SummerSounds: Clayton Parsons

Posted on 2016-08-17 by Rod Wilson

SummerSounds presents Clayton Parsons in Rotary Park, Cranbrook, Saturday August 13, 2016, 5pm. Clayton’s special guest is Joelle Winkel

The value of the average Singer / Song writer is in serious decline. It is not a question of quality, although that is part of the equation, but rather a question of supply. There are just too many singer / song Writers out there looking for gigs. It seems that every high school kid who plays guitar has ambitions to be a singer / song writer. Even if the quality was over the roof the market cannot absorb an unlimited number of such performers. There are some reasonable word smiths out there who, given time and maturity will put out some reasonable material. One of the kickers is that most only play guitar at a very modest level. Most are just three chord strummers. What we need are superior word smiths with above average guitar skills. I think Clayton Parsons is a performer who fills that bill. Clayton is young man in his early twenties raised here in Cranbrook with an honest artistic pedigree. His father, Reg, is the well known for his bronze sculptures, his sister Jani is a concert pianist and, I believe he has a brother who plays banjo. Clayton is an honest heir to the singer / song Writer tradition that stretches back to the beginning of the last century. He is following in the footsteps of the likes of Woody Gutherie, Rambling Jack Elliot, Bob Dylan, Ian Tyson and John Prine. He has a strong clear voice, killer acoustic guitar chops, great stage presence and, above all, songs that reek of authenticity. He seems to have the uncanny ability to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. A midnight shift at the Skookumchuck pulp mill during shut down would seem to be a pretty ordinary life experience and yet in his hands it becomes a classic piece of art called September Sunday. He also freely plunders the tradition with such classic re-interpretations of C.C. Rider, Don’t This Road Look Rough and Rocky, and a wonderful reworking of You are My Sunshine that segues back and forth into Gershwin’s Summertime. His partner in crime for this particular performance was Joelle Winkel with some pretty sweet backup harmonies. If I have the story right Clayton and Joelle are just back from a 20 concert tour that stretched from Winnipeg to Victoria. Here are some images from a very pleasant summer evening at Rotary Park.

An Appreciative Fan

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Summer Sounds: Heather Gemmel and Lindsay Cuff

Posted on 2016-07-20 by Rod Wilson

Summer Sounds: Heather Gemmel and Lindsay Cuff, at Cranbrook Rotary Park, Saturday July 9, 2016

A luthier friend of mine described BlueGrass Music as “Heavy Metal on acoustic instruments”. I think there is some truth in that but it needn’t be so. There are BlueGrass musicians out there that look forward to new musical adventures, Bela Fleck immediately comes to mind, and musicians that look back to the origins of the music. The latter group are digging deep into the mother lode of the early traditions that inspired the original BlueGrass musicians. Lindsay Cuff (Fiddle, Clawhammer Banjo, guitar and vocals) and Heather Gemmel (Guitar, Banjo, Dobro and Vocals) is a new duo on the local scene dipping into the early traditions. Heather has been ever present on the local music scene for years as a blues/rock/BlueGrass advocate. Lindsay is relatively new on the scene. The duo is so new that they have not yet settled on a name. Following some on stage chatter during tunes Lindsay was ruminating on the “the bump in the middle” (her pregnancy) and was wondering how that was going to effect her banjo playing. The duo is looking for a name and my vote is for Bump in the Middle. I doubt that there is another band out there with that name and they have a ready made back story for whenever a question should arise about the band’s name. The duo was the second act in Summer Sounds first concert of the season and they stepped out of the gate with some laid back material that included Lindsay’s original I Hear You Coming and a sampling of old time tunes like I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground. The mix of the melodic fiddle over the rhythm of the clawhammer banjo allowed for a lot of nice space in the music. We often forget that in music the space between the notes is as important as the notes played. In the pursuit of over the top virtuosity musicians sometimes forget that. So, “as the sun set in the west” the dulcet sounds of this duo added a pleasant ambience to the afternoon / evening concert. I am looking forward to hearing more of this duo in the coming days.

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Summer Sounds: Dark Fire Cloud and the Lightning Band

Posted on 2016-07-17 by Rod Wilson

Summer Sounds presents: Dark Fire Cloud and the Lightning Band , Rotary Park in Cranbrook, July 9, 2016

“Weather forecast ……… thunderstorms, heavy rain, Dark Fire Cloud and the Lightning Band”

Summer Sounds is back and the first performance out the gate is a favorite band from previous years. Dark Fire Cloud and the Lightning Band with their special brand of Caribbean flavored Zydeko and Roots music. The line up of the band has slightly changed from previous performances in the area. The upright bass player Jay Shuttle has moved onto other endeavors and his replacement is the young Moroccan musician Mehdi Makraz on electric bass. Syama Mama is a welcome addition as a backup vocalist and the two pillars of the band, Dark Fire Cloud (guitar and harmonica) and Shuggy Milligan (drums) continue to provide the bands musical identity. For a short while the weather and Dark Fire Cloud had a running battle. The concert started with a torrential down pour that the band sent scuttling to the nether lands with the sunny sounds of more pleasant climes. Here are images from the afternoon:

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Summer Sounds on Canada Day

Posted on 2015-07-04 by Rod Wilson

FISHER PEAK PERFORMING ARTISTS SOCIETY PRESENTS A CANADA DAY CELEBRATION, July 1, 2015: featuring the roots music sounds of Joshua Burning

The featured band for the day’s festivities was Joshua Burning whose style of music is basically funky country roots music. They also feature original material and covers of music that may not be usually associated with country music. The name of the band,“Joshua Burning”, is a nod towards the legendary country singer Gram Parsons who, upon his death, wished to have his ashes spread over the landscape in California’s Joshua Tree National Park. When he died, as we all must do eventually, his body was stolen from L.A.X. international airport by his best buddy, Phil Kaufman and taken to Joshua Tree Park where it was incinerated with a jerry can of high test gasoline. Of course all of this was illegal and against park policy and for his efforts Kaufman was fined $750 for the theft of the coffin. Now that’s something that should be in the movies. The band features the guitars, vocals and song writing skills of both Garnet Waite and Keith Larsen. Garnet is an especially fine singer, guitar picker and song writer. Keith is a crackerjack acoustic guitarist with some solid rock credentials on electric guitar. He also doubles on mandolin and blues harp. The band is anchored by the electric bass playing of John Gerlitz. John is well known for his classic acoustic interpretations of old time finger picking blues. Together they are an especially fine ensemble who are a step above your average country guitar strummer. These guys are guitar pickers rather than strummers. During the afternoon they strolled through some of Garnet’s original tunes that included Lucille, Daybreak Number 3, Angelina, and High Water Channel. For variety they thew in Keith Larsen’s Best Laid Plans. They also did a few covers including a Lyall Lovett tune, Lucinda Williams Drunken Angel, Peter Rowan’s Midnight Moonlight, Steve Goodman’s Banana Republics, a Marshall Tucker tune, the Grateful Dead’s Tennessee Jed, and to soothe my Celtic ancestors they covered The Pogues If I Should Fall from Grace. Here are some more images from a fine afternoon in the sun at Rotary Park in Cranbrook.

So, thanks Louie, James, “BBQ Bob”, Janice and all the volunteers and sponsors of the Fisher Peak Performing Artists Society that made it possible for the rest of us to kick back, enjoy the sunshine, burgers and the fine music of Joshua Burning. Thanks and more thanks.

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MIRAGE at Summer Sounds

Posted on 2014-08-01 by Rod Wilson

MIRAGE (Jim Mashall) at Summer Sounds, July 26, 2014, 11 am – 12 noon, Rotary Park Cranbrook

For those who don’t know Jim Marshall is a musician, guitarist and vocalist with several CDs under his belt. He has been active on the local music scene for many years. His strength is his finger picking guitar work that often features strong bass lines running though the performance. He recently switched to a cutaway Larivee Nylon Strung guitar thereby adding a more mellow dimension to his playing. For this particular performance he invited me (Rod Wilson) to join him on stage with a percussion set that featured three congas, Djemebe, Darbuka, Bodhran, Tambourine, Shakers,Cajon etc.). Never one to refuse an invite to bash away on anything within an arms reach I was pleased to participate in a collection of original songs and cover tunes that included Blues Jam, Dancing in the Dark, Don’t be Cruel, Crazy (Willie Nelson’s classic tune made famous by Patsy Cline), Black Cat Jack, Five Foot Two, Arabia (an original), King of the Road, I’m On Fire, Hard Times and the Louis Armstrong hit Hello Dolly. During the hour long set there were many more tunes to enjoy before Jim concluded with La Bamba. Jim’s partner in crime (Lorraine) captured some images and video that I have included below.

and here’s the link to the video MIRAGE at Summer Sounds

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Dark Fire Cloud, Lightning and Sunny Day at Summer Sounds

Posted on 2014-07-15 by Rod Wilson

No this is not a weather forecast. It is the entertainment line up for Saturday’s Summer Sounds in Rotary Park.

Dark Fire Cloud and the Lightning Band Saturday July 12, 2014 11-12 noon. check their website

I am a sucker for the unique and Dark Fire Cloud and The Lightning Band certainly filled that bill. Led by Dark Fire Cloud (Thadeus Prejean) on vocals, guitar and “echo” harmonica, with Jay Buttle on upright bass and Shuggy Mulligan on drums / vocals this band looks unique and sounds unique. There aren’t too many Zydeco / Reggae bands in this neck of the woods. Appearances alone would make them stand out in a crowd. Thadeus is a tall black “drink of water” with a frightfully manic hairstyle; Shuggy Mulligan with his mammoth set of dreadlocks must be an extremely rich man with all the money he has saved on haircuts; Jay Buttle looks so “straight” that he is a startling contrast to the two other musicians. All musicians bring their own little kink to the music. Thadeus with his guitar and Echo Harmonica – I think it is a double reed Instrument that sounds remarkably like a Cajun button accordion – provided a creole sound that would probably be at home in Lafayette, Louisiana. Shuggy Mulligan’s drumming is something else. As most people know I am not overfond of drummers (they are usually just too loud and clutter up the sonic envelope) but every now and then there is an exception. Shuggy is an exception. Yes he is loud and he does from time to time play with the thick end of the sticks but I forgive him for that. The time he spent in the West Indies has left a rhythmic mark on his drumming that took me back to a 60’s recording of the Dizzy Gillespie band in Barbados. That recording stamped in my mind a hi-hat beat with the snappy snare accents that just gets the hands and feet twitching in joyous sympathy. Shuggy had that West Indian rhythmic punch that I just love to hear. Jay Buttle is another example of why the upright bass has come back into favor. He has that big round sound that blended so well with Shuggy Mulligan’s drumming. With the exception of the old Creole standard Jumbalya the music was mostly original material. That didn’t seem to be a challenge for patrons at the Byng Roadhouse on Friday night. They kept the band on stage until 2 o’clock in the morning. Unfortunately I missed the show but if they come back I will be there in spades. Here are some images from a day in the sun at Rotary Park on Saturday.

Sunny Day Saturday July 12, 2014 12 noon to 2pm (Brian Noer, Dave Prinn and Bill Renwick).

Right off the cuff Dave Prinn admitted that this was a made up band name for this spectacular day in Rotary Park. Considering the great weather and the sunny disposition of the performers the name is more than appropriate. It is also a nice counterpoint to the name of the opening act, Dark Fire Cloud and the Lightning Band. Dave Prinn (vocals and Guitars) is a troubadour who is always in top form. Bill Renwick (guitar and vocals), his compadre from the duo Vested Interests has a voice that if Neil Young could really sing he would sound like Bill. Brian Noer (bass, lead guitar and back up vocals) from the Heather Gemmell band is a consummate musician who manages to control his thrasher guitar instincts to provide some really tasty lead guitar and bass. As a group the vocal harmonies were superb. Dave kicked off the afternoon with Kansas City and from there on out it was a steady diet of classic rock with songs such as Southern Cross, Steam Roller Blues, I’m Already Standing, Heart of Gold (Bill outdoing Neil Young), I Saw Her Face (The Monkees), Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi), Still Haven’t Found What I am Looking For (U2), Angel from Montgomery (John Prine), City in the Grass (a Dave Prinn original), Wake Up Little Suzy (The Everly Brothers), etc. Two hours later the sun was still shining and the audience was smiling from ear to ear. Another great afternoon in Rotary Park with Summer Sounds.

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Dave Prinn and company at Summersounds

Posted on 2013-08-23 by Rod Wilson

VESTED INTERESTS (Dave Prinn & Bill Renwick) and D SQUARED (Dave Prinn and David Phillipe) at Summersounds, at Cranbrook Rotary Park, Saturday August 17, 2013, 12 noon.

The organizers of Summersounds would like to thank the sponsors of the event: Columbia Recycling, Kootenay Gradall, South Sierra Developments, Salvador Redi-Mix, Tundra Steel, Freightliner, White Oak Valley Contracting, BCGEU, Rocky Mountain Diesel, AquaPro Drilling, Cranbrook Farmer’s Market, Cranbrook District Arts Council, Cranbrook Rotary, Fiorentino Brothers and HD Kootenays.

This was the last official Summersounds concert in the park and mountains of thanks need to be sent to Jim Conley and Brian Noer for organizing the events and taking care of the sound. Many, Many thanks guys.

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Heather Gemmell Band at Summersounds

Posted on 2013-08-04 by Rod Wilson

SATURDAY JULY 27, 2013, 12pm at Rotary Park (Cranbrook) SummerSounds featured THE HEATHER GEMMELL BAND.

Heather Gemmell – guitar and Vocals; Podier Atto – Drums; Brian Noer – Bass

What can one say? Every time this young lady steps on the stage she just gets better and better. Currently Heather and her band mates have begun the recording of a new CD and, I am sure the final product is something to look forward to. For this afternoon in the sun the band stepped through some of her originals (such as Bluesville, Lowball, Ready for Love, Change Me and The Heat) as well as some new tunes and also some covers such as the Beatles epic Come Together with its magnificent bass line. Here are some images from the afternoon (click for a larger view).

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60 Hertz at Summersounds

Posted on 2013-07-09 by Rod Wilson

60 Hertz at Summersounds, Rotary Park in Cranbrook, July 6, 2013 1pm to 4 pm.

60 Hertz – Rob Young, James Neve, Marty Musser and Dave Birch

The second free summer outdoor concert at Rotary Park in Cranbrook featuring “the best band in the land” – 60 Hertz – What more can I say? As always the band was super tight with great well thought out instrumental and vocal arrangements, imaginative lyrics by James Neve, Rob Young’s almost mellow lead guitar, Dave Birch’s spot on bass playing and the tasty drumming by Marty Musser. The band was fresh from their big day at Fernie’s Canada Day engagement that sported a crowd of over 1,500 and yet in Cranbrook there was only a very small audience on this beautiful sunny day of free music. One wonders why? That didn’t deter 60 Hertz from delivering a great afternoon of great rockin’ music. As well as their wonderful originals such as You May Be Right, Don’t Get me Wrong, More Than I can Give, These Shoes are Made for Walking, Rainland, Mean Streets, Deep Water and Virtuality the band trotted out a marvelous new song called Long Gone Down. I am looking forward to the day when some big time performer will cover some of these great songs and James can look forward to a wealthy retirement.

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SUMMERSOUNDS, Rotary Park Cranbrook, June 29, 2013

Posted on 2013-07-03 by Rod Wilson

A series of at least 10 concerts have been scheduled for the summer in Cranbrook’s Rotary Park. The idea is to co-ordinate the musical events with the adjacent Farmers Market. On the first scheduled Saturday, June 22, 2013, the weather king had other ideas and the “Rocky Mountain Monsoon” forced a cancellation. We didn’t get to hear The Rosie Brown Band and The Little Jazz Orchestra. Not to worry they will get their chance to shine. Well, that’s all history for the moment and the first event was postponed until Saturday June 19, 2013. The rain was gone but the skies were overcast and the weather muggy. The vendors were active in the Farmers Market and the buskers were out there busking. Young Benjamin Franklin Noer was playing his fiddle for the SPCA, the sound crew was busy setting up the gear. Summersounds was on track for a full afternoon of music. First on the schedule was Daze of Grace (Sharon Routley, Jubal Routley and Rod Wilson) with their unique covers (All Along the Watch Tower) and a number of Sharon’s originals. Their appearance was somewhat momentous. This will be their last performance for awhile. With various sidemen rounding out their sound Sharon and Jubal have been a staple on the local music scene for many years. As a band they have decided to take a rest from performing. There is nothing dramatic about the decision. It is just an opportunity to refresh and re-invent themselves.

Jim Conley (guitar and vocals) and Brian Noer (also guitar and vocals) are both seasoned performers and organizers. This summer music series is largely their baby and musicians are very appreciative of the tremendous amount of effort these gentlemen have put into Summersounds. For the afternoon’s performance Jim took the lead on vocals with Brian providing back up and lead guitar. Rod Wilson sat in on percussion. Jim’s strength is his ability to re-interpret songs in such a way that they come across in a completely fresh way. On his list of fresh interpretations was The Midnight Special, Bruce Cockburn’s Lovers in a Dangerous Time, the Beatles A Little Help From My Friends, and Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side. The standout performance was Talkin’ Heads Psycho Killer with some great guitar effects from Brian Noer.

In addition to the local performers the audience were given a special treat by visitors Brad Smith & Orion Marcano of Coastal Giant. They were up here from Saltspring Island to visit family in Kimberley. Being Island folk they had to feature that classic island instrument, the Ukulele, along with vocals, guitar, banjo and a little harmonica. Both musicians were strong singers and instrumentalists who played original material. These are are couple of musicians worth watching (and hearing) and I suspect we will hear more of them in the future.

As well as the live music there was the Limbo Contest and in the late afternoon the DJ Music of DJ ALEX. Here are some more images from a great afternoon of music – may there be many more over the summer.