Bill Monahan
The 4th Annual Meaford Stomp, once again sponsored by the Lions Club and organized by The Browns, filled the Rotary Pavilion with song on Saturday afternoon, July 23.
Wayne Fennell started off the day at 11 am with an impressive set of familiar songs, accompanying himself on the guitar. A veteran musician, he possessed vocal skills well above the ordinary, and chose material that presents challenges to most vocalists, resulting in a stirring performances. If you missed his set, there is a possibility that he will be inserted into the scheduling of the Friends of the Library Sunday night concerts in August. Make a point of catching him if you can – a singer of this quality doesn’t come along often.
The standout performance of the day came from Amanda Dorey. She is a gifted natural country singer whose material reflects a feisty attitude she pulls off very well. She began with a couple of duets with James McLaughlin that were a real delight (covering John Prine and Johnny Cash); their voices blended beautifully. For the rest of her set she was accompanied by the percussion of The Bam-A-Lam Kid, which added energy to the acoustic set.
Other performers of the day included Scott Almond, who did some great renditions of Steve Earle songs among others; Bill Monahan, who did an entire set of his own original songs; and Laurie Zwarich with some folk and country covers, and an original song or two.
The Browns, Doug and Heather, performed a set in the middle of the afternoon. This couple plays at least six days a week and travels all around the area to perform. All of that practise is showing results in constant improvement. Heather’s voice, on songs like “The Tennessee Waltz”, finds the perfect fit for the material. They now have fans that follow them from gig to gig, a few of whom came to Meaford specifically to see the Stomp, and they are being asked for CDs. They hope to put something together soon to meet that demand.
And The Browns will be hosting another afternoon of music next Saturday, July 30, at the Rotary Pavilion again, this time billed as Lovin’ Meaford. It runs from noon to 6:30.
For more Meaford Music news, check out the new Meaford Live Music website: www.meafordlivemusic.com
