A quartet of local singer-songwriters is poking its collective heads out of the studio to give fans a musical progress report.
Paul Bezooyen, Bob Enns, Mary Faherty and Dave Kilbank are in the midst of recording new CDs for the Hermit’s Music labal, a collaborative enterprise led by Bezooyen and Kilbank. The musicians will perform together at the Unitarian Hall on May 5.
“Because we’ve been sort of in the recording mode for several months getting these projects going, we thought it was time we got out and did a live show and shared some of the new music that we’re working on,” Kilbank said.
Faherty will kick off the first set, followed by Enns, whom Kilbank describes as a “storyteller in song.”
“He’s got some really funny stories and some really touching stories and some slices of life,” Kilbank said.
After intermission, Bezooyen will take to the stage before being joined by Kilbank. All four musicians will then come together for a grande finale.
The performers will give listeners an advanced sample of their new material before hard copies are available. Enns’s album is in the final stages and will likely be done this summer, Kilbank and Bezooyen’s CDs will be ready in the fall and Faherty’s record will be out before the end of the year.
Kilbank said his record will be a double album, with one CD dedicated to redone older songs while the other one is composed of new material written over the last two years. He calls it Young and Old.
Bezooyen started the Hermit’s Music in the 1990s, with Kilbank joining on in 2010. Since then the duo has built the label around artists met through the Nanaimo Songwriter’s Circle, a monthly meeting where musicians share original songs. There are currently six artists on the label’s roster, with Kilbank doubling as chief producer and Bezooyen as graphic artist.
“The group just kind of grew out of the people whose music we liked the best and who were looking for the kind of help we could offer…” Kilbank said.
“How all the artists pay us for their work is by offering their services for free on other people’s projects. So it’s a real good little co-operative and of course the personal makeup of the people is important in this group, too, because we spend a lot of time together.”
WHAT’S ON … The Hermit’s Music Songwriter Showcase comes to the Unitarian Hall on Saturday, May 5. Doors at 6:40 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and include a Hermit’s CD. Available at the door or in advance at Fascinating Rhythm or www.thehermitsmusic.com. For reservations call 250-754-9896.
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