There’s a new face at the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues office.
And if the wide, engaging grin and enthusiastic plans are an indication, the operation of one of the summer’s hottest shows is in good hands.
Jay Scott is the new general manager and brings a wealth of experience in the music field with him.
He has desire to not only maintain the festival’s reputation as the hottest ticket in town, but build on it in the years ahead.
“I have never seen a festival community with such goodwill and with so many volunteers and so much co-operation,” he says. “People come in every day, saying they’ve been going to the festival for 15 years, others say they came for seven years but can’t make it this year and they’re almost crying.”
Scott calls this support an amazing legacy former artistic director Hugo Rampen and others have created by their hard work.
“I want to make sure that’s maintained and advanced, not diminished,” he says, pointing out that, as general manager, he is in charge of everything other than the bookings for this family friendly event. “People of all ages come and enjoy the environment, knowing they’re not going to a wild rave or angry metal fest.”
Testament to the festival’s appeal is the record ticket sales still almost four months out.
Scott began his music career in 1981, working as a DJ on a UBC interview show and running a battle of the bands contest.
In 1985 he launched a company called Cattle Prod that promoted concerts, booked tours and launched the Canadian Independent Music Festival in 1986 and ’87.
Then came a stint tour managing bands across Europe and North America, primarily D.O.A., a hardcore punk band from Vancouver.
Scott then became manager for Music West, worked with Laurie Mercer at Wrong Records and produced the Slam City Jam, the North American Skateboarding Championships.
Playing his first gig in Grade 7, Scott later produced and played piano in a show with a group called Four on the Floor, something he describes as odd, because there were actually five musicians.
“I could play and read music but I was terrible. But I think it helped me recognize talent in others,” he laughs. “I am not a frustrated musician, I just wanted to put others on stage so I could see them.”
After 12 years in the industry, Scott moved on to video game development, working in Canada, the UK, Ireland and India. At the same time, he continued to license music for video games and commission soundtracks.
“I came back to Armstrong to the family farm to rebuild it and care for my elderly parents,” he says. “And I got an opportunity to walk into this amazing festival.”
Scott says the recently announced $20,000 in funding the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society will receive from the B.C. Arts Council will be used to fund operating activities for this year’s festival to be held Aug. 15 to 17.
But another provincial government announcement will have no effect on this year’s festival.
On Monday, Victoria announced changes to the province’s liquor laws that remove the need for cordoned-off beer gardens at family friendly festivals.
But Roots and Blues Festival organizers have real concerns about taking down the ropes.
“The main thing is, it turns the entire festival site into a beer garden,” says Scott. “I don’t know if we want that, and if we did, we’d need massive paid security to manage it.”
