Deep Cove Folk Music Society
A small venue in North Saanich is the home for a monthly music concert on the second Friday of each month, September through June. Organized and run by a group of volunteers, Deep Cove Folk has provided these monthly concerts of acoustic and roots music for 30 years in a small country church, St. Johns United in Deep Cove, located on West Saanich Road.
The organization is non-profit and has donated funds, for example, to CASCP for their Music In The Schools Program, for funding of live music at the Deep Cove Farmers Market and for the youth group at the church that is their home base.
Deep Cove Folk has a wide variety of acoustic music styles: Celtic, bluegrass, blues and folk-oriented and includes many talented musicians. The wide variety of music is reflected in the upcoming lineup with a seasonal-themed concert on Dec. 8.
The January feature is The Wardens from Alberta.
In February, the group, Howe Sound, with DCFMS founder Jill King, will delight audiences. March 9 will feature the high energy English-Celtic band, Knackers Yard, and on April 13, the well-known Ken Hamm will be the feature.
The club organizes and sponsors special concerts in larger venues for higher profile artists. In the past, Deep Cove Folk has presented James Keelaghan, Roy Forbes, UHF, String Band and Lennie Gallant in larger venues like the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. Upcoming special concerts will present the top BBC folk group, The Young Uns, from England Nov. 23, Connie Kaldor on Jan. 20 and Dave Gunning on June 2. For details of both the regular monthly concerts and the special concerts, visit: deepcovefolk.ca
Evenings open with a one-hour open stage where performers provide a show of their talents. The open stage is often as entertaining and as high quality as the feature. After the open stage, there’s a coffee and tea break with a home-baked cookies and cakes, followed by typically a one-hour set by the featured musicians.
The audience is largely from the Saanich Peninsula, although many regulars make the drive out from Victoria. The organization’s stated goal is to provide an acoustic music venue for the Sidney and North Saanich area. Some in Victoria might say that Deep Cove Folk is “way out there.” It is, but its well worth the drive for an evening of high quality acoustic music in a small country church with excellent acoustics.