A musical afternoon of original songs at Alton Mill Arts Centre

July 15, 2016 · 0 Comments

Hit songwriters Dean McTaggart and Nashville’s Alan Rhody will join host Bruce Madole in The Source of the Song songwriters’ concert series July 17, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Alton Mill Arts Centre.
Presented in writers-in-the-round format, the writers take turns performing their songs and telling stories about the music and the muse.
“Songwriters are the source of the song,” observed Madole, the host, performer and co-founder of the Source of the Song series, now in its 33rd show. “Long before the radio hit, the concert stage, or even the bar band — somebody has to create those songs. Songwriters make their unique magic with music and words and if they’re lucky, those songs become a part of our lives, a part of the tapestry . . . and did you just think about Carole King, just then, maybe, when I used the word tapestry? Songs have a remarkable power to connect us with our lives and our memories.”
According to Madole, there’s also a unique magic that comes with hearing the writers perform their own songs, no matter how familiar the song may have become in the hands of the artist who records it.
“It’s different, and it’s amazing,” Madole said. “I loved Amanda Marshall’s hits . . . but I absolutely love to hear Dean McTaggart sing them.”
McTaggart is widely known as the cowriter of Amanda Marshall’s hits Dark Horse, Birmingham, Last Exit to Eden, and Trust Me (This is Love), and his songs have been recorded by artists ranging from Anne Murray to Johnny Reid.
Rhody is a Nashville based hit-maker whose songs have been recorded by artists ranging from The Oak Ridge Boys (I’ll be True To You — winner of the BMI Million Spin award) to Murray McLauchlan and Lunch At Allen’s, among many others.
Madole, the show’s producer and host, is an award-winning folk/roots songwriter and songwriting workshop leader whose songs have been recorded by artists such as Johnny Reid, David Leask, Mati Haskell, Eli Barsi and JK Gulley, among others.
The afternoon show is presented in partnership with The Alton Mill Arts Centre. The show will take place under a marquee tent in the annex, and will include access to a cash bar with great food available from newly opened Mill Run Eatery. During the second set, there will be a timed “Paint Off” event where Headwaters Arts visual artists will create work inspired by the songs, the stories, or other aspects of the concert experience.
Tickets are available at The Alton Mill Arts Centre (Gallery Gemma), and can be ordered online at www.ticketscene.ca/events/15612. Tickets are $22 in advance, and $30 the day of the show.
For more information, contact Madole at 905-867-7506 or The Alton Mill Arts Centre (http://altonmill.ca/visit/events/source_of_the_song_event/) at 519-941-9300.