For the sake of a song

Elmwood

Winnipeg

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/03/2024 (871 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One never knows just what’s around the next corner.

Orit Shimoni, a prolific singer-songwriter and performer, has called Winnipeg home since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic quite literally forced her to hunker down in the prairie city amidst travel restrictions and other public health measures after spending a decade on the road as a troubadour.

“I arrived in Winnipeg for a couple of shows and the world stopped,” Shimoni said. “They said ‘shelter at home,’ but I didn’t have one. I thought quickly about what city I should run to before things get bad, but some internal calculation went: ‘Why don’t you see what happens if you stay put?”’

Although she didn’t know anyone, Shimoni committed to sticking it out in Winnipeg, with the help of a number of folks she met through the music scene.

“I figured it would make a good story, which is kind of what I’m all about,” Shimoni said. “I didn’t have any history or baggage here. Luckily, I was taken in by local music people. We didn’t know how long we’d be waiting it out. I stayed with different people until I finally sublet an apartment and I’ve been staying non-commitally since then.”

During that time, she made the most of her time in Winnipeg, writing music, learning to drive and to paint. A chance encounter with local musician Glenn Radley on Osborne Street led her to record her 12th album, fittingly titled Winnipeg, which was released in October 2023.

“A man came around the corner and asked if I was Orit Shimoni,” Shimoni recalled. “He said he’d met me before. We chatted a bit, and he said his buddy and him had been recording and if I had anything to record, I should come by and record, no charge. I said, in fact I have a bunch of songs — which is literally how all my records have come about! I had nothing to lose, so I went over, and it turned out they were both geniuses at what they do, and we recorded a whole album. They were skillful and delightful to work with.”

While Shimoni spent three years hunkered down in Winnipeg, she hit the road again last May, touring with noted folksinger Dan Bern throughout the United States.

“We had met just before pandemic and started working together on a new project, and I was just gutted when the pandemic came and we didn’t know if we’d be able to make it happen,” Shimoni said. “We kept plugging away at it, long distance. When the offer came to go work with him, I couldn’t pass it up.”

Recently, Shimoni has taken to the road herself again, with plans to tour Europe later this spring.

“I’m still very COVID-conscious,” Shimoni said. “A friend just died of COVID. I’m very concerned with long COVID. What I’m bringing to a stage now is everything I always brought. It’s a political act to be an artist. But it’s even more so now, the importance of bringing good energy into the world. It’s more vital than ever.”

On Thursday, April 4, Shimoni will perform an intimate concert at Gordie’s Coffee House (127 Cobourg Ave.). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the show starting promptly at 7:30 p.m., with an open mic to follow at 8:30 p.m.

“It is one of the sweetest places, I’m so glad I discovered it. It really has a community feeling, this cozy little nook,” Shimoni said, adding that coming out to shows and purchasing music remains the best way to support working artists. “I’ll be sharing stories and songs from the new album and beyond.”

For more information, visit oritshimoni.weebly.com