Porch Concerts fill the neighbourhood with song
There are porches with rockers. Then there are porches that rock.
Some of those were on display on Saturday, September 16 for the first-ever Regal Heights Front Porch Concerts.
Five groups of area musicians set up on porches throughout Regal Heights for the event, while the audience travelled from porch to porch to catch the mini-concerts. That audience grew as the afternoon went on, building to more than 80 people, including some who were lucky enough to be passing by at the right moment.
It all added up to a wonderful afternoon of sun, fun and music.
The Regal Heights Residents’ Association would like to thank the musicians who generously volunteered their time and talent:
The Openers: This trio boasts a varied repertoire of pop, rock, folk, country and blues tunes, adding their own interpretations. Appearances have included street festivals, garden and porch parties, cottage gigs, weddings and a private Muskoka party aboard the Wenonah II.
Quarrington and Adams: Tony and Zoey are a prolific and eclectic singer /songwriter duo. They have co-created more than 180 songs in genres stretching from jazz to folk and roots and beyond. Clever, well crafted lyrics and beautiful melodies are the trademarks of their ever expanding original repertoire.
The Ne’er-do-wells: Born from years of jam nights and open mics in the St. Clair West neighborhood (RIP Dave’s…), The Ne’er-do-wells is made up of a group of friends who love to share and create a diverse range of favourite and rare songs from over the decades. This year’s ensemble featured Brynn Leger (vocals), Jon Orsi (guitar) and Devin Newbery (bass).
Tape Eagles: The Tape Eagles weave together diverse influences into a cohesive sound that’s catchy but complex, mysterious, but familiar. Performing their first show since 2020 (and without their regular drummer) Aaron Robertson and Andrew Tay played a laid-back set of all originals, leaning more on the folky side this time.
salade des gens heureux: Members of the Pichon-Vorstman family play a wide variety of instruments, including guitar, viola and piano. They played a set of mostly French songs.
We would also like to thank our Master of Ceremony for the afternoon, David Storch. A big thank-you to our volunteers, Liz Nolan, Linda Buskin, and Peter Hall. Thank you to Peter Norman for publicizing the event. His work was key to getting out such a large audience.
Finally, thanks to the organizers: Mary Anne Quance, Brian Crabtree and John Keating. We will certainly have Porch Concerts again next year.
Welcome to the first Regal Heights Front Porch Concerts!
Thanks for attending! The event gets underway at 2pm on Saturday, September 16.
The rain date is September 17. We’ll post an update here on Saturday morning if we decide to go with the rain date.
The musicians are ready to perform for you!
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
Our official guides will meet you at 2 pm at 122 Westmount Ave., just south of St. Clair the first show. Each show will be roughly 12 to 20 minutes long.
Once a show is over, the guides will travel with you to the next location. There will be drinking water and a limited amount of seating at each location for those who need it. We’ve also marked performance locations with balloons, in case you join us later.
Here’s a complete map of the performance route. We’ve allowed plenty of time to walk from one concert to the next:
