I was excited to learn that the Festival of Small Halls was bringing Canadian singer-songwriter Royal Wood to the Carp Agricultural Hall.
When I think of Carp, the Carp Fair immediately comes to mind: the Agricultural Hall with its exhibits, the largest pumpkin competition, and community suppers held during the Fair.
For the concert, the Agricultural Hall was transformed into an intimate concert space with the stage set up featuring Wood’s guitar and keyboard. Interestingly, also on stage was a wooden horse one might see on a vintage merry-go-round.
There were very few vestiges to suggest it was primarily an agricultural hall.
When the lights dimmed and Royal Wood took the stage, I confess I did not know what to expect. I have heard Wood on CBC a few times but was somewhat unfamiliar with his work. Wood presented quite the dashing figure.
Decked out in a suit and tie, with an urban, hipster fashion sense, Wood launched into his first song, carrying a touch of melancholic beauty. His voice was flawless.
What came next surprised me the most.
Wood is incredibly funny and charming. He kept the crowd entertained with various stories, including how he is a multi-time Juno Award nominee but never the winner.
He shared how earlier in his career, he was dubbed by critics as the king of sad songs. He found this tag quite interesting since he had a good childhood and a happy family life. He did share, though, that he had started writing melancholic songs from an early age.
Wood wove these tales impeccably as an intro to his songs. The audience felt truly engaged with the experience.
Perhaps the most intimate and funny story was about how Wood was asked to write a wedding song for his brother, and he joked that he wondered if his brother had ever listened to his music. Wood was having trouble coming up with a song but managed to do so at the last minute. Entitled “I’m so Glad”, it has become a favourite at many weddings.
The crowd was mostly made up of people aged 40 and older, but Wood noticed two younger children in the audience and quickly made them feel welcome. He mentioned that he had his own kids and that it was now more of a chore to go on the road because he missed them so much.
Before intermission, Wood prepped the audience to participate in his song “Forever and Ever”. For the chorus, we were instructed to sing ‘Hey Hey Hey’, and Wood joked that the previous night in Almonte had been very loud and enthusiastic. I am sure by the end of the song, Almonte could hear us!
Sadly, a medical condition prevents me from sitting for too long, so I had to leave at intermission. My friend and I took a walk around Carp and were surprised by the diversity of restaurants and coffee shops. There was everything from a wine bar, two coffee shops and a brew pub. When I last visited ten years ago, aside from the Carp Fair, there was little more than a takeout pizza place and gas station coffee.
The Wood concert was one of my favourite concert experiences of 2026. He genuinely seemed to care about his audience, and the quality of music was excellent.
Festival of Small Halls isn’t quite wrapped up for the season. There remains a lineup of concerts from November 27- December 5.
For more information and tickets, visit www.ontariosmallhalls.com
Photo Credit: Matt Smith
