Songwriter's Showcase

Featuring on March 7th…

Juanita Wilkins is a roots artist with a mission - to tell the stories of rural Ontario - and her new recording project "Four Corner Town", is doing just that. Juanita has achieved a clean, pure sound which showcases the touching and relevant songs she's written about the life and times of rural South Western Ontario. And these songs, written with her trademark writing style of intelligent lyrics and hummable melodies are the perfect

vehicle for the voice that has been described in turns as pure and beautiful to smoky and sexy. One of Juanita's new songs, "Never Going Back" placed in the top ten in the OCFF's "Songs From The Heart" competition. Juanita keeps her hand and heart in her local community volunteering as the Music Director for the Minto Arts Council in Wellington County - bringing in top Canadian talent to concert events that function as important fundraisers for this award winning volunteer organization which promotes the arts in her locality. Juanita's dedication to live music shows in all aspects of her life, whether performing herself, or organizing live music events for others. Juanita is proud of her "Rural Roots"! Juanita is also a proud member of ACTRA Toronto Performers, and does commercial vocal work; and recently was chosen from amongst a large number of candidates to be the national "voice" of Home Hardware.

Karl Widmeyer currently lives in Brampton, Ontario, where he works as a lifeguard at one of Brampton’s local recreation centres, while he develops his musical career. He has a reputation in Brampton as a songwriter, and his fan base is noticeably increasing. Karl has played Brampton’s renowned Rose Theatre several times, and each time the audience has grown larger. Karl’s membership in the Brampton Folk Club has him frequently gigging all around the city. He’s also a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, which has two local area chapters: Brampton and Toronto. In his first year of membership, he hit the road for Nashville to hone his songwriting skills, and to learn about the music industry. There, he played a couple of venues, one of which was the famous Blue Bird Café. “So far,” he says, “it’s been a wild ride. Right now, my main goal is to keep improving as a singer/songwriter, and to keep building a strong fan base.” Karl engages his audience with very interesting little stories about his songs. His guitar and harmonica work is accomplished, and his voice is exactly like Barry McGuire but completely different.

YOUTH SPOTLIGHT

Amanda Guchardi