Hillside Inside Archives | Folk Roots Radio

Folk Roots Radio Episode 576: Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course 2021

Apr 16 2021

We’re giving over the whole of Episode 576 of Folk Roots Radio to the 2021 Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course. We are joined by facilitators: Marie Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Hillside Festival and Guelph-based singer-songwriter Doris Folkens and three of their students: Halley McKeown, Missy Bauman, and Tania Joy who also share their songs with us. Girls & Guitars is a longstanding feature of Hillside Inside and part of an ongoing project designed to address the gender imbalance in the music industry and thus further Hillside’s mission of encouraging inclusion and equality. The songwriting course is a very special part of that initiative. This year because of Covid-19, the course was virtual and took place on four Friday evenings in January. Halley, Missy, and Tania also performed virtually at this year’s Hillside Inside. Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 441: Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course 2019

Apr 17 2019

We’re giving over the whole of Episode 441 of Folk Roots Radio to interviews with the participants and facilitators of the 2019 Hillside Festival Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course that took place in Guelph during the winter. The songwriting workshop is specifically designed to help aspiring female songwriters develop effective songwriting skills and strategies while gaining confidence in their own ability, and all within a supportive learning environment. As you will hear during these interviews, the music industry is currently skewed 70:30 in favour of men – not just in terms of performers, but also behind the scenes – in management, booking agents, tech crews, artistic directors, and critics. During the four-week course, participants worked on an original song that was eventually recorded by Nick Zubeck at Arthur North Studios in Guelph. The students also played their song live at a special event during the Hillside Inside winter festival this past February. It’s our privilege to share those songs with you again today. Check out the full playlist below.

Feb 03 2017

The Hillside Festival is getting ready to bring Hillside Inside. The summer festival’s wintery cousin, will delight music lovers at a variety of venues in Downtown Guelph. They’re celebrating ten years of winter programming, and, as usual, they’ve put together a wonderfully diverse programme. Concerts, workshops and community activities, there is something for everyone.
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Folk Roots Radio Episode 296: Banjofest Guelph Interview & More New Releases

Jan 26 2017

We love the banjo on Folk Roots Radio which is a very good thing, as this edition has more than the usual amount included. We talk to Ian Molesworth about Banjofest – a one day festival taking place in Guelph in March and listen to some of the artists who will be taking part. We also check in on some of the artists who will be performing at the 10th annual Hillside Inside which takes place in Downtown Guelph from February 9-12. Among the new releases, we get to hear some great musical commentary about the recent political upheaval south of the border.

Jan 23 2016

This edition of Folk Roots Radio features music from performers at this year’s Hillside Inside, the winter version of the Hillside Festival. Hillside Inside takes place from January 29 – 31 at a variety of venues in downtown Guelph, and includes some great community activities alongside some fabulous musical performances.

Jan 22 2016

The winter version of the Hillside Festival, Hillside Inside is just about here. It runs from January 29 – 31 at a variety of venues in downtown Guelph. As usual the festival features some great community activities alongside some fabulous musical performances. Artists performing at this year’s festival include Basia Bulat, Casey Mecjia (from indie faves Ohbijou), Dakhabrakha, The Strumbellas, The Elwins, Geoff Berner and the Grand River Ramblers. Anna and Jane McGarrigle, sisters to Kate McGarrigle and aunts of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, will also be reading from their family memoir Mountain City Girls in the afternoon of Saturday, January 30 in the gorgeous sanctuary of St. George’s Church. A Q & A will follow. There’s also a Sunday Gospel Session, youth showcase and the winter festival favourite, Girls and Guitars – taking place in six downtown storefronts (cafes, stores, and a gallery), showcasing six female singer-songwriters for half-hour shows that you can take in on the street or in the store. Individual show tickets and weekend passes are available online or at The Bookshelf, 41 Quebec Street, downtown Guelph. Buy tickets online HERE. Check out hillsidefestival.ca for all performance and community event details.

Hillside Inside 2015

Nov 26 2014

Hillside Inside takes place on the weekend of February 6-8 2015 across Downtown Guelph. The musical portion of the Hillside Festival’s younger sibling kicks off on Friday February 6 with a cabaret style show featuring Oliver Mtukudzi with special guest Alex Cuba at the River Run Centre at 7:30 p.m. Later that night at 10 p.m., Kid Koala will take to the stage at St. George’s Church (Mitchell Hall) with bizZarh. Saturday February 7 features two shows, Owen Pallett with special guest Jennifer Castle in the Sanctuary at St. George’s Church at 3 p.m. and The New Pornographers with special guests Operators in St. George’s Church (Mitchell Hall) at 9:15 p.m. The festival concludes on Sunday February 8 with Stars and special guests Hey Rosetta! at the River Run Centre at 7:30 p.m. Details of community events taking place during the festival are yet to be announced.

Jan 15 2014

Hillside Inside, a smaller more intimate version of the summer Hillside Festival runs from February 5-7 2014 in a variety of downtown Guelph spaces. Featuring contemporary Aboriginal music, dance, indie rock, folk and Afro-Columbian music, all wrapped up in a full weekend of free activities, from street side musical performances to Hillside hockey and hip-hop lessons, and all in downtown Guelph, there is something for everyone. Check out the full Hillside Inside schedule HERE Read More

Hannah Georgas and Doug Paisley

Jan 23 2013

Hannah Georgas and Doug Paisley will be in Guelph on February 2 2103 for a show in St George’s Church (Sanctuary) as part of Hillside Inside.

Mar 20 2012

Hillside Inside is continuing to develop it’s own identity. After some very successful 2012 shows featuring Kim Churchill, Harry Manx, Dan Mangan, The Wooden Sky and Lowlands, there are two more shows coming up… Cold Specks and Special guests at the Co-operator’s Hall, River Run Centre on March 21 and Shane Koyczan & The Short Story Long at the Red Papaya in Old Quebec St Mall on April 5.

Ticket information for Cold Specks has yet to be announced.Tickets for Shane Koyczan go on sale on Saturday February 25 and are available at Ticketbreak.com, Ground Floor Music and Hempire.

About Shane Koyczan (courtesy Hillside Festival)
With self described “Experimental Acoustic Folk” music by The Short Story Long, Shane moves from subdued, deep, sad love poetry to power chord hip-hop. He brings enormous vitality and virtuosity to every performance. His warmth, wit and sincerity are a hit with crowds and his lyricism inspires all who listen.

Shane Koyczan is one of the world’s premier spoken word performers. His performance at the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies brought the 55,000 seat house to their feet with his tear-jerking homage to Canada “We Are More”. The Guardian (UK) and the Globe and Mail (Canada) hailed his book, Visiting Hours, as a Book of the Year Selection. His second book, Stickboy, is a novel in verse. Written for anyone who has ever been a child, Stickboy continues to be hailed by teachers, academics, and mental health experts alike for its deft handling of the subject of bullying. Shane’s third book, Our Deathbeds Will Be Thirsty, released in 2012, proves once again to be an outstanding addition to an amazing repertoire.

Now the multi award-winning spoken word performer breathes life into the new genre of talk rock with his band The Short Story Long: a group whose musical range stretches from folk to funk, from ambient to rock. Their sound showcases a blend of original music and Shane Koyczan’s remarkable performance poetry. Along with Koyczan, the group has created a whole new style of song/verse. This is Talk-Rock. This is something new. This is worth checking out. Winning “Best New Artist” at the BC Interior Music Awards in 2009, receiving standing ovations at festivals across Canada, and selling out theatres and cafés alike, the band is turning heads on the Canadian independent music scene. Their soon-to-be released album ‘Remembrance Year,’ (due out on March 16th, 2012) has already garnered acclaim from music reviewers and fans alike.

“Listening to ‘My Darling Sara’ (I left the ignition on, long after I’d parked, to hear the end of that one)… it all sounds like something’s coming – a sound everyone asks for.”
– Gordon Downie of The Tragically Hip

Shane Koyczan & The Short Story Long:
Shane Koyczan – Poetry & Vocals
Maiya Robbie – Guitar & Vocals
Olivia Mennell – Keyboard & Vocals
Jesse Lee – Stand Up Bass
Jordie Robinson – Cello