Lightning Hill

The Origin Story

In 1982 (or thereabouts) a young girl visited her grandmother’s cottage on a lake near Parry Sound and was awed by the surroundings. The towering white pines, the soft pine needle carpet, the cool fresh water that flowed like a river in front of the cabin. Some evenings the girl and her friends would sit by the campfire, share stories and catch fireflies. But when the wind came up and the clouds rolled in, they watched as storms came toward them across the water, sometimes stopping in mid-lake and lighting the darkness with the fire and fury of a million volts. They would take shelter and sit by the window in the cozy cabin as the rain poured down in sheets, the thunder rattled the dishes and the lightning lit the darkness.

They called her grandmother's place Lightning Hill.

Decades later …  Taivi and Garth, after meeting Marion and Steve at an Emsdale gathering, invited them to that same cabin for an afternoon of music. In a flash - Lightning Hill - the band.

 Lightning Hill Band 

Named after the Seguin site where summer storms stop mid-lake and light the darkness with the fury of a million volts, Lightning Hill songwriters Garth Douglas and Taivi, and fiddler Marion Linton, rely on bassist and electrician Steve Marshall for grounding when volts peak too high. They bring their signature bluegrass twist to folk/roots music. The band first came together for Orville’s 2025 inaugural Music Festival, followed by Toronto’s Winterfolk 2026, spontaneously introduced as an “all-star band.” Collectively they have played with Muskoka’s Trillium Quartet, Emory Lester, Honeygrass, Ian Tamblyn, David Essig, Scotia Junction, The Band’s Garth Hudson, James Keelaghan, The Fabulous Duck Brothers, and counted Pete Seeger as a fan. Mendelson Joe photobombed their first photo shoot with his artwork.

Garth Douglas

Garth has been writing songs and singing (loudly) almost all his life. As a young boy he sang himself to sleep.  Over the years, he has written about whatever comes to mind – Down to the River has become a staple of many community and campfire gatherings. Upon hearing Wye River Waltz, Bram Morrison exclaimed, “He’s written another Old Man River!”  Learning the mechanics of singing from his uncle, Charles Jordan and the basics of guitar from his cousin Myles, Garth began a multi-band career, starting with The Humble Sponge at age thirteen. He credits Norm Hacking for introducing him to folk music. Through musical incarnations, the mandolin soon became a favored tool. In recent years, he has been heard with The Puckstoppers, The Wye River Band and as a duo with Taivi.

Marion Linton

Over the years, Marion’s fiddle has taken her far. She has performed and recorded bluegrass with Emory Lester, Honeygrass and Scotia Junction, folk with James Gordon, James Gray, Ian Tamblyn, country with Bonita Mercer and swing with Muskoka's Trillium Quartet. She lives in the bush north of Huntsville where she performs locally and teaches music to students from 8 to 80 yrs old. 

Steve Marshall 

When lightning strikes,  the band counts on Steve to keep them grounded. A beloved bassist, Steve was born and raised in Emsdale Ontario – a tiny town north of Huntsville. In his musical life he has toured with David Essig, the Fabulous Duck Brothers, Glen Reid, Marion Linton, Emory Lester and Scotia Junction. In the regular workaday world Steve is an electrician - very handy when touring with a bunch of players with fine motor skills and little knowledge of watts, volts and amps (unless we’re talking guitar amps). He has been called upon to re-wire venues in order to play them. 

Taivi

Taivi's been writing and singing since age 4. It took decades but when she finally released her first full length album, Rising Tide, she was thrilled to see it chart in the top 25 of the international folk music charts – alongside her music heroes, Ry Cooder and John Prine.  She has counted Pete Seeger as a fan, performed with Garth Hudson of The Band, and sung with a 30,000 voice choir in Tallinn. Taivi often presents at Toronto’s Heliconian Hall and is currently recording new songs with bluegrass great, Claire Lynch, producing. More at TaiviMusic.com