Songs In The Round - Frank Fiction, Matty Simpson, Ariana Fig

A Bluebird-style night where Frank Fiction and guests trade songs up close, with off-the-cuff moments that make each show one-of-a-kind.
About this Event

Songs In The Round returns to Crown & Press on September 17th—an intimate, Bluebird-inspired evening where three artists trade original songs and stories. The audience sits close on all sides, watching the musical conversation unfold in real time and becoming part of the exchange through reactions, laughs, and the odd gut-punch.

This month features:

Frank Fiction (Elias Dummer) — Alt-Americana / Hamilton

The regular host of Songs In The Round, Frank Fiction is the new project from Juno Award–winning songwriter Elias Dummer (frontman of The City Harmonic). Performing unreleased alt-folk songs and a few sideways covers, he draws from two decades of quietly crafted material.
His writing leans into vulnerability and a crooked smile, echoing Jason Isbell, Rufus Wainwright, Andy Shauf, and John Prine. With 100M+ streams and multiple Billboard-charting singles behind him, this project steps into something looser, grounded, and deeply human.

Matty Simpson

Matty Simpson is a Hamilton singer-songwriter and guitarist whose playing runs from folk and roots to rock and R&B. He spent ten years touring the world with the Fred Eaglesmith Travelling Show on guitar, banjo, and keys, playing venues from Nashville's Bluebird Cafe to an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman, following an earlier run as lead guitarist in Holding Sky, who opened for Deftones on the 2005 Taste of Chaos tour. His festival appearances include It's Your Festival, the Festival of Friends, and Toronto's Harbourfront Blues Festival, and he leads the Matty Simpson Band, whose latest single "Boxcar Baby" is receiving rave reviews.

Ariana Fig

Ariana Fig is a Hamilton-born singer-songwriter whose single "Running Man" earned a SOCAN Young Canadian Songwriter Award. Classically trained on violin, she writes across indie, folk, rock, and alternative, and her work has drawn support from FACTOR and Canada's National Arts Centre. Her music has aired nationally on CBC and SiriusXM, and on Toronto's 102.1 The Edge. As a live performer she has appeared at Departure Festival, the Sound of Music Festival, Folk Canada, and NXNE..

What is Songs In The Round?

Born from Frank’s decade in Nashville and the ethos of the Bluebird Café, Songs In The Round is a stripped-back concert where three artists share the stage at once—taking turns sharing original songs (or songs they wish they'd written!), responding to each other, and letting their songs breathe.

These nights tend to sell out. If you want a seat in the room, don’t wait.