A Sunshine Coast musician is thumbing his nose at coastal ferry service, opting instead to rely on the power of wind.
Brett Wildeman, a Sechelt-based folk musician, will be setting sail with his bandmates on a five-day sail tour. They will traverse the Strait of Georgia aboard The Betina, a 1980’s 27-foot Catalina sailboat, and play nights on the gulf islands as well as on Vancouver Island and Powell River.
The tour follows in the footsteps of his 2013 carbon neutral cycling tour.
“Last summer my drummer, John, suggested a sailing camping trip, but due to my touring commitments and our conflicting schedules it never happened,” said Wildeman. “During the winter we began brainstorming potential routes for touring by sailboat. It has been months in the making so we are excited.”
Comox Valley musician Annie Becker will be joining the band as a special guest to play the Lasqueti and Texada island dates as well as in Powell River.
Wildeman said he met Becker last summer on Haida Gwaii and is looking forward to playing alongside her again.
Wildeman and his band mates, John Tipping, captain of the sailboat, and Thomas Biederman have spent the winter months refining what Wildeman calls their “raw coastal folk” sound.
“We’re trying to make the music a bit more groovy and upbeat,” he said.
Audiences can expect to hear more songs from the singer-songwriter’s debut album Mother Earth as well as a number of yet unreleased tracks from the upcoming EP Demolished Demos, said Wildeman.
Readers interested in listening to some tracks from the EP can sample the work on the group’s bandcamp page.
Information about each of Wildeman’s shows is available online.
