By Joanne Rodgers, Bruce Peninsula Press
Interested in giving the gift of music this Christmas, while also supporting local charities and local musical talent? “The Music on the Bruce Peninsula” CD checks all these boxes. A group of local musicians have compiled an album of eleven songs, all but one song on the CD has been written and sung by their composers. All the original songs were composed to show appreciation of the Bruce.
The cost of the CD is $20, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to local charities.
Many of the well-known musicians who live in Northern Bruce Peninsula are featured on the album performing various music genres from Blues, Folk, Hard Rock, and Instrumental.
Bobby Dean Blackburn, who has lived in Miller Lake for the past 20 years, is nominated for Blues with a Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) at the Toronto Blues Society Maple Blues Awards. With his sons, he performs two songs on the album: a tribute named “The Bruce Peninsula “ written by Brooke Blackburn and an ode to love “Getting Ready for Love” which describes how Blackburn met his wife Jean.
Producer of the album and fellow musician Dominik Franken, with friends Steve Woeller and Trace MacKay providing backup vocals, sings “Old Woman’s River” a song that describes Franken’s personal journey on becoming a resident of the Bruce Peninsula.
Tobermory resident Jonathan Newitt sings “Boarded Up Beach Town Blues” which describes Tobermory as it closes up in its transition from summer to fall.
The Tobermory Drumtellers perform “Improvisation” based on an African rhythm called Djole to express their feeling of joy and sense of belonging as the group gathers to make music together.
Local artist and musician Stuart Burgess wrote “It’s the Bruce”, performed by the group the Ferndale Flats. The Ferndale Flats also performs a Joni Mitchell song “Circle Game”, the sole song on the album that was not written by a local artist. Kim Mckellar sings her composition “Huron Call” explaining her strong connection to the Bruce Peninsula.
Other songs on the album are all songs written and performed by the songwriters, “I Used to be Handsome’’ by Michel Crocker, “Lion’s Head Song” by Doug Embleton, ‘Major Letdown” written by David Salloch and performed by Salloch and Adam Brundage.
Local musicians sought new ways to raise charity dollars
The local musicians typically donate about $2000 to $3000 yearly to local charities from donations at their various concerts, including playing on Saturday mornings at the Lion’s Head Farmers’ Market.
In 2020, with the COVID-19 restrictions limiting their opportunities to perform in public, they sought another way to raise funds for the local charities that was low cost and easily manageable. The musicians say they are aware the CDs are quickly being a media of the past, but it was the best way they could control the delivery of content and raise money directly.
The musicians financed the total cost of production of the CD. Dominik Franken compiled the music tracks for the CD in his studio in Myles Bay, with the use of the studio and his services being free. The artwork from the album was done by Kymm Franken who also wrote the bios of the musicians, each one explaining their connection to the Bruce Peninsula. 1000 copies of the CD were printed.
Franken says this music CD was a COVID-19 project during the winter of 2020/2021. With COVID-19 protocols restricting physical contact, the musicians transferred their music files digitally back and forth. Franken says while there was a learning curve, the process worked fabulously. For their rendition of “Old Woman’s River”, Franken played the violin, sent the recording digitally to Woeller and MacKay who laid down the backup vocal track, and sent it back to Franken who did the final mix for the song.
Sales from CD already at $3000
The musicians have already raised $3000 from the sales of the CD, earned mostly at their performances at the Harbourside stage this summer and other music venues.
A committee made up of the local musicians will decide on the selection of the local charities which will benefit from this initiative and how the funds will be disbursed amongst them.
Persons interested in purchasing a copy of the CD can contact dominikfraken59@gmail.com. Or visit them at their booth at the Lion’s Head Farmers’ Market Christmas Market at Summer House Park on November 27, 2021 from 10 a.m to 2 p.m
