Songwriter’s Acoustic Jam
To say that the North Bay bar scene does not embrace original talent is an understatement of epic proportions. Thankfully Lisa Gibson and Caley Campbell have stepped into the breach and are providing local musicians with a chance to network, sharpen their skills, and play original music.
The Songwriter’s Acoustic Jam has been going on for just over a year every Wednesday night at 100 Georges, and the event has not only become very popular with lovers of acoustic music, but it has served as a valuable launching pad for local talent.
Gibson recognizes the importance of a jam night to advance the careers of musicians, and it is at such an event that she and Caley Campbell both got their starts. In her words: “Caley and I actually met 10 years ago at a jam hosted by SAB at the Reef in Callander. That’s where I met SAB too. SAB would throw me up on stage with someone who’s been playing forever, and I had just been learning for a few months. It started out really intimidating, but it forced me to play better. You learn and get inspired when you are up there with someone that you respect like that, and you may have seen playing gigs before.”
After cutting her teeth at SAB’s jam night, Lisa went on to become a member of SAB and The Family Band, as a vocalist/harp player, and also formed a band with Caley Campbell called the Bad Habits. This band enjoyed some success playing such high profile gigs as the Papa Joe Run, before meeting an untimely end when a Kirkland Lake gig conflicted with drummer Sterling Campbell’s other plans. Sterling has not been welcome in Kirkland Lake since, but has recently been forgiven by Lisa.
When Caley and Lisa first met she felt a strong connection and predicted that “When we’re old farts, we’ll be grandparents and we’ll still be jamming around a campfire somewhere.” That prediction is one step closer to becoming come true as Caley has recently welcomed a son, Peyton Campbell, into this world, who is also, coincidentally, Lisa’s nephew. In terms of a partner to operate this event she says: “I couldn’t have picked a better co-host. I asked Caley because he has a big heart, he’s talented and he’s the kind of musician that will play with anybody. He has the kind of personality where even though he is awesome, people aren’t intimidated to get up and play after him or with him.”
Although this night is called the “Songwriter’s Acoustic Jam”, musicians are welcome to play covers as well. However, Lisa was very specific in naming the event. “We want to encourage original music. There are no venues for songwriters in town. Eventually, we’re hoping to be able to use one night per month to dedicate to a couple of songwriters and just let them play full sets of their own stuff. It’s amazing the response people get here when they play their own stuff. When someone like Ben Herman gets up to play his originals people eat it up. How often do you get a group of people that know the words to your original songs? When Caley plays “Brother Blues” here, people know the words.”
When discussing the jam night, Lisa and Caley both prefer to speak about the group of regular performers that have been frequenting it. They both take pride in the achievements of people who are gaining experience performing at the Jam, and also in those who fill the mentoring roles. Caley mentions Lainey Este as an example of a musician who has blossomed in this environment: “When Lainey first started coming out, she wasn’t even playing guitar or singing. She was playing flute. Now she is playing guitar and singing. She’s come a long way.” Another example would be Caroline Cyr, who as Lisa says, is “one of those people who came out, was really shy, and now she’s in bands, getting gigs and she’s playing with musicians like Lloyd McMillan who’s been playing for 20 something years. One of my favorite things about jam night is Lloyd McMillan. Most of us that come out are amateurs, but Lloyd has played in lots of bands, and he is a seasoned musician. If someone needs to learn something, he’ll teach them. If someone needs backup, he’s there. He’ll invite them over to learn the songs that they want to do, so they can get up. It inspires people that are up and coming to be able to play with a guy like Lloyd”
Clearly, this jam night is fostering a sense of community among local musicians, and thanks to the initiative and support of Lisa and Caley, local musicians have a readily available stage on which to perform original music.
