Free outdoor weekend music concerts continue this weekend with events in Gibsons, Sechelt and Roberts Creek.
The Music in the Landing Series in Gibsons, kicks off on Friday evening, July 25, with powerhouse songstress Brielle Taylor performing under the waterfront gazebo. On Saturday, in Winegarden Park, the three bandmates of Mad Cow — Randy Shepherd, Jim Foster, Darren Cassidy — take to the stage at 5 p.m. for "great harmonies and guitar pickin,'" (in the words of Music in the Landing producer and Art Beat correspondent Kevin Crofton). At 7 p.m., the musicians of Spindrift Street (Garth Bowen, Charlie Veaudry and Randy Shepherd) will perform a lineup infused with country flavour and catchy harmonies.
In Sechelt on Saturday, July 26, the Sechelt Summer Music Series features the Van Aldens. The Van Aldens are a rocking, blues-based band with elements of smooth standards and infectious summer grooves that promise to keep dancers happy. The group features Budge Schachte on guitar, Bill Barclay on keyboard, John Rule on drums, and Steve Schwabl on vocals and harmonica.
In Roberts Creek that afternoon, another all-star lineup has been assembled by producer Graham Walker. It includes the Beachcombers Ukulele Singers (the BUGS), Cat Mac and D. Carver, Anna Lumière and Kiki Connelly, the Slow Sundays Gospel Rock band, and flamenco dancer La Zarmari (who recently delighted spectators at Canada Day festivities in Gibsons). The laid-back event runs from noon to 3:30 p.m. — audience members should bring their own lawn chairs.
Gumboot art runs out soon
The current exhibition by painter Tina Flux continues at the Gumboot Café until July 31, featuring vibrant colours and bold contours that depict the power of nature. Flux's landscapes evoke the Group of Seven, depicting plays of light that are simultaneously invigorating and nostalgic. Her paintings have been collected across Canada, the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.
University-educated in linguistics and speech science, Flux uses paintings to communicate without the need for written language. "What I’ve learned is I don’t always need words to express myself," she said. "I can say what I need to say with paint. When I realized that, my world became better."
A museum on the move
Beloved shíshálh cultural ambassador xets’emits’a Candace Campo (and friends) will lead an Indigenous cultural history tour of Ch’kw’elhp/Gibsons this weekend: Saturday, July 26, from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. Campo's Talaysay Tours company is well-known as being one of the leading Indigenous tourism operators in the region.
The tours are free (thanks to the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives) but registration is required via talaysay-tours.tripworks.com.
Meanwhile, the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives has launched its summer blog series of historical vignettes. The first instalment features a comprehensive account of the Howe Sound Cooperative Cannery, written by University of Victoria humanities undergraduate Gavin Croteau.
Croteau traces the cannery's history from its inception in 1921 to its ultimate liquidation on April 15, 1955. "During the Depression years the Cannery was a great source of employment and pride for the community," Croteau writes. "It created work in the fields, at the Cannery itself, and in shipping which helped the community."
Read the full article at sunshinecoastmuseum.ca/blog.
Belt buckles down
After an unfortunate cancellation (due to health reasons) of their open-air concert last week, Sunshine Coast progressive rock-and-grunge ensemble Belt has announced an upcoming concert at the Roberts Creek Community Hall.
The high-amplitude foursome will be featured on Thursday, Aug. 8 in the company of funk superstars Control Group (Belt's bassist Jack Davis also contributes his prodigious horn skills to Control Group).
Tickets are available online by browsing local EventBrite listings.
