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Grannies and Goats

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THE GO GO GRANNIES BENEFIT CONCERT, Key City Theatre, September 30, 2pm. Featuring harpist Bronn Journey and vocalist Katherine Journey. The opening act – Good Ol’ Goats. Proceeds from the concert go to The Stephen Lewis Foundation.

First of all, the Go Go Grannies are  a local chapter of the Canada wide Grandmothers to Grandmothers organization which is part of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The Go Go Grannies raise money to help grandmothers in Africa who are raising their grand children because their parents have died of HIV Aids. The Go Go Grannies have members from Wasa, Cranbrook and Kimberley and meet once a month at the College of the Rockies. For more information contact Muriel Steidl at msteidl@shaw.ca .

The opening act, fresh from their CD release concert of September 15th 2012 at the Studio / Stage Door, were the Good Ol’ Goats. This is a well known local folk band that has had enormous success over the past few months. This group of young musicians include singer / song writer Nolan Ackert (banjo and guitar) Julian Bueckert (drums), Angus Leidtke (vocals, banjo and guitar) Angus MacDonald (vocals, Fiddle and mandolin) Theo Moore (vocals and bass) and Joelle Winkell (vocals, percussion, guitar, autoharp and mandolin). This normally exuberant band kick off the afternoon concert with the rather subdued opening of  “In the Garden” – a mellow tune that belied it’s somewhat macabre content. They moved on through a number of their, by now, well known songs from their recent CD release that included “Not the Same“, “Sailor’s Love Song“, “Kiss the Cactus”, and, of course, the title track, “The Train”

                                               

Now fresh from a muddy Welsh rugby field here is Bronn Journey with his violent electric blue harp.

The idea of a Harp and Voice concert normally brings up the vision of cherubs floating around the ceiling of a cathedral. Bronn does his best to dispel that image. Being a rugged, large muscular man he is as far from a cherub as you could image. As the Harp is a national instrument of Wales Bronn insists that the harp is the instrument of choice for Welsh rugby players and by extension should be the instrument of choice for Canadian hockey players. Be that as it may, Bronn went onto perform the music of angels on this spectacular harp. He opened with some “cutting edge Lawrence Welk music” (his words) with a rendition of the atmospheric “Ebb Tide”. Throughout the afternoon, with a great deal of panache, humour and virtuosity  he delivered a wide variety of tunes that included “Autumn Leaves”, “Chariots of fire”, Bach’s “Jesu Man’s Desire”, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy“, the Willie Nelson/Patsy Cline tune “Crazy”, some Welsh hymns  and many others. In between sets of tunes Bronn managed a short entertaining dissertation on the mechanics of the harp. From time to time he was joined by his wife Katherine for vocal selections that included songs from The Sound of Music (“My Favourite Things”). Their finale was Josh Groban’s “Climb Every Mountain”.

                                              

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Shelagh and Van’s Wedding

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Saturday, September 1, 2012. It couldn’t have been a better day. It was sunny, warm (not too warm) and the venue for the wedding of Shelagh Gunn and Van Redecopp at Mayook was perfect. Over the years the old Dougie Erickson property has been host to may gatherings of friends and families of the “Mayook Maniacs” but this one was extra special. It was a gathering of some two hundred friends and family to celebrate the marriage of Van Redecopp and Shelagh Gunn. They met about five years ago at one of the Sorento Bluegrass camps, became musical friends and the romantic partners that culminated in this day of celebration. A grand happy occasion, good friends, good food, good weather and the cream of local musicians. What more could one want.

Here are some images from the day of celebration (click on the images for a larger view).

                                  

Mayook always means live music. Although there was some DJ music on tap in very short order live music ruled the day. As usual for Mayook there was an entire spectrum of music. From bagpipe tunes drifting down from above the campsite, classic rock, country, Bluegrass, traditional folk, Cape Breton Fiddle Music and some mad bagpipe and percussion improvisational mayhem.

                                                            These are some of the images I managed to capture but if friends and family have images they would like to share send hi-res Jpeg files to me at parahaki@xplornet.com and I will add them to the post.

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 and for those who missed it here is  The Wedding Song

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Celtara at Centre 64

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CELTARA at Centre 64: Wednesday August 15, 2012, 7:30 pm

Celtic music can cover a pretty wide spectrum of styles and places of origin. From the “green beer and shamrock”, rip up the floor boards and blister the paint of a St. Patrick Day bar music scene to the precise, somewhat academic music favoured by the Chieftains. The blister the paint school grew out of the music of the Clancy Brothers, the Dubliners and the Irish Rovers in the 1960’s. They are well  remembered for their recordings and the repertoire that has filtered into mainstream music. To this day this style of music is mostly song based and is great fun for a party. Occasionally a few dance tunes are thrown into the mix to get the feet tapping. Great Big Sea and the Pogues are recent popular manifestations of this school of Celtic music. Since the heady days of the Dubliners there has been steady growth in the number of musicians who have chosen to delve deeper into the well of traditional dance music. The Chieftains are still on the scene with their somewhat sedate ambience but they have been joined by bands with a more robust interpretation of the tradition. The Bothy Band set the pace in the seventies and since that time bands like Altan and Lunasa continue to expand the tradition. So between the Pogues and Lunasa there are various shadings  of how Celtic music can be played. And off to the side, there are various regional styles of the music. Fiddle music from Cape Breton and Scotland and bagpipe music from Galicia (Spain) are just a couple of examples. While guitars are used the music is more noted for its reliance on the traditional flute, penny whistle, fiddle, harp, concertina, accordion and more recently Irish Bouzouki.

And where does Celtara fit in this scheme of things? Well they are some where in the middle. The traditional songs are there (“The Bonnie Ship the Diamond”, “P Stands or Paddy”) as well as the traditional dance tunes. They string the dance tunes together in the time honored tradition of three or more played without a break. The normal predictable cadences that end a Bluegrass or pop tune are missing.  Like most Celtic bands of this ilk, tunes are strung together  and the aim for a good, or even great, performance is for flawless smooth transitions from one tune to another. In some instances it is like the shifting of gears in a luxury car, smoothly without notice and then all of a sudden things can just take off. Like motoring a mountain road the musicians navigate the twists and turns of the tunes in the set. Remember this  is dance music and a one tune dance doesn’t cut it. There is a huge reservoir of tunes to pick from and Celtara is adding to the list with their own original tunes. In their “The Gap Tooth Set” they included a new tune by Tammi Cooper called “Spillamacheen”. Included in another dance set was the tune with the unusual title “Grannie Hold the Candle while I Shave the Chickens Lips” (????).

The musicians are from Edmonton and include Tammi Cooper (flute and Irish whistle and vocals) Bonnie Gregory (fiddle, harp and vocals), Steve Bell (keyboard and accordion), Andreas Illig ( Irish Bouzouki and Guitar) and Mark Arnison (percussion). The flute, fiddle, harp and accordion all have well established pedigrees in traditional Celtic music. Although it should be mentioned that Bonnie’s harp was built in Western Canada so it is somewhat home grown. The Irish Bouzouki is a recent invention, if that’s the right word. Irish musicians visiting the Balkans in the 1960’s became enamored with the Greek Bouzouki and they took it back to Ireland where they had them built with flat backs and changed the tuning to fit Irish music. The Irish Bouzouki  is a common feature in Celtic bands.The band Great Big Sea uses the Bouzouki and even Steve Earle showed up at the Key City in Cranbrook recently with an Irish Bouzouki. Andreas Illig plays a beautiful Irish built Foley Bouzouki. Guitars are a fairly recent addition to Irish traditional music and generally requires a  different approach to tuning and how it is played. Andreas plays a Collins dreadnought guitar tuned in DADGAD (guitarists will know what that means) . Bones and Bodhran (Irish Frame Drum) are the only traditional Celtic percussion instruments that I know of, but that is changing.Traditional bands are now known to use Congas, Darbukas, and Djembes and just about anything that they can hit, shake or rattle.   Mark Arnison uses a Djembe (from West Africa), tube drums (home made from plumbing pipe) and a variety of cymbals and shakers. He also plays the Bodhran but not always in the Irish style. During performances he switched back and forth from the traditional beater to a Middle Eastern hand drumming style where the Bodhran is nursed in the lap and played with both hands. His percussion accompaniments were subtle and always there. Never loud or overbearing. Like all good percussionists he was under the music adding colour and pulse. Celtara plays very finely crafted music that places an emphasis on being in tune with smooth transitions from one instrument to another. Tammi explained that they way back they had a teacher who had the motto “Tune or Die” tacked to his wall. It is a lesson that has stuck. So the music was a superb mix of traditional songs, sad and happy, and a great sampling of dance tunes. The sound system was superb and transparent. It was easy to forget that they were even using a sound system.

This is the the Edmonton band’s first visit to the area and one hopes it is the first of many.

Here are more images from the concert: (click on the images for a larger view)

                                                                             

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Arts on the Edge 2012

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ARTS ON THE EDGE : THE GALA RECEPTION – Adjudicated Open Exhibitions for Established and Emerging Artists, Centre 64 from August 8th to September 1st, 2012. The Gala event was held on Friday, August 10, 2012.

Ticket sales had not been brisk so when so many last minute patrons started crowding into the gallery the organizers were caught a little off guard.  There was plenty of food but with the number of artists and patrons in the downstairs and upstairs gallery space it quickly became evident that a supply run for liquid refreshments was required. Not to worry, with super efficiency this was soon taken care of. The evening was a brilliant success with 22 established artists and 17 emerging artists exhibiting upwards to 80 pieces of art covering all aspects of the visual arts.  The organizers had a field day with giving out of awards.The members of the jazz group, The Jazz Council (Laurel Ralston on trumpet; Tim Plait on piano, Bernie Primbs on Baritone sax, Sven Heyde on drums and Joel Kroeker on bass)  had lodged them selves on the upper gallery and their music floating down on the patrons more than enhanced the Gala atmosphere of the reception.                                           With the huge number of patrons the galleries did get a little warm but that was a convenient excuse for patrons to spill out into the garden. To contribute to the “edgeness” of Arts on the Edge I submitted a piece called “Death of Down Jacket” I don’t know if I should have been embarrassed but one patron actually remembered me wearing this jacket on the ski hill many, many years ago. (click on the images for larger views)

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ARTS ON THE EDGE: THE CONCERT IN THE PARK  – Coronation Park, Kimberley, August 11, 2012, 1 pm to 7:30 pm

Without a word of doubt this must be the best musical bang for the buck on the planet. $5 per head or $10 for a family for an out door concert on a beautiful August sunny day. Situated in Coronation Park  within 5 minutes walking distance of down town Kimberley it is a great setting on a great day and, best of all, with lots of great music and entertainment. While there was a sprinkling of out of town performers (Holly and Jon from the Slocan, Kiki the Eco Elf from Vernon and The Kings of Kitchener from Creston) local musicians had ample opportunities to win new fans. The opening act for the afternoon was 60 Hertz (James Neve vocals & guitar; Rob Young lead guitar; Dave Birch on bass; Marty Musser drums). This well known local band is a vehicle for the song writing talents of James Neve, the smooth lead guitar work of Rob Young and the tight ensemble vocals and arrangements of the band. As always this was a classy act that was further enhanced by Ray Gareau’s masterful balancing of the sound. The all time favourites were there (“These Old Shoes”, “Deep Water”, “Virtuality” – with that wonderful descending bass run) as well as the newer songs “Cry for You” and “Living in the Sun”. I missed not hearing “Rainland” but, as always,  it is the old story of “so many tunes and so little time”

                                   60 Hertz, a band at the top of their game.

While the next band was setting up The Off Centre Players, with a little help from the young folks in audience set out to prove that The Wolf in the three little pigs story was framed. The Wolf proved too scary for one young performer who went screaming from the scene. The script, “The Wolf – I was Framed”, was from the pen of Joanne Wilkinson.                        

Heather Gemmell and the Peaks (Heather – guitar and vocals; Paul Bouchard – drums; Ray Gareau – bass) came together for last year`s CD release concert of Heather`s recording THE ROAD. I suspect that they had been jamming and rehearsing prior to that gig. Heather still has a healthy solo career but yearns for the “edgyness“ of a full on band. That has it`s pluses but it is a shame that her great guitar riffs and voice tend to get buried in the overly amplified mix.                                                                                                     In the meantime Bill Henriksen is over there on the edge Spinning his Yarn (literally)

                       

 and Kiki the Eco Elf (Tanya Lipscomb) was busy getting the kids to wave their hands in the air and to do “The Sillies”.                                                  

And then it was time for “a little country” with Tucks Troubadours (Larry Tuck – ukelele bass, Dave Carlson – Mandolin, Bud Decose – lead guitar and Doug Simpson on rhythm guitar) The set  included songs and tunes by George Straight, Tom T. Hall, Bob Wills (“Faded Love”), Rodney Foster (“Just call me Lonesome”) and the very un-country composer Duke Ellington (“Don’t Get Around Much any more”). There was lots of great ensemble work by the band with mandolin and lead guitar solos by Dave Carlson and Bud Decose.

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Jon Burden and his daughter Holly have been touring and performing in this area for over a dozen years. Holly was not much more than a teenager when I first saw her perform and, of course, over the years things have changed. Originally they toured as Jon and Holly. Jon was the mentor and Holly the protege. Now Holly is all grown up, a mother and a mature artist in her own right so, naturally they are now billed as Holly and Jon. Their music is saturated in a blues tradition that goes way back to Bessie Smith with all stops in between. Although they have been coming to Kimberley for many years every performance is fresh and vibrant. They have a new recording under their belt and Arts on the Edge festival was an opportunity to show case the blues and original material on that disc. Jon has always done a superb job on Robert Johnston’s “Better Come In My Kitchen” but this year it was over the top with Jon’s perfectly controlled slide work, Holly’s bass and Holly’s voice soaring over the top in a spine chilling arrangement. For the young female performers in the area Holly is the role model they should all be looking to emulate. She has a great voice, stage presence, superb bass playing and a professional demeanour that should be a bench mark.   As always it was a great performance.                                      “As the sun started sinking slowly in the west” PT THE CLOWN was still busy with the kids as The Kings of Kitchener took to the stage with their special brand of quirky rock and roll. The band, from Creston, featured Mike Mitchell on suite case percussion, Ted Bryant on Guitar and Neil “O” (Ostafichuk) on bass guitar. I have a special affection for this band. Mike’s kick bass drum trunk originally came all the way from Australia with me and my family over thirty years ago. I love their weird instrumentation and off the wall interpretations of music we all know but have never really heard it played this way. This is truly Art on the Edge.             

For the published review of last year’s ARTS ON EDGE 2011 go to the JOURNALISM tab in this blog.

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Heather Gemmell & The Jazz Council

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JUST ANOTHER FRIDAY NIGHT OF LIFE WITHOUT A DRUMMER.

HEATHER GEMMELL at the Pickled Bean Cafe (Cranbrook International Airport), Friday August 3, 2012 5pm. The weather is heating up and so is the local music scene. No sooner had I pronounced the local scene dead than things have started to happen. Heather has managed to string together a series of solo engagements and that meant no drummer. I, for one, didn’t mind. It was an opportunity to hear some of Heather’s especially fine guitar work. And judging by the audience response, airport and cafe patrons were more than happy to kick back and enjoy a more mellow version of  Heather`s rootsy/blues offerings. I have this wish list. I would like to see and hear more of Heather in a more jazzy laid back environment. I have this image of her performing with an upright bass player and a really hot soprano sax player as a perfect foil to her voice and bluesy guitar. With lots of space in the music I think it would be a really cool combination. This engagement was part of the Airport and the Pickled Bean Cafe`s Summer Artist Showcase series. Keep in mind that on most Friday evening, 5-7pm, local performers have an opportunity to play for anybody passing through the airport.Over the next few weeks Daze of Grace, Leather Britches and Tom Bungay will be performing.        

(Click on the images for a larger view)

THE JAZZ COUNCIL at Ric’s Lounge in Cranbrook, Friday August 3, 2012, 7 pm. Well, I never did get the story straight about their drummer Sven Heyde. He either got lost, was ditched by the band or he was away in a huff because the bass player Joel Kroeker and Tim Plait are leaving the band. Without the drummer Laurel Ralston (trumpet and fluegelhorn), Bernie Primbs (baritone sax) Tim and Joel soldiered on. It was not a hardship. In fact, on a couple of piano / bass duets the drummer would have only been clutter (sorry Sven). Even without the drummer it was another very civilized night of music, food and refreshments. The band kicked off the evening with a tune long associated with Armad Jamal and Miles Davis – “If I Were a Bell“ – complete with the corny, but essential, piano intro. The band and worked their way through such jazz standards as “Summertime“, “Moonglow“, “I`ve Got You Under My Skin“ and “It had to Be You“. My favourite of the evening was Luis Bonfa`s “Manha De Carnaval`(Morning of the Carnival`) from the wonderful 1959 classic film “Black Orpheus“. This is a tune definitely touched by the gods and Joel`s exploration of the melody was especially fine.

                    Keep in Mind THE JAZZ COUNCIL will be performing at the Arts on the Edge Gala at Centre 64 in Kimberley next Friday and will be giving a farewell performance next Saturday at the Studio – Stage Door for Tim Plait who is heading off to Germany and Joel Kroeker who is taking up a teaching position in Sparwood.The Jazz Council will be back in the fall with a new line up and some exciting musical adventures.

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Music at the Markets

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A beautiful evening at the end of a bright sunny day; two busy markets in the down town core; lots of social activity; what more could one want? Music of course! Local musicians turned up in good numbers for the Farmers Market and the Down Town Business Association Market. Here are some images from the scene:

Local Bluegrass musicians Keith Larsen, Steve Jones and Elena Yeung.

Bluegrass – an excuse to dance            

 

 

Keith Larsen and Steve Jones

 

 

 

 

Singer / Song writer / banjo picker Elena Yeung

 

 

  Youthful mayhem unleashed by “The Good Ol’ Goats” – This photo lies; behind the photographer the street was packed with people.

   Sabrina – new to the area

 

A seasoned Kimberley performer – Kaity Brown

 

 

 

 

 

Musicians would like to thank the Farmers Market and the DBA for the venues and the Cranbrook and District Arts Council for their sponsorship.

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Cranbrook Community Radio needs your help

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Rick Edwards is originally from Nova Scotia, lived in Ontario for 25 years and moved to Cranbrook recently and set up the Cranbrook Community Radio. It is currently located in the Artrageous Gallery in Cranbrook. (see the June 6, 2012 posting in this blog). Rick has been financing the venture out of his own pocket. He recently lost his job and he could really use our help to try and keep the station going. It is a very tight month and he needs
donations to get the station through this month. It’s very tight and he may not be
able to pay the rent due next Tuesday… monthly bills right now total
$450.00 a month.

contact Rick at 250-426-8924 or email cranbrookonline@ckcl.ca

Field of Dreams Syndrome

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THE FIELD OF DREAMS SYNDROME: By their very nature Municipal Governments, Regional Districts, Chambers of Commerce and similar local business organizations are  optimistic and conservative in their approaches to planning for the future. The optimism is heart felt and needed in any attempt to move forward. The conservatism, however, is often based on assumptions and analysis that are history by the time they hit the discussion floor of these organizations. Over the past decade this combination of optimism and conservatism  has led to an emphasis on tourism as a possible economic  engine to offset the variability of the resource sector in the East Kootenays. The result is a plethora of tourist targeted developments. Numerous ski hill expansions, golf course constructions, hotel expansions and recreational real estate developments that have all been designed as added value “Fields of Dreams” to attract potential tourists. The philosophy seems to have

Mission Hills Golf Course: over supply in action – Sunday, mid-summer, mid-afternoon.

been “build it and they will come”. But have they? Over the past few years estimates of tourist traffic indicate a definite decline. Some anecdotal estimates place recent down turns  as high or even higher than 30%. Added to the significant declines over recent years the idea that tourism is a growth industry is definitely dead. Even the most optimistic forecasts describe tourism activity as “flat” – a euphemism for “negative growth” or even, dare we say it, “decline”. Even by the most conservative estimates the truth of the matter is that tourism has been in steady decline for years. Noted in the Vancouver Sun, Saturday June 16th, 2012, “BC Ferries Traffic Sinks – hits lowest level in two decades contributing to $16.5 million loss” and “BC is recovering from a 20 year low in visits from Americans”.

Shadow Mountain Golf Course: More oversupply in action – Sunday, mid-summer, mid-afternoon.

Since the heady tourism days of the late 1990’s what do we have to show for the effort? An over supply in most tourist targeted projects (skiing, golfing, recreational real estate) and financially floundering development projects (Shadow Mountain, WildStone, Kookanoosca Lake Shore properties and on the horizon the Jumbo Pass Glacier development) and a tourism sector that continues to be sluggish. Why is that?

The reasons are many. Here are few. The financial crash of 2008 is right up there as the watershed moment that changed everything. That crash has been compounded by the ongoing European debt crisis, the high Canadian Dollar, negative affects of the HST, Peak Oil, the impacts of Global Warming, sales tax differentials with other jurisdictions and increased competition from both national and international tourist destinations. And it isn’t over yet. As the world financial centers roll from one crisis to another the economic uncertainty is likely to continue for many years. On the horizon is the impending implosion of the Chinese real estate boom. This will unleash another 2008 financial tsunami that will impact the whole globe. The Chinese money that has driven up real estate demand and prices in Western Canada will disappear and that, along with predicted higher mortgage rates, changes in mortgage rules and attempts to cool the “hot” market will lead to declines in local real estate values. The slide in values has already started. As Chinese economic activity slows so will the demand for Canadian resources with all the attending economic impacts.

Some, but not all, of the factors mentioned, could have been predicted or avoided. Locally the biggest problem has been timing. The sale of the Blackcomb / Whistler ski area was the penultimate signal that, despite the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Ski industry had peaked. Immediately prior to the games the shareholders knew that the glory days were over and it was time to take the money and run, and that they did.

Timing is always of the essence. The Cranbrook airport expansion is about 15 years too late. The intended influx of international flights to boost the local tourist industry was predicted on the success of earlier airport expansions projects south of the border. The infusion of public money encouraged Delta airlines to initiate international flights into Cranbrook that were later suspended due poor local and international response. Because the expansion was built with borrowed money this little bit of optimistic planning will continue to burden the local economy for years and yet, there is a bright side. The airport did need upgrading and proposed increases in tourist traffic was as good as an excuse as any to go ahead with this particular “field of dreams”. With an upgraded facility in place Cranbrook may now be able to assume its rightful place as a commercial business center. A local air carrier operating a much needed regular schedule between Cranbrook and Kelowna would be a helpful step in the right direction.

The fate of the airline industry and tourism traffic in general has been impacted by ‘Peak Oil’ (production output is being outpaced by demand – hence higher fuel prices). Simply put it means it costs more to get goods and people from one place to another. That cost is going to continue to rise.

The down turn in the economy and the negative impacts of the HST have decimated recreational property sales. But also at fault is some questionable market assumptions that probably identified baby boomers as potential buyers. The part of the equation that appears to be faulty is the lack of recognition that the targeted buyers are approaching retirement and one of their prime objectives would be a desire to downsize. A half million dollar property on a golf resort does not qualify as down sizing. Most women in that demographic would not look favourably on cleaning and maintaining a large, possibly an additional dwelling, that would be  equivalent to a large domestic residence in the city. Similarly, large lake shore developments have the substance and appearance  of suburban Calgary. Some where the ambience of cottage country got lost in the mix.

So where do we go from here? Denial or acceptance? With unpleasant news denial is always in the cards and there will be a perceived sense that the situation is not that bad. It’s just a hiccup and the economy will turn around and the good times are again just around the corner. Possible of course but unlikely. Wouldn’t it be better to hope for the best and plan for the worst. If things turn around that would be great but if things stagger on in the same fashion as the past few years a Plan B to diversify the local economy would be more than prudent. So folks, where is plan B?

 

Chris Coole at the Clawhammer

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Music on a Human Scale:   Chris Coole at the Clawhammer Letter Press and Gallery, Fernie, Saturday July 14th, 2012, 8pm.

This is a concert that took me back, way way back to the mid-1960s. The United States Government had finally issued Pete Seeger with a passport and he was in my home town in Australia. While there he performed a a concert at Sydney University. He walked onto a bare stage with nothing but a clawhammer banjo in one hand and a 12 string guitar in other.  He then proceeded to entertained the audience for two hours. In those days it was very unusual for a solo musician to take on a challenge of the that magnitude. Chris Coole, although the comparison probably embarrasses him, is cut from the same cloth. After a short warm up session by redGirl  (Mike and Anie Hepher with Steve Jones) Chris, armed with only a clawhammer banjo and a borrowed guitar did a marvelous recreation of a Pete Seeger style concert of so many years ago.

Chris Coole plays clawhammer style banjo, so named because the right hand picking hand is held in a claw like position with sound being generated by the backward flick of the fingernail across the strings. It is a style that is a significant step away from the more familiar frantic Bluegrass style of banjo picking. It is actually a step more than away, it is a step back to the origins of Bluegrass music. That is, the songs, the murder ballads, and fiddle tunes of Appalachia. It is rhythmically softer and, to these ears, a way more melodic way of playing the banjo. And that was the tone set for the evening – the rhythmic tinkling of the banjo underscoring beautiful melodic lines and songs.  A delightful feature of the evening was the complete lack of musical cliche. Every song and tune was fresh and new. Even such familiar songs as the 1971Stone’s hit “Wild Horses” and Paul Simons “I Know What I Know” came out sounding so unbelievably new   that it was like you had never heard them before. Chris paid tribute to the much admired John Hartford with “Let him go on Mama” and “I Wish We Had Our Time Again”. No show saturated with traditional music would be complete without a blues and for the occasion Chris borrowed Anie’s wonderful old beat up Gibson guitar for a version of Blind Willie McTell’s classic blues “Delia” (as I type this I am listening to Martin Simpson’s recreation of the same tune). Among the plethora of traditional songs and tunes there was a sprinkling of original material that included “Old Dog” and “One Hundred Dollars”. If a blues must be included then Gospel music is not far behind. For the occasion “Keep Your Hand on the Plough” included the audience in the performance. The full throated participation in the chorus and the gentle stomping of the audience’s feet generated an ambience that will not fade from my mind for a long time.  The evening of wonderful traditional songs, tunes, and cover versions of newer pieces that seem to be finding a place in the folk tradition came to a close with an encore that included the Gospel instrumental “Camp Meeting on the Fourth of July” followed by another unnamed tune. One of the joys, for me, of this style of music is the prevalence of instrumental pieces and Chris served them up in spades.

Anie and Mike Hepher need to be thanked for bringing Chris into town for this concert in this small wonderful space that is Mike’s work place (The Clawhammer Letter Press and Gallery). Steve Jones the bass player was gob smacked happy to be playing his wonderful new bass behind Chris Coole and it will take a while for him, and the audience, to come down from this wonderful concert. It was music presented the way it should  always be – minimal sound re-enforcement in a very intimate setting. In other words music on a human scale.

Some more images from the concert:

                              

                                           

                            

                           

The quote of the evening “Welcome to my world, bass playing and clawhammer banjo.” Steve Jones.

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A Bright Sun Shiny Day

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Saturday July 7th, 2012 noon to 5pm: TWO SCOOP BBQ AND MUSIC JAM  at Two Scoop Steve ice cream parlor in  down town Yahk.

It is one of the outstanding features of Canadian seasons. When it is time for the seasons to change it is like the big guy in the sky throws a big switch and its time to move on. A week ago we were in the throws of a very wet spring and a couple of days into the week the rain stops, the sun came out and the temperature soared and here we are into summer. The Big Guy threw the switch in time for TWO SCOOP STEVE’S ANNUAL BBQ AND JAM in Yahk. As usual this was a musical smorgasbord of talent from the East and West Kootenays and below are some images and comments about another unforgettable day of music in Yahk (click on the images for a larger view). Mr. Tom Bungay in full summer red neck attire doing the sound check with “You Say it Best When you Say Nothing At all”. He returned a little later with “Folsom Prison Blues”, and John Denver’s “Country Road”.

Les and Melissa of Elmer Street Conspiracy
with “You Ain’t Going No Where” and Darryl Scott’s  “River Take Me”

Dan Unger adding some Dobro sweetness to Dave Prinn’s version of “Vincent”                                

Dave Prinn with a set that included “Vincent”, “Crazy”, “Man of Constant Sorrow” (just for Dan Unger’s Dobro), “Daddy Played the Banjo” and “Get Rhythm”. Dave Prinn stayed on deck with Jim Marshall, Mike Mitchell (percussion and harmonica), Neil Ostafichuk (bass) to jam on a Neil Young tune, Chuck Berry’s “Memphis Tennesse”, “Have you Ever Seen the Rain” and “Bright Lights, Big City”.  

 

 

Ernie Toupin and his hat.

 

The Kings of Kitchener (Mike Mitchell, Ted Bryant and Neil Ostafichuk) played a set of their weird inventions and were joined by Tom Brown  on Tenor Sax for the famous “I’m the Ice Cream Man”.

 

Other performers during the afternoon included poet  R. Lee Rose, Connor Foote, Bob Gollan, Rod Wilson (on Irish Cittern playing some traditional or tradition inspired tunes – “Bonnie Ciara / The Blarney Pilgrim”, “Ben’s Lament” and “Billy of Tea / Cuppa Jig”), Bob Gollan and his tribute to Bob Dylan and Jackie Gingras (“Can’t Let Go”, “A New Coat of Paint”).

                                                                                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that was not all. Tom Bungay was taking to the stage as I left at 5:30pm and I know Daze of Grace were in line to take the music further into the evening. For another wonderful day of food, ice cream, ice cream, ice cream, burgers and music, music, music, a special thanks to Mike and Marlene Mitchell. They took ownership of the place in 2004 and are now going into their ninth season. Their annual BBQ and Jam is the high light of the summer season and should not be missed. See you next year!!

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