Penny Randall-Mowbray wants to play your music on her new show, Locally Sourced, which landed on CanoeFM airwaves the first week of December.
Airing each Wednesday from 7-9 p.m., Randall-Mowbray features local music and musicians who visit the studio to play live. “If you look locally in every small town, in every hamlet, there are musicians; there has always been musicians,” she said.
The show aims to illuminate Haliburton’s talent which many may overlook. “We just don’t recognize it: we think we have to leave our community to find music and we do not: it’s all right here if you just look around,” she said. Local up-and-coming songwriters like Cassidy Taylor belted out original tunes live and Annabelle Craig brought her cello into the studio for a show; their music played right alongside tracks from seasoned voices such as Carl Dixon. Randall-Mowbray said she opens each show with a song by an indigenous artist to honour the original stewards of the land.
“I think people really love it,” RandallMowbray said.
She’s been volunteering at the station for four years. Throughout that time, she said she’s come to appreciate the community of musicians in Haliburton who encourage each other to play no matter their skill level.
“If others in your circle have told you you’re not good enough, you’re not this, you’re not that, you can reach out to other like-minded individuals.”
She’ll play just about any music locals send in, and always is on the hunt for performers who may want to strum a few tunes.
Beginners are welcome. “I couldn’t play ukulele, I couldn’t play anything: everyone starts out at zero but there’s no way to go but up,” she said.
She hopes listeners might be encouraged to pick up an instrument themselves.
“I think whatever age we have playing: somebodies going to resonate with that,” she said. “I’m an older musician and not very good, but people might say ‘hey, she just started playing a few years ago. If she can do it, I guess I can do it too.’”
