Folk conferences, guitars, and ukulele videos!

October 23, 2013 / Shawn Clarke

Hi there! I hope everyone is doing well! I spent the last weekend at a very wonderful conference hosted by Folk Music Ontario. It was my first conference, and although I was pretty nervous at first, I think I adapted admirably! I played 2 showcases one on Friday and one on Saturday, both at 2:30am. Yup, 2:30am. I'm not much of a night hawk, but when the adrenaline is pumping, it's amazing the things you're capable of. The set up is this, from about 11pm to 3am, two hotel room floors open up to live music. Every room is dressed up, and every room has great performers playing. It's something to see, posters fill every available space in the halls and stairwells. I was in a room with 3 great performers, Anthony Damaio, Sarah Beatty and Dan Belgue. All three brought something different to the night; I was humbled to share the stage.

photo by Sarah Beatty

You'll notice something a little different in that picture. Yup, it's a new guitar! Well a new old guitar. It's a Kay from around 1964. I got it at one of my favourite music stores in Ontario, Curries! Yup, you have to go to Gravenhurst, but the prices, stock and service are great.

Ok, ukulele vids... so If you didn't know I've been learning a song a week on Ukulele for the entire year. I'm up to week 42 now! You can watch all of them at my tumblr Not My 52 Songs. Here are the last 6, featuring Sarah Beatty, Dan Belgue, MJ Cyr, Jerry Leger, Dave Murray and Jami Lefebvre. OH and one was filmed in Iceland! (yeah I was in Iceland... no time to talk about it, ask me later!)

"Kamera" by Wilco, featuring Dave Murray and Jami Lefebvre