Three new Ontario musicians for you to listen to

From the Ontario trip, three new musicians:

I saw Michael Ketemer playing a beaten up old Larrivee at the Peterborough Farmer’s Market on Saturday.  He bore a little resemblance to Neil Young, with long stringy hair under a ball cap, but he is a much different kind of guitarist.  Lovely virtuoso finger picking Celtic guy.  He played a few very unusual set dances and some jigs and reels for me and we talked a little.  I asked him which of his albums he was most proud of and he handed me “Yellow Stockings” which I bought.  You can listen to some it here.  Michael really made me regret that had not started playing Irish music when I lived in Peterborough 20 years ago.

The previous weekend, in Thornbury we partied at Bridges, which is a bar right on the Beaver River.  Pat Robitaille is the house guitarist there, a very soulful singer who plays a lot of big chord melodies and has a very heartfelt indy vibe about him.  He plays the gamut of music contemporary and classic and is a fine interpreter of folk rock and acoustic indy music.   Pat moved to Thornbury from Windsor, and if you are ever in the Collingwood area it’s worth a drive to see him and to drink fine beer and eat good food at Bridges.

Oh and I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention that my almost cousin Keith Shiner has a new album out too.  He’s gonna put one in the mail for me.  In the meantime, you can stream him at his myspace page.