Angelique Francis puts on a great show to wrap up MusicFest 2023

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

The sun was back out on Sunday, July 16 for the final day of MusicFest and temperatures were again going to be in the mid 20 C so it promised to be a great day for listening to music as long as you coustay cool. We always like the Gospel session in the Concert Bowl and this year was no different. The energetic collaboration of 4 groups had the audience up and dancing on the lawn. Nikki D even got out and danced with the hand clapping enthusiastic audience!!

                            The Gospel session had the large audience up and dancing - don't miss this next year!!

Next we took on a session on the Grierson Stage (called Musical Travellers) which allows you to hear performers that you haven’t heard since it featured several groups playing individually and at times together. After all with 6 stages going on almost all at the same time you obviously can’t hear everyone perform individually so the collaborations that are featured in the Barn and at the Grierson stage are ideal for getting a chance to hear several groups at once.   

 The Grierson stage is perfect for catching a variety of groups playing at one time-Shown here Dougyang Gozupa from Korea

 We ate lunch watching The Blue and Gold which is another group composed of young musicians and we really appreciated their brand of the blues. Watch for them if appreciate country –blues style music. We then took a break and went for a swim in the nearby Puntledge River which really cooled us off. We recommend this for those hot days when you really need to cool your whole body. Totally refreshed we returned to the Barn to hear another collaboration called “Fiddle Me This” composed of fiddlers from many different groups.  We are big fans of fiddle music and appreciated the varied individual and impromptu jamming that we heard in this gathering. 

                                 Kalissa Landa (left) and Daniel Lapp fiddle up a storm in "Fiddle me this"

 We ended the evening in the main concert bowl where the show started with the Jack Semple band and then we were bowled over by Angelique Francis who is just off winning a 2023 Juno for best Blues Album of the Year!! We loved her energy and her band is composed of members of her family with dad on drums. They got most people up dancing and they are a “don’t miss” if you get a chance to see them. The evening finished with the Bros Landreth and Curtis Clearsky and the Constellationz to wrap up another great Vancouver Island Music Fest. Don’t miss next year’s event and we will see you there.For more info see www.islandmusicfest.com

           2023 Juno Award Winner- Angelique Francis and her band put on a high energy set in the Concert Bowl

Staying Cool at the Vancouver Island MusicFest

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

Saturday, July 15 was forecast to have temperatures in the high 20 C and humidex values abit higher so the name of the game for much of Saturday was staying cool. The water fill location got lots of use as did the mobile water fill ups run by some of the 1300 MusicFest volunteers. Congrats to all the volunteers. For us it was a day of sampling the amazing variety that Doug Cox brings together for MusicFest. For instance, we caught Out of Bark and Bone, a dance group from Montreal to start on the main stage.

                                 Out of Bone and Bark - a dance company from Montreal performed on the Main Stage

From there we sought shade and wanted to hear one of the young guitarists invited to MusicFest – Liam Docherty who was at the Grassy Knoll Stage. He has been playing publicly since he was 7 and has been the youngest person to be nominated for Maple Blues Award! Then it was into the Barn where we knew we would have shade but the fact that the place was packed meant that you really didn’t cool down. The set we saw was called “Groove a Go-Go” and featured Jack Semple, the Paperboys and Sprig of That. They played their own music but then did a fun collaboration which produced a standing ovation from the full house. 

                                                    The Paperboys wowed the crowd in the Barn

Then it was to our favourite stage for beating the heat- the Woodland Stage to hear Persian powerhouse Tissa Rahim followed by Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman who played banjo and fiddle. Both groups features young performers which is great to see at the festival. Then we took a break in the afternoon to cool off and recalibrate for the evening performances in the Concert Bowl. 

                                                Tissa Rahim is a young singer to keep your eye on

We caught part of the Brother Brothers who was followed by Roy Forbes and then headliner Rickie Lee Jones took to the stage. She is a Grammy Award winner who has who has just written a book about her life called Last Chance Texaco. Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Galactic followed Rickie Lee Jones to conclude the evening. And there is still a full day to come. For more info on Sunday’s performers  see www.islandmusicfest.com  See you tomorrow.

 

                                Rickie Lee Jones headlined the evening performance on the Main Stage on Saturday

Sarah McLachlan opens Vancouver Island MusicFest in fine form

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Friday, July 14 offered a perfect night for enjoying a wide range of music at the Vancouver Island MusicFest. Temperatures were ideal and wispy clouds streaked the sky. My brother and his wife from Victoria joined us again this year and by the time they arrived and we had a quick bite to eat we were just in time to see STORRY who was nominated for a 2021 Juno Award in the Adult Contemporary Album alongside the likes of Celine Dion and Alanis Morrissette.

        Grammy and Juno award winner Sarah McLachlan put on a performance the MusicFest crowd won't soon forget

Next up was Nikki D and the Sisters of Thunder who hail from Toledo, Ohio and Nikki D wowed the crowd last year as part of HER MAJESTY. It is not often that artists return 2 years in a row to MusicFest but she was invited back this year with her band, The Sisters of Thunder. She had the crowd up and dancing with their brand of gospel /blues and they even incorporated the name of street that runs along side MusicFest – Headquarters Road-- into one of their songs.

                                    There was a huge crowd for the opening night in front of the Concert Bowl stage

They were followed by the legendary Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan from Vancouver. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and has won 3 Grammy Awards and 12 Juno Awards!! She gave an amazing heartfelt performance and returned to do a couple of encores to an appreciative crowd for which she received a well deserved standing ovation. Blackburn , an R and B band from Toronto, rounded out the type of highly varied Concert Bowl Evening Performances that MusicFest fans have come to expect.

                                                            Nikki D energized the crowd with her band on opening night

And this was just the first night. There are 2 more days of music to come, so if you haven’t got your ticket come on down and listen to some of the best music the Comox Valley will feature this summer. With the weekend forecast to be hot and sunny you need to be prepared so bring plenty of sunscreen, water bottle (plastic), sun hat, low rise or high rise chair, tarp or blanket, flashlight, munchies, and sunglasses. Again this year there will be a shuttle for those that don’t want to park near the Exhibition Grounds, the MusicFest site. First Student shuttles will be travelling back and forth from the Driftwood Mall in Courtenay and the Comox Presbyterian Church in Comox. The shuttles will run until 1 am every evening and if that shuttle is full they will return for remaining riders. For more information see: www.islandmusicfest.com. See you there.

Tips for tubing the Puntledge River in Courtenay

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

It has been a record breaking summer in the Comox Valley in terms of heat and drought conditions but fortunately with dams on the Puntledge River, water levels can be controlled which is good news for “tubers”. Tubing is an institution here and for good reason –it is a great way to cool off on those hot summer days. With a forecast of 2 more weeks of warm weather ahead it is certainly a perfect opportunity to dig out that tube and head down the Puntledge River in Courtenay, B.C. if you haven’t already done so. So far this year we have been done the river several times so here are some tips that we can share if you are new to tubing. Tip 1 -Where to put in? Many people start at the fish hatchery on Powerhouse Road.  Park near the fish hatchery access road and walk around or past the gate. Part way down you will see a sign pointing to “Tubers Trail” and take that to the put in. This trail is steep and slippery in places so may not be suited to people with smaller children.   The section from Powerhouse Road to Puntledge Park is abit faster with more rapids than the lower section from Puntledge Park to either the Condensory Bridge or Lewis Park (see Tip 6 for first timers)  Tip 2-Good footwear really helps on this section and we tend you use kayak booties or well fitted water shoes since they give reasonable grip and are great for protecting your feet once you are in the river. Tip 3- We sometimes use a kayak paddle to help steer and manoeuvre but most people don’t use one. If you have one bring it along since tubes on their own are not very manoeuvrable. 

                             Heather and Keith in the easier section below Puntledge Park 

Tip 4- We also have found that putting a life jacket over the mesh on the bottom of the tube keeps your bum and lower back from hitting too many rocks. If you are using a truck inner tube keep your “bum up” when you go over rapids to avoid hitting “bottom” in the shallow sections. We hear people complain all the time about the rocks that they hit and how sore their back or bum is- a life jacket in the bottom really helps. The photo below shows our set up -the life jackets neatly fit across the bottom of the tube and rest on the mesh. Tip 5- Bring along a real water proof case for car keys or anything else you don’t want to get wet. A ziplock bag likely won’t cut it. Tip 6-First timers or those with younger children may want to do just the lower section starting from Puntledge Park and we suggest a pull out just below the Condensory Bridge since the last part can be slow, especially if there is a high tide. For newcomers to the Comox Valley,  Puntledge Park is at the intersection of 1^st and Urquhart Avenue and the Condensory Bridge is off of Anderton Avenue.  For those that want a real float with few rapids then the trip from Condensory Bridge to Lewis Park is recommended. Tip 7- Since the river is dam controlled water levels can change from day to day so be aware of warnings posted along the river. Tubing shouldn’t be taken lightly and accidents do happen on the river. Look ahead and be prepared to get off of the river if you see hazards ahead. Although few people wear  life jackets they are recommended for people who are poor swmmers. Tubing is an institution in the Comox Valley and it is the ideal way to spend a couple of hours on a warm day.

                                      Keith in the faster upper section with more rapids