Snowbird North

Original music open mic night at Base31

The wealth of musical talent in the County and surrounding region was on display at the second Snowbird North open mic night in The Pilot’s Lounge at Base31 on Friday evening. The inaugural session on January 26 drew over 15 participants, some of whom were unable to play before the 10 p.m. closing time. Those singer/songwriters were invited back last Friday and slotted in early in the program. Organizer Annelise Noronha was thrilled with the participation, which she called “moving and delightful”. The open mic night is for songwriters to perform their original music and to build a community between the artists and the audience who have a shared passion for music. The performers offer a wide range of genres, from ballads to folk to rock to blues. There are performers who have been plying their trade in music venues across the region as well as those appearing on a stage for the first time. Ms. Noronha noted that it takes a great deal of courage to step onto a public stage for the first time, even if the musician has been playing for decades to family and friends in their own home.

With only 13 performers lined up for the night, Ms. Noronha opted to open the evening with a song of her own, a love song with a little bit of an edge to it. Experienced performer and CountyFM radio host Franco Caré took the stage next followed by first-time performer Knowlton Hunter. He spoke about his process of songwriting, which starts with having a tune in his head and then waiting for the words to fit. His said his first song of the evening began as a finger warm-up exercise on his guitar, and the inspiration for the words came from a bus timetable, which showed an arrival time of 11:59 p.m. He thought that the one minute to midnight arrival was a bit odd, and constructed the words of his song to fit his tune in his head.

Lisa Bozikovic was the next singer on stage, and a balky sustain pedal on the digital piano necessitated a change in the songs she had planned to sing. Fortunately, she had performed with Ms. Noronha and Kat Burns—who happened to be in the audience—and they came on stage to provide vocal harmonies as a substitute for the misbehaving piano. Ian McKendry made it on stage this time after not being able to in the first open mic session. He played a song called Log Truck Rolls that he wrote for his dad, who just turned 80.

Veteran musician Bill Wood took his turn on the stage to play a song that he’d recently written and had never performed in front of anyone else.”There’s the terror of playing something for the first time in front of people, and I love that,” he said. His new song was written in collaboration with Tony Forbes and is an observation about what is happening in the County. Part of the lyrics include “A golden beach with golden sands, it’s slipping right through our hands.” Mr. Wood’s second song hearkened back to the days when he was a self-described “rock god” in the 1980s, and was recently re-written with an old colleague.

The environment in The Pilot’s Lounge is amenable to the murmur of light conversation during the performances. Drinks and snack foods are available, and it’s a very social atmosphere. However, when Sonya Bergin started to the sing, everyone listened in rapt silence. The Kingston singer’s voice captivated the audience, who were entranced by her song Earth Angel—written for her grandmother— and they gave her the loudest applause of the night. Other singers included Chris Mapili, Chris Gosling—who said that songwriting is cheaper than therapy—and Steve G, whose song One Night Stand referenced the non-hyphenated version of the phrase. The evening closed out with the surprise appearance of Justin Rutledge, who sang his County-inspired song Allisonville. The next Snowbird North is on February 23. It’s pay-what-you-can and the doors open at 6 p.m. Please visit base31.ca for more details.