On Saturday May 6, the 9th Homegrown Live Music Festival will showcase some of Kingston’s best musicians as it raises funds for The Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Lending Library (Joe’s M.I.L.L.).
“We can hardly believe it’s been nine years!” says festival coordinator Tom Stewart. “The enthusiasm from the music community, the venues, and our volunteers is really contagious. We’ve kept true to our roots as a minimal-overhead, laid-back event, and that allows us to make a big donation to Joe’s M.I.L.L. every year.”
This year’ lineup includes over 100 local bands and musicians who will perform in 13 genres in 12 downtown venues, showcasing their talents in a wide variety of music genres that include rock, blues, jazz, Celtic,
classical, folk, electroacoustic, and more.
All access festival bracelets are on sale for just $10 and allow access to the entire event with performances running from noon to 2 AM.
Since 2008, Homegrown Live has raised well over $70,000 for Joe’s M.I.L.L.
“This is the event that pays the rent,” said Joe’s M.I.L.L. librarian, Roger Eccleston. “We look forward to Homegrown Live every year for many reasons. Once of which is that we often see our instruments on stage,
played by borrowers who may not have had a chance otherwise.”
A full list of venues, performers, and sponsors is available at www.homegrownlive.ca.
The Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Lending Library (Joe’s M.I.L.L.) is a registered charity in Kingston, Ontario founded by musician, Wally High, in memory of his friend and band member, the late Joe
Chithalen.
Joe’s M.I.L.L. operates in tribute to Joe’s love of music such that everyone who wants to can enjoy playing music as he did. Approximately 6000 loans were issued in the past year alone from an inventory of over
1000 instruments. More than 200 of those are signed out to students enrolled in school music programs, camps, and community groups in the Kingston area.
MISSION STATEMENT: Our lending and teaching program fosters music appreciation, knowledge, community enrichment and provides opportunities for youth and adults to meet their full potential.
*Homegrown Live* is a non-profit organisation responsible for organising the annual Homegrown Live Music Festival, a music festival celebrating live music in Kingston.
Homegrown Live is made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Downtown Kingston! B.I.A., Kingston Sound Works, HC Concepts, Kingstonist.com, MusicFly.ca, Peter Finnegan of BMO-Nesbitt Burns, and the
Kingston Whig-Standard, plus dozens of volunteers.
Photo: Dávid Kótai (cc)