Two groups and a pianist will be featured in Music for the Marsh on Aug. 21, at the Fergus community centre.
The event is to raise money for Stop the Quarry – Save the Marsh, a local community group with the aim of saving the Luther Marsh, part of the Grand River system, from damage from a proposed development, in the form of a limestone quarry that the group believes will do irreparable damage to the habitat of many birds, fish, and other marsh-dwelling creatures.
Local pianist Kara Shaw opens for House of Doc, with WhirlyGig providing entertainment in the beer gardens.
House of Doc is based out of Winnipeg. Matthew Harder grew up on the 4th Line of West Garafraxa and went to school at John Black, James McQueen, and Elora Senior. After high school, he went to school in Winnipeg where he met Rebecca Wiebe who is now his wife, and together with other Wiebe family members, they formed House of Doc.
Today Matthew, Rebecca, her baby brother, Dan, and newest member Jesse Krause (not related to Alison), form the folk-roots quartet.
House of Doc has travelled extensively, coast to coast a number of times, as well as to the United States and Europe. It has toured with Grammy award winners the Blind Boys of Alabama, opened for Leahy, and Canadian Jazz sensation, Sophie Milman as well as Spirit of the West.
The band has released three CDs, the last two produced by Vince Ditrich, of Spirit of the West. Ditrich also manages the band from his offices in Vancouver and New York.
House of Doc has just completed a coast to coast summer festival tour which included the Filbert Festival in Comox, BC, Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival in Nova Scotia, and Summerfolk in Owen Sound. The tour has been on the back of the group’s third album, East of West.
House of Doc is energetic, with its live performance described as an adventure with a surprise at every turn.
Shaw is 18 years old and began playing piano at 2-1/2. She has released three CDs and has performed in the Special Olympics.
She performed O Canada for a Toronto Argonauts game at the Rogers Centre.
Celtic group WhirlyGig will perform during the barbecue, offering instrumentals on the Scottish pipes and fiddle.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and children under 5, free.
For ticket information, call 519-323-1620 days, or 519-820-8515 evenings. Tickets are also available through Shaw Music, in Fergus, 519-787-6487.
For more information, visit www.saveluthermarsh.org.
