When Montreal’s Rosier takes the stage in Spirit Square on Wednesday, June 26 it will be the first of ten performances this summer bringing music from across Canada and around the world to downtown Campbell River.
Rosier is an acclaimed five-piece indie-folk-pop band that alternates between French and English, and between acoustic and electric sounds, to take Quebecois music to new places with a sound that is all their own.
The following Wednesday, July 3, award winning Nova Scotia jazz guitarist Sam Wilson will perform with her trio of Vancouver’s Geordie Hart on bass and Jen Yakamovich on drums.
July 10 and 17 both feature performers who are on the Island to play at Vancouver Island MusicFest in Courtenay July 12-14 as part of a stellar lineup that includes Lucinda Williams and Bela Fleck. On July 10 Chinese-American saxophonist and composer Stephanie Chou performs with her quintet of New York City heavyweights including Andy Lin on violin and erhu, Or Matias on piano, Matt Aronoff on bass and Ronen Itzik on drums mixing Chinese musical traditions with American jazz. Then on July 17 Tio Chorinho bring Brazilian grooves via Toronto accompanied by Brazilian-Quebecois vocalist Flavia Nascimento.
As part of a new CR Jazz & Blues Festival, Vancouver-based Longhand Trio performs on Friday, July 26 joined by Berlin-based pianist Tyson Naylor (who has family ties to Quadra-Island and Blind Channel), and the next night on Saturday, July 27 it’s New Orleans-influenced five-piece band King Cardiac led by Toronto singer-songwriter Gabriel DeSantis.
August starts off closer to home with local favourite Jeff Plankenhorn and his band on Friday, August 2. Plankenhorn built a career touring the USA based in the musical capital of Austin, TX, but has called Campbell River home for the last few years.
Then on Friday, August 16 the Spiritual Warriors bring their brand of west coast roots and reggae, behind lyrics that speak to their Lil'wat culture, often in the Lil'wat language of U’cwalmicwts. And on August 23, Anishinaabe MC and singer-songwriter, Leonard Sumner, who has been called one of the country’s most important contemporary voices, brings his powerful songs and stories to Campbell River.
The River Concert Series wraps up on Friday, August 30 with the duo of BC-born flutist Lara Wong and Andalusian guitarist Melón Jiménez, who formed in Madrid with flamenco as their universal point of departure to traverse vast musical territories.
“I’m thrilled we’re able to bring all this music to our community thanks to the City of Campbell River,” said programmer Lucas Schuller. “You don’t have to go to a big city to experience great live music from all over. We’ve got it right in our back yard, and free for anyone to attend, dance, and hopefully discover something new that inspires.”
The River Concert series is presented by the City of Campbell River and 99.7 the River, with additional support for touring artists from the Province of BC through the BC Arts Council and BC Touring Council, and the Anchor Inn and Suites.
