All is in place at the Sechelt Airport on Saturday for the District's 50th anniversary concert celebration. Dozens of helpers are available to direct parking, an abundance of food vendors will provide everything from samosas to lattés. There is even a huge bank of port-a-potties, suitable for a Woodstock event. You could have your hair cut, get a massage or buy hemp clothing on site. A huge stage, reportedly once used at a Beach Boys concert, has been set up alongside the airplane runway, and a smaller stage sits beside it.
All that is needed is an audience.
News of a terrible accident in Selma Park that has closed the highway from Sechelt spreads among the vendors and musicians. There will be no influx of fans from that direction. The wind picks up as if out of spite. Nonetheless, at 3 p.m. jazz musician Blaine Dunaway and pianist Luci Herder are out on the little stage playing regardless -making glorious sounds and fighting a wind that is not kind to violins. As they launch into a Django Reinhardt tune, a doofus stagehand setting up the big stage whistles and barks commands noisily, but the duo play on like troupers. In the small audience, some adults from the Coast String Fiddlers wait for their 5:30 gig. One of the fiddlers arrives breathless; she has had to walk past the accident, then walk from the highway to get to the concert site.
Local guitarist Steve K launches into some favourites, and it is his rendition of a song about B.C., "That's Where I Belong," that draws the first real whistles. Then it is the turn of Roberts Creek singer Randeesh with his Bob Marley tunes and Belize beat, along with Gibsons African dancer Jean-Pierre Makosso and a friend, Kesseke Yeo, a former dancer with the Ivory Coast national ballet, to ignite the crowd's energy. Through the big speakers, the message to spread our love really turns the mood around. Talk about owning the stage!
Drums and Wires - the local band that owes much to the staff of Gibsons Building Supplies - Mike Tandy on vocals and guitar, Murray Wilson on drums and Mike McMillan, bass guitar, also looked good on the big stage. They punched out some rock numbers that you could hear clear to the parking lot. The band will appear again on Aug. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pioneer Square in Gibsons for a free show.
Sunday dawns with a thunderstorm, but the clouds clear for the second day of the concert. Reportedly, Canadian Idol competitor Sarah Loverock has turned up to open the day at 10 a.m. - but who knew she would be there? The lack of audience is becoming embarrassing. Sweatshop Union gives a powerful show, or so I am told. By the time I arrive at 2 p.m., Coast newcomer Janet Panic is on the small stage with her delightful heartfelt song, "Shove It." "Get your own coffee was too long a title," she says. Kinnie Starr, who moved to Sechelt a few years ago, took on the big stage to deliver a high action set with lyrics that run from poetry to great crowd pleasers like "Rock the Boat."
Later, in the backstage tent, Starr says she's lived in Sechelt for two years but keeps a low profile. "I'm not the nightclub type. The stage is the place to let go," she tells me. She came here for the fresh air, nice people and the access to water. She and acquaintance Janet Panic discover that they both now live in Sechelt. "Yeah," says Starr, and gives her the high five. Both sing edgy lyrics, both have some aboriginal background, Starr part Mohawk, Panic part Cree. Panic's day job is working on aboriginal arts TV. She likes lyrics that tell a story - Leonard Cohen is her idol, she tells me. She will appear at an Aug. 12 Métis Festival concert in Vancouver, and here on the Coast at the Roberts Creek Legion on Aug. 19, so you can check out the lyrics for yourself.By 3 p.m. crowds are trickling in and the sun is blazing. Celso Machado, the Brazilian guitar player, astounds with his instrumentals and songs. The Be Good Tanyas, three women from Vancouver who sing folk, blues and country bluegrass, have just returned from the U.K. where they shared a gig with Ozzy Osbourne. They give a plug to local guitar maker Dan Richter as they show off one of his unique instruments before launching into the ballad "I Believe in You."
Local musician Laura Jean Hogan sings her heart out with Local Traffic and puts us all in the country mood. Canadian country recording star Lisa Brokop sings a long and melodic set.
So far, we've enjoyed over 20 hours of concert for $20. While the crowds continue to arrive to see the rock legend Trooper, I turn towards home. Word is Trooper rocked the place, with everyone singing along - and had a grand time doing it!
