The Wheat in the Barley, a Vancouver/White Rock based band, will be making the Sunshine Coast their second home during the month of January.
During a period of eight days they will be presenting their educational school show to 10 elementary schools from Gibsons to Halfmoon Bay and presenting a concert at Gibsons Heritage Theatre, Saturday, Jan. 23 at 8 p.m.
Like the Coast's Rakish Angles, Victoria's The Bills, Winnipeg's The Duhks, Edmonton's The McDades and Vancouver's Paperboys, The Wheat in the Barley take folk music and launch it into the future with innovative arrangements, genre mixing and dazzling solos. The Wheat in the Barley pays particular attention to Canadian roots and multicultural aspects.
Founder and leader Steve Gidora is no stranger to the Coast and to many of the local musicians spanning a couple of decades.
In the early days, he befriended the late Bob Carpenter and over the years has put together shows with Blaine Duna-way, Lowry Olafson and Gary McGuire. Most of these performances took place at Roberts Creek Hall and Gibsons Heritage Theatre.
Their latest CD, Can't Draw the Curtain, has a special connection to the Coast with the song No Regrets that Gidora wrote in memory of his late uncle Kostyn Gidora, who with his wife Bev ran the Gidora farm in Halfmoon Bay. He was the band's chief booster on the Coast. Anyone who knew Kostyn knew about the band.
Also appearing in the concert is special guest Gary McGuire, a long-time friend of Gidora. He played on the band's third CD, After the Battle, which includes two of his mandolin compositions. The other guest performers are the Coast String Fiddlers group, Bad to the Bow, directed by Chelsea Sleep. The special connection to the Coast continues as Kostyn's grandson Oliver Gidora is in that group.
Tickets for the Jan. 23 concert are $15, available at Hallmark Cards, Wild Bistro, MELOmania and WindSong Gallery.
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