Craig Cardiff, Tomi Swick, and Jonathan Roy are Canadian folk singers and songwriters that wowed the Algonquin Commons stage for the first time on January 18.
The musicians all met for the first time backstage just a few minutes before the show began.
This was an open event put together by the Student Association, to support Canadian songwriters. No tickets were needed to attend the show, which means it was a “first come first serve” event.
The event was advertised on Facebook and posters around campus; that is where many students knew about the show.
The audience was full of people from outside the college and mainly international students, who are fans of folk music.
What was exciting about the event was that, these three artists got a chance to perform together as a band for the very first time. It was their enthusiasm that got the crowd excited to watch them live on stage.
It was really an intimate night as the stage was set up in a semi circle, having the crowd seated just in front of the musicians as they performed. There were flowers and candles placed on small side tables around each couple of seats. The lighting systems changed after every song, making the room glow with emotions from all angles.
Cardiff is the oldest of the trio and was the first to perform a song entitled Love is Louder. The performance by this songwriter got the crowd singing the chorus along with him. He demonstrated his passion for music through the way he closed his eyes tightly as he sang.
One of his songs was dedicated to a couple seated at the front row. It was a lucky day for Kelly and Hartley Parent, who had tried to watch Cardiff perform on stage for over 10 years now. It was a dream come true moment for them, especially when Cardiff asked them to dance before the audience as he sang.
You could see the sparkle in their eyes and how Kelly’s face blushed to light pink as she danced with her husband Hartley to one of their favorite folk singers.
The crowd was so touched by this gesture and there was some sweet mumblings among the audience.
Swick’s songs were mostly written about his childhood in Hamilton and his experiences abroad, in the United Kingdom. His style was different from Cardiff’s in that, he told the story of all his songs just before he sang.
There was a message behind every song he sang and he was so passionate about the song of his lost love in England. That was the favorite performance by Swick that night, as his eyes got watery while he sings.
Roy, the youngest of the group gave a brief biography of his life just before he performed.
“I am a nobody,” he said.
“I am privileged to sing before you all tonight and I hope you all enjoy the night.”
His favorite song was entitled Don’t give up!
This song was dedicated to his friend who was recovering from drug abuse and was abandoned by his family. Today, that friend is also a musician and touching the hearts of many people all over the world.
Roy was more excited to be performing with Cardiff and Swick. He asked the crowd to applaud his two colleagues just before the show ended.
