Will The Circle Be Unbroken? Definitely, when we’re talking about the Bruce Guthro Songwriters Circle, which has had a huge impact on the Atlantic Canadian music scene.
Guthro, the acclaimed Cape Breton country/roots singer-songwriter, and lead singer of popular Scottish roots-rockers Runrig, sadly passed away on Sept. 5, 2023, of cancer, at just 62 years old. Thankfully, the rich tradition of his Songwriters Circle is now in good hands, maintained by his children, Dylan and Jodi Guthro, both singer-songwriters in their own right.
In conversation, Dylan and Jodi explain that their father played a key role in this already very successful continuation of the Circle. “He wanted it to keep going, and he’d talked about that with us for years, leading up to his passing,” says Dylan. “He showed us the ropes, and he let us each host one the year before – and he was there to see those. I’m sure he’d be really proud to know it’s been going decently in this first year [after his passing].”
In that year, there’ve been three highly successful Bruce Guthro Songwriters Circle events, two hosted by Dylan (Dec. 2023 and June 2024) and one by Jodi (March 2024). These have been held in the Circle’s regular home, Casino Nova Scotia in Halifax. The venue actually changed the name of one of its venues from the Schooner Room to The Bruce Guthro Theatre in December of 2023. “That coincided with the first Songwriters Circle we had without him,” says Dylan. “To host a show in a room named after your father is pretty incredible!”
As further evidence of the regional importance of the circle, it was reprised on the opening night of the 2024 edition of the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia. “That was a beautiful event, almost like the Celebration of Life all over again,” says Jodi. “It was wonderful to get to see the impact my dad had on that festival, and the people of Canso, and all the musicians who stepped up to be part of it.”
Select the image to play the YouTube video of the Bruce Guthro song “Can I Get An Amen?”
When Bruce Guthro was on hand as the show’s producer, host, and regular performer, earlier editions of his circle have assumed legendary status on the regional music scene. Launched in 2006, it attracted a Who’s Who of Maritime stars, and helped build the careers of countless singer-songwriters. It also found an audience as a CBC-TV show, Songwriters Circle, also hosted by Guthro.
When the pandemic prevented live shows, the series went online, as The Circle Continues, with live-streaming shows from Matt Minglewood, Jim Cuddy, Irish Mythen, Joel Plaskett, Ria Mae, Matt Andersen, Alan Doyle, J.P. Cormier, Johnny Reid, George Canyon, Dave Gunning, (the late) Myles Goodwyn, Lennie Gallant, David Myles, Port Cities, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, and many more.
As the Songwriters Circle has transitioned, with the younger Guthros at the helm, regional artists have remained highly supportive. “They’ve just been incredible,” says Jodi. “They’ve become like a big safety blanket, more family than anything. It makes it much easier to get up onstage knowing they have our backs.”
A participant in multiple Circles, and a close friend of Bruce Guthro, singer-songwriter Dave Gunning says, “Bruce could always find the perfect balance of fun and focused listening. Jodi and Dylan are carrying on with the same energy and spirit. It can’t be easy for them, but they’re doing a brilliant job.”
“Through the circle,” says Dylan, “our dad helped so many people through the years. From giving artists a chance to showcase their songs when nobody really knew who they were, to having some of the greats of Atlantic Canadian music get up there and have a laugh with Dad. They all played a huge role in helping him build the circle as well, and they’re carrying that on by lifting us up. I’m sure he’s looking down and smiling at that.”
Hosting the circles has proven therapeutic for the two younger Guthros, and they feel their father’s presence keenly there. “Every night we host, we bring out the hat he used to wear to every show,” says Jodi. “We place it right in front of us, so every time we don’t know what to say, or are having a hard moment, we look at it and think of him. That has worked so well.”
There are more events to come in 2024. Jodi says, “I’ll be hosting the next one, at Casino Nova Scotia, on Oct. 25 and 26, 2024, featuring Matt Minglewood, Willie Stratton, and Old Man Luedecke. That will be a special one, as our dad is getting inducted into the Casino Hall of Fame then, so this is a celebratory circle for that.”
She then hosts a circle at Fox Harb’r Resort on Nov. 8, 2024, featuring Charlie A’Court, Dave Gunning, and Dave Sampson, and a December Circle will see Dylan host. “I don’t see the Songwriters Circle going away,” he says. “That’d be disappointing, as so many people out there are helping us keep it going. We’ll definitely keep doing it as long as people keep coming to it.”
Dylan and Jodi outside the circle
Aside from the Songwriters Circle, Dylan and Jodi Guthro remain busy with their solo careers.
Following his award-winning 2012 debut solo album, All That’s True, featuring five songs he co-wrote with Bruce, Dylan rose to prominence as part of the folk/pop trio Port Cities, alongside Carleton Stone and Breagh Mackinnon. Their eponymous 2017 album racked up impressive streaming figures, helping Port Cities win five 2017 Nova Scotia Music Awards.
Dylan has co-written and/or produced such fellow SOCAN members as David Myles, Donovan Woods, BANNERS, Quake Matthews, Ria Mae, and Neon Dreams. In 2021, he signed a worldwide publishing deal with RED Creative Group and Anthem Entertainment.
He also moved to Nashville, where he’s working with artists and songwriters that include fellow Canadians Tyler Joe Miller, Steven Lee Olsen, Megan Patrick, Don Amero, and Gordie Sampson.
In 2021, a song Dylan and Jodi wrote together, “U Gurl,” became a Gold-selling single for U.S. country star Walker Hayes. Like Dylan, Jodi got a creative boost by attending Gordie Sampson’s song camps, and a song she co-wrote at one, “Find A Way,” became a hit for Neon Dreams. She’s collaborated with Sampson, Caitlyn Smith, Quake Matthews, and more, and released singles under her own name.
She took a break over the pandemic and says, “I’ve been trying to get back on the horse. Hosting these Songwriters Circles has really been challenging me and inspiring me to start writing every day.”