Some well-kept secrets should never have been secret in the first place.
Take, for example, the Bobcaygeon Music Council and its continued presentation of music concerts both in and around the City of Kawartha Lakes village that hugs the Trent-Severn Waterway northeast of Lindsay.
That you may not have heard of the council, and its now close to 20 years of bringing music to the people, is no fault of those who guide it.
While those who know, know, council-presented concerts get lost in the chatter around more publicized local cultural events, such as Peterborough Musicfest, the Peterborough Folk Festival and the like. However, since Bobcaygeon resident Andy Harris, with others, founded the council in 2006, both free and ticketed music events have habitually drawn a very loyal, and thankful, following.
Take, for example, The Dockside Sessions.
Featuring singer-songwriters Pat Temple, Emily Jean Flack, Melissa Payne, and Brennen Wilson, the October 2nd event at The Yacht Club at Gordon Yacht Harbour Marina sold out in just a few days.
That’s a nice problem to have, says council board chair Liz Byrnes — conceding that, in an ideal world, a bigger venue would accommodate the ticket hopeful.
“They (Harris et al) incorporated the council as a not-for-profit charity in 2006 and initially brought three or four concerts to Trinity United Church, which has beautiful acoustics,” explains Byrnes, who initially became involved with the council in 2016.
“Somewhere along the line, they decided ‘We’ve got this beautiful setting on the canal at Lock 32. There’s a gazebo with hydro. There’s plenty of space for people to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy music.’ So around 2008 or 2009, on Thursdays in July and August in that space, they started bringing in musical acts.”
While that tradition has continued under the current board’s watch, this past May saw the council bring the Jim Cuddy Trio to the Bobcaygeon Curling Club. Byrnes notes the 330 tickets for that concert “sold in a few hours.”
“In the summer, on a low day that’s usually weather-related, maybe 500 or 600 people come out, but we’ve had close to a thousand people on both sides of the canal,” says Byrnes.
“We have regulars that come every single week and support us. We have great sponsors through our local businesses, and great support from the community. The concerts in the park are free but we accept donations.”
The Dockside Sessions event, notes Byrnes, will be held in a “rustic” building that dates back to the late 1800s to early 1900s. While that has its own appeal, the opportunity to present the showcase in a space with more capacity than Trinity United Church was too good to pass up.
As for the event’s format, Byrnes says each of the headliners will perform their own music as opposed to covers, and give insight into their songs’ creation and related inspiration.
“Brennan, for example, doesn’t normally ever get up and sing his originals. Neither do many performers that play in bars and restaurants in the area because everybody wants to hear covers. So let’s give them a safe space where we tell people right up front ‘This is what you’re going to hear. You’re going hear their songs, their stories.'”
Flack, for one, is looking forward to the opportunity to do just that.
No stranger to Bobcaygeon — Flack has performed as part of the council’s summer offering, as has Payne, and, going back even further, at fiddle and stepdance contests in the village — she welcomes the opportunity to again perform in a familiar and comfortable setting.
“You can’t just have music happening in the big cities,” says the Ennismore resident, adding “Good stuff happens in the smaller towns as well.”
Having grown up in a family rooted in the tradition of Canadian Celtic music, Flack’s performance journey began in the step dancing realm before she transitioned to piano and singing.
In 2019, her debut EP Throwing Shapes, which combines her love of pop music with her Celtic music roots, brought her to an international stage, taking her across Canada, the UK and Ireland. Her subsequent debut full-length album How You Love Me, further expanded her sound.
Flack’s live performances, meanwhile, combine her original songs with Celtic instrumental pieces and percussive step dancing. Along the way, she has shared stages with Natalie MacMaster, Leahy, Shane Cook, and many others.
And then there’s her commitment to educating others. She has taught, lectured, and performed at the University of Limerick in Ireland, University College Dublin and the University of Toronto, sharing her knowledge of both traditional and modern music and dance. In short, she’s rarely idle.
“I don’t want to downplay my recorded music because that’s its own thing, where you get to be super creative and explore the music you write in a totally different way, but it’s really fun when you get to the live stage and actually do it,” she says.
VIDEO: “Throwing Shapes” – Emily Jean Flack
As for her songwriting process, Flack says she’s “always been very melody-centred; I don’t think I’ve actually ever started a song with just lyrics … maybe once.”
The Dockside Sessions, she says, will check a lot of boxes for her.
“It would be worthless doing music without others doing it too, and others coming to listen. I always look forward to being able to listen and collaborate. We’re all doing a very similar thing maybe but probably approaching it completely differently, talking about different things.”
“I know Melissa (Payne) a little bit. We sang a together years and years ago, so I’m looking forward to seeing her, but also meeting the other two (Temple and Brennen). I’m so excited.”
“The (music) industry is one heck of a whirlwind I don’t know I fully comprehend yet. Sometimes it’s perceived as ‘Oh, you’re on stage’ but, no, it’s all about the people sitting there listening and giving you their time. I’m very grateful that I get to keep doing this.”
Meanwhile, not lost on Byrnes is Bobcaygeon’s growing reputation as a destination location for those looking to enjoy top-tier entertainment. Not only is the council’s staging of concerts a draw, but there’s also Globus Theatre, which stages productions pretty much year-round at its Pigeon Lake Road venue.
But the Bobcaygeon Music Council is about more than the live show experience. Thanks to donations from businesses and individuals, a week-long summer music for youths aged eight and older offers vocal and band instruction provided by professional musicians and music teachers. In addition, the Bobcaygeon Music Council Bursary Fund annually assists music students in or from Bobcaygeon.
When all is said and done, Byrnes derives her greatest pleasure from the simplest, but purest, of things.
“I enjoy sitting and listening to the music. I enjoy walking around the park and talking to the business owners that sponsor us and thanking them for that, and them saying
‘This is a great show.’ That’s very cool.”
For more information about the Bobcaygeon Music Council and upcoming concerts, visit www.bobcaygeonmusic.com.
