Robert Moyes
Special to The Record
Canada’s much-ballyhooed 150th birthday party has faded in a haze of smoke from all the pretty fireworks.
And the musical component of the celebrations, although extensive and certainly impressive, didn’t even try to express this great country’s amazing songwriting history. Addressing that gap, an alternative vision of Canadian music will be showcased on the last evening of this year’s Vancouver Island MusicFest, in a special collaboration called Canada Revisited.
Think of it as listening to a magical national jukebox that contains customized versions of the memorable tunes that exist in people’s hearts (and iPods).
“We didn’t just want a medley of all the usual suspects – there will be some quirkier choices, and tunes ranging from classic to contemporary,” explains MusicFest’s artistic director and executive producer, Doug Cox.
“We will have one song by Leonard Cohen but it won’t be Hallelujah,” he adds with a chuckle. And, according to Cox, the all-Canadian roster of musicians performing these songs will be similarly eclectic.
Superstar guitarist and award-winning producer Steve Dawson was hired as the musical director, and he has put together a remarkable “house band” whose members are flying in two days early to rehearse. “This performance is really going to surprise people,” Cox says.
Aside from bringing his own three-man horn section, Dawson has tapped five very different artists and acts to join him onstage. Ania Soul, despite being an incredible singer-songwriter, one blessed with amazing stage presence, has rarely performed outside of her hometown of Toronto.
Then there’s the incomparable David Vest, a boogie-woogie pianist nonpareil who literally embodies five decades of rock history, having played with everyone from Roy Orbison to Big Joe Turner. “He’s so historically steeped in rock and R&B … I’d hire him every year at the Festival if I could,” asserts Cox.
Now meet Vancouver’s Little Crow, a young duo with wonderful chemistry who plays edgy alt-folk.
“She’s a really engaging singer while he is a talented, modern-style guitarist who avoids the flash and plays cool things that directly support the song,” Cox explains. Another seriously talented and equally unknown duo is Quantum Tangle, who are themselves a glorious tangle of Inuit and Métis heritage. Based in Yellowknife, this Juno-nominated group combines the throat singing and storytelling of Tiffany Ayalik’s Inuit ancestry with the soulful, blues-based music of guitarist Grey Grit, who has collaborated with the likes of Pura Fe and Guy Davis.
Notes Cox: “These two are really interesting, especially in the way that Tiffany makes throat singing so accessible.”
And rounding out this all-star ensemble is Alberta-based country songwriter Matt Patershuk, who sings in a characterful, expressive baritone about love and sadness and other universal conditions. According to Cox, Patershuk has lots in common with evocative, truth-telling songwriters like Ian Tyson and Greg Brown: “Matt is pretty special.”
This delightful cast of musical characters is just some of the Canadian talent represented on the various stages at the 2017 MusicFest.
“Although I feel that an important part of my job is to nurture and present this country’s musical artists, my first duty is always to the audience,” states Cox. “Luckily, Canada has world class musicians in a lot of different genres, so I can always do programming that is exciting.”
So, who else does he think is worth checking out this year? Guitar stars Colin Linden and Stephen Fearing – two-thirds of roots legends Blackie and the Rodeo Kings – are appearing separately and have long been celebrated as singer-songwriter royalty.
Fans of traditional folksingers like Stan Rogers should definitely check out Mike McKenna Jr., a haunting and deeply authentic balladeer from the Maritimes. Equally authentic are Pharis and Jason Romero, who met over a mutual love of old-timey music and have carved out a unique acoustic niche.
“They’re busy raising their kids and only occasionally go on the road … and yet they’re one of the finest old-time country duos on the planet,” marvels Cox. “They’re like Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.”
And then there’s all the fascinating music coming out of Quebec these days. Although the “trad” sounds of bands like La Bottine Souriante remain popular, Cox has booked some more contemporary groups such as Maz (“Quebecois meets Cajun meets jazz improv”), Melisande (“Francophone-flavoured hip-hop”), and Ilam (“this great singer from Senegal is representative of the huge and thriving world music scene in Montreal”).
And let’s end this far-from-complete honour roll of notable Canadian musicians with the incomparable Bruce Cockburn, who has been an icon for several decades and remains a vital artist.
“This is a person who actually says something in his songs,” declares Cox. “He is absolutely still growing as an artist … and he speaks from his heart and for his age. He always speaks his truth.”
–Robert Moyes is a Victoria-based arts journalist with a particular interest in music.