Lake Country has a huge appetite for the blues
It’s impossible to deny the wide-ranging influence of the blues, melancholic music which came from poor black Americans in the rural southern U.S. toward the end of the 19th century. It found a wider audience in the 1940s as blacks migrated to the cities. And these urban blues evolved into rhythm and blues, then rock and roll.
Its enduring popularity gave rise to the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival (celebrating 25 years in 2017) and now, the Winter Blues Festival organized by Ryan Donn, Lake Country’s cultural development co-ordinator and Creekside Theatre manager.
The second annual Winter Blues Festival at the Lake Country Community Complex on Saturday night again proved its enduring attraction and well as the perfect recipe: multiple performers, three stages, chicken, two kinds of ribs, potato salad, cole slaw and copious quantities of liquid refreshment.
And it was a history lesson in a series of classes right next to and in George Elliot Secondary.
The senior professor was Jim Byrnes making yet another stellar appearance in the Okanagan. His endless stories ranged from the 1972 car accident when he lost both legs (then singing My Walking Stick) to growing up a few blocks from the home of Chuck Berry to performing at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland and then at Vancouver Expo 86’s Plaza of Nations on the same day.
Byrnes brought with him slide guitar virtuosos Steve Dawson, originally from Vancouver but now based in Nashville, and bassist Rob Becker from Vancouver. Creekside Theatre was packed for his first one-hour-plus set with spontaneous applause every time Becker performed one of his guitar interludes. Then Byrnes peformed for another hour. One year ago, as Byrnes performed at the theatre — just before inaugural blues festival, Donn told him if it was successful, he wanted Byrnes to headline the second festival.
Donn also brought back Sabrina Wells from Kamloops and had Okanagan blues artists Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne and his band, plus Rick “Poppa Dawg” Halisheff and his bandmates.
Pianist-vocalist Brandon Schmor remained popular through three sets in the school’s music room.
“We are so lucky Kenny lives here,” commented one Lake Country resident as she danced in the foyer to Shake, Rattle and Roll. She wasn’t alone as dozens danced in front of the stage, others bouncing in their seats and heads nodding in time to the music.
“It was awesome. We’ve had so many compliments tonight,” said Donn. “It’s just a different kind of experience. It’s like you only get this in the summer. It’s pretty unique.”
The appetite is huge, he added. “We had tickets on sale the entire year, but really, I just had them on the website until Dec. 1 when I started the promotion.
“We had 50 tickets sold before that promotion started — it was just a quick Facebook ad — and like wow, we were sold out by Dec. 5. It was unbelievable.
“I had an ad for Dec. 6 and I couldn’t stop it,” he said with a laugh. “Everybody’s phoning in for a sold-out event.”
The best news of the night for ardent fans was Donn announcing the 2019 Winter Blues Festival will be held 6:30-10 p.m. on Jan 19, with Harpdog Brown and The Travelling Blues Show already booked.