Get in the groove before the oooohs
ROCK IT: Shorefest concert series, which runs before the fireworks, a great way to spend a day at the beach
Fireworks are explosive entertainment. But Shorefest is the sure fire thing for folks looking for a full entertainment concurrent to this year’s Honda Celebration of Light (hondacelebrationoflight.com).
Presented by 104.3FM, the free concert series presents over 20 concerts at stages on English Bay and Sunset Beach Park to get people prepped for the big lights and sounds in the sky.
Sounds at this year’s event range from Canadian classic rockers Chilliwack (Keg Lounge Stage, Aug. 1, 8:30 p.m.) to up and comers such as new R&B singer Tonye Aganaba (Saturday, July 25, Sunset Beach Stage, 4 p.m.). Music starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, Wednesday, July 29 and Saturday, Aug. 1. Add in food carts and assorted airborne stunt pilots and parachutists, and a day at the beaches takes on a whole new meaning.
“We only do about 20 to 25 dates a year, and fairs and festivals are always a big feature of the summer,” says Bill Henderson. “The nice thing about something like Shorefest is how engaged the audience is at it. Obviously, we love still being able to perform and give people what they want and also some surprises.”
One of these is the new tune Take Back This Land. It’s a tune that Henderson feels is one of his best and important to contemporary listeners.
“It’s about this land and where we find ourselves and what does it mean to be Canadian, to have those values and have they shifted as much as it appears,” he says. “I write songs about this sort of stuff all the time, but this one came out as a real classic rock anthem and fit entirely within the perceived entity of what Chilliwack is. It’s inspiring.”
He’s looking to go into the studio and get this and other songs recorded soon and ride the wave of inspiration that he’s surfing right now. Linus has also re-released the band’s back catalogue, which makes the singer happy. Get more info at facebook. com/pages/Chilliwack-Band.
“It’s always good to have something new to feature at the side of the stage at the merchandise table, because that’s where the money is made these days,” he says.
Tonye Aganaba (tonyeaganaba.com) nods in agreement about this.
The dynamic singer has been building her career since arriving in Vancouver five years ago. She started as a solo act on the stage at Guilt & Company’s popular local talent showcases, then became part of the support act for late musician Randy Ponzio and after his passing the group shifted to playing her original material. Now, she also happens to be the general manager at the tony Gastown joint and has a new album, titled Villain, due out on 604 Records this fall.
“Through my performing and working at Guilt & Company, I’ve met a lot of great musicians and inserted into the local community,” says Aganaba. “The band spent a lot of time performing and honing the live show, but then we hit a point of needing to shift gears so there was a nine month-long hiatus to write the album and get into the studio. The last two months have been me putting together the newest incarnation of the band with some old and some new members and Shorefest will be the second show from this configuration.”
She says that she sees getting up on stage in front of a large audience as key to the next level and can’t wait to introduce/re-introduce audiences to her music. Like Henderson, she has new songs she is bursting to play.
“My personal favourite band on Earth is Megadeth, but I can’t deny my R&B soul, and it’s my foundation sound although I bring everything in,” she says.
Two artists from two very different points in their careers with something in common: an eagerness to play new material for folks before the time comes to look up and go “oooh.” The 2015 Honda Festival of Light runs Saturday, July 25 (Team China); Wednesday, July 29 (Team Brazil) and Saturday, Aug. 1 (Team Canada).