The Ward
Saturday Evening @ Guelph Little Theatre
Much like the beloved neighbourhood in Guelph, the band known as The Ward is a fertile meeting ground of four accomplished musicians - a rocking quartet comprised of Jeff Bird (Reward), bass, Randall Coryell (The Warden), drums, Harri Palm (Windward), electric guitar & vocals,& Sue Smith (Forward), keyboards and vocals. Most of the band have called the neighbourhood known as the Ward home at some point in their lives.
The Ward’s collective musical Curriculum Vitae includes Allanah Myles, The Bird Sisters, Bo Diddley, Common Ground, Cowboy Junkies, Glass Tiger, Johnny and the G-Rays, Ondine Chorus, The Potion Kings, Prairie Oyster, Quartette, Tamarack, Tom Cochrane, and Townes Van Zandt…
With over 150 years of combined musical experience, The Ward lays it down to lift you up. Handcrafted and original, songs from the heart delivered rock steady for the joy of it.
JEFF BIRD
Jeff Bird is a founding member of the seminal folk group Tamarack. With Cowboy Junkies he was part of the legendary The Trinity Session and continues to record and tour the world with them. He has realized 15 recordings of his own as a soloist and collaborator. Jeff has scored music for both film and television. As a multi-instrumentalist he has appeared on over 100 recordings and has worked with such divers artists and Jane Bunnett, Fred Eaglesmith, Stephen Fearing, Loreena McKennitt, Natalie Merchant, Scott Merritt, Lynn Miles, Jane Siberry & Townes Van Zandt.
RANDALL CORYELL
Since the age of sixteen, Randall Coryell has played drums and percussion on stage, radio, LP, CD, video, TV, in theaters, bars, bar mitzvahs, booze cans and bordellos with the likes of Bo Diddley, Mel Brown, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Alannah Myles, The Marigolds, Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, Paul Butterfield, Quartette,Glass Tiger, Gwen Swick, & Prairie Oyster.
HARRI PALM
Electric Guitar player, art-schooled roots rocker, songwriter, filmmaker and accomplished sailor, Harri follows the muse of music, equally at home in the worlds of rock, punk, folk, singer-songwriter and any jam he is invited to. Harri is also performing solo at the festival.
SUE SMITH
Singer-Songwriter, Composer, Producer, Co-Artistic Director of Ondine Chorus, Community Builder and an original Bird Sister; Sue is a spirited performer. Sue has co-produced 5 albums of original music including her solo release, “I’m So”: “…a stunning collection of heartfelt pop songs” (Vish Khanna, EXCLAIM!), “…a huge amount of songwriting talent here, a voice of maturity and wisdom” (Judy Matheson, MUSICNEWS). Sue’s latest album of original works, “Tonight We Sail” was released in 2021, in the face of the raging pandemic, celebrated with a live-streamed concert from the River Run Centre in Guelph.