TIN PAN NORTH 2011 at Moonshine Café (137 Kerr, Oakville), Trane Studio (964 Bathurst) and C’est What (67 Front East), Thursday and Friday (May 26 and 27), and at Eton House (710 Danforth) Saturday (May 28), 7:30 and 9:30 pm. $10-$20 (passes $30). 905-453-6104, tickets.ticketwindow.ca or at the door. Full schedule at nsaitoronto.com.
You may not have heard of all 51 songwriters participating in this year’s Tin Pan North, but Saturday’s gala on the Danforth features five number-one pop and country hit writers: Andy Kim, Sylvia Tyson, Frank Myers, Brett Jones and Danny Wells.
Festival coordinator Dan McVeigh of the Toronto chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) references the organization’s motto: “‘It all begins with a song’: without the songwriter there’d be nothing on the radio,” he says.
Tin Pan North got its start in 1999 as a small showcase in the library of Lester B. Pearson Catholic School in Brampton and has expanded over the years to include bigger names and various venues (as far flung as Oakville, the Annex and downtown).
The in-the-round format of the concerts offers listeners an opportunity to take in veteran songwriters and up-and-comers in the same set.
A few highlights:
Sylvia Tyson Famous for Ian & Sylvia and now a member of Quartette, Tyson had a pop hit with You Were On My Mind and helped pave the way for country rock with Great Speckled Bird.
Andy Kim The Montrealer behind Sugar, Sugar and Rock Me Gently, Kim recently released Happen Again, his first album in over 20 years.
Liam Titcomb Titcomb grew up around folk music – he’s Brent’s son – and was signed to Sony at 15. Now in his early 20s, he’s been writing in the UK and touring around North America.
Lisa McCallum Oakville’s McCallum is a NSAI Toronto success story now based in Nashville.
