by Ryan Ayukawa
Fraser & Girard – When Allan Fraser and Marianne Girard were in the process of coming up with a name for their duo, Marianne, was partial to “Girard and Fraser”. After a short time they changed it to Fraser & Girard for the vowel sound of it. Also, Allan Fraser had also been part of the popular 60’s-70’s duo Fraser & DeBolt (the late Daisy DeBolt) which may have added to the choice of name.
NSAI Presents – Those looking for something a little different at Winterfolk will find it at the Nashville Songwriters Association of Canada presents night. The evening is a two separate hours of four songwriters trading off songs and joining in each others (“in the round”). Hour one: Brad Battle, Krista Earle, Paul Lamarche, Melissa Lynn. Hour two: Carrie DeMaeyer, Andy Griffiths, Glen Marais, Angela Saini.
Love At Winterfolk – Listeners (and Lovers) can enjoy a special “WF Kocktail Kiss” at the Love At Winterfolk on Valentine’s show. Beginning with the Latin songs of Laura Fernandez, the night heats up with HOTCHA!, continues with The Trio of Fun (Ken Whiteley, Wendell Ferguson, Tony Quarrington), and finishes with the Cajun music of Swamperella.
Dueling Banjos – Several of Toronto’s finest banjo players meet in a showdown of dueling banjos. Joining in the night of bluegrass and whiskey will be Frank Evans (Slocan Ramblers, Kitgut Stringband), John Millard (Polka Dogs), and members of the Andrew Collins Trio.
Seneca College Independent Music Program Showcase – Hosts John Switzer and Linda M present an evening of music by SCIMP artists Vale Abbott, Inna Powell, Braden Phelan, Mark Vaiana, Natasha Fisher, August Lily, Jimmy Pearson, and Ben Cherry. The Seneca program is designed to give students a foundation in the music recording and performance industry to become an independent artist.
