T
he spring 2013 version of the popular Songwriter Showcase will launch Friday, March 22 at Shuswap Theatre.
Well-known musicians Linz Kenyon and Gillian Cran are the hosts, who will welcome Betty Johnson and Herald Nix to the stage.
Kenyon is a songwriter/playwright/performer who, as well as writing “rant and rave” songs about the state of the natural world, is a playwright for Caravan Farm Theatre.
The creator of Caravan Farm Theatre’s Cowboy King and IOU Land, Kenyon is currently writing Black Horses with Caravan Farm Theatre’s former artistic director Estelle Shook, and is also working on Caravan Farm Theatre’s winter show for 2014.
“I’ve never considered myself to be a political songwriter; I write rant and rave songs – but then, everything is political,” he says, reconsidering.
In terms of his opinion and what he has to say in song, Kenyon looks back to a song he wrote 30 years ago, one he will perform at the songwriters’ showcase.
Clearcut Trees is Kenyon’s lament to forest practices of the time, when ugly clear-cut blocks were the order of the day and garbage and oil cans were merely tossed aside or buried at the site.
As a former logger and the son of one, he is not opposed to forestry, just wasteful practices that cause “absolute destruction” of the environment.
Kenyon says he was surprised to discover his song had been posted on YouTube with pictures where logging has been protested.
Kenyon’s partner on-stage and off, Gillian Cran, is a born-in-the-Shuswap musician, who plays cello in the Salmon Arm string orchestra and teamsters large horses at Caravan Farm Theatre. She also plays flute and sax, and has a brand new granddaughter named Charlie.
Betty Johnson is known for her expressive voice and accomplished guitar playing.
Her performances of acoustic jazz and blues are heightened by her songwriting abilities. Johnson is an alumnus of the George Ryga Centre where she was greatly encouraged by legends Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes to “get her work out there and don’t hold back – people want to hear your music.”
She has shared the stage with Maria Dunn, Mae Moore, Ken Hamm, David Essig and rock band Chillwack.
There are two words Johnson uses to describe songwriting – agonizing and amazing.
Saving My Heart is her latest CD, which features Neil Fraser on guitar and Bill Lockie on bass. The CD was produced by Andrew Smith.
Herald Nix has long been one of the most respected artists in the Canadian underground music scene. Years before people started talking about “alt country” and “Americana,” he was writing and playing music that drew on very deep roots.
Nix’s guitar playing style is so personal it is almost impossible to categorize. Using fingers and slide together, he evokes bottleneck blues and pedal-steel styles. Like his songs, his music is simultaneously ancient and immediate.
“We are hoping to build on the enthusiasm and excitment from last year, and make this year’s series even more successful,” says creator and producer Kelly Hopkins of Silvercreek, whose intention is to create affordable, family-friendly musical events that spotlight local, professional songwriters and musicians. “The goal is to encourage and promote live, acoustic music, focusing on original songs and tunes and, in doing so, increase the local artists’ profiles and provide them with opportunities to further their careers.”
Tickets to the Songwriters Showcase are $10 and are available at Acorn Music.The doors open at 7 p.m. and the showcase begins at 7:30. Refreshments are available at intermission.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
The next two Songwriter Showcases in the spring series run April 26 and May 31.