Maybe summer is looking more festive after all.
Harrison Festival Society recently announced the return of live music courtesy of Bentall Taylor Ulrich, coming to Agassiz on July 11 from 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
While the tickets sold out within less than 12 hours of the announcement, worry not, live music fans; the concern will be professionally filmed. Though not live-streamed, the concert will be available via Harrison Festival’s website when editing is done and digital and DVD copies will be made available for those who wish to support the Festival and the artists.
RELATED: Organizers cancel Harrison Festival of the Arts this summer due to COVID-19
“With the cancellation of the 2020 Harrison Festival of the Arts and bountiful options for online streaming to compete with, we’ve decided to drastically reduce our programming and do a series of small, intimate concerts,” reads a statement from the Harrison Festival Society. “This seems like a reasonable alternative to our typically busy and tight-quarters Festival.”
The concerts are divided into two performances with each guest following physical distancing protocols and other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Bentall Taylor Ulrich, or BTU for short, consists of Barney Bentall, Tom Taylor and Shari Ulrich, first playing together in November 2007 at a songwriter concert on Bowen Island.
Barney Bentall toured Canada with his band The Legendary Hearts back in the 80s and 90s before leaving show business for the life of a cattle rancher. In 2006, he recorded his first solo record, Gift Horse.
RELATED: ‘Cautious and measured’: Harrison Festival of the Arts summer planning underway
Tom Taylor spent most of his musical career with the Vancouver cult band She Stole My Beer. He recorded his first solo album a year before Bentall dropped his, with 2005’s King of July.
Shari Ulrich is a multi-instrument talent who got her started in the early 70s with Pied Pumpkin. She has two Juno awards to her name as well as several nominations. Her eighth solo album Everywhere I Go earned her Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
In April, Festival organizers announced the official cancellations after a little bit of hope in March that events might be moving forward.
“We feel it would be irresponsible to produce a live event that puts the safety of [our volunteers] at risk, and of course the safety of the audience, staff and performers,” said executive director “Andy Hilhouse in a statement.
With the province entering a new phase of the ongoing pandemic, the Harrison Festival Society teased “a few exciting announcements to come,” which could mean while the big Festival of the Arts is on hold for this year, the arts will still make their presence known in the area.
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:news@ahobserver.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation here.
