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Friday's Live: Where the River Bends

TIME & DATE: Friday, February 7th, 5PM to 9PM

LOCATION: AWE, 3rd floor, Rodzik Gallery

COST: $40 for AWE members, $50 for General Admission

Admission price includes one hand crafted beverage from Maiden Lane Wine & Cocktail Bar.

Your ticket includes: Admission to Where the River Bends, 1 drink ticket, snacks, and admission to Art Windsor-Essex exhibitions.

 

Get tickets here!

You’re invited to the first installment of Friday’s Live: Where the River Bends, a new live music series hosted at AWE.

The Friday’s Live series features Canadian musicians from diverse musical backgrounds.

The Windsor-Detroit skyline is the guiding inspiration of this series. Audiences will experience musical soundscapes of three acoustic performances, and a DJ in the Rodzik Gallery on the third floor at AWE while simultaneously enjoying the view of the Windsor-Detroit river skyline which acts as our living backdrop behind the stage.

Where music and our landscape merge, we hope to facilitate a tranquil environment where audiences can feel a spirit of connection to the land on both sides of the river and a renewed sense of appreciation for the place in which we are situated.

This series is based on the place name for Windsor and Detroit: Where the River Bends or Waawiiatanong in Anishinaamowin. 

About the Performer: Willowbrook

Willowbrook is a folk artist based in Windsor, Ontario. With over 1.5 million streams, their goal is to spread radical love, insight change, and create community through art. Willowbrook’s music ranges from heartbreaking ballads to stompin‘ and clappin‘ folk, so there’s always a little bit for everyone! 

@willowbrookofficial

Willowbrook Music

About the Performer: Bilal Nasser

Bilal Nasser is a Palestinian-Canadian guitarist and composer from Windsor Ontario known for his ability to blend his classical guitar background with his passion for more experimental genres such as post-rock, shoegaze, and drone. Through his unique output he is known to challenge assumptions as to what classical guitar music can be, resulting in a signature sound often described as “Post-Classical“. Bilal has toured extensively throughout Canada, performing original music in unconventional and DIY spaces like skate parks, warehouses, luthier’s workshops, and more. Bilal is the first ever classical guitarist to have a mosh pit at a show 

@bilalguitar

Bilal Nasser

About the Performer: Jon Dixon Live

Detroit musician, producer, educator and music therapist Jon Dixon combines elements of jazz and Detroit techno to create what he calls “Hi-Tech Jazz”. Watching him perform live gives a chance to see his 35 years of playing keyboard combined with his love of dance music. Continuing the Detroit Techno tradition, he creates a hybrid of “4 on the floor” mixed with elements of jazz, classical and more.  

@jondixon_

Jon Dixon

About the Performer: Eamon McGrath

Eamon McGrath is a Windsor-based musician with a 15+ year touring history of Canada, the UK, the USA, Europe, Mexico and Japan. He has released over 25 albums, written 2 books, scored 2 feature films, and has toured the world relentlessly since 2007, cultivating an international audience and committed, loyal network of fans. His fiercely DIY approach has garnered him respect and admiration in both the indie rock and folk communities, as he effortlessly bridges a gap between both genres, composing heartbreakingly beautiful songs that are performed with an honest, intense energy on stages worldwide. 

Tracked by McGrath alone in Windsor, ON, and compiled from songs composed during a 10-month world tour in support of his acclaimed 2022 release Bells of Hope, A Dizzying Lust features McGrath channeling the frontier spirit of a folk singer alone on the road with an acoustic guitar. McGrath’s trademark notoriety as a savage rocker is traded for a subtle minimalism and focused attention to the lyrics and song. A Dizzying Lust arrived on LP May 2024 via Cassettes Records, which will see McGrath taking the album across  Japan, Canada and Europe. 

 

About the Music Curator: Kamryn Cusumano

Kamryn Cusumano is a Windsor-based photographer and music curator. She’s been involved with the local music scene for over a decade and works as an artist manager, music festival organizer and marketing consultant for bands and artists. She is the owner of Uma Loft, a creative studio by day and touring band crash pad by night. Her passion for putting Windsor’s music scene on the map has led Kamryn to create, produce and host a live music show which takes place in Uma Loft called Uma Sessions. 6 episodes are available online on Bell Fibe TV 1 which gives a snapshot of the Windsor music scene during this moment in time. Kamryn looks forward to using the AWE Friday’s Live event to introduce new audiences to emerging local and Canadian artists. 

Uma Loft

This project by the Government of Canada - Canadian Arts Presentation Fund. Financé par le gouvernement du Canada.