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festivals

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Lighten up, Old Man Winter!

festival:

Food, music and flaming tubas alight on Granville Island for weekend bash
By Lena SIn
staff reporter

Special event
Winterruption
Where: Concerts at Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright St., plus other events at various locations around Granville Island When: Feb. 25 to 27 Tickets: Free except evening concerts on Friday and Saturday with The Zolas and Current Swell respectively are priced at $15 at Ticketmaster.ca in advance or $17 at the door.

Excuse us, winter! But we need to bring back some summer lovin for a moment. And if we cant have sunshine, then well settle for a music fest combined with some seriously good food and a couple of flaming tubas. (Yes, you read that right.) For the sixth year in a row, Winterruption is returning to Granville Island, providing three days of concerts, art walks and performances, not to mention culinary demonstrations by top chefs. Basically were interrupting winter and celebrating the fact that being in Vancouver in February you can be outside having fun, says Lisa Ono, manger of public affairs and programming at Granville Island. The centrepiece of the three-day festival are the concerts (most of them free) put together by Coastal Jazz, the same non-profit group responsible for the citys annual jazz festival. But dont let the name of the presenter mislead you the concerts run the musical gamut from reggae/roots to indie-pop and rock. Its the daytime program that really excites me personally, says Rainbow Robert, manager of artistic programming with Coastal Jazz. From a musical standpoint, everyone thats been chosen has been chosen to reflect some of the most gifted band leaders who are coming

up with new projects such as The Crackling, led by drummer Kenton Loewen, whos been opening for [Vancouver singer] Dan Magnan on the road . . . Hes just been blowing up internationally. Among the six free concerts scheduled this year at Performance Works, highlights include The Carsick, a jazz-fest favourite who will be providing strippeddown, jazz-tinged melodies and the Pugs and Crows band featuring renowned B.C. guitarist Tony Wilson. Friday and Saturday night will also feature two shows priced at a modest $15 each. The Zolas, an indie-pop duo gaining buzz will be playing on Friday followed by Victoria band Current Swell, providing a surf/ska/reggae sound on Saturday night.

Ninety-nine per cent of the musicians hail from B.C., with Seattle violist Eyvind Kang the sole exception (hell be performing with Gord Grdinas East Van Strings, a group considered to be one of Vancouvers top string jazz bands). Meanwhile, families and kids will find plenty of action at the Kid Zone area, where they can catch a Rainforest procession with stiltwalkers inspired by characters from the rainforest. And foodies wont be disappointed at the Public Market where chefs from Refuel, Diva at the Met and Nu will be doing cooking demonstrations. Once dusk hits at about 5:30 p.m., Ono recommends heading underneath the Granville Bridge to catch a trio of must-see acts, including Aeriosa performers who will be suspended from the bridge doing an aerial dance, the Firebelly performance troupe who will be combining fire with dance, and The Only Animal theatre troupe, who will be playing tubas and trumpets set alight with flames. Reminiscent of summer days on Granville Island, Winterruption is expected to draw some 60,000 to 70,000 people over the weekend, nearly double a typical winter weekend. Which is precisely the point. Its meant to be a breath of fresh air in the middle of winter, just before we go into spring, says Robert.
lsin@theprovince.com twitter.com/lenasin2

the Zolas, a local indie-pop duo making some buzz, will be performing on Friday night at the Winterruption festival. submitted photo

Former grunge/metal musician Schmidt discovers a passion for jazz

By Stuart DerDeyn
staff reporter

Winterruption
The Pugs and Crows Band featuring Tony Wilson
Where: Performance Works, Granville Island When: Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets: Free

Ev e r y m u s i c a l c o m mu n i t y requires regeneration to stay vital. It appears a new batch of fresh young players emerges to shake things up every few years. Guitarist Cole Schmidt, 25, is one. Comfortable full-on rocking as part of Debra-Jean and the Means, Cortez the Killer or the new noiserock crew Therapy, Schmidts talents also grace avant-cabaret act Dark Blue World and the marvellous instrumental jazz-oriented group he founded, Pugs and Crows. The band plays with guitarist Tony Wilson, a B.C. jazz fixture, at Winterruption this weekend. Ive actually been playing since high school in grunge and metal bands, but when my dad took me to see John Scofield at the Centre, I dis-

covered something in jazz that was a lot more personal. says Schmidt. Like so many of the citys finest musicians, Schmidt studied at Capilano College, where he had his a-kicked repeatedly and learned the craft. Pugs and Crows emerged in 2009 out of a duo with violinist Meredith Bates exploring an interest in the Tin Hat Trios brand of folktinged improvising. Piano, bass,

drums and a second guitar were added and a project able to explore multiple directions arrived. Things came together very fast and an album followed. The group shared the Galaxie Rising Stars Award with Very Good at the 2010 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival worth $2,500. Wilson is filling in the spot usually reserved for pianist Kat Torren, who has been residing in New York. Performing with Tony is really exciting because hes one of my favourites, so talented and so kind. If I can get it together in time, were going to do a version of Duke Ellingtons Far East Suite this weekend. It should be pretty suited to the Pugs band brand of swing. To sample the groups sound, visit the groups myspace site. A Cortez the Killer album is in the works, too.
sderdeyn@theprovince.com twitter.com/stuartderdeyn

Violins, piano, bass, drums and a second guitar fill out the repertoire of sounds from the Pugs and Crows Band. submitted photo