Punching In: Exhibit showcases the work of Hamilton music

In honour of the city of music’s 2026 year of music campaign, this year-long exhibit celebrates the musicians, producers, educators, and advocates whose contributions shaped the melodies of Hamilton.

On display now through the end of the year in Tourism Hamilton’s Visitor Experience Centre, Punching In: The Work of Hamilton Music marks the City’s 2026 City of Music with stories of not just musicians, but the producers, educators, and advocates whose labours have shaped local music. 

Subject and storyteller are closely entwined here through photographs and record collections, interpreted through the first-hand perspectives that have made this exhibition. Alongside memories drawn from local archives that provide the deeper context of a culture built in working-class dance halls and amateur community groups, Punching In tells a familial story of Hamilton music.

Here are highlights of a few vignettes of the exhibit.

Education / Westdale 

The role of educators in nurturing young artists is given early prominence here. From Hamilton Music Collective’s An Instrument for Every Child program to Dejehan “Luckystickz” Hamilton’s Tune In Foundation mentoring young talent, Punching In recognizes the non-profit players who have preserved access to music education for local youth. 

A focus on Westdale Secondary highlights the school as a crucible for careers. Notable among Westdale’s alumni are members of Teenage Head, who held their first gig in the school’s cafeteria; some of this original lineup went on to form The Shakers and Simply Saucer. This high school has also turned out JUNO Award winners Harrison Kennedy and Diana Panton, the latter of whom has balanced an international jazz career with teaching at Westdale. 

Recording history 

Punching In includes instruments on loan from Catherine North Studios and other artifacts from Halo Studio, as well as Grant Avenue Studio, which is marking its 50^th anniversary this year. After outgrowing their mother's basement in Ancaster, Bob and Daniel Lanois turned a downtown Hamilton home into this widely renowned studio for musicians such as Brian Eno who lauded its unique “house” sound. 

The work of recording and producing an album is revealed through displays that include studio gear and a lime-green drumkit. Celebrated among these artifacts is a guitar signed by Bill Dillon as tribute to one of Hamilton’s greatest session musicians, who cut his teeth at Grant Avenue Studios and played with the likes of Robbie Robertson, Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan and Joni Mitchell. 

Jackie Washington

Other key loans came from the McMaster University archives, which hold a wealth of ephemera from Hamilton-born blues legend Jackie Washington. His decades-long career started at age five and Washington is notable for becoming Canada’s first Black disc jockey in 1948. These archives give life to a cherished artist who died more than 15 years ago. In these records, exhibit curator Meredith Leonard found many examples of Washington’s kindness. A 1995 photo of Sonic Unyon director of operations Lisa La Rocca as a young girl meeting Washington at the Festival of Friends is one such fond remembrance felt through generations. In addition to his harmonica, the exhibition includes an invite to the launch party for Blues and Sentimental, a record produced by Daniel Lanois.

Promotion/Out Loud

The work of publicizing Hamilton music is traced through record stores and radio stations, from Festival of Friends to Supercrawl. A browsable bin of LPs curated by Dr Disc owner Mark Furukawa and CFMU’s Jamie Tennant highlights Hamilton artists from Stan Rogers to Simply Saucer’s Cyborgs Revisited, a legendary album combining a Lanois-produced studio demo with a Jackson Square rooftop concert.

This Ain’t Hollywood’s Lou Molinaro was instrumental in the display of gig posters – an art form embracing scrappy DIY aesthetics and slick digital collage to promote local acts in self-made venues. These were supported, in turn, by record stores like Dr Disc and Cheapies that sold their tickets at street level in a collegial system that flourished outside today’s digital platforms.

Boris Brott

An image of a young Boris Brott – baton sensitively poised, coiffure spectacular – underscores the enduring charisma of the famed Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra conductor and the tragedy of his untimely sudden death in 2022. Here, he is honoured as founder of his eponymous music festival and a champion of classical music who famously brought the HPO to the Dofasco factory floor for a landmark performance. 

Personally, I think back to when a white-coated Brott conducted his National Academy Orchestra as accompaniment to the Arkells’ “Come to Light” when the JUNOS last came to Hamilton in 2015. The unabashed drama and warmth of that singular collaboration remains unforgettable – as Max Kerman sang that night, “and the thought of you, Hamilton, keeps me warm.” 

Liner Notes: A love letter to Hamilton’s music community

By Meredith Leonard

While researching Hamilton Civic Museums’ newest exhibit, Punching In: The Work of Hamilton Music, I chatted with musician, promoter and entrepreneur Ben Rispin, who explained the city’s incredible music scene with the phrase: “There’s something in the water.” After being immersed in this world over the last year, I wholeheartedly agree. The creativity, scrappy innovation and ethos of collaboration make music in the city something to be experienced.

While curating this show, I worked with the city’s music industry and found many kindred spirits who care deeply about their craft, believe in the possibilities and power of music and are committed to building community. The JUNOS coming to town in March shines a light on Hamilton music in 2026, but these people show up every day and do the work, even when no one is watching. Their passion and dedication are why we have a music scene that draws the JUNOS to town and supports a venue like TD Coliseum. It isn’t just the musicians; it’s the venue owners and workers, promoters, writers, photographers, tour managers, record stores, radio stations, music educators, and so many more.

This exhibition was shaped by the willingness of the community to share their stories, expertise and their enthusiasm for celebrating the local music scene. Stories like that of Bill Powell who created and nurtured the Festival of Friends, which continues today as a free annual music festival in Gage Park. And like Lou Molinaro, former owner of This Ain’t Hollywood, who provided a space for musicians to rock, and for the community to experience live music together. 

Other stories highlighted the city’s diverse recording studio spaces, like Catherine North, Grant Avenue and Halo that create spaces for creative alchemy – mixing producers, musicians, engineers, and writers by intention and chance to experiment and create. 

I learned how deeply Hamilton’s music scene is supported and enhanced by local record shops and radio stations, as well as educational programs like those of the Hamilton Music Collective and Hamilton Children’s Choir. All of the energy of these creative people and industries reaches a fever pitch in Hamilton, creating an environment where music can flourish. 

Music in the city is so accessible – there is a way for everyone to experience Hamilton’s music scene! See a live show, attend a festival, discover something new, not suggested by the algorithm, but through browsing physical records at a local shop. Tune into community radio, read great local music writers in publications such as this one, or listen to interviews from the people behind the music with the Civic Museum’s new Liner Notes podcast. And, of course, visit the Punching In exhibition.

Meredith Leonard is senior curator, learning and interpretation, Hamilton Civic Museums, Tourism and Culture Division 

NEED TO KNOW

Punching In: The Work of Hamilton Music

Celebrate Hamilton's thriving music scene and the journey of music-making! Learn about the contributions of promoters, venue owners, songwriters, photographers, and sound engineers to your favourite Hamilton songs, and revel in the nostalgia of iconic Hamilton concerts and music venues, past and present. The exhibit will highlight local musicians, including Jackie Washington, Boris Brott, Terra Lightfoot, and Arkells, as well as the industry that helps to create and share this music.

This free exhibition is curated by the Hamilton Civic Museums in collaboration with the Hamilton music community.

On display until Dec. 31

Visitor Experience Centre, Lister Building, 28 James St. N.