Pierre Couture’s dream is living on.
The Dream Café general manager, who regularly hosts some of the most talented musical acts that can fit into a small venue, has announced through the Dream Café Co-op that the second Dream Music Festival will be happening on May 13 and 14.
“Last year’s lineup was pretty perfect, it would be hard for me to find anything wrong with the festival at all,” Couture said. “This year’s will be along the same lines except there’re more women involved.”
The festival is booked in the same venue at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre.
“There’s really not that much difference except one holds 900 and one holds 100,” he said. “I think last year we showed that we could make the place really intimate as well, even with 900 people. And that’s what we strive for, the whole picture worked well together.”
New faces at the 2016 festival will be Mike Farris, who won a Grammy earlier this year for Best Roots/Gospel CD of the Year; gospel singers the Sojourners’, who blend R&B, country, doo wop and the blues with their roots style; Naomi Wachira, whose music is often reflective of Miriam Makeba and Tracy Chapman – prominent female songwriters to come before her; blues jazz vocalist Shakura S’aida who was born in Brooklyn, New York, raised in Switzerland, and has been making music in Canada for the past 30 years; former leader of Canadian rock band Junkhouse Tom Wilson (sometimes known as Lee Harvey Osmond), who will be joined on stage by his son Thomspon; the Silverscreen Scoundrels, who harmonize their blues music with old-fashioned antics on film; and Gary Comeau, who brings a New Orleans rockin’ roots and blues sound to the show.
Musicians doubling back to the Dream Festival are Vancouver pianist Michael Kaeshammer; multiple Juno winner Bill Bourne; Juno Award winner Rita Chiarelli; legendary blues man Jim Byrnes; and rockabilly-roots guitarist Paul Pigat.
All musicians will can rely on instrumental support from the “all star” band, consisting of Chris Nordquist, Jerry Cook, Keith Bennett and Rob Becker.
“Some of them you’ll have seen at the dream, some not,” Couture said. “The people of Penticton had a really positive experience last year based on the feedback we’ve been getting.”
Although the festival consists of more than a dozen performers, it will be presented in a concert format, to which every musician will perform on the same stage. According to the press release, guests will be “wrapped in music from the moment you step inside the front entrance, helping you get the smile on your face, your adrenaline pumping, your toes tapping and your hands ready to clap – with the beat and in acknowledgement of the wave of music overwhelming you during the evening.”
Tickets will cost between $59 and $89 and go on sale on Dec. 7. They’re available at the at the South Okanagan Events Centre box office and online at goo.gl/3I6AHy.
