A sold out audience sang and clapped their way through a rollicking 2018 Gil’s Hootenanny at the Clarke Room of the RA Centre on May 1st. Everyone, audience, performers and volunteers had a great time. Here are some highlights:
See you all next year. Same day. Same time. Same place.
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A debut not to be missed!!!
Four original “Songs of Protest, Songs of Hope” will debut at a free afternoon session during the Ottawa Grassroots Festival on April 28th. Continue reading…
“Gil’s at Grassroots”:
A Celebration of Original Sing-Along Songs
April 28th at 4pm
Building on the long tradition of working together to create melodies and lyrics for protest songs, Gil’s Hootenanny is hosting a free afternoon session at the Ottawa Grassroots Festival on April 28th that will feature recent, collaboratively-created, original “Songs of Protest, Songs of Hope”. Continue reading…
Over two dozen novice and experienced songwriters gathered at the Black Irish Pub on Sunday, April 8th to participate in the first of two Gil’s Hootenanny-sponsored workshops designed to create sing-along songs that share and celebrate the stories, struggles and victories of working people.
Led by singer-songwriter-teacher Jamie Anderson, the songwriters were organized into four groups and Continue reading…
Versatility, originality and activism are the hallmarks of this year’s Hootenanny Band. The core members of the band are singer-songwriters, multi-instrumentalists and vocalists from the Elizabeth Riley Band who bring a raw, contagious energy to their music that captivates and inspires audiences. Continue reading…
Eve Goldberg, the 2018 Gil’s Hootenanny headliner, is a singer-songwriter who believes that she has a unique platform “to be a voice for social justice and the power of positive change”. For Eve, this commitment not only means writing issue-oriented songs, but also, and perhaps more importantly, creating space in her performances “to help create community by being inclusive and positive”. Continue reading…
Gil’s Hootenanny’s is delighted that emcees Karen Flanagan McCarthy and Tony Turner will be returning to host the 9th annual Gil’s Hootenanny. Continue reading…
Anyone lucky enough to see Eve Goldberg perform is captivated not only by her talent and charisma but also by the obvious depth of her musical background and influences.
Gil’s Hootenanny’s 2018 headliner, Eve grew up in the Boston area, where her multi-instrumentalist, activist mom took her to see folk legends such as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Pete Seeger and Doc Watson. Eve acknowledges that as a child, she did not initially appreciate these performers, though they would later have a significant influence on her song writing and performance repertoire. Continue reading…
When Gil Levine died at 85 in 2009, three words in his obituary, “… plan a hootenanny”, started an Ottawa tradition that is now into its 9th year and getting stronger.
Held each year on May Day, this annual celebration of the collective power of song was inspired by Gil, who was the founding Director of Research at the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and a great lover of folk music and supporter of folk musicians. Gil demonstrated his love of folk music in many ways, including hosting annual hootenannies at home for decades. Continue reading…
Gil’s Hootenanny Sponsoring Free Workshops
for
Collaborative Sing-Along Songwriting
Gil’s Hootenanny will be offering a set of free songwriting workshops in April 2018 for songwriters who are interested in a collaborative approach to writing sing-along songs of hope and protest.