This year’s Chemainus Bluegrass Festival will feature talented performers from near and far, ranging from young rising stars from California to long-time favourites from Vancouver Island.
The 2014 Chemainus Bluegrass Festival takes place July 26 and 27 and features Steep Ravine, 5 On A String, the Tishomingo String Band, Bluegrass Fever, and The Moon Riders.
Steep Ravine guitarist and lead vocalist Simon Linsteadt and violinist Jan Purat began playing music together in high school and later moved on to study music at UC Santa Cruz, where they fortuitously met mandolinist Andy O’Brien and bassist Alex Bice.
Trampin’ On, the band’s new album of originals, showcases Steep Ravine’s musical prowess, blending melodic verse, tight harmonies, and rich instrumentals. The diverse musical backgrounds of the band mates are featured, which encompass classical, jazz, and funk.
5 On A String band was founded in September 1989, and their home base is Vancouver. The band has always leaned toward traditional bluegrass, with some original tunes and the occasional foray into old-style country music like Merle Haggard and sometimes even Fats Domino.
For the past 10 years, the Tishomingo String Band has been treating Vancouver audiences to its own brand of high-energy acoustic music. Featuring Jacob Russell on mandolin, Colin Cowan on upright bass, Chris Russell on guitar and Devon Wells on banjo, the group performs original and traditional material that runs the gamut from tender ballads to barn burning instrumentals.
Bluegrass Fever is based on Vancouver Island and plays traditional, modern and original bluegrass. Over the years, they have become the host band for this festival.
“Bluegrass Fever has developed a solid reputation as one of the most crowd-pleasing bluegrass bands,” according to the website.
This year, there will be a little old-time country music at the festival as well. The Moon Riders played one set on Sunday afternoon at last year’s festival, and they proved to be very popular, so they are back for both days of the festival.
Bob Johns, who performs with Bluegrass Fever and is also president of the Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society (CVCAS), which is presenting the festival, is particularly excited to see Steep Ravine.
“I’m excited for all the bands, but the guys from California are coming a long way, and I’m looking forward to seeing them,” he said. “They just went on a national tour, and they’re rising stars down there.”
Johns says Vancouver’s 5 On A String is always a favourite at the festival, and he is also looking forward to seeing the Tishomingo String Band, another Vancouver band, live.
Johns says there isn’t anything too different planned for this year’s event.
“We’ve kind of settled into our two-day format, which we’ve just been doing for a couple of years now,” he said. “We’re looking forward to that. We don’t want to mess too much with what people seem to enjoy.”
Johns says that about 1,000 people usually come to the festival.
“It’s not a big festival as far as bluegrass festivals go, but it’s a very friendly festival,” he said. “I know the guest band we had from the U.S. a couple of years ago said we should keep it the way it is, a nice, friendly festival. I think it’s that nice setting in Waterwheel Park that really makes the festival what it is.”
For people who may not be very familiar with bluegrass music, Johns describes it as “a little bit of everything.”
“It’s a little bit of country, a little bit of traditional mountain music, a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll, all rolled into one,” he said. “The bands are usually a pretty similar makeup with the instruments. I once heard someone say it’s like rock ‘n’ roll on steroids. It has a very solid beat, and people can’t stop themselves from dancing. And, of course, the vocal harmonies are another big part of it.”
The Chemainus Bluegrass Festival runs Saturday, July 26 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Waterwheel Park and Sunday, July 27 from noon to 6 p.m. at Waterwheel Park. Admission is by donation (suggested as $15 on Saturday and $10 on Sunday).
For more information, visit www.chemainusbluegrass.com.
Johns says they are always looking for more volunteers, and anyone who is interested can visit the website and fill out a volunteer form.
