Fans of Gordon Lightfoot have flocked to the "centre of the universe" to honour one of Canada's greatest songwriters and singers in his beloved hometown.
“This really is history in the making,” Daphne Mainprize says of the heart-felt tributes to Lightfoot taking place as part of this weekend's Lightfoot Days Festival.
The festival is in its second year and taking on new dimensions since Lightfoot died in May 2023.
The festival recently registered as a not-for-profit, and Mainprize, the festival vice-chair, said she is excited about the growth the event will see. This year, 50 people registered for workshops that took place at Creative Nomad Studios on Friday.
Mainprize listed the many places people have travelled from to attend the festival: Florida, California, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia.
“These are next-generation people, too, and they’re committed … This is (Lightfoot’s) hometown, this is the centre of the universe for a Lightfoot fan, and I think that’s what is driving people to be involved,” she said.
The band members have also sought more involvement with the event. On tour since January with Andy Mauck as vocalist, the Lightfoot Band saw Orillia as a must-attend destination.
“Since Gord passed, Andy came in and he’s worked out very well with us. He’s not replacing Gord, but we are continuing on with the songs of Gordon Lightfoot,” said Rick Haynes, a bassist who performed with Lightfoot from 1968 until the iconic singer's death.
Band members described the "amazing" response from many audiences. In the past nine months, some people have followed them to numerous shows, they noted.
Barry Keane, Lightfoot’s drummer for more than four decades, was credited with the idea of forming the workshops.
“The theme of the workshop is the evolution of the Lightfoot Band. So, there’s a lot of chatter about Gord himself, and there will always be, but the focus today is on the musicians who have backed Gordon over the years of his 60-plus-year career,” explained Keane.
The workshop delved into how each musician entered the band, beginning with Keane sitting alone at the front of an eager audience. He described his experiences playing music with Lightfoot.
Then, as the story unfolded, each member of the band joined him at the front. They each told the story of how they adapted their musical styles and worked together over the decades.
The workshop mixed in audio tracks. Clips of melodies that resonate with meaning for every person present often highlighted the influence of a new member in the band.
There were many laughs as each band member responded to Keane’s narrative.
“What was it like joining the Gordon Lightfoot Band?” asked Keane.
“Stressful,” Carter Lancaster replied as they had all joked about the process.
The audience was given insights only band mates knew about Lightfoot’s character. Many more nods and smiles filled the room as the workshop took place.
Margot Brown enjoyed the event and plans to attend another one. She first listened to the music of Lightfoot when she was 14 and claims to not have appreciated it as much then.
Now a longtime fan, Brown reveres the iconic singer-songwriter for being “down to earth,” saying, “he had none of the glamour but played to the everyman.”
For fans who weren’t able to attend the first year of workshops, there will me more to come.
“They’re already committed for next year. We’re going to do more workshops, different types of workshops, and (the band is) fabulous, working with us as a team, so we’re pretty excited,” said Mainprize.
Not only do members of the Lightfoot Band want to continue with workshops; they described the positive experience working with Lightfoot Days Festival and Mariposa Folk Festival organizers. They hope to perform in Orillia more often with Mauck as their singer.
With hundreds of songs to select from, how do they choose the setlists?
“It’s very hard because of all the great songs of Gordon Lightfoot,” said Keane “We could do a three-hour show easily with just great songs, but Rick is the one responsible for putting it all together. He’s the one who does a great job with that.”
“It’s based on different keys, different tempos, different feels, ballads. There’s a lot of things that go into it,” replied Haynes.
“And different instruments,” added Mauck. “We change guitars a lot.”
Haynes also described the challenge of refreshing songs for an audience already awed by the music. Although they plan to record and release material, “we have to get a lot tighter before we can record,” he said.
Until then, there are still two more days of Lightfoot Days events. Downtown Orillia will host music, storytelling, tours and tributes that can all be found on the Lightfoot Days Festival Facebook page.
