Guelph’s diverse music scene has something for every taste
For a city of its size, Guelph has a strikingly diverse local scene. Punk rockers, DJs, folk songsmiths, and oddball experimentalists from the city and area flood downtown Guelph’s venues every weekend. If you haven’t got around to really digging into the local scene, you’re in for a treat.
Here’s a brief guide to some of the local music organizations that make all the magic happen.
Pinball Sessions: With innovative performance footage, posted online from their Guelph homebase, and their consistent gathering of a huge breadth of bands from Guelph, the area, and everywhere else, Pinball Sessions gets music to the public quickly and with a distinctively local edge. While they organize and promote numerous shows around the city, their online presence is a 24/7 goldmine of fabulous local tunes and those from elsewhere. Check them out on social media to discover new bands, relive a favourite local concert, and prepare to spend hours making playlists on their website.
Incline/Decline: One of the more decidedly experimental festivals and labels in town, Incline/Decline was started up in 2013 to offer a summer festival geared towards noise music, punk, and other veins of experimental performance. Held in various venues of downtown Guelph at the end of July, Incline/Decline – now also its own record label – is certainly something for those with more adventurous musical tastes to enjoy.
GAIN Music: GAIN (Guelph and Area Independent and New) Music, with their new headquarters at DSTRCT, is a staple to the scene, with their diverse programming and homebase. The annual GAIN Music Festival, held on all three floors of Van Gogh’s Ear sometime in March, is always a jam to look forward to – with bands of all stripes performing all night, there’s something for everyone to dig.
Fortnight Music: Made up of a close-knit and like-minded group of local musicians including Alanna Gurr, Lowlands, and oddyears, Fortnight Music started out as a concert promotion group and has extended their work to publicity and management. Presenting diverse bands, from Absolutely Free to Bruce Peninsula, their programming is a key part of Guelph’s scene.
Clearly, there’s a vital and important musical culture in Guelph that needs support to keep going. It’s quickly catching the attention of Canada and the world, so don’t sleep on it. There really is something for everyone’s tastes. With so many things going on in a given weekend, it can certainly be a little overwhelming, so we hope this guide will pique your interest and let you know who to watch out for. See you downtown!