Whitehorse-based singer-songwriter Grant Simpson will be in Powell River for a Home Routes concert on Saturday, November 24.
Simpson has jumped in for the Powell River show on Salmonberry circuit after Mark Ross was unable to play.
Simpson has been touring Canada this fall with Kate Weekes promoting their 2011 album, Beneath the Yukon Moon. Weekes has to be in Whitehorse that weekend for a concert, so Simpson will be teaming up with longtime friend and fellow musician Vancouver-based Don Ogilvie for the Powell River show.
Simpson’s roots lie in Canadian folk music and traditional jazz. He is known for his songs that include a wide array of characters from his travels and experiences over the past 30 years as a touring musician. His song, “Watch Sylvia Ride,” which depicts the life of one of Yukon’s most famous cowgirls, was featured in a British magazine this past September. His songs “I’m going to name my Gypsy Wagon after you,” and “The Moon is Halfway to Wednesday” have been covered by bands throughout Canada.
Simpson and Ogilvie have been playing together for the past seven years. They have toured throughout Canada and appeared in Shanghai and at the Nanjing Jazz and World Music Festival in China.
“It’s not an issue of finding enough to play,” said Simpson. “It’s trying to weed it all down to what we can include.”
Simpson said he’ll be doing a lot of his own tunes and Ogilvie will be joining him on those, but they’ll also throw in “some djangoesque stuff and try to make a diversified show.”
This is Simpson’s fourth Home Routes home concert tour and he said it’s been a great way for him to meet new friends, but he admits it took a bit to get used to performing this way.
“It’s a little different than a conventional way of performing,” he said. “But once I got on to it, I just loved it. It’s a wonderful way to experience music and a really wonderful way to perform.”
Musicians playing Home Routes concerts play for a small group of people in a private house.
Wherever there’s space to put 20 or 30 chairs, volunteer concert organizers rearrange their living rooms or basements to accommodate the audience and the performers. They try to get the word out to the community that a show’s going to happen.
The November 24 show will be Pat Buckna’s third Home Routes concert at his house and so far the community’s response has been very supportive.
“I’m pleased that we’re getting a good response in Powell River, but I’m not surprised,” said Buckna, who’s been involved with music both on stage and behind the stage for 30 years. “Both performers who had come before commented on how receptive our audience was and how nice it was to play for people who were into the music.”
Buckna said he hopes that the Home Routes idea will spread to the Lower Sunshine Coast because then they could make a looping circuit with Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Currently it’s difficult to bring musicians to Powell River because of the transportation costs, but if there were more gigs on the Sunshine Coast, it would attract more musicians.
The Home Routes house concert circuits are made up of 12 houses which the artist tours in 14 days. Each house concert host presents six shows over the course of a year, which runs September to April with a two-month break at Christmas.
The only thing the performers pay for in a Home Routes concert is their transportation to get from house to house. The volunteer concert hosts give the performers dinner, a place to sleep and breakfast in the morning. One hundred per cent of the ticket sales go to the performer.
“It’s nice to have a house full of people and seeing them enjoy the performers,” said Buckna, “and that you’re supporting the artist directly.”
Buckna puts a limit on the number of tickets he sells for shows, selling just over 30. He said any number over 30 starts to get too crowded and takes away from the experience. Shows are potluck so there are snacks for everyone. Both previous shows at his house were sold out and had waiting lists. He sells tickets in advance so he can assure the musician they will make money on his shows. Tickets are $20 per person.
Other shows coming up in Powell River in the new year are Lindsay Jane (February 10), Kinobe (March 12) and David Bradstreet (April 10).
For more information about location and tickets for shows readers can contact Buckna at [email protected] or call 604.485.5198.
