A spellbound audience listened as folk singer John Wart Hannam wove stories and music into what one spectator called a “magical” performance on Sunday afternoon at the St. Paul Regional Fine Arts Theatre.
“That was a rare treat,” said Amil Shapka, an organizer through St. Paul’s Champions for Change. “Everyone that was there enjoyed themselves tremendously.”
He noted that Hannam, a Canadian roots musician, is a Juno-award nominee, and “it showed” in the quality of his lyrics and music.
Hannam’s travels, and his writing, takes listeners through southern Alberta to the wilds of Labrador, and everywhere in between.
“They live out of their suitcases,” he said of Hannam and his band, adding, “Now he can put the St. Paul pin on his map.”
With Shapka estimating that about 70 people attended the performance, he said that if there was one downside, it was that Champions for Changes would “love to fill the place for an artist like that.”
This was the group’s second music organizing effort, with the first being Homemade Jam, and Shapka said that through his connection with the Vermilion Folk Club, he hopes to have more opportunities to bring artists of that caliber to the area.
“Part of our mission is to make this a more vibrant community,” he said, adding if the group can generate some funds for its other projects, it’s a bonus.
It also has the incentive of supporting artists who deserve more recognition and compensation for their work, in Shapka’s eyes.
“It’s kind of a win win for the community; it’s a win-win for the artists.”
