oin us for an afternoon of free live music in the courtyard of the Ximenez-Fatio House (20 Aviles Street) on Saturday, April 4th from 4:00–5:00 PM. Enjoy a special performance by Benton Roark, whose music blends Southern folk, Americana, and haunting storytelling.
“There is a weight to Benton Roark’s music that feels both new and familiar, like finding a well-worn map tucked into your own pocket. His songs carry the grit of Southern folk, the sweep of Americana, and the reflective depth of someone who’s lived a thousand miles of road. They have been described as “backwoods-choir elegance” (The Georgia Straight), “dirty-southern-gothic rock-country-folk” (Discorder Magazine), and “an experience of deep and darkling beauty” (The Austin Chronicle).
Since leaving his hometown of Atlanta, (where early efforts dubbed him “a crafty folk-experimentalist,” Creative Loafing), Roark has called Ohio, New York, Vancouver, St. John’s, and Toronto home, and has been a bandleader for a number of groups: the Benton Roark Band (“magisterial” The Vancouver Sun), Arkora, whose Songs from the Rainshadow’s Edge earned him a Western Canadian Music Awards nomination, and Rollaway (“tone poems in the style of My Morning Jacket,” Maverick Magazine).
His latest project – Mother Country – launched in 2024 with The Sign of Jonas (Milltown Records). An apocalypse folk-tale, a concept album, a catalogue of rounds, calls and responses, incantations, airy ballads, and floor-stompers alike, Jonas takes up the Americana and Southern gothic mantle, and weaves it with the distinct threads of old time, bluegrass, and trad, as well as the visionary poetry of Maritimes poet Luke Hathaway.
At the heart of his live performances, whether solo or with his bands, are the guiding truths of the journeys that change us, places that shape us, stories that connect us, and the gatherings that bring it all together. Every note, every lyric is rooted in craft and honesty, carrying people along the road home, and reminding them they don’t have to travel it alone.”