Centretown will become the birth place of a new music tradition next month as the first annual Ottawa Grassroots Festival comes to life at Montgomery Legion Hall on Kent Street. The April 28 event promises to bring the community together for a day filled with bluegrass roots music, dance, theatre and storytelling.
Bob Nesbitt, founder of the event, says a number of factors led him to create the local festival. His love of folk music and involvement in the Ottawa Folk Festival as site manager for several years were factors, but ultimately he says it was his friends who persuaded him to put the project together. “There were a lot of friends who wanted to have a small, family oriented, simple festival,” says Nesbitt.
Nesbitt and other organizers, rallied a variety of musicians, actors, storytellers and other local talents to participate.
The event will include an afternoon of free activities and an evening show costing $25 in advance or $30 at the door.
The festival was made possible by local sponsors including The Ottawa Folklore Centre, Constant Sound Studio, CKCU FM 93.1, Spirit of Rasputin’s Arts Society and more. Ticket sales from the evening performance will go towards funding the event.
During the day, attendees can expect ukulele sing-alongs with the Bytown Ukulele Group, contra dancing, yoga and storytelling with poet Albert Dumont.
Maple Hill, an award-winning bluegrass band, will also offer a workshop teaching aspiring musicians how to build a band.
Finally, kids and adults can perform on an open stage and showcase their talents.
The Ottawa Phoenix Playback Theatre is another planned feature of the festival. “It’s an interactive form of story-telling where you get the stories of your community. “It’s community building,” explains Jane Keeler, conductor and MC of the theatre troupe. Playback invites people from the audience to talk about moments and events in their life.
After a quick interview, the actors create a dramatized improv skit of the story using music, movement and dialogue.
“It reflects the feelings and experience and sometimes shows you something you didn’t even realize,” says Keeler.
Folk singer-songwriter Ana Miura will also participate in the festival and believes the local community is one to be valued. “I’ve built a lot of friendships and relationships within music and I love the Ottawa music community because it’s artistically inspiring,” she says. “I’m glad to be a part of it (the festival) because I love events that show a lot of community and that bring together great people.”
The evening includes a speech from Dumont, followed by folk music performances from Ottawa’s Missy Burgess and award-winning artists Rick Fines and Katherine Wheatley.
With the Ottawa Grassroots Festival all set to go for next month, Nesbitt recently held a launch party for the event on March 7. “The purpose of the launch was twofold, first to draw the festival to the attention of the press, and second, to create some buzz in the folk community,” says Nesbitt.
Held at Pressed, a new coffee and sandwich bar, on Gladstone Street, the launch included meet and greets with organizers, performers and volunteers.