrate the efforts of Romero House, and to help them to recover from some recent water damage. Romero House is a west-end Toronto community that welcomes and befriends immigrant families and refugees. 

Ben Plotnick and Kevin Barrett, folk musicians and activists, organized some hella talented acquaintances to raise money - and the roof - with a spirited night of song that succeeded in packing about two hundred supporters into the Tranzac Main Hall.

Sarah Jane Scouten gets up close and personable with parade master Ben Plotnick.

Jaron Freeman-Fox opened the show with bombastic aplomb, and Kristine Schmitt held an impromptu rehearsal in the front room with John Showman and the acoustic elite of The Dot before her set.

Rebecca Campbell led a folk foray with master bassist Ian De Sousa and co-organizer Kevin Barrett on guitar.

Locals from The Local, Chris Coole and Ivan Rosenberg finally subdued the percolations of the crowd with an Appalachian edition of Stage Fright and a hard times song dedicated to Toronto musicians.

NUA entranced and excited the audience with tightly arranged nu-celtic music and microtonal drumming.

Queen of the Southern Cross Room, Abigail Lapell, on an upward arc with a successful new record, hushed the audience and encouraged a singalong on a brand new song. Quique Escamilla, The Foggy Hogtown Boys and The Slocan Ramblers brought it all home as the night rolled on. A folk festival`s worth of music ringing in spring and hope for an exemplary community.

Winterfolk XIV - Icicle Fingers And Thawlicious Songs

A Jon-Brooks-Eye view of the Saturday night crowd at Dora Keough's

Denim was thoroughly tucked and poorboy caps were pulled down to cover as much ear area as was fashionably possible this past frosty weekend in Toronto's Danforth / Broadview matrix, as families, friends and fiddlers got down to some earnest song-doings. 
And yes, there wuz antlers.

Eyes were a-twinkle with joy, cider and wind-chill factors as a storm of blues, ballads and plunk-rock hovered for three days over this fourteenth annual festival of rootsy Americana and Canadiana music.

Officiating luminaries Danny Marks and Festival Founder Brian Gladstone

Telecasters and flat tops were in abundance as fretmasters went from pub to pub on errands of guitar wizardry. Valuable instruments were even seen being squeezed protectively into washroom cubicles.

Prime guitaristas Brian Cober, Ben Sures and David Essig at The Black Swan's slide workshop.

Highlights included workshops, song swaps, showcases and one particulary significant tribute on Sunday to the recently departed Ron Hynes. Not only a major representative of the honey flow of Newfoundland lyricism, he was the creator of an inestimable contribution to the world-renowned Canadian Songbook. His death was in the same order of irrevocable heartbreak that his lyrics portrayed. 

Shawna Caspi and Jory Nash with incendiary smile power in evidence.

On hand to celebrate his music were the top seed of Canadian singers and songwriters. The finale of Sonny's Dream, led by Shawna Caspi, although set up as an crowd singalong, produced such a haunting blend of strong emotion and harmony that the audience kept a silent respect for the power of the moment.

L-R @ The Ron Hynes Tribute: Tony Quarrington, Jon Brooks, Grit Laskin, Julian Taylor, Jory Nash, Shawna Caspi and Rebecca Campbell

The permanent smiles and easy camaraderie of the crowds, musicians and volunteers made the whole thing go along smoothly, and the weekend was another success for community and culture in this city. One criticism was the failure of some venues to manage their indoor temperatures comfortably. The question of perhaps extending the event to include Family Day next year was also on many peoples' minds.

The clarion voice of Joanne Crabtree rang out over the NBA coverage with anthems and authentic folk songs at Terri-o's sports bar Saturday.

Rebecca Campbell and Ben Sures settling their bar tab semi-amicably.

Tia Brazda set the jazz-mometer to hot at Dora's Friday night.

Next year will mark the 15th Anniversary of the event, and it will again provide one of the few reasons to look forward to February. Find out what else you missed here >>>>      http://www.winterfolk.com/xivschedule/