Communities in Pender Harbour will be painting the town blue during the
May Day Weekend, as the Pender Harbour Blues Fest blows hot and cool
over two weekends in May (18 – 20 and 25 - 27) at venues in Madeira Park
and Garden Bay.
Canada’s premier jump blues band, The Twisters, played the Garden Bay
Pub last summer and left a trail of fans hungering for more of the
“blues-a-billy” sounds that won the band a Canadian Independent Music
Award for Best Blues Album of the Year. Now recording for the
prestigious Northern Blues label, they’ll be playing hits from their new
release, “After the Storm.” Featuring the vocals and harmonies of
harmonica player David Hoerl and guitarist Bandon Isaak, backed by the
superb rhythms of Matt Pease on drums and Keith Picot on upright bass,
the Twisters offer an inspired evening ranging from Texas grinders to
West Coast jump and funky swamp-soaked Louisiana boogie. Tickets for
their gig on Saturday, May 19 at the Pender Harbour Community Hall in
Madeira Park are $20 in advance from Harbour Spirit (the former Paper
Mill) in Madeira Park, Talewind Books in Sechelt, and Coast Books in
Gibsons. This event is likely to be sold out in advance; don’t count on
getting tickets at the door. If any are available, they’ll be snapped
up at $25.
Soul Train
Billy Dixon’s Soul Train Express pulls into the Garden Bay Pub Friday
and Saturday, May 18 and 19. The Vancouver-born, Missouri-raised Dixon
cut his musical teeth on gospel and performed with the legendary 60s R&B
band, the Night Train Revue. Billy Dixon will also join the All-Star
Jam at the pub on Sunday, May 20 at 2 pm with Doc Fingers, Lindsay
Mitchell, Nickel City Slim, Adam Nation, Teresa Moase and Sibel
Thrasher. There is no cover charge for performances at the Garden Bay
Pub, which features great blues year-round.
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For 65 years, Pender Harbour residents have celebrated on the Saturday
of the Victoria Day weekend – making this BC’s oldest May Day festivity.
Traditional games and races are still part of the mix, along with craft
booths, a flyover, and of course a salmon BBQ. This year, the Blues
Festival runs alongside with live outdoor performances (all free) from
Sibel Thrasher, Nickel City Slim, Adam Nation, Doc Fingers, Lindsay
Mitchell, Teresa Moase, and hometown favourites Larrie Cook and the
Bluesmasters.
The Blue Voodoo
Sunday, May 20, Larrie Cook and the Bluesmasters get back up to lead the
jam at the Garden Bay Pub, joined by Gospel Singer of the Year nominee
and BC Entertainment Hall of Famer Sibel Thrasher. She’s recorded with
Roy Ayers, Long John Baldry, Linton Garner and has performed with the
Platters in the US and Asia. Thrasher brought her great big R&B voice to
Vancouver from Ohio, hitting the boards in every single performance of
the Arts Club’s all-time longest-running production, Ain’t Misbehavin’
as well as the Black and Gold Revue, Blues in the Night, When the Rain
Comes, and Little Shop of Horrors.
The second week of the festival features the Blue Voodoo at the Garden
Bay Pub May 25 and 26, starting at 8.30 pm. “Teddy J” Tosoff, Rick
Dalgarno, Gerry Berg and Kelly Stodola blend traditional rootsy blues
with a more modern sound. Featuring smoking guitar solos from Dalgarno,
harmonies by Ted and Rick, and an all-new rhythm laid down by Stodola,
the Blue Voodoo mix a little Dylan with some Muddy Waters, add a pinch
of The Band and come up with their own unique take on the blues. Again,
no cover charge for these performances.
Sunday, the blues fest winds up at the Garden Bay Pub with another great
afternoon jam session starting at 2 pm. Experience it in best Coastal
fashion – sitting on the pub’s generous outdoor deck, grooving to the
tunes under a clear blue sky as nearby yachts ride at anchor. Oh, yeah!
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