CONTENTS Contributors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 & 3 What’s happened to festival funding?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 by spencer chandra herbert, mla .
July - Aug 2010, Issue 81 ISSN 1918 -560x 81
Backstage beer garden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 by campbell ouiniette, festival man
Get yourself geared up for Bluegrass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 by peter north
The Vinyl Word (Downsizing!). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 by kevin kane
Smithers’ Midsummer Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 by graham lazarovich
Advances in digital recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13
by andrea law
A Small Time & Pink Elephant wine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
by C.R. Avery
A Picnic Time & Pink Elephant wine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
15
Please send us your letters! You can also send us CDs and we’ll do our best to have them peer reviewed. Plus we’ll use them for our subscriber giveaways. BC Musician Magazine is published by Patanga Steamship Co. PO Box 1150 Peachland, BC V0H 1X0 604.999.4141 www.bcmusicianmag.com info@bcmusicianmag.com
by carolyn Mark
SUPERNATURAL: Elizabeth Fischer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 - 17 by richard chapman
The East Side Society Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 - 21 by Ana bon bon
New to House Concerts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22
by barbara bruederlin
Prince Rupert recording and playing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
by christina zaenker
Venue: Hornby Island Community Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
25
by christina zaenker
Publisher, Editor Leanne V. Nash Associate Publisher Joanne Layh Associate Editor Paul Crawford Contributing Editor Christina Zaenker
Peer Reviews!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 - 29 by RC Joseph, Jus perry, rowan lipkovits, patrick jacobson
Festival updates: Komasket, Salmon Arm, Sweetwater905. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 - 32 PINUP: The Heard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
33
by ADam pw smith
Thanks to everyone for entering to win 3 great prizes (8, if you count 5 pairs of earbuddies) in the May/June Festival issue. Barbara Pedrick gets to experience the Vancouver Island Music Fest; Annabelle Nolan is en route to ArtsWells at the end of July. The winners of a pair each of Alpine PartyPlugs by EarBuddies are: Lorissa "I like my ears!" Scriven; Natalie Edward; Mehdi Naimi; Ed "I could really use the earbuddies…" Goodine; and Vinny "While waving my hand 'Jedi Mind Style' pick me please, pick me please, pick me please" [note: the Jedi mind trick had no influence whatsoever on the outcome]. There are many more festival passes to be won in this issue. Read carefully, and see how you can
Advertising & Marketing Representative Nikki Inkster ads@bcmusicianmag.com Advertising & Marketing . Representative, Lower Mainland Christina Zaenker zippy@bcmusicianmag.com Design Shawn Wernig No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. Canada Post Agreement 41440066
go to Kaslo Jazz Festival, Harrison Festival of the Arts, RareEarth Music Festival, Edge of the World Music Festival, or Komasket Music Festival. Watch for regular updates throughout the summer on our Facebook page (bc musician group), and if you join you'll get more chances to win more things from time to time.
Issue #81 cover: Art by Elizabeth Fischer and bastardized by Richard Chapman with Permission. Original 1985 art appears on page 16 inside.
ISSN 1918-560X
CONTRIBUTORS Jus Alexandra Percy Affectionately
known as Daddy’s Little Roadie, from a young age Jus was bitten by the music bug and much to her mother’s chagrin, at thirteen, began to hang out on tour busses, tune guitars, set up lights, and mix sound. Now transplanted from her roots in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she works as a touring technician in Vancouver venues, and sings with bi-coastal folk duo, In Literature.
Spencer Chandra Herbert was
first elected to the BC Legislature in October 2008 as the MLA for Vancouver-Burrard and re-elected to serve as the first MLA for VancouverWest End in May 2009. Spencer serves as the NDP Critic for Arts, Culture and Tourism.
Patrick Jacobson is a Vancouver-
born singer/songwriter and musician. He has recorded, performed, and toured with the critically acclaimed bands The Capitals, Joel Battle, The Top Drawers, and The Luna Riot. Patrick has recently relocated to Calgary, Alberta. He is currently writing songs for an upcoming solo CD. Sallying forth as an apostle of culture, Andrea Law plied her trade for many years as the quintessential quirky librarian. She devoted many years to the service of education and intellectual freedom, firm in the belief that “knowledge is power”. She recently abandoned that axiom to explore the darker side of philosophy, ergo “ignorance is bliss, and so is chocolate”. Andrea plays double bass for the Vancouver indieroots band Willy Blizzard.
Barbara Bruederlin is a freelance
writer in Calgary. She is trying to singlehandedly save the arts community in Canada by promoting struggling musicians and theatre troupes. Her reviews are regularly linked on the press pages of the Calgary Folk Music Festival and Sage Theatre. Barbara also maintains an insanely popular blog, Bad Tempered Zombie. Her writing has been published in Prairie Fire Magazine, Swerve Magazine, Kitschykoo! Subcultural Magazine, and Alberta Views Magazine. When he’s not hosting his monthly “57 Varieties” open stage or the weekly all-accordion podcast at accordionnoir.org, hirsute squeezebox mogul Rowan Lipkovits can be found fronting the jug band of the damned, The Creaking Planks, or backing the Joey Only Outlaw Band.
RC Joseph’s
writing has appeared in The Georgia Straight, 24 Hours, and The Tyee. When he is not posing as a musical tastemaker, RC is the singer/songwriter of the Vancouver-based folkrock collective Kingsway.
Graham Lazarovich is a musician,
writer, and wise guy often located in East Vancouver. For ten years he has been wandering Pacific Northwest in search of great melodies and great memories.
2 BC Musician | July - August 2010
An accomplished cellist and vocalist,
Christina Zaenker has contributed lush accompaniments to many albums by BC artists such as Yael Wand, Kevin Kane, Joey Only Outlaw Band, Don Alder, and Pacifika. She has lived on Haida Gwaii, in Wells and Vancouver, and likes to connect the musical dots across BC. On MySpace you'll find her as "zippycello". Richard Chapman has worked with
a wide variety of great Canadian artists for nearly three decades - from the Rheostatics and Herald Nix to Moose Records and The Pointed Sticks. Currently he conducts the Northern Electric collective www. northern-electric.ca.
Adam P W Smith is a Vancouver-
based photographer who specializes in shooting live events using available light. He’s been involved in the Canadian independent music scene for over thirty years. He can be found lurking the shadows of small venues, waiting patiently for the right moment. Some of his best work is exhibited on his photoblog - www.adampwsmith. com/photoblog. He likes gin.
Peter North is an award-winning music journalist and has been activlely promoting and reporting on music in all forms of media for over 30 years. He is the host of Dead Ends and Detours on CKUA Radio in Alberta.
Re-thinking the Summer Festival C.R. Avery is a unique, raw and dynamic performer. His genius lies in many genres blues, hip-hop, spoken word and rock & roll. He is an Outlaw HipHop Harmonica Player, Beatbox Poet, Punk Piano Player, String Quartet Raconteur Rock & Roll Matador, and Playwright. According to Utah Phillips, C.R. is “Raw Talent”, and thousands of loyal fans would agree. Kevin Kane is a professional musician
and has worn many hats over the years: songwriter, recording artist and touring musician (both solo and as vocalist/ guitarist with Capitol/ EMI’s platinum-selling The Grapes Of Wrath), record producer, session musician, lecturer, educator and has even built guitars and amplifiers. His latest album, How To Build A Lighthouse, was recently short-listed for a Grammy award in the Best Pop Vocal Album category.
From her childhood on a dairy farm in Sicamous, Carolyn Mark has travelled thousands of miles entertaining crowds of 4 to 4000... touring Canada, the United States, the UK, Norway and Italy. She has shared the stage with such talented musicians as Jenny Whitely, Hank & Lily, Luther Wright, Sarah Harmer, Kelly Hogan, Lederhosen Lucil, Geoff Berner, Joel Plaskett, The Handsome Family, Neil Hamburger, JT and The Clouds, The Shiftless Rounders, NQ Arbuckle, Wanda Jackson, The Waco Brothers, The Sadies and Blue Rodeo.
The festival experience is a staple of many a magical summer and one of those special events from which dreams and legends are made. Many attend these events locally while others make epic annual pilgrimages. Music and arts festivals have increasingly become vital economic engines for each community and region, both large and small. Festivals rely heavily on loyal volunteers who form the backbone of the actual event. Few see what happens behind the scenes the months and year leading up to and long after the party is over. The monumental task of putting on a festival large or small involves months of organizing, planning, fundraising, marketing, and grant-writing. While most festivals have some year-round or part-time staff, many still rely entirely on volunteer boards and part time employees. The last couple of years have seen many a festival succumb to these pressures and this summer has only added to this sad and growing list. Remember a little festival called Merritt Mountain Fest? And once upon a time there was a Calgary Jazz Fest. The Dancing Man Festival on Gabriola Island has just, after 11 years, announced it is canceling due to cuts to their funding. The Atlin Arts and Music Festival has now taken a year off to restructure, but this year sees the return of the Discovery Coast Festival after a hiatus owing to volunteer fatigue. It will be interesting to see if these festivals will be able to regain the momentum they once had. The Atlin and Discovery Coast festivals are huge tourist draws for their remote communities and it’s a real gamble to take but one they obviously felt they needed to do in light of the resources available to them. In the end the losers in this equation will be the artists who have faithfully supported these festivals, the volunteers who have invested their valuable time, and the communities and the businesses who have benefited from the influx of tourism. And audiences. Music lovers lose what may be the closest thing we have today to an ideal community: when diverse and disparate people come together to share a common experience. Consider taking in a festival this summer, and not only make an investment in yourself but also in the concept of community. The rewards will last long after the glow of the festival has faded.
After numerous international tours, festival appearances, airplay on national radio in 7 countries, and slots on tour with artists such as Billy Bragg, Kaizers Orchestra, Balkan Beat Box and the Be Good Tanyas (who covered his song “Light Enough to Travel,” selling over 100,000 copies),
Geoff Berner
has garnered critical acclaim and a cult following for his sharp songwriting and cabaret performance style. “I want to make original klezmer music that’s drunk, dirty, political and passionate.”
Ana Bon-Bon
is a Blues Cabaret songstress who brings down the house with her saucy, rhythmic accordion style. Currently situated betwixt London UK and Vancouver BC, Ana continues to develop her delivery of rhythmic atonal jump blues and countryfried cabaret. Never one to shy away from the humour and temporality of quivering flesh and broad humanity, Bon-Bon is depth and sensuality combined. Bon-Bon’s music is a wellrounded confection- hard and bouncy on the outside and sweet and juicy within.
BC Musician | July - August 2010 32
could things be a little different? NDP arts and culture critic weighs in The little support that remained included funding for fairs and festivals – and By Spencer Chandra Herbert the budget explicitly stated that arts and music festivals would receive funding, Summer in British Columbia is a time just as they had for many years. Small for family and friends, a time for cele- charities run by volunteers put in their bration, and it also a time when a huge applications so they could bring great number of colourful and diverse festi- music to their communities. vals take place in towns and cities, large But just before the application deadand small across our great province. line came, the BC Liberal government But while the sun seems to be shining decided to change the rules, and ban arts at last, our provincial BC Liberal gov- and music festivals from the funds after ernment decided to rain on many of the explicitly telling them the funds were for great festivals we’ve all come to love. them. This has left festival organizers Last month organizers were given a nas- across the province stunned - now faced ty shock when they learned that most with huge holes in their budgets, and the arts and music festivals in BC will not prospect of cancelling shows and raising qualify for support through the govern- ticket prices – making festivals less acment’s “festival” funding category, even cessible for more and more people. though they had been told they would To add insult to injury the Minister when applying for the funds in March. responsible claimed these small comIt all comes down to a politician de- munity charities were commercial enciding when a festival is not a festival. terprises and didn’t deserve any support, In March of this year when the Provin- when in fact many know festivals across cial budget was announced, few were BC often only go ahead because of the spared the government’s axe – with 50% strong volunteers, and fundraising of from the arts and culture budget slashed community non-profits. forcing many of our great organizations As BC’s New Democrat Arts and Culto either go into massive debt, slash staff ture Critic I am looking forward to atand programming, or close altogether. tending some of the amazing festivals
4 BC Musician | July - August 2010
across the province this summer. I believe that arts, and culture in communities large and small need the support of government investment. They help grow our economy, help us get to know each other, bring a dance to our step, and smiles to our faces, and help us ask and answer the question of who we are as a people. Festivals can often be the lifeblood of small communities. I think of the Kaslo Jazz Festival, or the Kimberley Accordion Festival both which bring thousands of people, and huge dollars to those towns. I think of ArtsWells, or the Edge of the World Festival on Haida Gwaii which unite whole communities in celebration. I think of the volunteers, and the artists who make these festival’s possible, and know from my background in arts and culture that it’s never easy but always a great adventure. I will continue my work in the legislature, and in the community to call on the BC Liberal government to recognize how important festivals are to the creative life of our communities and restore funding for all festivals across this province. As Gabrielle Roy said so well ‘Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?’
Gold Pan City Dance Studio in Quesnel
BC Musician | July - August 2010 45
Festival Man: backstage beer garden These are the recently discovered Memoirs of Campbell Ouiniette, former head of Bombsmuggler Incorporated Music Management, manager at one time or another of many illustrious folk, country, punk and world music artists. Ouiniette was killed tragically in a late-night boating accident in a pond in New York City’s Central Park.
By Campbell Ouiniette The packets of copiously-stained, longhand-scrawled legal notepads were found in a steamer trunk in Pincher Creek, Alberta, by accordionist and archivist Geoff Berner, who also managed to decipher Ouiniette’s idiosyncratic handwriting. This episode finds Campbell at the Calgary Folk Festival, where several of his clients are slated to perform. It is Friday night.
I needed some fresh air and a break from the musicians, so I donned the white terry-cloth hotel bathrobe and headed out to the elevators. There’s something about wearing a bathrobe out in public that I’ve always enjoyed. Just the right balance between Rasputin-like madness and Regal authority. The musicians waved their arms, trying to get me to answer their concerns, but as I had no idea what they’d been saying for the last 10 minutes, I merely shouted something like “You’re free on shore leave till the workshop at 2 pm tomorrow. Be there half hour before. Make sure you’ve got something figgered out by then if you know what’s good for ya.” And then headed down toward the lobby, and the short walk to the festival site. The rest of the evening I was on a kind of drunk, tired automatic pilot, just working the exhaustion out of my shoulders, drinking in the backstage beer tent, mostly not listening to the mainstage acts. I was pretty wrung out by the 10 hour drive from Vancouver, but sometimes I find the collegiate atmosphere of the beer garden soothing. My old pal Mark
artswells.com • 1-800-442-2787
6 BC Musician | July - August 2010
Eaton, the director of a B.C. festival, was sitting with a couple of other artistic directors. These people get paid to go and check out each others’ festivals. Nobody ever quits that job. It’s too good. You either die or get fired. I gotta get me a job like that someday… Anyway he looked pretty satisfied with himself, so I decided to try to bait him into an argument of some kind. “You know what the problem is, you’ve got all this fake “gypsy” shit played by fucking jazz college kids from fucking Vancouver or Toronto or New England or whatever. Gypsy Jazz. Gypsy Punk. Pretty white Pentecostal girls who ran away from home to play old-time country and write songs about how they’re Gypsies. And meanwhile the real Roma People are back starving in Eastern Europe, ‘cause you fuckers are too lazy to go through the hoops to get them a visa to come here.” “You make it sound like getting a visa is like falling off a log! Ever tried it? The Canadian government will not be convinced that these guys aren’t coming in order to stay and go on welfare, like immediately.” “Let them!” I was really rolling now . “It would be an immeasurable enrichment of Canadian culture to have a few hundred Gypsy musicians over here, on welfare. Besides, nobody works harder than those Gypsies. I just can’t believe you’re booking some asshole from some indie rock band who just discovered this music last summer while he was backpacking, rather than the real deal, like this band I found in Moldova, the Szasz Changa band. I could get them for you—they’ll fucking give you an aneurysm! You’ll never book that college boy bullshit again.”
“I’m never booking the Szasz Changa band again, that’s who I’m never booking again.” Mark crossed his arms. “You booked them? When?” “9 years ago, before you’d ever heard of them, son. Never again.” “What happened?” “I paid them a huge fee, in euros, got a grant to pay for their flights, went through like, 9 months of visa bullshit to get them here. They come to the festival, and they start busking.” “Well, that’s what they do, they play. They play on the street, they play wherever. They’re fucking Gypsies, man.” “I’ve got 6 outdoor stages going simultaneously, each where I try to keep the music sonically separated so there’s not too much bleed, and all day Saturday, people are trying to do their concerts, workshops on the stages, what-have-you, and then the fucking Changas come through, dancing along, playing, and steal the fucking audience like the pied fucking piper.” “Well, fair’s fair. The audience just liked them more, cause they’re the real deal. They’re geniuses, man” “Yah, well my audience has paid, like 70 bucks a head per day to come
into this festival, and these jokers finish a song, and start passing the hat around, literally begging for money.” “Just cause they pass the hat around doesn’t mean they’re begging.” “Dude, man, they were passing the hat around with photos of their children, explaining to people that their children needed medicine back home. Okay? That’s begging. I was paying them 10 thousand dollars for one weekend! Plus flights and hotel! But that would have been tolerable, if it wasn’t for the tapes.” “Tapes?” “They sold cassettes while they were busking.” “So the merchandise tent guys were mad that they were selling merch out-
side the tent, denying them their cut of the action, eh?” “Well, that would have been manageable.” “I guess they sold them for less than they would have cost in the merch tent, too eh? Undercutting.” “That was not the problem.” “Well what, then?” “The tapes were blank, man. They were selling them for 10 bucks a pop to my audience, and when people took the tapes back to their Kitsilano homes, there was nothing on them. Just hiss. Never booking those guys again.” I guess I was supposed to take a cautionary lesson from that story. But me, that just made me love that band even more.
Have you ever thought of owning an award winning music venue / restaurant with a reputation for fun, good food and great live music known by musicians and music lovers throughout Canada and beyond? This is an opportunity for someone motivated with insight, enthusiasm, and attitude to take advantage of the years of networking with musicians and customers and use its potential to take Lorenzo’s to the next level. If you are interested, please e-mail me at: Lorne@lorenzoscafe.com for more info.
BC Musician | July - August 2010 67
a bluegrass festival near you get ready for some dazzling fiddles and downhome good times this summer By Peter North Although a decade has passed since the release of the Coen brothers’ film, O Brother Where Art Thou?, one can still look to the film’s accompanying soundtrack as the catalyst that brought bluegrass and old time music back into the public conscience in North America. Music performed by Dan Tyminski and songs from Ralph Stanley, Norman Blake, The Whites, Alison Krauss and John Hartford ushered in a new era for the music that appeared to belong to an
older audience for far too long. While the music had its disciples under the age of 40, the make-up of the crowds flocking to bluegrass festivals was decidedly on the other side of middle age. Today, young parents herding kids are a common sight at festivals that feature not only bluegrass, but new grass, jazz grass, and old time country ensembles laying down their songs with what we consider bluegrass instrumentation. Every major folk festival in western Canada salts a few bluegrass related act into line-ups. A festival like StarBelly in Crawford Bay, BC may be dominated by
world and jam band acts, but one of the headliners is the Emmitt-Nershi Band that is bound by the dazzling acoustic instrumental interplay of mandolinist Drew Emitt, formerly of Colorado‚ Leftover Salmon, and guitar playing Bill Nershi who was one of the driving forces with jam band explorers the String Cheese Incident. From Sorrento, BC, to the Blueberry Bluegrass Festival in Stony Plain to the Calgary Folk Festival, there’s much to choose from this summer when it comes to exploring bluegrass and related cousins. Many observers feel that acts like Vic-
ENTER TO WIN
THE ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP TO WINE COUNTRY
CKUA Radio host and wine commentator, Terry David Mulligan, is your guide to a VIP tour of BC’s wine country. This ultimate weekend for two includes: - Accommodation at the Naramata Heritage Inn & Spa - VIP winery tours - Dinner with Terry David Mulligan - A pre-loaded Visa card Enter online @ www.ckua.com/wine BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Terry David Mulligan, CKUA Radio host and wine commentator
8 BC Musician | July - August 2010
www.ckua.com
toria’s Breakmen are doing much to fire up the interest of younger listeners and participants. “After all these years of watching our scene, I feel that old time is big time right now. The Breakmen are great and the kind of act where the sum is greater than the parts. They have got character voices and superb harmonies,” says Edmonton-based journalist and picker Mike Sadava. “There are other acts, like Fish and Bird, who are absolutely fantastic, as is the band Outlaw Social. From what I can tell, Victoria is the centre of the old time music universe. At Sorrento, it seems like the young players opt for the old time workshops and courses while the older crowd still favor the hard core bluegrass,” adds Sadava. Sorrento has been the western Canadian Mecca for bluegrass and old time
music enthusiasts for 12 years, as an instruction centre for both emerging professionals and hobbyists. The faculty is always top drawer, and the impressive crew of teachers, which includes banjo master Tony Furtado, guitarist Russ Barenberg, and members of Seattle’s Downtown Mountain Boys will come together for one day festival on August 28. Acclaimed mandolin player John Reischman sees the week long workshop formats of Sorrento and other camps as pivotal in keeping the scene fresh. “They are great not only for the skills that are acquired by the students, but for developing a sense of community,” says the leader of the Jaybirds, before echoing some of Sadava’s thoughts. “Some of these young players are unbelievably talented. I sense a lot of them were inspired by Chris Thile and Nickel Creek,” figures Reischman, who was on
the frontlines of bluegrass and newgrass as a young musician, when he worked with the seminal Tony Rice Unit in the eighties. If the well continues to be replenished, as it has been in this new millennium, the future is bright for bluegrass and old time music across the west. Here are six of many acts to look out for on this summer’s circuit. • Dailey & Vincent: Edmonton Folk Music Festival (August 5 - 8) • The Avett Brothers: Calgary Folk Festival (July 22 - 25) • Claire Lynch: Blueberry Bluegrass Festival (July 30 - August 1) • Emitt-Nershi Band: StarBelly Jam Festival (July 16 - 18) • Red Clay Ramblers: Vancouver Island Musicfest (July 9 - 11) • Annie Lou: Vancouver Folk Festival (July 16 - 18)
BC Musician | July - August 2010 89
The vinyl word “Leaving the Collecting to collectors...”
When I began writing this column for BC Musician, it was based on one simple “truth”: that the only real way to listen to music was on vinyl (and when available, in mono!). Records sounded better, had better artwork/packaging, and simply lasted longer than CDs or MP3s. Then a last spring I went out on the road across Canada and throughout Germany, playing guitar with Leeroy Stagger And The Wildflowers to support his album “Everything Is Real”. Between May and November I was seldom home, and therefore, seldom able to play any of my records. Of course, this didn’t stop me from listening to music – fortunately for me, a friend had generously given me a 4 gig iPod that he had bought as a gift for a girlfriend who he ended up splitting with before it had arrived in the mail from Apple…with her name engraved on it. As one does with an iPod, I loaded this redirected gift with MP3 versions of many of my favorite albums, which proved invaluable for my psychic/emotional/spiritual survival on those endless homesick drives across the Canadian prairies or bouncing down the autobahn (where, beyond the language barrier, you had to pay .50€ to use a toilet, and sauerkraut seemed to be considered a vegetable). Apparently the music was far more important than the medium and vinyl wasn’t in fact the only “real” way to listen to music. Huh! Not long after returning home, I made 2 decisions: one was to move from Kelowna to Toronto, and the second was to not bring my 1500 or so albums with me. GASP! At one time this would have been unthinkable to me – for most of my life I had been one of those “big record collection” guys and figured that this pretty much defined me - yet here I was thinking the unthinkable. The idea of dragging a whole bunch of Echo And The Bunnymen records that I hadn’t listened to since I was a teenager all the way across this country seemed entirely pointless (there are many other examples - I just chose E&TB because of the silliness of their name and the overwhelming pomposity of their lead singer). I realized that I had basically been playing the same 100 or so records for years, so why pack and ship all that heavy vinyl across the country just so it could sit in a different place, still not being played? I put off the actual task of minimizing my records for a few
Photo by Kevin Kane
By Kevin Kane
months, but had started telling people my plans to weed my collection down to “no more than 200” (in the meantime having negotiated with myself to double the number of the keeper pile), more to see what it felt like to hear the words coming out of my mouth. And how did it feel? Thrilling, and drastic and BIG – like I was seizing control of my life and it was I who owned the records, not the other way around. And so after a few months (and a few stiff drinks), I felt I was ready and wobbled into the room where I kept my records organized alphabetically by artist and chronologically by release date (with certain records in those protective poly bags, depending upon if they were imported, valuable, or just because I thought they were deserving of the honor), confident that I could do this. I thought my Dutch courage might make this process a little easier, but it instead brought out the Irish sentimentality in me, and I didn’t do near as well as I had hoped. While some choices were surprisingly easy (“Led Zepplin III” – you’re all I need! Anything By the Kinks without Ray Davies’ autograph and not on Pye: bu-bye!), others were not (Joy Division WAS 17 year-old Kevin Kane! And they’re British pressings on Factory!!! In their original poly bags!!!). So, after reducing my
10 BC Musician | July - August 2010
1500 down to 500, I couldn’t . even consider what I’d just But if there was one thing done for several weeks, like avoiding walking past a mirI learned from being on ror after a bad haircut. the road all those months Why was this so hard? Certainly not because I couldn’t it was that I didn’t need live without records that I no stuff to define me or to longer listened to (and, in some cases, had NEVER lismake me happy. . tened to). I think it was because, as with Joy Division or the Clash, by hanging on to many of these records I was really hanging on to my own past – my own history – ME! It was as if in getting rid of records I once identified with (which is not the same as actually “liking”) I would be getting rid of bits of myself. That, without the hundreds of kilos of evidence, I would not longer be a music person. But if there was one thing I learned from being on the road all those months it was that I didn’t need stuff to define me or to make me happy. Many people are forced to deal with the loss of the stuff that they had felt defined them through fire, tornado, flood, etc. (A friend of mine once told me that when she was robbed of pretty much everything she owned she found it liberating, which I found both impressive and terrifying.) At least I got to be a participant in this process. Then, out of the blue, a couple of friends who were also moving out east (and – being record collectors themselves – probably figured they were “saving me from myself”) told me that they had room in one of the containers of furniture they had going to Toronto and offered to pack my records in along with their stuff. I took it as a sign – that I WAS supposed to keep a large chunk of my collection. But then when their offer didn’t work out and I was back at square one and I took that as another sign: purge further! So I have to go through the records again, the plan being to fill a couple of old milk crates with vinyl to bring (yea! Old school!), box up those that I feel I might regret parting with down the line (not that that would be the end of the world), and leave the rest for my brother (who buys and sells records online) to deal with. I’ll let you know how it goes.... Win passes to Kaslo Jazz! Email info@bcmusicianmag.com by July 23 . with KASLO in the subject line.
Saturday, July 31 st
the Bad pluS
monkeyJunk
John koRSRud Septet
melody diaChun
teRminal Station Jude daviSon’S CiRCo de teatRo Sunday, August 1 st
SpyRo GyRa
aRSen Shomakhov
tamBuRa RaSa eh tRane
Camilo nu Band
CheRyl hodGe Band
Friday, July 30 th
hie FoSteR RutSouth & thundeRBiRd Band a separately ticketed event $20
Ticket Hotline 250-353-7548
jazztix@netidea.com
Friday $20 • teens 13-17 $10 Sat/Sun $68/day • teens 13-17 $28 at the gate $75/day • 3 day pass $145 Children 12 & under FRee all weekend No Pets, Glass or Carry in Alcohol. Coolers subject to inspection
kaSloJazzFeSt.Com BC BCMusician | July Musician | July- -August 2010 August 2010 1011
Midsummer memories storms and sax at smithers’ midsummer festival By Graham Lazarovich Midsummer is actually another term for Summer Solstice, so MidSummer Festival is usually the first festival of the season. It takes place in the beautiful Bulkley River Valley under gorgeous Hudson’s Bay Mountain. One year I was walking around the festival grounds with my friend Laura right after the music on the mainstage ended. We could feel and smell it coming — a huge downpour came out of nowhere leaving everybody
A random assortment of scrambling for cover. In the distance we noticed a beacon of light in the storm. People were converging from all directions on the hospitality house. A random assortment of festival performers and volunteers had started an impromptu jam on hand drums, piano and voice. Soon enough pretty much everyone was banging on something in unison as smiles shined all around. We slipped in out of the rain right as an alto sax player emerged across the room and started to lay down some funk with the layered percussion groove. Then just a moment later I saw another young man meekly approaching with a tenor sax on my left. I stepped aside and motioned him in. He came up into the light and the two sax men faced each other, one at each side of the room. The alto man laid down a melody, and the tenor guy replied with his own,
festival performers and volunteers had started an impromptu jam on hand drums, piano and voice. Soon enough pretty much everyone was banging on something in unison as smiles shined all around. they bounced phrases off each other, they unified, they harmonized, they challenged each other. Everyone was in on it too, 40 or so people making a joyful noise. In the end the storm passed and everyone got cleared out so they could close the kitchen. I tell you, I barely remember anything about the headliners that year, but I’ll never forget that impromptu sax jam while escaping the storm. I talked to one of the saxophonists later and he told me the two of them had never met before then. They spoke to each other in Music before English. Priceless.
Win passes to the final weekend at Harrison Festival of the Arts! Email info@bcmusicianmag.com by July 13 with HARRISON in the subject line.
12 BC Musician | July - August 2010
a dvances in digital recording By Andrea Law A long hiatus from music, and the hippies have rediscovered their folky roots. Perfect really, just in time to ride the cresting wave of aging baby-boomers. I pause to imagine: nine million grey haired Canucks, just waiting to offload buckets of cash for my album. The songs are written. The time has come to record the album. Off I go to Long & McQuade to load up my shopping cart with the paraphernalia of the home studio. Because it’s so simple now, isn’t it, what with technology and all? Yup, we’re doing it on the cheap. No more studio costs this time around. Those teenagers can do it, so can we. Shock Number One comes at the check-out counter: microphones, computer hardware, software, adaptors, cables, monitors, one multimix interface, and of course, the instructional DVD. Five days later I’ve successfully unpacked and connected the disparate elements. The living room floor is a forest of tangled serpents rearing little metal heads. Confused about EQ, tracking, compression, and something called gain, I reach for the E-Z User Manual (abridged edition). I let out a yelp as it falls on my foot.
The Start Up Guide is 1,029 pages. Battle scarred and weary from dark days spent interacting with a computer screen, I surrender. I ruefully appraise my pale face in the mirror. I’m not a recording engineer after all. Browsing the Yellow Pages under audio recording services, I was happy to find someone who would record my demo for under $20,000. I clutch my master CD. It’s done. How lovely it sounds. Well, how lovely it will sound. How naive to believe that the shiny little frisbee would be my trophy. No-o-o-o-o. “What do you mean, it has to be mixed?” I ask. I regret not having chosen a more direct and simple career path, like brain surgeon or astronaut. The mixing is yet another phase in what has morphed into my own twelve-step program called “Damn, I got poor quick.” Off to VanCity. The Loans Manager and I are now well acquainted. “Uhm, now the album has to be mastered,” I mutter weakly. So close, yet so far. With a sigh, I cast my eyes heavenward. Isn’t it romantic, the impoverished artiste. Reflecting on my nonlearning curve of digital recording, I recall my early vision of cash filled buckets.... Understanding is mine.
BC Musician | July - August 2010 13 12
a drink for any occasion There will always be a small time and the pink elephant night By C.R. Avery 11:08 in East Van and it's been a stressful, humid day but now a cool breeze and a honkey tonk piano fill our messy but clean bedroom our floor with zero space thanks to sewing machine, vacuum, and just polished boots Corin Raymond laughing through tiny computer speakers also listened to his voice this morning on my answering machine and my jeans and t-shirt lover has just popped the bubbly and brought a bowl of strawberries, time to breathe she's just stopped me from writing so we
can 'cheers', we do, I resume with pencil on lined paper stretched out on the bed in black boxers listening to a song called Michelene I asked my lover, whose hair is up in a bun, how she likes the sparkling wine she replies, "not really a champagne fan, but this is nice. I like the label." I just like that I went down to the Greyhound depot and there was a bottle of the good stuff with my name on it Boom. Music will sweep you off your feet Place you back down with gifts and licorice on your pre-midnight lips as big C and the Sundowners sing, "I get paid to party, cause it's all I know. There must be something else to do after a show." Haven't been writing for the last half hour Just popping strawberries and getting drunk.
Well done Elephant Island Orchard. Nice taste in my mouth of apple grape with a vision of a mermaid dress Corin Raymond sings, "Not even the band knows how this is going to end."
Spences Bridge
Desert Daze August t13,Daze 14, 15. Deser Spences Bridge Festival
Local farmers growing succulent melons, Festival tomatoes to die for, peaches, apples,...the list goes on. Throw it all together at the lush grounds ofgrowing the community school yard Local farmers succulent melons, and you have one heck of a good time... tomatoes to die for, peaches, apples,...the Visit ouron. little community of Spences list goes Throw it all together at the Bridge and indulge in our harvest... lush grounds of the community schooland yard Incredible and you have one heckmusic! of a good time... Check us out on page 31! Visit our little community of Spences Music BridgeGames and indulge in our harvest... and Displays ° Fruit & Vegetable Incredible music! Pickle & Tomato Canning Classes
August 13, 14, 15.
Check us out on page 31!
Crafts ° Dancing Demonstrations Traditional AboriginalMusic Displays and Games ° Fruit & Vegetable Displays Pickle & Tomato Canning Classes Crafts ° Dancing Traditional Aboriginal Displays and Demonstrations
14    BC Musician | July - August 2010
pink ele phant at a picnic pink champagne on ice and on a grassy hillside By Carolyn Mark The day started well enough. I dropped The Fiddler at the ferry. I was in a pretty good mood mostly, I guess, because I was still drunk from our Welcome Back from Tour party the night before. Did a little thrift shopping in Sidney — bought a globe, a red gingham bowl and a shark oven mitt and then remembered to stop in at the greyhound parcel station to pick up my Free Champagne! Elephant Island’s Pink Elephant Pink Sparkling Wine. We were supposed to stop off at the vineyard itself on the way home but we didn't make it that far so they put a bottle on the bus for me. I came home and put it on the floor of the kitchen thinking I'd unwrap it when I got to my destination: Picnic with Miss Shawna on the lawn of the St Anne's Academy. Shawna loves champagne and prosecco so I figured she'd be a good date. That afternoon, Tolan, who I thought was reading the paper on the front stairs, phoned. "Hey," he said, "I don't know much about champagne but maybe you want to chill it?" Good Man! I forgot. Now that's a friend. I usually drink red so refrigeration was the last thing on my mind. I put the Pink Elephant in the freezer for a couple of hours and then I filled a soft cooler tote with ice cubes and put it in the basket of my bike and headed for our picnic rendezvous. We spread out a blanket in the field near the apple trees, uncorked it KAPOW! and poured it into 2 glasses. It was bright pink and very bubbly. A beautiful raspberry colour. We sniffed and tasted. I thought, "Apples!" but I doubted myself. Shawna sipped hers and we both said, "Bubbly!" at the same time. "Good," she said, "Not too sweet." I concurred. We consulted the label: "A Granny Smith Apple Cuvee with a dosage of Cassis, made in the traditional method in the Brut style." Aha! Apples! I was right! We drained the first glass. By the second glass we were on our second cigarettes. I hadn't seen Shawna for a while so we had a lot of catching up to do. She'd been home and I'd been on the road so we compared notes. Also, it appeared I was falling in love with someone rather unlikely so I sought her council.
The third glass, I fear, fell into my purse. We'd spread the blanket on a hill. Really, I'm a total red wine drinker and the few times I've had champagne it gave me a headache. I had always wanted to try pink champagne though, from seeing old movies and reading nostalgic books. This Pink Elephant is gorgeous. The beautiful bright pink colour. It's very dry. A palate full of green apple, cassis, strawberry and raspberry. Refreshing, delicious and pretty. Great packaging, too. Pairs well with sunshine, cigarettes and a dear old friend. In a perfect world, there would be pink elephants around every corner. If you don’t want to pay Cristal prices for your celebration, small or large, get a bottle of yummy Pink Elephant, lovingly bottled in the methode champenoise by Elephant Island Orchard Winery, Naramata, BC. www.elephantislandwine.com.
Bone Rattle
BC Musician | July - August 2010 14 15
16 BC Musician | July - August 2010
BC Musician | July - August 2010 16 17
The east side society pages Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhhood is known worldwide as the habitat of severe drug users, prostitution, and crime. It is also home to a strong community of people including (besides the highly publicized drug users, homeless, and people with social and mental health issues, who are a strong community in themselves) artists, tradesmen, community workers, civil servants, longtime Chinese and Japanese communities surrounding Chinatown and Japantown, many residents and businesses beyond what the media has spotlighted; and yours truly. The following interview is with the venerable Wimpy Roy, musician of D.O.A. fame and notoriety for being a respected performer possessing of strong social values, and Gregory Cox, avid musician and mental health worker. The premise was to discuss the significant number of musicians that work for the Portland Hotel Society — an organization situated in Vancouver’s downtown eastside (DTES) hotels and buildings that have been designated as residences for Vancouver’s “hard to house” citizens. The society provides housing, access to social resources, basic first aid, and residential security with a “no-evictions” policy. In 2004 members of the Society also created Pigeon Park Savings, a bank for the residents of the DTES who otherwise may not be able to get a bank account. The Society and its affiliates operate at the core of the Downtown Eastside community, providing shelter, needle exchanges, and ensuring that the residents’ most basic needs are met in the nonstop hub of activity. The PHS employees also act as gatekeepers and custodians of the residences. Setting: Pacific Pub, Main Street, Chinatown, Vancouver BC April 2009 with Brian Goble and Gregory Cox of the Portland Hotel Society, after their shift at the Roosevelt Hotel (Main and Hastings Street, Vancouver); Canucks hockey game in the background. Ana: Most of the questions I have to ask you are related to the idea of why there may or may not be a connection between musicians and artists working for the Portland Hotel Society. Please introduce yourselves. Brian: My name’s Brian, Brian Goble... I was originally introduced to the music public under the strange name of ‘Wimpy’. I’ve played bass for 13 years for D.O.A., still do singing and songwriting with a local band called the SUBHUMANS... played with Chris Houston and EVIL TWANG for awhile and many other projects, too numerous to mention and too obscure to find… hehehheh... and I’m called a ‘mental health worker’ with the Portland Hotel Society. I suppose that’s actually a pretty fitting title, since a lot of the people that we deal with do have some pretty
Photo by Ana Bon Bon
By Ana Bon Bon
Brian and Greg in their office at the Portland Hotel Society
strange mental health issues, but I do my best, that’s what I do at work, I do my best.” Ana: That’s all you can do, and that’s a lot. And to my right... Greg: I’m Greg Cox. First off, I work with Brian, that’s why I’m able to be here talking like this; I’m a little fish and he’s a bigger fish, but anyway, I had a surf band back in 2000-2003 era called GRAVY, a rockabilly-surf unit, and I work with the PHS. It’s the kind of community-based work that gives you a little bit of spiritual payback. I was stuck in the oilfield for seven years before I came back to community work, and you can truly lose your soul out there, but coming back to the community is a real worthwhile endeavour, what our Society does, and other Societies like it — Triage, Rain City, Portland Hotel Society.... Ana: Do the people that work at PHS require training to be in the service of mental health? Brian: Well, a lot of the people do have degrees in it, and they’re probably the most useless workers at the Portland Health.... Greg: Hey, that’s Me!! Brian: The best kind of training you can probably have is actual, real life experience, and that’s I think why a lot of musicians work there; the ability to communicate with crowds, and exercise crowd psychology and things like that transfers well into the field that we work in. Ana: Really! Working with crowds — I never would have guessed that. Is that because there is a social network or social mentality? Greg: It helps in dealing with people’s misplaced anger. I think that people who are drawn towards art and music have a... I won’t say a more vulnerable approach to their place in society, but I think a more sympathetic — no, empathetic approach to life, because through art you are exorcising your demons, and because basically, if you had no demons your art would be pretty shitty.
18 BC Musician | July - August 2010
Photo by Ana Bon Bon
Brian and Greg at the doors of their day job at the Portland Hotel Society
Ana: So there is some similar ritual behaviour. Brian: Well, there’s probably a lifestyle connection as being, like, a starving artist for a lot of my career; not quite homeless but living on the fringe of society for most of my life I can sort of relate, I think, to the plight that a lot of the people in the DTES in need of housing have. Ana: That is so amazing to hear you say, because I have been in that position myself many times, and yet I didn’t even make that connection. I was thinking more of substance abuse, but didn’t make the connection of the difficulty in securing a normal, safe lifestyle and having your basic needs met. Brian: I think that’s one connection. Another connection is a much more obvious connection, that when you work for the PHS, you can go on this thing called the ‘Casual List’ and as a casual you can reject or accept jobs as they’re offered to you, which gives an artist a lot more freedom to... Greg: Go on tour.... Brian: Say they have to go to San Francisco for a couple of weeks; they can take a couple of weeks off without losing their job or anything like that; there’s not that kind of pressure that most mainstream jobs demand, where they’re nine to five. A lot of people choose to just stay casual, so ‘casuals’ have the most freedom. Greg and I have both accepted “lines” where you have set days that you work and you’re expected to come in, and you get extra...
Greg: a bit more money.... Brian: You get vacation time, and things like that, you get benefits, where casuals don’t get that, but on the other hand have that freedom to do their art and to be able to come back and get work when they’re off the road or whatever. Ana: This may have to go into a series of articles because there is a lot of information here, and more PHS musicians to talk to! Do you think having artists working at the PHS helps improve the experience of the tenants living there? Brian: I think it depends on the particular individuals’ contribution in what they put into their job. I know definitely some people put a lot into it. I know some girls that give lessons. They’d have a guitar player and they’d give various people that were trying to stay off substance abuse instruments so they could occupy themselves — it was something. Ana: So that would enable the employees and clients to relate on the creative level. Greg: I just feel that the support towards artists in general in our society is fairly weak, the monetary and organizational support; there is lip service paid to it — Factor grants, and Council of the Arts — which is pretty near gutted at this point, right? It just comes back to empathy, being able to put yourself in someone else’s place is a lot easier for a person who is trying to scrape by Continued on page 20
BC Musician | July - August 2010 18 19
playing music and not making a whole lot of money... compared to a person working in the stock exchange, chasing the dollar so hard that all they can see is the next acquisition of material... Ana: A different value system. Greg: It does exist, you know, some guy in his Beamer is honking and damn near running down an addict in the road; you see it everyday. I think an artistic soul has more empathy toward his fellow man. Ana: That’s not obviously the law, but I think you can safely generalize that a lot of people that choose the artist’s lifestyle need to have that empathy, or they wouldn’t be able to continue doing what they do, because it doesn’t provide the same kind of rewards that another kind of job might order to keep you going. Do you think that there is an history of understanding between musicians and people with substance abuse issues? Brian: Well, I think there is. I’ve had my own substance abuse issues — some more serious substance abuse issues at various points in the past — so I have some experience with substance abuse issues myself. I don’t think they were ever an addiction, but I certainly got pretty messed up at times! I think I can empathize with that to some degree. The difference is I see people that live in the buildings I work in that their whole life is based around substance abuse, that’s the only thing that they basically have from when they wake up until they go to bed, their whole life is focused on nonstop pursuit of substances that make their life what it is. I mean, that’s kind of hard to watch. For me, what I see is people that have sort of like a huge hole, and don’t really have motivation for anything else outside of getting high, and that can be really frustrating to watch. I mean, there are lot of things that are really frustrating to watch, working in this field. Ana: I’ll bet! And it gets pretty horrid at times, I understand. I’ve heard some stories from our artist/musician and past PHS employee Jeff Everden that it can be physically dramatic and horrible. (Comes to mind a story told after one particularly harrowing day of work at the PHS; a tenant was upset and flung his shit-filled sheets all over his room, which the employee had to deal with and then clean, and that’s just one example in many days and nights of regular life at the residences). Brian: Oh yeah, it can be an incredibly stressful job, yeah. It can be incredibly stressful and that stress can really wear you out. Greg: The drug addiction does strip away alot of these people’s self-restraint regarding emotions, body functions.... Brian: YEAH. Greg: Hah. Poop. Oh, did I say that out loud? Yeah, I did. The anger we face — you can’t really accept it as directly at you, because it’s not about you... so you have to try and take it objectively. Ana: There isn’t necessarily an alignment between musicians and working there, but it is the topic of discussion here. Does
Photo by Ana Bon Bon
Continued from page 19
20 West Hastings Street, the heart of the downtown eastside in Vancouver. The Portland Hotel Society manages several buildings and provides social housing and other support to the members of the community with chronic substance abuse or other mental health issues.
being able to exercise that kind of compassion and patience empower you at all? Brian: I think it’s more like patience. Being a musician that’s toured a lot, you have to have a lot of patience because, how many times do you show up, you’re on the road and you wind up in Green Bay and the promoter hasn’t done any advertising and you’re playing to a crowd of 15 people in some guy’s basement or something.... Ana: Is this an actual story? Brian: Ha. Just using it as an example. It’s like hit-and-miss when you’re trying to promote your art, and you’re always hoping for the best, but there are a lot of times when you don’t make the right connections, or things just don’t happen the way you want them to happen, and you can’t get all bent out of shape when something goes wrong. So I think that being a musician teaches you how to not get bent out of shape when things don’t go right, so I think that’s probably good for this job as well. Ana: Like the people also going through their personal trials in the DTES. Another question: A lot of people with 40 hour-aweek jobs have difficulty coming home and dealing with doing
20 BC Musician | July - August 2010
much of anything after work, but you are doing this intense job that wears you out AND you are living your art. So how is that possible? Greg: Drink a lot. Brian: Put off ‘til tomorrow what I could do today. Greg: Drinking a lot and procrastination. I’ll drink to that. (Greg and I clink beer bottles.) Brian: I’ll do it later. Greg: But as long as you drag your ass out to rehearsal every week, that’s what makes everything, for me, worthwhile. Music is one of my favourite things in life. Brian: At this point in my life, I consider myself more of a hobby musician than a real working musician. I kind of gave that up probably in the mid-90’s, you know, really seriously trying to make a go of that being my main focus of my career. Ana: Maybe, particularly in Vancouver, issues of the people on the downtown eastside and the struggle of the Vancouver musicians are not that far off from each other because both communities exist on the fringe, even as they are so much at the roots of the community. Vancouver musicians have been talking about similar issues for years — of alienation, fringe living, expanding our artistic endeavours beyond our own roots-based underground community, poverty and social issues, and basic survival in a society that has supported consumer values over human and creative values. Okay, a few more questions. Does it seem to be mostly punk and hardrock musicians that are working at PHS? Greg: Certainly the younger element of the Society is geared that way. Brian: I don’t really know all the musicians that work for the Portland... there were a bunch of people from Black Mountain that used to be involved in the organization and they’re now pretty much self-sufficient, I think, and just touring all the time. Ana: So they left. Greg: Well, they probably worked their shift a year just to keep their foot in the door; the Blood Meridian guys, and Darwin Fischer, I’ve seen him do a few things. Ana: ... they used to have the Lowbrows. Greg: (in a stage whisper) That’s where I know him from! Ana: How many artists work there, what’s the percentage, a loose guess-timate? Greg: At least 40. Brian: Artists? Just talking in general about artists that work with the Society? I’d probably say it’s even higher, connected in arts in some way, I’d say more like 60 percent. (In walks another artist, Susan Schroeder, who has her own shop and botanical art studio ‘WANTED’ on the edge of Chinatown and near Pigeon Park Savings. Ana: So these people are seriously contributing to the betterment of the society and having a trade as well. Brian: ...they are there to contribute to the betterment of the so-
ciety, so I’m just using that as a general premise that the people that work there really are trying to... Here’s another one... Hey, McBean! Ana: This is so funny... do you guys just frequent the DTES bars? Brian: How you doing? This Steve McBean from Black Mountain. Greg: Ha. That’s funny. McBean: Gettin’ some beers, I’m going to a show. Brian: Ah, we’re doing an interview for BC Musician magazine. Greg: ...that was our itinerant sort of modern rock star. Ana: Okay...one more question so we can wrap it up and drink beer. Does working for the Society have any impact on your music, positively or negatively? Greg: Positive for sure, because it gives you the time off to pursue your music in a more applied way. I think it gives you a lot of insight into the way the other half lives. Like a magnifying glass into a world that most people only see the surface of. ‘Bye, Steve! See you later. Ana: Well, I think that’s about it. Thanks, guys! The Poo! Greg: That’s ironic! Brian: heheheh! Ana: And if there’s anything else you’d like to say... Brian: No, we’ll do that in part two of the interview. Addendum: the bartendress joined our table the end of the tape: “I love my job, I love all the customers...” Greg: Except... Bartendress: “Don’t interrupt me, please, else I’ll hit you.” Greg: Again? Bartendress: Yeah! Again! Ana: You should hit him anyway. Bartendress: Okay! I would like to finish my interview... Please. I love my job, I love all my customers, especially when they come in here for shit and abuse… Oh, Sorry, did I say that?! But I love to see all the new customers and all the new faces — and my boss is Excellent! He treats me like GOLD. I work for him for ten years now, and I’m not manager or anything, but — he still treats me like gold. [And the tape runs out here.] The Subhumans recently released Same Incorrect Thoughts, Different Day on Alternative Tentacles Records; Sudden Death Records also released their MEN OF ACTION – D.O.A. 30th Anniversary DVD in 2009. Greg Cox has been recording and working with his latest projects, GUITARS AND A SUITCASE and POP MACHINE. (A full description of the PHS can be found under “Initiative Profiles” at www.sharedlearning.org).
BC BCMusician | July Musician | July- -August 2010 August 2010 20 21
Th e r e’s a rockstar sleeping on my flo o r “Do you know what I like about staying with grownups?” Paterson Hodgson waves a cranberry muffin in the air, and fixes me with satisfied gaze. “They always have enough blankets.” The morning after the house concert, the members of Olenka and the Autumn Lovers had cleared off the empties and were lounging around my kitchen table. They play many house shows in amongst the usual gigs at halls, bars, art galleries, churches, and festivals, but other than the odd party where somebody has pulled out a harmonica or spoons, this was the first time my living room had seen a live musical performance. I always thought that to become a concert promoter, I would have to get myself a Don King hairdo and leather pants, or shell out for some sketchy get rich quick book on the internet. Turns out all you really need are muffins and blankets. I learned a few things during my inaugural foray into house concert hosting. The first lesson is that there is no such thing as a throw-away comment amongst musicians. If you happen to say something like “hey, if you are coming out this way, maybe we could arrange a house concert or something,” you had better be prepared to follow through. One casual offer, and I found myself eyeballing the living room, wondering where I could get forty or so chairs and how the Spousal Unit would take the news that we were bunking up six musicians for two nights. You have to stay loose when you are hosting a house concert for touring musicians, because shit is bound to happen. Just ask Olenka and the Autumn Lovers about their dead bus, which forced them to leave half the band behind during their London to Vancouver and back tour, and required an extra night in Calgary to get the wheel bearings fixed on the replacement vehicle. It can’t be easy to phone somebody, whom you’ve only met by email, to ask if you can crash at their place a few days early. But Olenka Krakus shrugs off those feelings of discomfort. “Beginner and mid-level touring bands are always crashing on the floors of acquaintances’ homes,” she explains. “It’s a bit weird, but you get over it (unless of course your hosts are a little more eccentric than you bargained for).” I’m not sure where I stand on the eccentricity scale for standard house concert hosts, but I do know that making it appear effortless requires a bit of work beforehand. Surprises, after all, are only good when you are prepared for them. When the stranded travellers arrived, I had a freezer full of muffins to offer them and some blankets that didn’t require delousing. Details like that will score you an “official mom away from home” moniker. Bear in mind that twenty-some-
Photo by Eva Olechowski
By Barbara Bruederlin
In the writer’s living room: Sara Danae Froese, Olenka Krakus, and Paterson Hodgson. Together they are one-half of Olenka and the Autumn Lovers.
things are impressed by luxurious touches like sheets on the beds and soap in the bathroom. I also thought it was pretty clever of me to live down the street from the Big Rock beer rep. Naturally you always invite the Big Rock rep to any sort of gathering. And if you have a really good neighbourhood beer elf, like I do, he will show up a few hours before the concert and set up a couple of kegs of experimental brew in the backyard. Besides the beer rep, invite everybody you know to the house concert — everybody in your office, your hairdresser, anybody who has ever sent you an email, and all those Facebook friends you haven’t seen since Grade 7. Make sure you invite all your neighbours too. It doesn’t matter that you’ve lived two doors down from them for ten years and still don’t know their names. They don’t know yours either. Ask an arty friend to design some save-the-date cards and leave them in everybody’s mailbox. Olenka warns that you should know your audience before booking a show. “Are you inviting a bunch of kids to dance the night away to a rookie electro band, or are you bringing in a quiet folk act that will do best with a seated attentive
22 BC Musician | July - August 2010
Phone: 604.999.4141 • info@bcmusicianmag.com
Subscribe to BC Musician Magazine for only $30 / year.
Get on board.
audience?” she asks. And if the police happen to arrive to shut you down, as happened to Olenka and the Autumn Lovers at a now infamous house concert in Saint John, it’s useful to discover that the officer is an old friend. This, of course, requires planning or considerable luck. Marry into a forgiving family, do your homework, and you too can host a successful house concert. Your friends, coworkers and nosy neighbours are not going to miss out on a chance to hang out with some rock stars. Just let them know you’ll be collecting donations for the band at the door, and then don’t let them go home without buying a CD.
Win passes to RareEarth Music Fest! Email info@bcmusicianmag. com by July 31 with RAREARTH in the subject line.
SKiNNY’s GriLLe
EXIT 168 HOPE, B.C. OPEN 9 am - 9 pm Live entertainment Every Saturday @ 7 pm July 10 - The Hoodlums ...classic rock July 17 - Manitoba Hal & Friends Dr. Pinkham’s Musical Medicine Show . ...roots, blues & folk July 24 - Andrea Ramolo & her One Man Band ...up tempo funk and blues July 31 - The Jazz Banditz ...home-grown jazz August 7 - Skinny's House band The Blues Crew August 13 & 14 - Rock Moran's delta blues August 21 - Gerald Charlie down home blues August 28 - Chris 'Hambone' Wilson's southern blues
Where Great Food’s The Real Skinny www.skinnysgrille.com
OPEN MON. - THURS. 4:30 AM - 4:30 PM FRI., SAT., SUN. 4:30 AM - 7:30 PM CITY BREWS - COUNTRY VIEWS we Bake our own Muffins, Cookies, Squares Freshly Made Healthy Sandwiches
LIVE MUSIC EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT Sunny Deck • Organic, Fair-Trade Coffee
SAT. JULY 17: Sean Ashby More music events in August! wanted !
musicians: call us if you are passing through town during the week and want a place to play!
Is it after 4pm? Looking for a satisfying meal?
We love live music! Come and hear fabulous performers in our friendly, fully-licensed bistro. We are proud to provide a welcoming venue for local and touring musicians. Join us for lunch, dinner, or just drinks & desserts. We also d Coming up: cate o r
q
July 16th: from Vernon, Jodi Pederson July 17th: from Vancouver, Bruce Gerrish
ing!
and the Shinolas
July 29th: from Whitehorse, Jude Joseph Waldman August 12th: An Intimate Evening with...
Alfie Zappacosta
August 19th: from Calgary, Heather Blush
& The Uppercuts
Come around the corner to
Keep an eye on www.wildbistro.com for details Music just about every night all summer-long!
for pasta and steaks!
682 Gibsons Way, Gibsons bC
LINGUINI’S - 255 Vermilion #9 - 136 Tapton Rd • Princeton, BC
250 295 3431
Looking to perform? Contact Bonar Harris: bonar@wildbistro.com
604.886.1917 eat@wildbistro.com
BC Musician | July - August 2010 23 22
ri s i ng ab ove the music scene in prince rup e rt By Christina Zaenker Prince Rupert is at the Northwest corner of the province, at the end of Highway 16. There aren't many dedicated music venues here, which frustrates local and touring musicians. Unless you rent the Tom Rooney Theatre, or can get a gig at Cow-
puccinos, there are few places that can be easily booked. A new compilation CD released by Garden Records, however, gives cause for hope. It seems there is a lot more to Prince Rupert’s music community than what you can hear at the local sports bar on weekends. In fact there are musicians of all ages, styles, and backgrounds making music that
ranges from traditional to original, Aboriginal to Celtic, blues to folk, and every style in between. Kate Lines and Tom Lehar are a talented and hard-working couple working to raise the musical profile of the “City of Rainbows”. They spent most of their time over the past year putting together “Rupert Songs,” a compilation of music written by locals, and dedicated to the city of Prince Rupert. From August 2009 to January 2010 they worked with talented local artists and groups, ranging from singer-songwriters like fourteen-year-old Caitlenn Bull, to the Prince Rupert Rotary Community Choir, to produce the 15-song CD. “Rupert Songs” was released to celebrate the city's 100th birthday on March 10th, 2010. Sold locally at museums, book stores, music shops and City Hall, the CD reflects the spirit of the area as felt by the artists who live there. When I asked Kate what she's been focused on since the release of the compilation, she replied that she's been thinking about how to create opportunities for local youth to get involved in the music industry. She feels there's a real need to give them something exciting and creative to do, and dreams of creating an annual compilation CD which would give the young participants experience with songwriting, marketing, engineering and touring. Given their drive and experience, there’s no doubt Kate and Tom will accomplish great things. “Whatever we put in,” says Kate, “we get back two or three times in support and appreciation from the community.” I suspect a stronger, more recognizable music community is growing in BC’s Northwest. Garden City Records http://gardenrecords.ca Facebook page: Prince Rupert Music Scene
24 BC Musician | July - August 2010
m ust v i sit venue Hornby Island Community Hall By Christina Zaenker
Photo by Jennifer Armstrong
Between the beautiful beaches and forests of Hornby Island, there is an artistic island spirit that washes over everything like a reassuring tide. The Hornby Island Community Hall is no exception: built by the community for the community, the Hall is a cherished gathering place to celebrate music and the arts. The building is a testament to the creativity of Hornby folks: it features a sod roof and a front door that was hand crafted from a giant log dragged up from the beach. The Hall can seat 200 people, has a raised stage with wings, a green room, a commercial kitchen and bar, and can be reconfigured for every event whether it is a dance, movie or children’s concert. It is owned by the Hornby Island Rate Payers Association (HIRPA) and governed by a handful of committed local volunteers. In the
spirit of cooperation, and also by necessity, event producers work together to provide the right sound and lighting for each show. The audio-visual equipment is owned and rented out by either the Hornby Festival or Hornby Blues Society. Hornby Island has been famous for it’s musical events ever since the Hornby Island Festival started 27 years ago. Initially focused on classical music, the festival now includes jazz, world, roots, folk and indie-rock. For the past seven years, the Hornby Blues Society has hosted a week-long series of workshops and performances every May, bringing in big name musicians to the island and letting them mingle with the local talent. There are many musicians who are the pride of the island, including: multiinstrumentalist/ composer/ arranger/ producer, Mark Atkinson; Jazz musician Tony Wilson; Folk-Gospel-Blues singer-songwriter Melissa Devost; and the late Tempest Grace Gale. This year’s Hornby Island Festival is dedicated to Tempest, a beloved stilt-walking musician, poet and artist who was murdered in November 2009 at the age of 25. Tempest left behind many friends in various creative communities as she embodied the free spiritedness and fierce creativity that Hornby Island is famous for. The next time you visit the island, make sure you spend time in the Community Hall to absorb this influence!
Inside the Hornby Island Community Hall.
Photo by Jonah Lewis http://photodreamz.com/
Win passes to Edge of the World Music Festival! Email info@bcmusicianmag.com by July 31 with EDGE in the subject line.
The entrance to the Hornby Island Community Hall, hand-crafted out of a salvaged beach log.
Edge of the World Music Festival Haida Gwaii
Kinnie Starr
Scatterheart Blue Voodoo
Santa Lucia Music
August 6, 7, 8 Tlell Fairgrounds, Tlell, BC www.edgefestival.com
BC Musician | July - August 2010 25 24
p e e r r ev iews! Versicolour Adventure Boys Club
Aidan Knight
By Jus Alexandra Percy
As the opening chords of The Sun play out, slowly building suspense and reverence, it’s clear Aidan Knight’s Versicolour has been a long time coming. Experienced as a supporting musician the evidence of Aiden’s musical proficiency is undeniable as he plays most of the instruments heard on the album and deftly weaves his passion into every note. Nearly two minutes into the opening track and still engaged by the haunting simplicity of the arrangements the vocals begin, and when they do I am reminded of Nick Drake, Dallas Green and Hayden. Allowing his voice to crack and chuckling through lyrics, there is an imperfect purity and an untrained quality that makes his music incredibly endearing, and Aidan just so darn likeable. Allowing each song to build its own momentum, Knight has shown his time providing for musicians such as The Zolas and Counting Heartbeats has not gone without gaining significant skill and understanding. With concise and graceful lyrics, as
demonstrated in Fighting Against Your Lungs, he has depicted tender, heartfelt anecdotes to be cherished as though they are your own. Having poured himself entirely into the record, this sophisticated collection illustrates Aidan’s arrival as the mature songwriter and artist we were counting on. Although only eight tracks, Knight’s third album feels like more. Short verses that read like poetry and grand instrumentations that change within each song create dynamic masterpieces and collectively sculpt this stunning success. The last song still comes too soon, and when the final notes of Jasper play out you are left wanting more.
Mississippi live
Mississippi Live
By RC Joseph
I am well aware that this publication is called BC Musician for a reason, but with an album as good as the one Mississippi Live (aka Connely Farr) has just put out, I think it’s okay to bend the rules a little and review someone not from British Columbia. While Farr does hail from the land of cotton gins and crude tides, he has relocated here to lotus land (since 2008), so I think we can technically consider him a BC musician. One listen to this gem of an album and I’m pretty certain you’ll also want to start claiming Farr as a born and bred Cascadian. Stripped down, crafted and layered, Mississippi Live’s self-titled debut is a captivating introduction to a singer/songwriter whose simple brilliance will no doubt garner comparisons to such lofi laureates as To The Races era Eric Bachman, Winnipeg’s Oldseed, or even a slightly more upbeat, late 90’s Cat Power. And we can also be sure every music writer north of the 49th is going to make a comparison to Neil Young; that is inevitable. But Farr and fellow Mississippi Live contributors Jon Wood, Mark Haney and Nina Green don’t sound like Neil Young. Sure, Mississippi Live’s ambiance is certainly reminiscent of the more soulful moments of an album such as Harvest, but the warm yet not entirely comforting (in a good way) sound of Mississippi Live is decid-
edly Connely Farr. Though arrangements never get more complicated than a three piece with some piano and backing vocals or banjo, there is something deep and invigorating in both the songwriting and the attack. And while Farr’s depth and passion drive this twelve-track treasure aptly along, the understated draw of these ditties also cannot go without being addressed. Not a lot of songwriters out there can deliver an infectious hook while still keeping the theme so honest and timeless and heavy. Steve Earle’s got that going for him. Springsteen in his darker moments. Jeff Tweedy, too (most of the time). Farr shows signs of that same touch throughout Mississippi Live, and it makes a music fan excited about what lies ahead. Final shout out to Wood who pulls double-duty as musician and producer. He should be commended for letting these songs just sit back and speak for themselves. It’s a beautiful album all around.
26 BC Musician | July - August 2010
nanton live DDG Records
The Great Outdoors
By RC Joseph
They are The Band for the new millennium. They are Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young — with less Crosby and Stills. They are The Eagles, except with soul and without a guitarist/singer who will go on to do a four-episode arc on Miami Vice. They are The Great Outdoors. In the interest of journalistic integrity, I feel I should disclose that I currently owe them $110 in jam space back rent. Recorded by Steve Loree over two nights at the historic Auditorium in beautiful downtown Nanton, Alberta (pop. 2055), The Great Outdoors’ fourth full-length effort is not the best live album of all time. It is, however, probably the best live album of the past 30 years. Having evolved into the quartet of singer/songwriters Adam Nation, Craig McCaul, Randy Forester, and Steve Wells, The Great Outdoors, along with percussionist Steven Wegelin, deliver in this album one of the more cohesive yet distinctive collections of songs to grace the folk rock genre in some time — and all framed in the ambiance of one of the finest live venues in the country. From the opening sounds of billiards and bottles clanking, to harmonizing along with passing traffic during the album’s
haunting closer (a rendition of ‘Seven Spanish Angels’) Nanton Live engages the listener in a way most times only the live experience can. This ability to so whole-heartedly hypnotize with its twangy smoothness woven amongst the white noise of weekend bar buzz is further testament to Loree’s flawless production; he captures the warmth and personality of both the room and the live performance while still creating a rich, full sound reminiscent of the classic live albums of the seventies. (No wonder Nanton Live is being put out on vinyl.) And like those classic live albums of the 70s, The Great Outdoors primarily deliver new material throughout the album’s ten tracks, further helping to quell the notion of the live album as novel, bringing it back to the realm in which it was always intended to exist: important.
Contraries WoundUp Records
Joanna Chapman-Smith
By Rowan Lipkovits
The varied songs in Joanna Chapman-Smith’s “Contraries” evoke a less pretentious age before the baggage of gender performance, of boys and girls impishly cavorting in excitement watching (and listening to) circus wagons rolling into town. This music is less concerned with falling into established musical genres than with just having a good time; the exuberant album is a lot of fun even when it decides to slow things down, and it doesn’t care if you don’t think its whistling on “Between the Minds” is polished enough. (Those are her brother’s lips pushing the air out, which lends something no ringer could deliver, while another brother sings the duet.) It makes me wonder to myself where the laughing clarinet flourishes are on every other folk album, since it’s used to such effect here — where Joanna provides it herself, dovetailing neatly with Dawn Zoe on the accordion, Lily Come Down cohort Justine Fischer on the upright bass and a host of other tasteful instrumentation. Make no mistake, the everyday sounds of guitar and keys turn up too, but never in bloated complacence — always in the service of the song, and never the other way
around. The vocal parts also dance the /pas a deux/ of being both tuneful instruments and also clearly conveying the lyrics, careful but apparently effortless harmonies weaving together in a tight net of music. Every track is its own animal, but beyond the endlessly fascinating permutations of “Urbanity”’s variations and the obvious single potential of “Arbitrary Lines”, some other standouts include the jazzy “In the Quiet” and both “Tactile World” and “Melodies”, which though not exactly klezmer, have both clearly spent some time in a Tel Aviv cafe. The songs are all so distinct it may as well be a greatest hits compilation, the unifying element being an ensemble filled with love for both each other and for the songs.
BC Musician | July - August 2010 26 27
p e e r r ev iews! Slow Learner independent
Joel Battle
By Jus Alexandra Percy
The first notes of Joel Battle’s Slow Learner are enticing; inviting you to take on expertly woven harmonies, intertwined with subtle piano and topped with a warm, down home, southern feel. For a boy from New Westminister, BC, Joel has concocted an album that oozes nostalgia of the prairies and is rich with the plight of the workingman. Delicately woven in to every track the voice of the ever talented Karly Warkentin almost outshines that of Mr. Battle, providing haunting and graceful notes and delicate country harmonies. On Slow Learner, Joel has assembled a stellar seven-piece band complete with Jesse Griffith’s eerie pedal steel, Robert Watt on guitar and mandolin, Patrick Jacobson of the Capitals on bass, Elise Bouer on Violin, Nick Stecz on drums and a cameo from music veteran Steven Drake, who mixed the album, rounds out the line up. This team is featured beautifully on Lover, as they engulf you in slight dissonance and harmony with their respective instruments building into a powerful and consuming beat. While Joel is able to demonstrate his prowess as a song-
writer, the country tone of Runaway Bride and the pop inspired This City Life, might lead you to think the album lacks a central musical theme. Joel, with the skill and continuity of his band mates is able to pull it off, with no apparent identity crisis. Tapping into a diverse audience group, Joel sings tenderly and truthfully about love and longing, the pursuit of joy in complicated times and the harsh realities of life. East Streets, a raw ballad based on Joel’s own work life in the Downtown East Side contrasts neatly with the beauty and ease of Daylight Saves, recorded in the early morning in a barn on Joel’s grandfathers ranch, complete with ambient birds that sing you into a slow, comfortable, fade out.
Send us your albums! BC Musician Magazine is always looking for good music to review. We strive to support the artists, readers and lovers of music. Phone: 604.999.4141 Fax: 250.767.3337 Box 1150, Peachland, BC V0H 1X0 info@bcmusicianmag.com www.bcmusicianmag.com
28 BC Musician | July - August 2010
Unfortunately we can’t guarantee every submission will be reviewed, but we will do our best to make it so! Our Reviews are written by an independent contributor, usually someone in the industry such as a fellow artist, or producer. If you are a talented writer and a lover of music - and would like to review albums for BCM, please send us an email!
Irrational Anthems independent
Ryan Dahle
By Patrick Jacobson
At first glace, it was difficult to determine why this wasn’t packaged as a new Limblifter album. In fact, it would seem that there’s even more Limblifter here than on the previous effort, ‘I/O.’ Ryan is reunited with his brother and original Limblifter drummer, Kurt Dahle. Megan Bradfield plays bass and sings harmonies as she did on ‘I/O.’ Even as the peppy single ‘Chop Chop’ leads off the disc, it’s difficult to avoid comparisons to Limblifter. It’s got that classic melodic guitar and thumping drums knotted to choruses that sound as though they may have been carved from pure joy. This was the same formula that made the band such a success to begin with. If anything, I was thrilled to have them back. However, the sensation was short-lived as the string-soaked acoustic guitar of ‘Windmilling’ took me sauntering peacefully down a new path. It was almost as though I could see the sun glinting through a canopy of trees overhead. This was not the Limblifter I remembered, although it was quite pleasant. ‘Target Practice’ may have upped the tempo back up a notch, but it stayed glued to the acoustic guitars and strings and even added a banjo into the mix. From here, things start to get stranger and darker. Haunting vocals and beautiful orchestrated strings become the focal point of the album. This isn’t a traditional rock record at all. It’s something entirely new. Ah, but now it’s now making perfect sense. This isn’t a Limblifter album at all. It’s a Ryan Dahle album. I now understand why Ryan had to separate ‘Irrational Anthems’ from his previous body of work. Despite his whimsical plays on words and the odd silly lyric, this strikes me as a much more personal collection of songs and Ryan’s exposing a deeper layer to his writing that we’ve never been privy to before. There’s also a healthy amount of experimenting that lends a certain zestful appeal among the cello, double bass, Minimoog, trumpet, piano, and even clarinet as they weave in and out of marching beats and baroque-pop. These songs weren’t written for massconsumption. This is a proper work of art. Dahle assumes his listeners are intelligent, educated music fans and you almost feel like you’re being complimented for it as you listen. As an added bonus, it actually gets better with each spin. Perhaps most importantly, there’s a sense of relief when you realize that’s still possible to create something truly original. No, this isn’t a Limblifter album. It’s better. While it may not be Ryan’s ‘Sgt. Pepper,’ you can’t help feeling that he’s got it in him. The albums rolls out on the lengthy ‘Lion Piano’ in which
Ryan urges us to, “Take my joke seriously.” I can’t help feeling a bit like I did when I first heard Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’. I find myself wondering if Ryan’s bordering on genius or simply having a laugh at our expense. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between. Regardless, “Irrational Anthems” is an inspiring collection of songs and a worthy addition to any record collection. Oh yes, I said record collection. That’s because the format to get this on would be the 180 gram double-vinyl with the bonus track. Fabulous.
FREE Wi-Fi
Licenced Establishment
The Packing House An original Apple Packing House brought back to its storied past. This historic landmark of Spences Bridge is a favourite Cafe for locals and travelers alike. The Packing House is a friendly country establishment depicting the vast history of the famous Widow Smith apples and Spences Bridge, a small desert like community located where the Thompson and Nicola Canyons meet! Located in downtown Spences Bridge just off the #8 and #1 Highways on Riverview Avenue Monthly music dinner shows ◆ Contact us to book your show! 3705 Riverview Ave, Spences Bridge, BC (250) 458-2256 ◆ steverice53@msn.com
BC Musician | July - August 2010 28 29
Festi va l updates Komasket Music Festival The Komasket Music Festival (KMF) is heading into its 9th year BC day weekend, July 30 – Aug 1, 2010. Held on the pow wow grounds of the Okanagan Nation outside of Vernon BC on Okanagan Lake the annual event started in 2002 by Vernon’s own reggae soca sweethearts Samsara. The KMF
is becoming known across Canada for bringing some of the best global, vibrant, boundary smashing music to the natural Okanagan getaway of Komasket park for 3 days of camping, family, culture, music and celebration. KMF’s 3 stages feature: Jamaica’s hottest export, Bob Marley’s Band, The Wailers; Vancouver’s world dance sensation, Delhi 2 Dublin; Cuba’s soulful funkster Alex Cuba Band; Australia’s OKA; San Francisco’s world DJ Legend, Cheb I Sabbah; Vernon’s reggae Soca groovers, Samsara; Toronto’s Award winning aboriginal rocksters, Digging Roots; Brazil’s Action packed dance/drum/capoera troupe, Ache Brazil; Africa’s dance/drum collective, the Jackie Essombe Village; back from Mumbai, India’s Anupam Shobhakar; Canada’s leading dobra player, AD for the Vancouver Island Fest, Doug Cox, San Diego Songstresses Sister Speak; Vancouver island’s Didgeridoo dance master, Shane Philip; Vancouver’s own award winning Aboriginal powerhouse, Sandy Scofield; plus Kia Kadiri, Myles Bigelow Trio, MamaGuroove, Skeena Reece, Suzanne Teng, Rick Buckman Coe, Miss Emily Brown, Maria in the Shower, Bocephus King & Shamik Bilgi. The Okanagan’s best are also featured on the 3 stages over the weekend and include artists like Andrew Allen, Les Copeland, Sasha Lewis and dozens more. The Kidzone Stage for 2010 Features Canadian Legend Fred Penner, GoGo Bonkers, a set with Ache Brazil, Kiki the Eco Elf, Angela Roy, Family Yoga, Kids Talent Show, a set of African Dancing/ drumming with the Jackie Essombe Village, All day arts & crafts and activities. Tickets available online or by phone through TicketSeller.ca or 250-549-SHOW Cash Ticket Outlets include Vernon’s Beanscene, Kelowna’s Leo’s Video, Vancouver’s Highlife Records, RedCat Records, Zulu Records and Banyen Books.
Win a pass to Komasket Music Festival! Email info@bcmusicianmag.com by July 23 with KOMASKET in the subject line.
30 BC Musician | July - August 2010
salmon arm roots and blues feature workshops It’s an annual migration for many. Each year, thousands of enthusiastic music lovers flock to Salmon Arm for a world class event filled with music, culture and so many spectacular goings-on, it’s hard to pinpoint just what keeps audiences coming back year after year to get their summer Roots and Blues fix. Some might say the headliners. With a 2010 line-up for the August 13th - 15th event that includes the likes of Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles, K’NAAN, Joan Armatrading, Martha Wainwright, Fred Penner, and a whole lot more, that’s an easy assumption. Some say the discovery of up and comers like Mishka, Wassabi Collective, or Salmon Arm’s very own Sasha Lewis. Some come for a great big dose of the blues. Artists like Joe Louis Walker, Shemekia Copeland, Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials, and John Németh will definitely provide an earful of that! Whatever7.75x4.5:Layout the genre of music, headliner or rising artist BC Musician 1 4/21/10 10:05 AM Page 1
that draws the true Roots and Blues aficionado back year after year, one thing is certain. Audiences always leave with a fine tuned appreciation for the workshops they experience as part of programming at the Festival. This year, Roots and Blues will feature two stellar workshops matching some of the most amazing talents on the planet. “Hammers and Harmonics” will explore the techniques, subtleties and origins of a unique guitar style that draws its influences from flamenco, and has evolved beyond New Age into a multi-genre technical and musical feast. It will feature “the most talked-about rising star of Australia’s next generation”, Daniel Champagne, and FrenchCanadian guitarist, Erik Mongrain, a master of harmonics, hammers and a technique known as guitar tapping. Daniel Champagne has been touring his country’s folk festivals and making his presence known. He leans a little closer Continued on page 32
August 13-15, 2010 Salmon Arm Fairgrounds Celebrating Together
MARTHA WAINWRIGHT
The Interior’s Most Anticipated Summer Music Event
JOAN ARMATRADING
World, Folk, Alternative and A Whole Lotta Blues Goin’ On! Gord Downie & the Country of Miracles Joan Armatrading • K’NAAN • Martha Wainwright • Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials Five Alarm Funk • Shane Koyczan & the Short Story Long • Joe Louis Walker • Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa • Grupo Fantasma • Watermelon Slim & the Workers Fred Penner • the Kerplunks and more!!
Tickets/Camping/Info: (250) 833-4096 or www.rootsandblues.ca
K’NAAN
BC BCMusician | July Musician | July- -August 2010 August 2010 30 31
Continued from page 31 to the traditional finger style players and incorporates a deft percussive skill as he plucks and hammers away at his guitar. Erik Mongrain can turn his instrument into an incredible and sublime audio mosaic, achieving a sound typically produced by three musicians. His hit composition, “AirTap!”, with over five million views on YouTube, is a fresh and inspiring instrumental played with the guitar laying across his lap, while both hands hammer, pluck and strum with fantastic coordination. “Poetry, Prose and Punctuation” is designed to play with the poignant, and yet sometimes ridiculous words of the Canadian slam sensation, Shane Koyczan. Shane is far more than a man of slam. He is an author, poet, and band member of Tons of Fun University and his own band, Shane Koyczan and the Short Story Long. Punctuating Shane’s words will be Cyro Baptista, who is part of the star studded group, SuperGenerous. Cyro is the go-to percussionist in New York City and has performed with such musical legends as Bobby McFerrin, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Sting, and Yo-Yo Ma, to name a few. When Wynton Marsalis says “Cyro Baptista is truly one of the greatest musi-
Sweetwater September long weekend
905
Sept 3, 4, 5
Set on the Mattson family working farm Sweetwater905 is a multi-media or mixed arts festival with visual artists filling the barn stalls with their work and poets taking to the stage between bands. We often feature media arts in the barn theatre as well. Music acts will include: Mamaguroove, The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir with Jackson Phibe, Al Simmons, Navaz and more.
www.sweetwater905.ca
Located 1.5 miles west of Rolla, BC 15 miles straight north of Dawson Creek, in the northeastern part of the province, this event brings together a wide range of talent from the community, the province, and beyond.
cians in the world…” you have to listen. Kym Gouchie is a Penticton based First Nations performer. Kym is a fabulous collaborator, an accomplished hand drummer and a singer whose vocals are rich, powerful and haunting. Her voice will embellish the compositions with earthy hues and textural elements. Both workshops will be featured on the FOCUS Stage (formerly the World Stage) on Saturday, August 14th so be sure to check out what so many others know even before they re-enter the gates on their annual summer trek to Roots and Blues. The workshops will blow you away! Advance weekend and day passes are on sale until Aug. 6th at midnight at which time gate prices will go in effect. Tickets can be purchased online at www.rootsandblues.ca or call 250-833-4096. Camping is also available but must be ordered by phone through the Roots and Blues office.
sweetwater 905 The northeast of the province is sunny, the air is warm, the days are long, and the northern lights bless the skies frequently. In the late summer, that is. The home of Emilie and Larry Mattson is the setting for a sweet little festival called Sweetwater 905. Just a few kilometres west of Rolla, which about 24 km due north of Dawson Creek, this music and arts festival had its birth as the Festival of the Sweetwater Moon in 1997 and a rebirth in 2000, both times at the Rolla community hall. In 2005 the festival moved to the Mattson's ranch. (September '05 inspired the addendum to the name.) At $25 advance or $30 at the gate, this is one of the best festival deals around. The Mattsons are content to break even while bringing art into a truly pastoral environment — where else can you listen to poetry beside cattle in their stalls? Be prepared to embrace every medium of creative arts at Sweetwater. The Mattsons may be ranchers by day, but their passion is art (painting, photography, music…) and it's reflected in the community of artists and musicians that take part. Robson Valley's sweethearts, Mamaguroove will be at Sweetwater this year. Check www.sweetwater905.ca for updated performers and for more background into the artists involved.
32 BC Musician | July - August 2010
www.bcmusicianmag.com 路 www.adampwsmith.com
The Heard
Premature EjackuLantern 09 The Bourbon, Vancouver
“Ruthlessly pursuing the idea that the accordion is just another instrument.”
THE 3RD ANNUAL
SEPTEMBER 19-26th
a week of squeezebox celebration culminating in the festival mainstage night Sat. Sept 25th featuring Geoff Berner, Something About Reptiles, & friends at the Strathcona Ukrainian Hall (805 E. Pender)
! s p o h s k r o ! W n ! o e i r d o r And m ur own Acco ! le yo c r g i n C i r n B o i d r o c Ac
FOR MORE INFORMATION see squeezeboxcircle.org Sponsored by the Accordion Noir Show on Co-op Radio, CFRO 102.7 www.accordionnoir.org • www.geoffberner.com