Texas tunes, Swampers and Scots on Vancouver Island MusicFest stream – Comox Valley Record
The Vancouver Island MusicFest has introduced collectively artists from many corners of the world, and whereas journey remains to be restricted, for this 12 months’s particular on-line celebration, the competition reached out to some mates to place one thing particular collectively to stream.
Texas songwriter
BettySoo is aware of the Inventive Director of the MusicFest, Doug Cox, and has shared the stage with him on the Vancouver Island MusicFest.
Like numerous solid members through the pandemic, she was unable to get on stage. Nonetheless, not too long ago she was in a position to collect some colleagues (absolutely vaccinated) in a pal’s studio for a efficiency by Texas songwriters.
“We simply performed like we might on stage on the MusicFest,” she says.
Reside music is the elixir of life for Austin, and in regular instances, she says, it isn’t unusual for 100 exhibits to be held on any given night time. Proper now, on-line is the choice, and Cox requested her to curate an occasion, so she introduced collectively a mixture of expertise, some established and a few new: Curtis McMurtry, Diana Burgess, Invoice Kirchen, and Bonnie Whitmore. The combination received BettySoo fairly excited. McMurtry, for instance, is the son of singer-songwriter James McMurtry (and grandson of famend writer Larry McMurtry) with an expansive fashion. As BettySoo says, “He is a collector of sounds.”
The identical goes for Burgess. In attempting to check, BettySoo mentions Jane Siberry and provides that it’s troublesome to check the 2 to others. Add within the younger Whitmore phenomenon and legend like Kirchen, identified for a lot of issues, together with his work with Commander Cody and the Misplaced Planet Airmen, and you’ve got all kinds of Texan tuners to select from.
Some venues are beginning to host reside occasions once more and BettySoo is hoping they’ll all get again to life on stage quickly, however within the meantime she credit the help of the followers who’re serving to the performers take the storm by way of streaming occasions and even survive by shopping for t-shirts.
“It simply meant the world to us,” she says.
Within the meantime, followers can get pleasure from this gathering of songwriters that BettySoo was in a position to arrange within the studio. For them it was an opportunity to change hugs once more and sing candy harmonies collectively.
Swarms of muscle groups Tales
The 2019 competition celebrated traditional session musicians, and one of many highlights was the Saturday night time efficiency by the Muscle Shoals All-Stars, a crack band of gamers anchored for by bassist David Hood, one of many unique swampers, the core rhythm part the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala. The studio and its gamers had been the topic of the 2013 documentary Muscle Shoals.
Over time, as any liner word badger is aware of, the Swampers have appeared on data by Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, the Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, and the Staple Singers, to call just a few.
“I used to be an enormous fan of the catalog,” says guitarist Andreas Werner.
He ended up stepping in each as a caretaker and, when Jimmy Johnson was lastly able to step down, as a guitarist.
“I have a tendency cats, I do this,” he says.
For the reason that documentary, there was extra demand for the musicians to carry out reside, however Werner says that recording stays a high precedence.
“Our predominant focus remains to be on making nice data within the studio,” he says.
Werner put collectively a chronicle of the actors for the web occasion, however warns in opposition to not being a documentary filmmaker. The acclaimed documentary already exists, so as a substitute it did some Q&A, used archived footage, and used some professionally filmed performances to provide folks a glimpse into the historical past of the Muscle Shoals.
“It is form of a house theater in a manner,” he says.
Postcards from Scotland
Scotland’s musical expertise stems from performing around the globe, says Lisa Whytock, which has been more durable these days.
“We’re a tiny nation of 5 million folks,” she says.
Whytock has spent years constructing the Scottish music scene by way of Energetic Occasions, and in 2020 she was honored with the Scottish Conventional Music Corridor of Fame’s Hamish Henderson Companies to Conventional Music Award. Since 2012 she has additionally been Government Producer of Showcase Scotland Expo, which brings musical expertise to worldwide occasions.
Issues have slowed down since COVID-19. You need to be attending a grand celebration of the 12 months of Scotland in Australia in 2020. They had been allowed to host a few of the 350 concert events, however then all the pieces needed to be closed.
Within the meantime, they’re utilizing on-line alternatives to unfold the sound of Scotland. Whytock says the Vancouver Island MusicFest mission in Canada might be a particular occasion.
“Doug’s competition is unique to Canada,” she says.
She is happy concerning the mixture of expertise she will be able to provide MusicFest followers.
“You’ll expertise all kinds of Scottish music,” she says.
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Fara, Elephant Classes, Gnoss and Zoë Bestel are among the many dozen of extremely acclaimed acts. For instance, one reviewer doubted every other violin group performed music as complicated and fascinating as Fara. Of Elephant Classes, Rolling Stone stated the band use their devices like weapons to destroy clichés. With a second album now out, Gnoss has gained a number of nominations for the Scots Trad Music Award, whereas Bestel, who calls her music Nu-People, has been nominated for the Scottish Various Music Awards.
The web occasions for MusicFest might be streamed on the Black Press web sites from July September 11. Additional data on instances, artists and on-line checks for the competition could be discovered at www.islandmusicfest.com
mike.chouinard@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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reside music
The Muscle Shoals All-Stars with singer Carla Russell at MusicFest 2019. Andreas Werner on guitar is pictured third from the fitting. Take a file picture
BettySoo put collectively an inspiring line-up of Texan songwriters for the web competition, picture equipped
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