Music lovers will find splendour in the sounds of bluegrass and old-time music as the Cowichan Valley Bluegrass Old-Time Music Festival returns to Laketown Ranch just in time for Father's Day weekend from June 13 to 15.
The toe-tapping three day festival celebrates its sixth year in Youbou, and artistic director Bob Remington noted this will be the festival's 20th anniversary. As they celebrate two decades of music, Remington said the emphasis this year is on youth. The festival will showcase two bands that are comprised entirely of teenagers — The Wyatt Ellis Band out of Nashville, and Sweet Sally out of California.
"We are thrilled to have 16-year-old sensation Wyatt Ellis, who's setting the bluegrass world on fire," said Remington. "Wyatt is the most-talked about young artist in bluegrass. He made his Grande Ol’ Opry debut at 14 and has collaborated with bluegrass pioneers Peter Rowan and Marty Stuart, and has appeared alongside every big name in bluegrass including Billy Strings, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Ronnie McCoury and many more. He comes to Cowichan for his Canadian and international debut with one of the most exciting bands in bluegrass today, all teen virtuosos like himself. Sweet Sally is a young trio of teenagers who are amazing players, and The Burnett Sisters band range in age from 18 to 25. We also have six bands that are either all female or led by women, and there is female representation in 70 per cent of our acts. I also can’t overlook The Kody Norris Show. They are consummate entertainers with flashy show suits, and sure to put a smile on your face. "
The other talented acts bringing the beauty of Bluegrass to the three day festival include: George Jackson and Brad Kolodner, Bagatelle, Black Rabbit Rounders, Devilish Mary, The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Paul Silveria, Tammy Fassaert, Tom Nechville, The Doggone Brothers Band, Dobb, Mornaz, and Fremlin, Murfitt and Main, and Jenny Lester and Generation Gap.
"Bluegrass and “old-time" string band music are niche genres that don’t get much mainstream exposure," said Remington. "I tell people it’s the best music they've never heard because it is foundational to what came later; we call it real country music.”
On Friday there's a sold out John Hartford workshop led by The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project Trio — three top female musicians from Nashville who are immersed in the music of the late John Hartford, most famous for writing 'Gentle On My Mind', which was voted one of the top 100 songs of the century by BMI. Famous for his writing, over the span of his career Hartford also recorded and played on 30 albums and wrote nearly 2,000 songs. Participants of the workshop will learn some of Hartford’s material and join the trio on stage.
"Two of the members produced the recent John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project Vol. 2 which was a follow up to the Grammy-nominated Volume 1 of the same title that featured previously unrecorded material discovered after Hartford died in 2001," said Remington.
It takes a village to raise a festival to this standard, and while the event currently has 50 volunteers, they are always in need of more.
"Those volunteering for the full weekend contributing a minimum nine hours get a weekend pass and a free entry in our raffle for a Martin guitar," said Remington.
Whether you are interested in donating your time to make this a good time, or just want to check out the times that some of the best acts you may have never heard are taking the stage you can do so at cowichanbluegrass.com. A weekend pass is $160, while Friday is $65, Saturday, is $100, and it's a deal for dads and guest on Father's Day Sunday with a price of $30 to encourage more local attendance. Those 17 accompanied with an adult will get in free all weekend — tickets will be available at the gate, but advance sales online are encouraged. There are camping options as well as free parking. Music lovers can also opt to join their mailing list while on their website to receive a discount code to this year's Islands Folk Festival.
"Bluegrass festivals are a unique cultural experience. People gather in a 24/7 village atmosphere not only to listen to this music, but to play it, share it and learn it in the oral traditions from which it sprang. The festival is a participatory, rather than a passive, experience. There are spontaneous jam sessions all weekend, and dance and other workshops for people who don’t play an instrument. I hope people leave with an appreciation for a great form of music that exists in the shadow of rock, pop, country, electronic, hip-hop, EDM and other dominant genres. We especially like exposing youngsters to this music. Many of them have never heard pure acoustic music. It’s a bit like stepping back to a simpler time and place."
