Community News

The Oswego Music Hall's upcoming show on Saturday, March 23 will be the debut event for their new Women In Music Series.

The exciting concept will bring in a talented pair of female performers who are also new to the Lake Street venue.

The co-headliners are two women with roots in Canada: Shawna Caspi and Rachael Kilgour. Shawna is based in Toronto, while Rachael's father was Canadian. She was raised in Duluth, Minnesota however.

Oswego Music Hall Artistic Director Tom Lambert said, "I'm excited to be kicking off the first year of our new Women in Music Series during Women's History Month with these two very talented singer-songwriters."

Shawna Caspi is soft-spoken, but her lyrics bely that quietnes. Her songs have been called "raw" and "unapologetic" by other writers. Her finger picking style of guitar playing lends itself well to the music she writes. 

"I've recorded five albums in my career, with my most recent one being Hurricane Coming in 2021," Caspi said. "I kind of shut down during the Pandemic though. I lost my desire to write songs for a while."

Some of her musical energy was diverted to other uses, though. Shawna is an accomplished painter. She said, "The covers of my three most recent albums are from paintings I've done."

Winter 2024 brought a trip to a warmer climate though. "I was able to spend a week in Florida in residence at the Beluthahatchee Park Artists' Colony, and devoted the time to music and writing," she said.

With the change in scenery came inspiration. Shawna said, "I think I've got some good ideas to work on a new collection." While in Florida she performed three shows, but will head back to Toronto this week.

Never having been to Oswego, Caspi said she looks forward to visiting a new place. "I've heard good things about the Music Hall. I can't wait for next Saturday to arrive," she said.

Rachael Kilgour has been on the road playing new music from her album, My Father Loved Me. "The album was released last September," she said. "I've played the entire album some nights, and for other shows I'll mix in more of my older songs."

Kilgour said she's been performing live for a couple of decades. She said, "The first several years, I worked full-time jobs and sang on weekends and at night. The past ten years or so though, music has been what I do." 

She is currently living life on the road, she said. "All my stuff is in storage. I'm relocating from Minnesota, and I'm traveling to new places to see where I might want to settle in." 

Of her album My Father Loved Me, Kilgour said "Relationships with dads are hard. We weren't really emotional confidants, but he was a very good hugger. I wanted to pay tribute to him and the quiet life he led."

"His passing affected me more deeply than I thought it would," she continued. "I began to come up with songs about him and what his life meant. After writing a couple, I decided to do a Dad album."

Kilgour was in Ottawa, Ontario when we spoke for this article. She'll be performing two shows there on March 15th and 16th. "Then I'll be in New York for shows in Oswego, Ithaca and Rochester before returning to my home area," she said.

The Music Hall's Tom Lambert said, "Both Rachael and Shawna put on incredible performances at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference, and we're very fortunate to have them sharing a show at the Oswego Music Hall"

Shawna Caspi and Rachael Kilgour will be appearing at the Oswego Music Hall on Saturday, March 23rd. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are available online at www.oswegomusichall.org, and can also be purchased locally at The River's End Bookstore in downtown Oswego. The Music Hall is located inside the historic McCrobie Building at 41 Lake Street in Oswego.  The building is handicapped accessible, and light refreshments will be available for purchase.