Songwriters’ circle

Songwriters display their craft at Slake Brewing

Three talented songwriters were the perfect antidote to a cold weekend as they performed in an intimate session at Slake Brewing on Saturday night. While the outside temperatures dropped down to their lowest so far this winter, the atmosphere inside the spacious tasting room on Mowbray Road was warm and inviting as organizer Kat Burns (also known as KASHKA) and guests Justin Rutledge and Katie DuTemple performed some of their songs and told the stories behind them. Each of the songwriters took their turn, with the others sometimes providing backing harmonies. Ms. Burns played a strictly vocal set, being without her guitar after injuring her hand. Fortunately, Ms. DuTemple had played with KASHKA previously and was able to accompany her on keyboard. The songs on the whole were mellow and contemplative, and the songwriters told the audience about the things that inspired them to write the songs. That inspiration could be as mundane making the trip to Bellville to a hardware store and wondering about what goes on in the village of Allisonville, which became the title of a Justin Rutledge song. For Ms. Burns, thinking about the death of a friend led to the song Heavy Ghost, and Ms. DuTemple’s Before You Leave was a way to contemplate difficult topics.

Ms. Burns was delighted by her fellow songwriters as well as by the appreciative audience. “It was really fun. It was such a beautiful audience and everyone was listening well,” she said. This is the second such songwriters’ circle at Slake, and another one is scheduled on February 17 featuring Megan Hutton and David James Allen. “This is a really nice way to curate songwriters in a listening environment,” said Ms. Burns. When she is not gardening or thinking about gardening, Ms. Burns writes and performs music. She recently completed the score of a short film called Hair! by director Sara Alfaro.

Katie DuTemple is a Toronto-based musician who has performed with KASHKA at County Pop. She was thrilled to be part of the songwriters’ circle. “I love events like this. I think Kat has got something really magical here, with an intimate audience that was so wonderful,” she said. She added that she is inspired to write songs as a way to create beauty and to share that beauty with others. “It’s a way we can have a mutual connection in those shared feelings.” She is currently learning about solo production methods so that she can produce her own music. She recently released a single and is working on a second release.

Justin Rutledge moved back to the County last year with his young family. The Juno winner recently performed in the Sergeants Mess Hall at Base31 and he was delighted to be invited by Ms. Burns to be a member of the songwriters’ circle. “Kat does a really great job of bringing people together. As songwriters, we write our songs alone and it’s nice to be able to share the stories behind the songs. It’s a lonely process for creation and it’s great to share,” he said. He is looking to establish deeper roots in the community and has formed a band called Secret Beach with local musicians Annelise Noronha, Jeremy Kelly, Kevin Howley, Ben Vandergaast and Jim Hardy. They performed on Sunday afternoon at Midtown Brewing in Wellington. He is happy to be back in the County and appreciates the change of pace. “This is a dream. I love every aspect of being here—the people, the food, everything. It’s really special.”