Folk, rock, environment meld together on stage

Fans of folk and rock can listen to both musical genres by catching Barrie’s Kit Cairns and Marcus White at Peddler’s Pub downtown on Cedar Street, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m.

The duo are on tour in northern Ontario from Feb. 16 to 28. They just finished a gig in Bracebridge.

“We have 14 shows confirmed in 13 days in 11 different cities throughout central and northern Ontario,” Cairns said, in a phone interview.

The acoustic guitar musician is currently on a paternity leave from his regular job teaching environmental science in Barrie.

He is the father of two boys, Walden, three, and Canyon, one.

Despite growing up on a farm in southwestern Ontario, Cairns, 31, is no stranger to the north.

“I went to Lakehead University in 1997 and then returned there to do my teaching degree at their teachers college,” he said.

“I appreciate the beauty of the north.”

He has been influenced by the music of Neil Young and Alanis Morissette.

“I also have a keen environmental sense going back to my high school days,” he said.

“Songs about making the world better for our families are predominate in my material.”

He currently lives on a 135-year-old homestead near Barrie, where he grows his own food for his family.

“We are self-sufficient in vegetables,” he said. “We even make and preserve our own baby food.”

He has produced two CDs independently: This Is Me, in 2006 and My World, in 2008.

“Personally, I have made several top 30 charts on campus and community radio stations across Canada and have been showcased on Barrie’s Rock 95 New Music Hour.”

White, Cairn’s accompanying musician, has more of a rock sound, Cairns said.

“Both of us have produced our own independent records and we have been collaborating with each other for years.

Together we produced the No Boundaries CD in 2004. We do all our own instrumentals on our recordings.”

Both have recently performed together at Hard Rock Café, and a number of other locations in Toronto, as well as participating in music festivals across southern Ontario.

The show at Peddler’s Pub will be three hours long and feature solo sets from each musician interspersed.

“We do about three 45-minute sets each and then come together at the end of the evening. Almost all the songs are originals though we may do a couple of covers near the end.”

Admission for the concert is $4 at the door.

For more information, visit www.kitcairns.com.