History will probably not be kind to grunge music.
There’s the yarling (not a typo!); the meticulously curated slacker aesthetic (trying very hard to look like you’re not trying); the sneering ’90s ironic detachment. And then there’s what came next: Creed, Staind, Nickelback.
Musical fashions come and go, but what ultimately lives on are great songs. Timeless songwriting transcends genre and the trappings of any given era - maybe even yarling. Great songwriting spans generations. Very few artists achieve this timelessness. Nirvana - and more specifically Kurt Cobain - is one of those rare artists. On Oct. 7, there will be a celebration of the music of Nirvana with a gathering of artists from the Comox Valley. Each artist will cover two Nirvana songs. This will be an evening of creative interpretation, collaboration, and homage to Cobain’s timeless songs.
When local music and art collective CVGBs started discussing the possibility of a covers night, Nirvana seemed like the obvious choice. CVGBs’ partner Rory McClure is the brainchild behind this event and explains the choice.
“Nirvana is probably the most universally loved band of the last 30 years,’ he said. “They’re popular with the millennials who experienced Nirvana in their adolescence. They’re also popular with older folks. Even the Zoomers like Nirvana. Kurt Cobain represents a kind of effortless cool while being sincere and authentic - a very special and rare quality - and that has helped ensure his enduring relevance. Artists from unlikely genres take inspiration from Nirvana. There’s a reason artists like Jay Z, Denzel Curry, and Kendrick Lamar continue to reference Kurt Cobain.”
As not only a massive Nirvana fan, and promoter of the event, McClure also plays in three of the acts performing that night (Ofcosmos, Sonder, and Suffer fools!)
The event will feature an eclectic group of artists performing in a wide range of styles and genres. There will be heavier acts for a more faithful rendering (Bad State, Sonder), electronic-oriented acts that will re-imagine classic songs (Avro, suffer fools, Wylie Mar), garage, indie, and rock ’n’ roll interpretations by Happy For You, Pink Plagues, Pranatricks, and Dani Blond & the Velvet Grip, and world and folk-oriented acts who will put their own special spin on things (Ofcosmos, Tereza Tomek, Trombonissimo).
All are welcome to join A Cumberland Tribute To Nirvana at the Masonic Hall on Saturday, Oct. 7. Doors are at 8 p.m. and music will start at 8:30 p.m.
For tickets, visit cvgbs.tickit.ca/events/20908