Imagine a gathering of some of the finest blues and roots musicians across the country, converging in the Comox Valley, to play an amazing one-of-a-kind concert.
This Saturday at 7 p.m., the Hornby Island Blues Society will perform its 2011 Blues Odyssey concert at the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay.
This concert will feature some of the best award-winning blues players, such as Rick Fines and Ken Hamm, arguably the best acoustic finger-style and slide guitarists on the Canadian blues circuit.
David Gogo and Lester Quitzau will showcase blistering electric guitar licks and Julian Fauth, soulful singer and barrelhouse piano player, performs in the tradition of pre-war acoustic blues.
Gary Preston is presenting a delicious mix of blues and boogie on harmonica, and Suzie Vinnick and Little Miss Higgins will offer amazing blues vocals.
These superior blues musicians and more will all come together onstage supported by Gary Kendall, one of the best-known bassists on Canada’s blues scene and Billy Hicks, one of the most highly regarded drummer/percussionists.
The Hornby Island Blues Society (www.hornby-blues.bc.ca) was formed in 1999 with a mandate to bring blues performers to Vancouver Island and to create a greater awareness of Canadian blues music and the depth these Canadian musicians have to offer. From this society, one of Canada’s premier blues instructional camps was born.
The Hornby Island Blues Society will host a significant workshop known as Blues Week prior to the concert at the Sid Williams Theatre.
The purpose of the blues workshop, now in its 12th year, is to expose students to the skills and styles of stellar Canadian blues musicians and cover a wide variety of instruments and blues-playing styles.
Students and musicians all congregate at the community hall, where during the week they will reinforce a vibrant rural music scene. Besides awarding two scholarships to its workshops every year, the Hornby Island Blues Society brings Blues in the Schools to various school districts and hosts four or five concerts a year on Hornby Island in addition to a major concert held at the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay.
With all of that raw “blues” energy happening at the workshop, one thing is for certain: the concert at the Sid theatre will undeniably create an electric and powerful musical evening to remember.
The Hornby Island Blues Odyssey 2011 concert, sponsored by The Eagle FM 97.3 and Canpages, will perform at the Sid Williams Theatre on May 14 at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $40 regular, $35 members and $10 students, sold either at the Sid (250-338-2430) or online at www.sidwilliamstheatre.com.
— Sid Williams Theatre