Martyn Joseph - All This Time (BC Song)

Hauntingly beautiful song written and performed by Martyn Joseph.


2010 - so far

It's been a little while since we scribbled a few lines in the blog. For that I apologize! Life has been very busy but too busy to write a few lines? I don't think so! Has anyone else discovered that blogging sometimes can be a test of endurance and stamina? There are times when it seems easy and times when it feels hard. I've been going through one of those 'hard' times recently, knowing I should be getting something written but not actually getting it done. FINALLY though, I'm pushing through and scribbling!
So - 2010, just over a month old and already eventful. We had our first 2010 VCAFE in January which saw Sherry Funk get back into the groove and featured a reunion of Smith, Funk and Strauss which everybody loved. Our feature was Graham Ord and the evening was just really cool. A wonderful feature of VCAFE is that people bring their original songs and that they are what they are and so it's always different. Garaham brought a sense of spirituality to his set, posing some interesting questions.... good stuff!
Last week The Team had the immense pleasure of attending the Kelowna Folk Club and seeing Welshman Martyn Joseph in concert. What an amazing performer! Songs of reflection, introspection, poetry, passion, fight and humour all mixed up into a magical evening that few will forget, I'm sure. Martyn has agreed in principle to try to make it to Vernon on his next Canadian visit (which is every year). I CAN"T WAIT!
And so....tomorrow we have our February VCAFE featuring the talented Ari Neufeld. This will be an amazing show and will give me the spur to write during the week and not put off the deed for too long. My stamina is building again!

Kailee Duggan - You're So Small

Kailee Duggan from November's VCAFE

Corey Doak's humourous hip hop tribute to Yo-Yo Ma

The other Blues Brothers...

Last Sunday VCAFE hosted the Strauss Ord band featuring Graham Ord, Norm Strauss, bass player Dave Moore and drummer Jordan Strauss at a special VCAFE which focused a little more on gospel blues & inspirational/worship music. There was a heap of talent on the VCAFE stage that night, that is for sure as the band wound their way through a selection of gospel blues covers and originals. The foursome had spent some time in Germany and UK this past summer so this was a chance for them to reunite and bring their chops to the Okanagan where they all live but where no one, except the Streaming Cafe audience a few weeks ago had had a chance to see them. Needless to say, the response was hugely positive. Yes, it was a little louder than a regular VCAFE, but it's not like that happens every time, eh?
December's VCAFE takes place this week on Saturday and hopefully we'll continue the trend of good turnouts as we watch long time performer Betty Anne Northup who has been gracing stages for more than 35 years.
Oh yes - a big thank you to our official VCAFE photographer Kevin Kienlein who's starting to gather a great bunch of pictures - some of which we'll start to post
It's always a sad day when influential people pass away, so I tip my hat to Derek Hughes, a former principal in the UK, who was influential in my life and career who left us on Wednesday. Thank You, Derek.

So much music, so little time...

Greg Sczebel hit town with the band and with the new CD "Love and the lack thereof" Wednesday night. The band were astonishingly good, even though they'd not been together for about 6 weeks, and Greg brought his usual charm and 'down to earthness' to the evening and everybody loved him to bits long before the show was over! Saturday saw Jane Eamon conduct a songwriting workshop at the VCAFE premises. The small but entusiastic group were challenged beyond their regular comfort zones. All learned new skills and strategies and were inspired just to be in the presence of other songwriters.
Coming up this week is a first in the "Worship VCAFE" series. This will be on Sunday November 29th and will feature Norm Strauss and Graham Ord and band. The evening starts at 7pm and although entrance is free, a donation box will be available.
December 5th is our next VCAFE regular, and our feature performer will be Betty Anne Northup.
I've often wondered what it takes to get people out to music events and support the arts. While it's not possible to force people to come out to events, it is necessary to put on enough events for people to come to - hence the mantra of VCAFE is to "Keep Music Live". If you're not a regular supporter, have a think about attending one of the upcoming shows. See you there!

Sherie Erickson - "Dream" - VCAFE Oct 2009