When Newmarket resident Bianca Rollo first took a tour of Old Flame Brewing Co.’s Main Street Music Hall, she had a vision.
A musician herself, Rollo began playing in Old Flame’s taproom and when she first saw the upstairs music hall, it spoke to her and she knew something special could happen there.
She wanted to develop a monthly intimate singer/songwriter style show in the space because it’s something the Newmarket area is lacking.
Having been to Nashville several times and having seen the iconic venues there, Rollo thought back on some of her personal experiences there. She’d participated in “writers' rounds” while in Nashville and thought it could be a unique fit in Newmarket at the music hall.
Writers' rounds are a very popular performance style in Nashville and are when a group of songwriters sit together and sing their songs in turns one after another.
“It’s such a cool intimate experience to give artists the chance to play their songs and tell their stories to a listening room,” Rollo said.
Rollo knew the style would be perfect in the music hall and that led her to create Burning Red Writers Round, a monthly performance in Newmarket where she brings three or four local songwriters/artists to perform.
Each musician performs a few songs over the two-hour-long performance while sitting together on stage and then, each artist takes turns playing original songs that they have written and talk about the stories behind the songs.
“We are trying to build up our local artists in all genres and give them a place to share their creative work with the community,” Rollo said. "The talent is always outstanding”
This Sunday, Nov. 19 marks the one-year anniversary of Burning Red Writers Round and Rollo says it’s been so cool to see it grow and build a following.
Artists come from York Region, Barrie, Toronto, Durham, and all over Ontario to play at the unique opportunity. She describes it as a vibe that the artists have embraced as the only type of show of its kind in this area.
“I didn’t reinvent the wheel, I just brought it here,” Rollo said. “I’ve had artists who live part-time in Nashville tell me that this is one of the best writers rounds they’ve ever been to.”
Being able to create this style of show in her vision and having it reach such success has been a mind-boggling experience, Rollo said, one that wouldn’t happen without the talented artists.
“Once the community comes to the show, they’re hooked and think it’s amazing,” she said. “I really pride myself on finding extremely talented artists. A lot of work goes into it.”
Having support from the community has been amazing, said Rollo, who credits their rotating local sponsors such as Main Street Realty Ltd., Olde Village Free House, Happy Bones Osteopathy & Wellness Clinic, and JC Agri Orchards, as a main reason they’ve been able to put these shows on.
“It’s honestly all been so magical,” she said.
The Burning Red Writers Round one-year anniversary show is Sunday, Nov. 19 at Main Street Music Hall, 140 Main St. S., from 5 to 9 p.m.
“We’re bringing past artists and special guests,” she said. “If you’ve never experienced it, this is a cool way to start. You get to see all the amazing talent that’s graced our stage over the last year.”
The writers' rounds are monthly, falling on Sunday’s from November to April and Tuesday’s from May to October.
The next monthly shows are Nov. 19, Dec. 17, Jan. 21, and Feb. 25. Get tickets to the one-year anniversary show here. You can find Burning Red Writers Round on Facebook and Instagram.
