It may not be an instrument typically associated with Southern Ontario, but a weekend music festival this March hopes to make Guelph a welcome home for the banjo.
BanjoFest Guelph will feature a cacopohany of folk and country music taking place at Silence Sounds. The festival aims to highlight the diversity of an often-stereotyped instrument, saying:
“The styles of banjo music represented run the gamut, from bluegrass and old-time through African Kora (an ancestor of the modern banjo) and western swing ("cowbilly") to banjo backed singer-songwriters and Jugband Canadiana!”
The festival will kick off on the evening of March 9 with an already sold-out performance by The Claire Lynch Band. Other sessions will take place on the Saturday afternoon, headlined by bluegrass duo Chris Quinn & Joey Wright. The entertainment continues that evening, featuring Champions of Democracy and “old-timey folk” artist Maple Mustard, and the Sunday afternoon finale is highlighted by singer-songwriters Tannis Slimmon & Lewis Melville and a visit from CBC Radio’s Tom Power.
Local music festivals like BanjoFest, often involving alternative genres, use both word of mouth and Print advertising to get the word out. This year’s BanjoFest website features a dynamic graphic design that puts a banjo in the middle of darkening blue concentric circles, an image that may be used for poster printing. Past installments of the annual event have featured a Southern-style menu.
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