Oshawa’s Convergence Festival is gearing up. The gathering of artists, musicians, and makers takes place Saturday, September 23, 2023 downtown along King St. E., and spiders down the side streets. There will be two stages, a main stage headlined by the Strumbellas and a secondary stage filled with newer, more diverse voices from in and around Oshawa. Here’s a look at some of the emerging artists you can catch at the event:
EDDY JONES
Mexican-Canadian hip-hop artist Eddy Jones (a.k.a. Damian Garcia) has a deep spiritual connection to the music he makes. Born in Juarez, near El Paso, Texas, Jones moved to Canada when he was three and discovered Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Bone Thugs and Harmony when he was 12. Since the age of 15, he has produced his own beats and worked with a crew of other rappers with his label Respect Over Money. He has recently gone solo and has several mixtapes and singles available.
“I’m very proud of the Oshawa hip-hop scene and how far it has come. When I first came into the scene, there weren't very many people doing it, but with the help of other promoters, we have been able to push the culture forward and help it strive. The scene has helped me by not only inspiring me, but it has allowed me to work with some incredible talent,” he says.
CALE CROWE
Cale Crowe is a Mississauga-Ojibwe singer-songwriter from Alderville First Nation. He combines a campfire-style performance of acoustic guitar with an electronic drum pad and a looping station to create his own accompaniments as he plays. He has shared stages with William Prince, Digging Roots, Ron Sexsmith, as well as Cobourg punk duo Cleopatrick. He has two EPs available, and in 2023 will release his debut full-length album.
“I attended Durham College studying in the Music Business Management program from 2014 to 2017 - in a lot of ways, Oshawa is a partial birthplace of my career. It's still one of my absolute favourite places to return to play,” says Cale.
HADDIX
From Brooklin, north of Whitby, Haddix attended O’Neil CVI in Oshawa for the performing arts program. She has been writing her own songs since the age of 15, but on a trip to Nashville at 19 met Jason Davies and started writing more seriously, releasing songs and building a following. She says the Biltmore Theatre in Oshawa has become a home away from home for her, as she has played many of her shows at the historic venue and views Oshawa as a home away from home. She is currently working on a new EP and is hoping to showcase the new tunes at her appearance during Convergence.
Be sure to visit www.convergenceoshawa.com to be the first to know about upcoming event announcements.
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