The power of stripped down, raw, emotional, live music is immeasurable. And, the chance to sit in a special room and listen to songwriters tell their stories and sing their songs is one of the most fantastic experiences a music fan can find. In Toronto, Four Chords and the Truth has been offering that experience at the Dakota Tavern since 2015.
Andrea England, the creator and host of Four Chords and the Truth (FCATT) is a songwriter and music lover, so it makes perfect sense that she has brought together a litany of talented people for FCATT. More than 50 songwriters and guests have taken the Dakota stage so far, including: Donovan Woods, Fred Penner, Tom Cochrane, Jessica Mitchell, Kim Stockwood, Joey Landreth, Serena Ryder, Scott Helman, Madeline Merlo, Bill Bell, Tim Hicks, and more!
And on February 22, 2018, Andrea and the Dakota Tavern will present Four Chords and the Truth for its 12th edition in Toronto.
Four Chords and the Truth Lineup - February 22, 2018
🎙 Andrea England (host)
🎙 Sylvia Tyson
🎙 Russel deCarle
🎙 Don Amero
🎙 Samantha Martin
This is a serious lineup with a ton of talent, critical acclaim, commercial success, and we have no doubt, a bunch of great stories to tell. We can not wait to take it all in.
But, before we get to the show, we caught up with Andrea England to ask about Four Chords and the Truth, how it got started, what the venue means to her, and even asked her to pick her favourite memories. Check it out!
Four Chords and the Truth Q&A with Andrea England
Q) What was the inspiration that pushed the creation of Four Chords and the Truth?
Andrea) In 2015, I was taking in a great round in Nashville and all I could think of was how many great Canadian writers I knew in Toronto alone who would kill it up on that stage. Although there have been songwriter circles in Toronto over the years, at that time there was really no established non-industry event in Toronto that approached the vibe and gravitas of a round at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. It certainly wasn't because we didn't have the talent pool, and it wasn't because there wouldn't be an audience for it; but nonetheless there were none that existed in the consciousness of the community in the way that, say, Bruce Guthro's Songwriter Circle did on the East Coast. There are so many amazing songwriters in this town - and passing through it - and there are so many music fans who don't ever get to know the songwriter behind the song... so I decided then and there that I would try to bring those two groups of people together in a meaningful and intimate way. I knew that I might be able to do that at Dakota Tavern, if the stars aligned (no pun intended)!
Q) You've built a series of events that now sell out before a lineup is even announced... What is about the Four Chords and the Truth sessions that you think is special to the people that keep coming?
Andrea) No matter how much artifice and icing the world throws at us, at the end of the day, most of us just want to experience something meaningful. As a community, we've managed to create that together, and an early sponsorship from Jack Daniel's really helped get me started. Also, we raise funds and awareness for the Unison Benevolent Fund at our show, so it really is about more than what's happening in that room once a quarter.
In terms of getting the word out, folks like Stevie and Anne from Blues & Roots Radio, and Mike Highfield - who has captured a complete pictorial history of the show from the start - have been instrumental in our success, and I also have to shout out my friends Liz Rodrigues, Paul Reddick, the Trew's Colin MacDonald, and his surprise impromptu guest, Serena Ryder, here because they joined me for the first show and set a high bar right from day one.
Q) This may be nearly impossible to answer, but do you have any top memories from Four Chords and the Truth sessions so far?
Andrea) Soooo many: how do you choose your favourite child!? That said, there are a few that jump to mind right away. When Donovan Woods performed "Leaving Nashville" (in my opinion, the ultimate song about the songwriter experience), one by one all of the other writers (Rose Cousins, Joey Landreth, Morgan Cameron Ross and I) joined him on the final refrain of "I ain't never leaving Nashville..." and the truth, love and pain in that moment was palpable. Then, there are the many moments in which the audience realizes the person on stage wrote "that" song, like when Liz Rodrigues sang her Eminem hook, when Steve Poltz ended the night with his Jewel co-write, "You Were Meant for Me," or when Andy Kim broke into Sugar Sugar (and Kim Stockwood & Kelly Prescott joined in with perfect back ups).
And I'd be lying if I didn't say the surprise guests made a huge impact - I'll never forget Fred Penner leading the entire audience in an impromptu version of "The Cat Came Back" after Damhnait Doyle (who is also a personal and fan favourite) invited him on stage. Or when surprise guest-host Dan Hill told us the story behind "Sometimes When We Touch"... or when Tom Cochrane & Justin Nozuka dropped by to join Bill Bell on his songs... I could go on and on...
Q) We are in love with the Dakota Tavern, and believe that a venue can have a big impact on a performance... How did it become home to the event and what is it about the room that makes it special to you?
Andrea) I couldn't agree more: I knew that had to be FCATT's home because it was the only place in Toronto that had all of the elements a show like this needed to be successful: a sense of community, a commitment to quality music and sound, and an intimate setting. But that room is truly great because it's a reflection of the people behind it: Shawn, Shannon, Andy and the gang are good people and they deeply respect music and musicians. They treat fans and musicians like family - and Shawn is a musician himself so he cares deeply about it being a place with great music, great sound, and great service.
Q) There are many talented songwriters across multiple genres that have performed at Four Chords and the Truth, how do you choose and book the talent?
Andrea) Honestly, I started first by booking my friends and co-writers - I'm blessed to know and work with so many amazing writers. From there, it's grown to booking people outside my network. In fact, some key members of the music community have really rallied around this series and encouraged their artists to participate. I'm so grateful to companies like RGK and Coalition for being early adopters, and to my friends in the music community (too many to mention) for referring talent and supporting this series!
Q) Do you have a dream lineup of songwriters that you haven't yet had on stage at Four Chords and the Truth?
Andrea) First let me say that this series has already gifted me with so many dream line-ups that the pressure is certainly on to keep delivering... and if the best predictor of the future is the past, it's exciting times ahead! I do believe, at this point, that almost anything is possible... did I also mention that our FCATT fans are the best in the world? Many have been to every show and it is for them that we will keep going. We are all a big musical family now!
Thank you again to Andrea for taking the time to answer our questions, and for the invite to Four Chords and the Truth. Stay tuned for all of the highlights, photos, and more!
