Saturday May 11th

Rachael Bawn grew up in the small town of Hopeville, ON., the second youngest of 6 girls. Her musical roots stemmed from having been surrounded by the bluegrass music her uncle's would play, along with exposure to her older sisters' musical preferences, which included: No Doubt, Alanis Morissette, Whitney, Mariah and Madonna. These influences have given Rachael a wide appreciation for all types of music. Her love of song began at the age of 2. At 4 years old she gave her first stage performance in a church talent show, and at 13 years she started writing her own lyrics and melodies. At the age of 14 she joined a choir which performed in local towns, giving her the backbone and experience to perform in front of an audience. After gradutaing highschool , Rachael moved to the Greater Toronto Area with the hopes of pursuing a career as a musical artist. It was during this time that she met and teamed up with music producer Ron Allen. After writing and recording for over 2 years, Rachael is working on getting her music out into the world.

"Wade Hunt is currently a student and songwriter working out of the Niagara Region. Nomadic trajectories of the War Machine is what most influences his writing (2013)"

Darin Martin
“From the moment you hear Darin speak on the mic, you are captivated by his quiet and sincere tone. This is only amplified once his brilliant guitar and powerful vocals are added. Darin has played many times at the Freeway and each time we are excited to have him back on the stage! ”

Miranda Ciarroni - Music Coordinator @ the Freeway

"Engaging and personable; Darin Martin's live performance moves you and his music stays with you long after the moment passes. Just between me and my headphones, this is one artist I want to keep on repeat."

Rebecca Doll - Heart of The Hammer Cafe

darinmartinmusic.com  

facebook.com/darinmartin

Saturday April 20th

Performers for Saturday April 20th
Jordan Fox
Mary Simon
Darin Martin

Jordan Fox is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario.  He began at a young age as a student of the clarinet and piano but has since moved on to a variety of folk instruments (guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo) and anything else that makes noise.  Jordan belongs to the Rarebird Records label and can be found performing solo or supporting various local artists.  

You can find information at www.rarebirdrecords.ca or free music at http://www.noisetrade.com/jordanfox.

Invite Mary Simon over for one night and her storytelling will make you cry, make you dance and will sing you to sleep.  With a certain je ne c'est quois of lyrical sensibility, melodious composition and timeless storytelling, you will want to invite her back, or better yet never have her leave.

Mary Simon's formula is simple, time-tested.  With four albums behind her, the Hamilton singer/songwriter's powerful voice and vision have contributed to years of touring and creative explorations.  Join her for the ride at www.marysimon.com

Darin Martin

“From the moment you hear Darin speak on the mic, you are captivated by his quiet and sincere tone. This is only amplified once his brilliant guitar and powerful vocals are added. Darin has played many times at the Freeway and each time we are excited to have him back on the stage! ”

Miranda Ciarroni - Music Coordinator @ the Freeway

"Engaging and personable; Darin Martin's live performance moves you and his music stays with you long after the moment passes. Just between me and my headphones, this is one artist I want to keep on repeat."

Rebecca Doll - Heart of The Hammer Cafe

darinmartinmusic.com  

facebook.com/darinmartin

Saturday April 13th

Artist Line Up This Week
Heather Janssen
Liam Kinnon
Darin Martin & Geoff Laforet

Heather Janssen

Heather Janssen is an artist from Hamilton, Ontario. She is known for her acoustic covers on YouTube, tackling artists ranging from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis to Justin Bieber. However, her most popular video on YouTube is an original song. Heather’s songwriting skills can be heard on self-penned compositions like “My Mind’s Made Up” and “Checkers,” the latter of which has nearly 300,000 hits. Heather’s acoustic mix of jazz and pop draws comparisons to some of the greatest female singer-songwriters of our time. Studio versions of both her cover songs and original material can be found on iTunes. For more on Heather, please visit:

www.facebook.com/heatherjanssenmusic

www.youtube.com/heatherjanssen

www.twitter.com/heatherjanssen

Liam Kinnon is a singer/songwriter and guitarist from Toronto. He has been writing songs since he was 4 years old. He has been playing guitar, bass, and piano in clubs, bars, and churches with various bands and as a solo performer.  ”Working out a combination of covers and original songs as a single acoustic performer can be a challenge” he says, “but getting in front of people with this material is worth the risks.”

Having recently completed a successful tour opening for Don Amero on the East Coast and regular performances in Toronto Liam is continuing to write, record, and play his music wherever he can.

Darin Martin & Geoff Laforet

This duo has been rocking out together for almost 3 years and has played pubs, restaurants,  weddings, birthday parties, backyard parties, even colouring recitals.
Their tight harmonies and upbeat acoustic vibe is very infectious and engaging.
When they are not playing acoustic guitars and hand drums, they are rocking it in their band "Otic Poets" whose brand new EP "Frontiers" will be
available very soon.

darinmartinmusic.com

Saturday April 6th - Our KICK-OFF event

Finer Details:
9:30pm music will start
Pay what you can to help support the artists
Artists will alternate 30 min sets.

Featured Artists:

Myles Gardner
Marie Avery
Darin Martin

Below is a bio and some links for each of the artists.  Please check them out, buy their merch and come out and support them at the show on the 6th.

Marie Avery may have appeared out of nowhere.
Originally from Northern Ontario, her journey to find herself and her musical identity has taken her across Canada and back again, finally settling in Hamilton, Ontario in 2008.

Her own music has been taking shape since she was a teen, but publicly Marie's been busy behind the scenes, lending her vocal and keyboard skills to Hamilton bands (The Foreign Films and Dark Mean) and organizing performance events that showcase her other talents.


It's in Marie's nature to take things slowly.  To let the dust of her emotional ruins settle before embarking on any major journey.  After two years of working intermittently in the studio on her debut EP, "The Fire", Marie has emerged with a hard-won collection of 5 songs.  The songs and arrangements, built around her own piano and vocals, are at once humble and dramatic, subtle but elaborate.

There were real stakes involved in the making of "The Fire".  To enter a studio, and lay down her most personal compositions, has always been a terrifying thought for Avery.
At some point you can't hide behind your thoughts without being crushed by them, and with Marie Avery's debut EP she juxtaposes venerability with a strength of purpose and vision to create a work of whimsy, magic, and raw nerves.  Always smoldering under the surface.  "The Fire" is about the drive that moves us forward in our own journey, in our own search for freedom.

www.marieaverymusic.com
marieaverymusic@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/marieavery


_______________________________________________________________________

Myles Gardner is a loop based folk rocker with a linear, texture-driven songwriting style. If Myles could be any part of a summer vacation, he would be the drive home.

_____________________________________________________________________

Darin Martin is a singer songwriter from Hamilton Ontario.  He has been writing songs and performing for many years but he decided to pursue  music full-time in the end of 2011 with the release of his 2nd acoustic album "Every Time You Smile".

"My hope is that people everywhere will hear my songs and be able to connect with them in a personal way.  My songs are from the heart.  I write about real experiences that I encounter or observe from people around me."

Darin has seen some success with album sales and his song "Waiting For You" was featured on CBC Radio 2 where it placed 2nd in a Valentine's Day love song contest in 2012.

Darin is in a brand new Hamilton Rock band called "Otic Poets" who are just about to release their debut EP. 

www.darinmartinmusic.com 

www.facebook.com/darinmartinmusic

Introducing Acoustic Saturdays

There is a brand new Pub in town called the Stowaway Pub and Eatery at 255 James St. N Hamilton, ON and it is about to become the coolest venue in town for an intimate music experience.  With it's Funky Medieval Nautical atmosphere,  amazing food and brand new stage, it is the perfect venue to host "Acoustic Saturdays".
Starting on Saturday April 6th Darin Martin Music will be presenting acoustic concerts every Saturday night starting at 9:30pm.
I have a huge passion for local business and grass roots musicians who are trying to find their way in the sea of musical waves.  My hope with this concert series, is to blend a great venue with great music and support a local business in our efforts.
We have an amazing line up of Artists already coming together for the month of April and will be posting info for who is playing when on this blog, the Stowaway Pub facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheStowawayPubEatery and at http://jhazzard.wix.com/thestowaway#!facilities/c66t
Please help us spread the word and come out on Saturday April 6th to experience this event for yourself.

Great Ways To Hear Great Music for Free

This is by no means a sales pitch.  I simply wanted to share a few things with my friends incase you didn't already know about a few of these.   Over the Holidays we had some friends over to watch a movie and we started talking about listening to music online.  They had not heard about "Jango" http://www.jango.com/ which is free music online.  It's cool because you can put in an artist or style you like and it will play that artist as well as others who have a similar vibe.  I use it all the time when I am tired of my own music and want to hear a specific artist.   I am working on getting my music up on Jango soon too.
Another cool resource is http://noisetrade.com/ .  Noisetrade is music that artist put up themselves to help generate a wider fan base.  It helps them by the great exposure to literally everyone who has access to the internet.  The idea is, if I posted my music up there for free (for a limited time) you my download it for free or for a tip, then you might go back and by my past album or hopefully keep tracking with my music and buy future records.
I have gotten a ton of great music from this site and been introduced to so many great artists that I may have never heard about.  All you need to do is subscribe to their email list and they send you regular emails about artists who have posted their music.  There is no catch with this one.  I have gotten a bunch of music and not paid for it, but because I am also looking to get my songs on Noisetrade, I know how it works from the artists' perspective and the tremendous benefit it has for us as well.
I just got this record by Ari Hest whom I had never heard of and am listening to it even as I type.
Thanks for following and your tremendous support.

Carry On aka Gary's Song

This is the story behind my song "Carry On" from my album "Peace of Mind".

When Sarah and I first got married in 1999, she started teaching and I was playing music in "Silas".  Things were pretty tight for us financially at the time and my long time friend Steve Frew asked me if I wanted to come and work with him as a Cross Country ski instructor at a place called "Pleasure Valley" in Uxbridge, ON.

Having never really done Cross Country skiing let alone taught it to a bunch of school groups, I thought it sounded like fun so I took the job.

Pleasure Valley I quickly learned was a very interesting place.  Not only did it offer Cross Country skiing, but it was a Horse Ranch equipped with real cowboys and cowgirls, it has a climbing wall, picnic sites for company or large family gatherings, beach volleyball courts and at the time had water slides.  Not sure if that part of it is still operational.

In working there I met the bosses "Jacquie and Gary" who were both amazing people and they took me in like I was family.

Gary as I have mentioned at many of my shows over the year made a real impression on me.  I was fascinated by his love for horses and his ability to try and work with them using his own methods of horse whispering and a harnesses that didn't use a bit.

Gary and I had many conversations but the one that really stands out in my mind was when he shared the story of losing his son.

My heart broke as he shared that and although I searched for words of comfort and hope, I was at a loss in that moment.  

When I went home, I started to write the song that became "Carry On" aka Gary's Song.  It is a song of questioning and wonder.  It is kind of frustrating because it doesn't really give answers or a sense of hope.

I was given a DVD to watch by my friend Don Grunsten who is in the T.V. and Film industry.  The reason that I wanted to watch this film directed by Karen O'Donnell called "Odd Kid Out" was a) because I was very curious about the subject, exploring children with ADHD, but b) because my old friend Gary was featured in the documentary because of his horse training.

Gary has since passed away but it was so good to see him and hear his passion for horses again.  It was like therapy for me to spend a few moments with him, if even on screen.

One of my regrets is that I never did get a chance to share his song with him before he passed away.

But today after I watched the film I contacted the director to let her know about the song, and email Gary's wife Jacquie to see if I can send her a copy of the song.

I have no idea where things will head from here, but I thought I would blog about it in case anyone was interested in hearing more about the story of "Carry On".  It seems that the story continues...
Here is the link to the Documentary on ADHA if you are interested.
http://wordshopproductions.com/about/karen-odonnell-bio