The power of music to affect us and unite us is astonishing.
For any mood, there is music that will cater to it perfectly.
Music can make us laugh, weep, dance and sing. Like certain smells, it can also transport us back to long ago times, bringing long-forgotten but vivid memories and feelings to the surface.
What sometimes amazes me about Salmon Arm is the rich tapestry of music genres to play to our various likes – classical, jazz, rock ’n’ roll, folk, blues and even (shudder) heavy metal – sorry fans.
Music is an all-occasion kind of thing and in the Shuswap there is no end to the musical opportunities for people, whether they choose to participate, move to the groove or just listen.
Residents and tourists are urged to get outdoors in the summer with music organized by the Shuswap and District Arts Council and Salmon Arm Downtown and supported by the City of Salmon Arm and by several community organizations and businesses.
Weekly Wednesday on the Wharf concerts draw large crowds and, alas, occasionally bad weather. When the weather does co-operate, there is no more beautiful place than Marine Peace Park in which to enjoy a wide variety of musical acts.
Lunch Box Stage, Jazz at the Plaza and Saturday Night Live performances presented by Salmon Arm Downtown provide another opportunity to relax and enjoy the environment in which we are blessed to live.
Several theatre productions feature musical numbers as well. Two of note this week are R.J. Haney Heritage Village’s Villains and Vittles Dinner Theatre and Theatre on the Edge.
Running all summer on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, Haney’s production of The Dress (one of playwright/director Peter Blacklock’s best) features an amusing musical number that takes a gentle swipe at museum curator Deborah Chapman’s insistence on historical authenticity.
Theatre on the Edge runs this weekend with seven productions and musical entertainment between plays in the alley beside the theatre that takes on a more polished veneer as The Edge Patio.
Speaking of music sparking memories, listening to Danny Brooks on YouTube, picked my soul up and plunked it down on the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds in the middle of the Roots and Blues Festival.
Brooks and his wife Lil Miss Debi are performing at Rotary’s 70th anniversary celebration this Saturday at Marine Peace Park – a perfect prelude to one of the hottest shows of the season – Roots and Blues.
Sometimes people are scared off by the lack of familiar “big names.” But these are big names in the Roots and Blues world and every year, I hear an artist(s) I knew nothing about and come away with CDs of my new favourite find.
There is so much to enjoy in this truly beautiful part of the world. Now if the rain would only stop for a bit.