James Gordon, Katherine Wheatley

Event Description

Main Stage in the Dawson Restaurant
All Ages Event

James Gordon has had a remarkably diverse and resilient career in the Canadian cultural sector. As a solo singer-songwriter and with the ground-breaking trio Tamarack, he’s recorded 40 albums and toured relentlessly around the world. He’s written for symphony orchestras, musical theatre and dance works, scored films, and for more than ten years was heard on CBC radio as songwriter-in-residence for the ’Basic Black’ and ‘Ontario Morning’ programs. Between tours, James is a record producer, playwright, community activist, theatre director and currently has a part-time ‘side hustle’ as a Guelph City Councillor. These days he’s perhaps known as the composer of the viral internet hit “Crybabies Caravan”, about the so-called ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Ottawa. It’s received more than 300,000 views and stimulated a lot of inspiring discussion.

His songwriting-in-the-schools program “Rhyme Capsules” has brought him all over the world, creating songs with students of all ages, and it earned him a place of honour on the “Wall of Fame” in Guelph’s Youth Music Centre.

Guelph singer-songwriter Katherine Wheatley mines heartache as well as the landscape and character of her northern roots to produce lyrical and melodic gold. Katherine has been a regular at folk festivals, concert series and clubs across Canada since the release of her first CD. As well as her own career, she is a member of the Toronto band, Betty and the Bobs; is a guitarist in Wendell Ferguson’s trio “The Smoking Section”; she presents songwriting, vocal and independent music career workshops at schools, folk clubs and music stores across Canada; and she is the currently the ambassador for the campaign to raise six million dollars for the new hospital in her home town of Parry Sound, Ontario.