WINTERSONG at The Driftwood Concert House

   Wintersong

The question is often asked. Why do they do it? In most instances it is not for fame, fortune and/or fringe benefits. The answer is very simple. Painters paint, writers write, musicians compose and perform for no other reason than they just have to. It is just the nature of the artistic beast. They are not complete until they follow their compulsions. This somewhat self indulgent approach is one that we should  Wagon Wheelsbe thankful for, particularly when, in this instance, there is such a positive outcome. Four singer / songwriters of The Kootenay Singer-Song Writers Circle got together to raise funds for the Red Cross Disaster Relief  Fund by performing a concert of their original music at the Driftwood Concert house in Kimberley. The musicians included  (the nice looking) Heather Gemmell, (the youthful) Clayton Parsons, (the wisdom of the ages) James Neve,  and (the mature) Darin Welch. The venue was, of course, the Driftwood Concert House  operated by Jen and Darin Welch on this their first year anniversary of presenting sustainable music programs for both musicians and patrons. The format of the evening was basically a traditional singing circle with each musician performing a piece before passing the “torch” onto the next performer. Yours truly, Rod Wilson, was the MC. Darin Welch kicked off the night with Simple City, followed by James Neve’s Blue Girl, Clayton Parson’s Everybody Knows my Name  and Heather Gemmell’s global warming song. Through out the evening, five times around the circle, with a grand finale group rendition of Wagon Wheels, the only non-original song of the evening. The list of original songs performed included Pretty Water, Wilderness, The Last Wild Wolves (by Darin Welch); Please Take the Wheel, Candle by the Window, Come on Back to My Love, Passing Through Your Heart (by James Neve); Midnight Moon, Going on Down, September Sunday, Stay (by Clayton Parsons); and the outstanding instrumental The Tap Song (by Heather Gemmell). It was a night of memorable music in a perfectly intimate venue with superb light and sound and a very receptive and respectful audience. I know Darin likes to bring into town great touring performers for this venue but without a doubt this particular evening proved that local performers are more than a match for the imports. Well done guys – you raised over $400 for the Phillipines and with matching government funding that puts us well on the road to $1,000.

 Heather Gemmell        James Neve  Darin Welch         Clayton Parsons  Heather Gemmell   James Neve   Heather Gemmell   Darin Welch   Clayton Parsons   James Neve Heather Gemmell  Silas   James Neve     Heather Gemmell  James Neve  Clayton Parsons  Heather Gemmell   Heather Gemmell  Darin Welch   020. Condenser mic  James Neve   Heather Gemmell  Silas  Heather Gemmell   Darin Welch   Heather Gemmell  Clayton Parsons   James Neve  Heather Gemmell  James Neve  Audience     Clayton Parsons   Silas and Jen

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Tony Dekker at the Driftwood Concert House

Tony Dekker at the Driftwood Concert House, Kimberley , Sunday October 13, 2013, 8pm  check the website Tony Decker of Great Lakes Swimmers

Tony Decker

Darin contacted me by email on Wednesday setting up a concert for the following Sunday evening. My first thought was “good luck fella, it’s Thanks Giving”. As it turned out, even with such short notice, the concert was virtually sold out. Only a couple of last minute cancellations defeated the absolute maximum capacity of the room. While on vacation down south (Utah, I think) Darin and Jen had hooked up with Tony Dekker a couple of days earlier and managed to finangle a concert at the Driftwood that fitted with Tony’s tour of the West Kootenays. Tony Dekker was unknown to me and, once again, it was trust in Darin’s judgement that urged me to attend. Tony may have been unknown  Edison's revengeto me but obviously there appeared to a significant number of fans in the audience who were more than familiar with “his” band THE GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS. They have been around for about 10 years and are great favorites on CBC radio. The opening act was a little different. It is not every day we get to hear an Edison vintage cylinder phonograph playing, what I guessed to be, vintage Hawaiin music. What followed was a very laid back evening of acoustic music. Without the whine, and completely in tune, Tony’s voice had echoes and overtones of Neil Young. The emphasis was on smooth vocals and strong song writing with minimal finger picking guitar accompaniments. There was no flamboyant rock and roll stage craft to degrade the performance. With the exception of a Tom Waitt’s cover and Gordon Lightfoot’s Carefree Highway it was a night of original music. Some of the songs in the program included Somewhere Near Thunder Bay, I Saw You in the Wild, Moving Pictures – Silent Film, Where in the World are You Now, The Great Exhale, Talking in Your Sleep,  Concrete Heart, On the Water, Rocky Spine, When the Sun Fell Down and the song Changing Colours. The last mention song scored a cover, complete with big orchestra and big production, by Josh Groban. That’s quite a scoop for GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS, a band that must be well under the pop  music radar. Just think of those royalties – maybe there was enough to cover the expenses of a tour of the Kootenays.

 Tony Decker   Darin Welch   Tony Decker 020.  Tony Decker  006. an audience of oneTony Decker

 Changing Colors sung by GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS

Changing Colors sung by Josh Groban

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Thanks Darin, Jen and Silas for more great music and thanks for letting me tamper with the lights.

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Dave Gunning at the Driftwood Concert House

Dave Gunning at the Driftwood Concert House, September 24, 2013, 8pm

 Dave Gunning 

The music industry probably describes Dave Gunning as an entertainer. At it’s best that is probably a light weight descriptor and at it’s worst it is some what demeaning. In 030-edanother time and in another place he would have been described in more worthy terms. If he had of been an aristocrat in medieval  times he would have been  called a troubadour and sung songs of love and chivalry. In Ireland of old he would have been called a Hedge Poet or a Seanchaidhthe (a Shanachie or story teller). In more recent times in West Africa he could be a Griot, a singer, musician and storyteller. In West Africa a Griot is more than that, he is actually the recorder and keeper of the cultural traditions. At a basic level Dave Gunning is a mixture of all these and an entertainer to boot. The most striking thing about this evening of music at the Driftwood Concert House was the sense of cultural “rootedness” (is there such a word) than ran through the stories and songs. Despite the fact that there were only a few East Coasters in the audience, and few of us would know the exact location of Dave’s home in Pictou County N.S., there was no denying that his music and stories  struck the essential chord that resonates in the Canadian psyche. He kicked off the evening with The Mingulay Boat Song. This is a song with strong traditional Scottish roots and was probably the only truly traditional song of the evening. Never-the-less it set the “down home” tone for the evening. Mostly what followed were stories and song writing collaborations that were delivered with humor and pathos accompanied by his beautiful guitar playing in open tunings (DADGAD, Open G and Dropped D).  Dave Gunning and his Stonebridge Guitar . This is both a beautiful and unique instrument. It is not often that you see a steel string guitar with a cedar top. Classical guitars usually have cedar while steel string luthiers prefer spruce. It might explain the wonderfully warm sound that is the hallmark of Dave’s playing.  Dave had spent time touring with Stompin’ Tom as a bass player, that is a considerable feat in it self considering he didn’t own or play a bass at that particular time. There is nothing like the intense training of learning on the job. There were lots of stories of Tom’s affection for Moose Head Beer and Dave ventured forth with one Stompin’ Tom Song – Song Bird Valley. Among the wealth of “down home” anecdotes there was one that I found particularly amusing – “It was cold enough for an extra pair of shoe laces”. Except for the encore of the Long Black Veil it was a night full of the Canadian experience and that’s the way it should be.

 Audience   Dave Gunning   Angus Ledtke Dave Gunning   155.  Dave Gunning  Angus MacDonald    Dave Gunning  Darin WelchDave GunningA special treat: Dave Gunning singing “New Highway”

I would like to thank Darrin, Jen and Silas for opening up their home and giving us an opportunity to experience this great music.

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The Slocan Ramblers at the Driftwood Concert House

The Slocan Ramblers at The Driftwood Concert House in Kimberley, July 25th, 2013 at 8pm. Also at Lotus Books in Cranbrook July 26th, 2013.The Slocan Ramblers They may be called the Slocan Ramblers but they are from Toronto. Their claim to Slocan fame is through their bass player who is originally  Adrian Grossfrom that area. This band of young musicians, Adrian Gross (mandolin), Frank EvansFrank Evans (banjos), Darryl Poulsen (guitar) and Alistair Whitehead (bass) are making waves in the Bluegrass music community. They have recently come off a tour with Steve Martin, Edie Brickell and the The Steep Canyon Rangers and, that in Bluegrass circles, is big time. A bunch of good looking young lads (Frank bears some resemblance to Allan Hawco of The Republic of Doyle) with bucket loads of technique, good organization (check the hand written set list – no scribbles there) and a substantial repertoire. Mostly they play straight ahead blue grass with occasional original tunes, such as Adrian Gross’ April Waltz. One thing that Bluegrass bands do that is often neglected in other genres (particularly pop music) is play tunes. My favorite of the evening was Blake’s March. There was a cover of Patrick Sky’s Many a Mile. Mind you, they did it bluegrass style to the point that it was almost unrecognisable (not that it was a bad thing). The song Rambo Sailor I suspect was a reworking of the traditional song Rambling Sailor and it gave a hint of what possibilities are out there for the band if they chose to loosen the grip Bluegrass has on their musical imaginations. The arrangements were good with a few unexpected twists that kept the audience on their toes. All band members shared the vocal chores and the harmonies had the usual rich bluegrass sound. The Driftwood House had a pretty full house and I suspect that the concert in the Lotus Bookshop the following night was also well attended.

 Set List 1.  Darryl Poulsen  030   Banjo   Frank Evans  Clawhammer Banjo  Adrian Gross   set list 2  Darryl Poulsen   Frank Evans  Adrian Gross   Darryl Poulsen and Alastair Whitehead

Canada is multicultural and Toronto must be one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Therefore I am constantly puzzled why so many very talented young Canadian musicians chose to play an American music that is so stylistically rigid and is about American tunes, heroes and situations. And, this is not a criticism of the sound at the Driftwood Concert House on Thursday, it is a comment on the Bluegrass fetish for single condenser microphones. I have been to lots and lots of concerts and, occasionally that setup does works. The sound at a recent Chris Coole clawhammer banjo concert in Fernie is a case in point – see my blog entry Chris Coole  . With a single microphone the sound that night was brilliant. But more often than not as a system it fails. It is the tradition that stems from the days when that is all that was available for sound re-enforcement. But technology has moved on and there is no need for performers to dance around a single microphone and still end up with bad sound. Besides the dancing around is distracting. The musician who suffers the most is the guitar player. He has to hold the guitar up to the microphone and play so hard that his tone and musicality becomes distorted. Under those circumstances I have yet to hear a guitar solo that rises above musical mumbling. It would be so much easier, and better, to just “plug in”.

This was the last concert of the summer season at the Driftwood Concert House and putting aside my minor personal quibbles it was another night of great music performed by some players who have, and will continue, make their mark on the Bluegrass scene. Thanks Darrin, Jen and Silas for opening your house to the musicians and guests during this concert season. We are looking forward to September and more of the same.

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David Simard & Jenny Berkel at the Driftwood Concert House

Friday June 14, 2013 8pm: DAVID SIMARD & JENNY BERKEL at the Driftwood Concert House. This is David`s second concert at the Driftwood. Contact Darin Welch at darin.welch@gmail.com for future concerts.  Also check the websites www.davidsimard.ca www.jennyberkel.com Jenny and David

The light was soft and the evening outside tempting. Never-the-less the promise of being able to hear both Jenny Berkel and David Simard in an intimate acoustic environment was Jenny Berkelenough to draw a small crowd to the Driftwood Concert House. It was an an evening of exquisite music. Both of these musicians have just returned from a tour in Europe and were on their way the the Tiny Lights Festival in Ymir the next morning. Like a lot of creative musicians that fly under the radar their music does not easily fit into a genre. They are not pop, jazz, country, bluegrass, Celtic, Balkan, hip/hop, rap or any of those myriad of labels that become attached to music these days. Simply said they are singer / song writers exploring the their personal environments. The evening of mostly original material opened with Jenny Berkel performing  Beyond the Back Door and Lilac City. She was joined by David Simard for a gorgeous duet on a short love song called Watching the Ghost. A song about secrets, Tall Tales, had a nice rhythmic pulse that set the audience’s feet tapping. Of the two covers that she performed Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel was the most familiar. Green Rocky Road / Virginia Blues, attributed to the virtually unknown “folkie” Karen Dalton was new territory for me. I will do a little research on Karen in the near future.

Doreen (the song) is an old fashion name and one that has some cultural associations for me. But was David Simard singing about Doreen, a love that might or might not have been, or Dorreen, a place on the north side of the river between Hazelton and Terrace in David SimardNorthern BC? It seems that Doreen the place could also have been a home that was never really home but should have been. Either way it was nice evocative piece of music. David also performed the travellin’ song My Shoes, an ode to Lucy (“Lucy you’re a song I’d Like to write”), a love song for Big Oil, Good Clear Water, that didn’t go over all that well in Alberta, and another dedication to the Doreen (the place), The Fire and the Flood.
He settled on a nice little grove in a piece called The Night.  For the encores he stepped up to the plate with John Prine’s  Long Monday. As always the Driftwood House again delivered up another tasty morsel of beautifully intimate music. Below are some images from the evening and the photographers dream that is the Driftwood Concert House (click on the images for a larger view).

008.Jenny Berkel                  Jenny BerkelDavid Simard                                  Jenny Berkel   Jenny Berkel                                    014.    Jenny Berkel       Jenny BerkelDavid Simard                 Jenny Berkel    David Simard David Simard and Jenny Berkel          part of the atmosphere                  David Simard                      David Simardpart of the atmosphere


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Jess Hill & Christa Couture at the Driftwood House

Christa Poster For the Kimberley stop off in this mini-tour the weather co-operated fully. It was a gorgeous spring weekend with the April showers descending on the Driftwood Concert House just as the concert began. For this last concert of the Driftwood Concert House Spring Series Christa Couture and Jess Hill, both ladies from Vancouver, treated the audience to a fine selection of original material. Of the two performers Jess Hill (guitar and vocals) who opened the evening, was closer to the folky singer /song writing tradition of the likes of Joni Mitchell. The songs, tunes, words and delivery may have been different   but this was familiar territory. During her performance she, in part, explored her fascination  Jess Hillwith moths. One of the songs, An Open Letter to My Heart, she used the insect’s behavior as a metaphor for her love life. The imagery revolved around a moth’s navigational skills being dominated by the light of the moon in much the same way as in human emotions “Love still lights the way”. In both instances a miscalculation can lead to getting lost or even burnt.  Another song, with a slight blues inflection, was the result of a lay over in Paris on a long trip back from Africa. This is her mother’s favorite and it is easy to see why.  A couple of the nice lines in the song included ” I’ve got to be sure my shadow keeps up with me” and “a shadow makes good company”. In the audience participation number the chorus of the song “My, oh My Baby” got an immediate response without too much coaxing. The lines “fox in the meadow and the wolf in the woods” and “It’s no surprise the stars have eyes” were also nice images. A nice feature of her guitar accompaniments was her delicate finger picking.

The poster had Christa Couture (vocals, guitar and piano) defined as a  Chanteuse. The New Penguin English Dictionary’s definition of the word is: “Chanteuse /shon’tuhz-/ noun (pl Chanteuses) a female nightclub or cabaret singer”.  In the vernacular she would Christa Couturebe described as a singer/song writer. However, the word Chanteuse with its urbane nuance, is probably a more accurate reflection of her material and delivery. Songs included You Know I Don’t Play Piano, Parasite, and The Boy Down the Bayou. In the very near future Christa will be  off on a tour of the EU and the UK.  Almost as we speak her latest CD The Living Record is being released (April 29th, 2013) in the UK. Here are some more images from The Driftwood Concert House and the evenings performance.

 

Jess Hill

          The choice seats                              The Flower       The concert room   The Stage                   Condenser MicDriftwood Concert House                    Driftwood Concert House

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David Newberry and the Nautical Miles at The Driftwood Concert House

 

Nautical Miles Poster

Way, way back in the days before laptop computers were even in the realm of SciFi Gunther Schuller coined the phrase “Third Stream” to describe the emerging musical hybrid of Jazz and Classical music. The idea has probably lost relevance in this day and age and yet, the idea of “musical streams” is as good a way as any to describe the music scene. In the local sense there is “mainstream” music that is largely the focus of the Key City Theatre, various educational programs and associated festivals. Without wishing to be unkind this is a somewhat bland amalgam of just about anything that passes for music these days. Then there is the testosterone driven “heavy metal rock” stream that seems to have found a new home in the Byng Roadhouse. This music is  certainly not bland but rather goes to the opposite extreme where audiences risk deafness and burst eardrums at almost every performance. Then down a notch from that is the “open mic / jam session” stream  that is mostly classic rock with bits of folk/rock and country thrown into the mix. There is a fourth stream that flows mostly under the radar stream. This is usually very original, intelligent,  and, usually, acoustic music (whatever that means these days) and is practiced by a huge number of wandering performers and troubadours who scratch out a marginal living as travelling musicians.  Over the years Gord Johnson and Terry Miller have promoted a superb number of concerts in the Beannick Subscription Concert Series  that utilizes this important source of talent. Also over the last few years the La Cafamore String Quartet  from Nelson has toured the area regularly with classical programs that are definitely outside the box. All of the above utilize established concert halls and licensed Darin Welch - hostestablishments. What is new on the local scene, and one that opens up a whole new palette of sonic sensibilities, is the house concert series sponsored by Jen and Darin Welch at the Driftwood Concert House. Jen and Darrin also dip into that pool of travelling musicians and their primary focus appears to be the promotion of the singer/song writing tradition. Dave Newberry and the Nautical Miles was the fourth house concert in the series. I attended the previous concert by Belle Plaine and that was a wake up call for me as to the potential of the house concert concept. For this, the latest concert in the series, David Newberry and the Nautical Miles from Vancouver delivered an evening of superb acoustic music. A step away from the almost worn out standard rock quartet (bass, drums, rhythm and lead guitars) the band utilized the talents Tim Tweedaleof Tim Tweedale on a Weisenborn guitar Weissenborn ) and Lucus Schuller on a muted drum kit to give musical textures that are virtually unheard in this day and age of over amplified music. The music was subtle, well Lucas Schullerrehearsed and arranged with a wide dynamic range that was very pleasing to the ear. The band was rounded out by Corbin Murdoch playing a beautiful guitar built by Ed Bond of Vancouver (Tinker Guitars ) and Simon Rotheisler on electric bass. Song writing and vocal credits were shared by Corbin and special guest David Newberry both of whom drew inspiration from accident, incidents and the world around them. Their world seemed to be full of humor, issues and, thankfully, an absence of youthful angst. There were some whimsical songs  such as I’m Sorry Dude, a song about Jack Kerouac (So it Goes), a murder ballad (Slow) and a wonderful anthem She was my Lover, a Pretty Good One for a While, that  featured a rousing chorus. The songs were excellent, the sound superb and it was a thrill to hear every whisper and nuance of the music that was being spun out before your very eyes (and ears). Tim Tweedale’s playing on the Weissenborn was exquisite and I would have liked him to have done more than the one featured instrumental.  Of special mention is the drummer Lucas Schuller. It is extremely rare to hear a drummer who actually knows the meaning of the phrase “musical dynamics”. From whisper soft strokes with brushes and bundles to accented sticks and mallets he is a drummer well worth a listen.  Try and take in one of these house concerts over the next little while and I guarantee you will be reluctant to ever again attend concerts in any other venue. Here are some images from the concert (click for a larger view) : The next Driftwood House Concert  will be on Sunday, April 28, 2013: Christa Couture w/- Jess Hill from Vancouver. Check their websites at Chris Couture  Jess Hill

Corbin Murdoch       Simon Rotheisler      David NewberryTim Tweedale      Corbin Murdoch      Simon Rotheisler In the audience       David Newberry     Tim Tweedale  Corbin Murdoch's Tinker guitar       In the audience      Lucas Schuller  In the audience      Simon Rotheisler     630. David Newberry Weissenborn guitar drum kit          

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PS :  a  special note – The  Rayco Weissenborn guitar played by Tim was built in Smithers BC  ( Rayco )

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Belle Plaine at the Driftwood Concert House

Belle Plaine at the Driftwood Concert House in Kimberley, Thursday March 28th, 2013, 7:30 PM.

 Belle Plaine

I hear tell that the geographical center of Canada is somewhere in Northern Ontario.  I have no reason to doubt that. The Toronto/Montreal axis likes to think of itself as the cultural center of the country and that I very much doubt. Admittedly Gordon Lightfoot was from Ontario but I suggest the cultural center of of the country is somewhat west of the geographical center. After all, Neill Young and Joni Mitchell’s early geographical affiliations, before they made it in the US of A, were with the Canadian west. Over the years  Belle Plainemusicians from the cultural center still keep floating to the surface. Colin James was originally from Saskatchewan as was the monster blues guitarist Jack Semple. This week Kimberley was witness to performances by Alberta native Jake Ian at BJ’s Creekside Pub and Belle Plaine from Regina at the Driftwood Concert House. Once again proving that the center still holds. For this town the “House Concert” at the Driftwood Concert House was step, and a very successful one at that, outside the box. Jen and Darin Welch relocated from Smithers  to Kimberley and as part of their resettlement plans was their desire to initiate a house concert series. The idea, while simple and straightforward, is not that new. House concerts have been a round for a long time and, with the decline in available performing venues, are gaining more widespread popularity. Jen and Darren organized a room in their house that was big enough to  Jeremy Saueraccommodate an audience for visiting musicians. For a percentage of the gate, a place to stay and food there are enough travelling musicians who are willing to perform in a respectful environment for audiences who are there to listen. Jen and Darin have scheduled three spring concerts in their Driftwood Concert House and the first ensemble through the door in the series was Belle Plaine with upright bassist Elizabeth (Beth) Currie and Keyboard / Banjo / Accordion player Jeremy Sauer. First of all their music is basically acoustic with some sound re-enforcement and the first thing that strikes one’s ear is the quality of the sound. The audience can hear (and see) everything. The acoustic environment for this group was perfect. The dynamic range of Belle’s voice was very much in evidence, the great intonation of Beth’s bass was right there underneath the vocals and the guitar and the tasty embellishments and accompaniments Young Audienceof Jeremy’s Keyboards literally sparkled. There was time when their repertoire would have been considered mainstream but in this day and age of “classic rock” the material offered was definitely towards the jazzy side. In addition to an infatuation with the music of Tom Waitts there was the music of Nina Simone, Peggy Lee (You’re So Right), Town Van Zandt (Panch and Lefty), some old Bessie Smith (No Body Knows you When you are Down and Out) and a sprinkling of country, traditional (Wayfaring Stranger) and original material. The music was masterful and well crafted. These musicians obviously spend a lot of time on their arrangements and polishing their performance. The music had lots of space, an element that is missing in a lot of performances these days, and sonic variety. The audience, while mostly young families, was attentive and varied. Who could know that a bunch of very young children, and adults for that matter,  could be so well behaved?

 Conversations with a bass player: Beth Currie plays a Yamaha Silent Bass with a Galleon-Kruger amp. This is an electric stand up bass and apart from the unit built by Kimberley’s Dave Carlson it is a pretty rare beast in this area. Traditional acoustic bass players tend to look down on their electric counterpart. Beth is a player of wide experience, including symphonic work, and owns a symphonic bass that costs a small fortune and  Elizabeth Curryhas consumed most of her disposable cash over the purchase years. As Beth explains it “traditional basses are huge wooden boxes designed to produce and bolster the sound at the bass end of the spectrum. They were never meant of be amplified”. The invention of the bass guitar in the late 50’s killed off the manufacture of reasonably priced acoustic basses. In a few short years the bass guitar became the standard in pop music. “Early attempts to develop an amplified stand up bass were hampered by the overtly bass guitar sound that was the end product. That appears to have been overcome and the newer generation of electric stand-up basses are coming into their own. They have good “acoustic” sound, they are robust and they are easy to transport”. In recent years there has been a notable resurgence in the use of upright bass in all fields of music. The emergence of reasonably priced acoustic-sounding  electric models will, no doubt, accelerate, the  reintegration of stand up bass into the music world.

Thanks should go to the performers and Jen and Darin Welch for a very enjoyable and successful beginning to the Driftwood Concert House Spring season.

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 The Next house concert at the Driftwood Concert House will on Friday April 19th featuring – David Newberry w/ The Nautical Miles – $12. Contact Darin Welch [driftwoodconcerts@gmail.com].

music.cbc.ca/artists/DavidNewberry
http://vimeo.com/23328618 – Newberry Video
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The Driftwood House Concert Series

“LISTENING TO LIVE MUSIC IS SOMETHING THAT USED TO BE UBIQUITOUS IN OUR CULTURE. BEFORE RECORDED MUSIC WAS WIDESPREAD CONCERTS WERE ATTENDED, BALLS WERE HELD AND THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE PERSON IN EACH FAMILY WHO KNEW HOW TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT.” – Jenny Williams, blogger for Wired.

Driftwood_Plain_LogoIn the days before music became an “industry” that may have been the way it was, but not any more. An intimate musical event is one that most of us, but not all, no longer have the opportunity to experience. Generally speaking, musical performances are larger scaled  events and music is some what confined to the concert hall or the bigger venues. The idea of a music as an intimate affair is almost, but not quite, unknown. The notable exceptions in this area are The Beannick Subscription series, The Homegrown Coffee House and Locals Coffee House series and the occasional House Concert.  “House Concerts”  are not new.The most notable historical example are the famous Harlem “House Rent parties” of the 1930s that were a hot bed of jazz piano. Piano giants like James P. Johnson, Lucky Roberts, and Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith would play in apartments in Harlem and the money collected went towards the owners rent. In more recent times there has been a resurgence of House Concerts. The idea is that a musician can play a concert in a private home, either for a nominal fee or donations, usually they then have a place to stay and  Darin Welchsomething to eat. The owner of the house can invite interested patrons to attend for a nominal fee. Usually the performing groups are either solo acts or small groups that play acoustically or with minimal amplifications. The audience usually number less than 40. Over recent years Beth Crawley and Sharon Routley, on separate occasions, have hosted House Concerts. We can add Darin  and Jen Welch to the list of music patrons willing to host House Concerts. They have just completed a winter series  in their Driftwood Concert House in Kimberley. They are about to launch their Spring – March/April series that will include the following performers:

Thursday, March 28, 2013:  Belle Plaine from Saskatchewan. Check her web site at Belle Plaine

 Friday, April 19, 2013: David Newberry w/- The Nautical Miles from Vancouver. Check their websites at David Newberry  Nautical Miles

Sunday, April 28, 2013: Christa Couture w/- Jess Hill from Vancouver. Check their websites at Chris Couture  Jess Hill

There are 40 tickets per concert and at $12 they sell out fast. To reserve your ticket contact Darin at the following email address    driftwoodconcerts@gmail.com

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