The Gig Report – Layney Ross w/ Ava Grace @ Fidelio Café
The Gig Report – Layney Ross w/ Ava Grace @ Fidelio Café
Date: August 14 2026 6:00pm – 8:00pm
The Venue: Fidelio Café
Quote: “I would like to thank the Fidelio and especially Megan, who has gone out of her way to support local artists and music in this area”
Layney Ross 8-14-2026
News Flash:
Carleton County music fans should get used to the fact that a bill, gig, show, performance…well, whatever you want to call it that features Layney Ross and Ava Grace, is going to be like pairing chocolate milk with a peanut butter & Jelly sandwich. Great on their own, but absolutely fantastic together. This was the second time in as many months the two local artists have played together at the Fidelio. They will also be appearing together at the Dairy Delight on August 16th 2026 starting at 7:00 pm featuring an hour with Ava, with Layney starting at 8:00. Both artists will play for an hour.
Ava Grace:
A very confident Ava Grace sits behind a keyboard and apologizes up front that she will be doing a lot of sad songs in her set. The audience is unfazed. All the seats are full and the only thing they care about, is that it is good, which, it is. With her confidence growing each time she performs her performance features a couple of firsts. She tells the audience, “I wrote a song for this.” And then goes on to explain that she finished it earlier in the day, and still doesn’t have a title for it. Personally, I think “I wrote a song for this” is a great title for it, but I digress. The only other time in music, that I know of, where an artist has performed a song they wrote in the same day, live, is “My Hero”- Foo Fighters. So, congrats Ava…you now have something in common with Dave Grohl. The set also features a country song, which is another first. When she finishes it, I am reminded that there is nothing that smooths out a country tune like a piano and vocal. All in all, she chose a variety of songs that highlighted her vocal range that were made probably a bit more difficult from her sitting position. At the end of the night, I asked what she wanted to do with her talent. “Just keep doing shows and growing as an artist,” she told me. Which makes sense to me because if talent was a tree, then doing shows would be how you water it, metaphorically speaking. Keep growing Ava, you are well on your way!
Layney Ross:
Quote:
“Layney wasn’t the sole reason why I came out of writing retirement, but she will probably be the reason why I will stay un-retired”
RKM 8-14-2026
It would be an understatement on how great Layney’s set was. I will throw light on a magical moment that took place during her performance of “Leaving on Jet Plane”. In a “Father of the Year” moment, Layney’s Dad (Randy Ross) got his oldest daughter Tori, Layney’s sister, to get on a mic and sing along with her. It was the first time “The Shimmer twins”, (that’s what I call them) have performed together in a while. So, here we are. I find myself in a quandary on how to finish or what to say about Laney. She is truly special, and deserves something special. So, I will finish it with this and hopefully it lands.
For Layney,
In Plain Sight
Just sitting in a café’ waiting on your show
My thoughts turn to yesterday, look how you’ve grown
There were lots of mountains, that you had to climb
Just like a country song, your hearts done time.
And through it all, you just went with the flow
But from the very first note, there’s one thing I know…
They say it takes blind faith to believe, if that’s right?
But how can you disagree, when it’s in plain sight.
Your fingers touch the keys both the dark and the light
Looking for the Sun as your spirit takes flight.
And that mirror you sing about doesn’t show any wrongs
It just reflects the beauty in all of your songs.
So now, be free to live your Life, and the world will see you soar, just like a kite. Please always remember when your lips touch the mic.
You’re up on that stage… in plain sight.
And then you went to school, so far away
I’d hear snippets of stories of how you were making your way
And you made special friends, more than just one.
You realized who you truly are, and started to have fun.
And through it all you’ve been fractured and made whole.
Because from the very first note, there’s one thing I know…
They say it takes blind faith to believe, if that’s right?
But how can you disagree, when it’s in plain sight.
Your fingers touch the keys both the dark and the light
Looking for the Sun as your spirit takes flight.
And that mirror you sing about doesn’t show any wrongs
It just reflects the beauty in all of your songs.
So now, be free to live your Life, and the world will see you soar, just like a kite. Please always remember when your lips touch the mic
You’re up on that stage..., in plain sight.
You moved back home and put up a shelf
But you came back, the best version of yourself
The more that you get, the more you give
It might be a cliché, but that’s how you live
And it’s very true, that you reap what you sow
Because, from the very first note, there’s one thing I know.
They say it takes blind faith to believe, if that’s right?
But how can you disagree, when it’s in plain sight.
Your fingers touch the keys both the dark and the light
Looking for the Sun as your spirit takes flight.
And that mirror you sing about doesn’t show any wrongs
It just reflects the beauty in all of your songs.
So now, be free to live your Life, and the world will see you soar, just like a kite. Please always remember when your lips touch the mic
You’re up on that stage… in plain sight.
RKM 08-14-26
The Scene
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