At the Brampton Folk Club‘s monthly concert Ray Whitmore and I opened for Dave Gunning, who played a Tribute to John Allan Cameron concert and featured several of his own songs. Dave played with Cameron some time ago and is a wonderful, complete and authentic artist. His feelings for his material and his audience come shining through as genuine. At times he was visibly moved on stage.
His mastery of the DADGAD and open G tunings made me promise myself to experiment with them; they add a depth and a poignancy to his songs. His own compositions are the opposite of repetitive; they are varied, creative musically and range from extremely moving to downright laugh-out-loud funny.
Our little 6-song show was enjoyed by the audience and it was fun to perform with Ray, who played 6- and 12-string guitars, banjo and harmonica during the performance. It was wonderful to have friends and family there in support. My two grandsons had never seen me perform like this on a stage (with the great sound mixing of the Folk Club’s “CEO,” Glenn MacFarlane); theirs and my childrens’ presence was a real thrill for me.
Gunning has won many awards, including Song of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards for his song, co-written with George Canyon, called These Hands. This song is a semifinalist for the International Songwriting Competition 2013. The winner will be announced at the end of this month.
I was blown away last night. Check him out. You might be, too…
mightyturk 