GHOST RIDERS IN THE SKY

Chasing Those Sinister-Looking Vapour Trails Up n' Down Vancouver Island
text & photos by barry newman

Copyright 2001 - Cosmic Debris Musicians Magazine - Issue #75 - Sept, 2001

editor's note: This article was written several weeks prior to the tragic events of Sept 11. Any reference which might be somehow perceived as being related to this and subsequent events is purely coincidental.
The vapour trail phenonema, however (and the highway construction), was a real and regular occurance in the Cowichan Valley... and caused some alarm and speculation among many residents of Vancouver Island.

They didn't look like regular vapour trails from B-52's or 747's heading for Alaska. And they sure weren't naturally-occuring clouds. My immediate suspicion was that these rapidly-bulging & long-lasting flumes were laced with weather-altering chemicals or even worse... flesh-eating beetle larvae mayhaps, DNA'd with a Canuck-killing concoction of angel dust & alzheimer venom... part of a twisted stateside plot to make us all silly and sell our hectareage real cheap, eh?!!

I had to move fast. Hopefully, no one would hinder my mission by hogging the passing lane. Many tourists in double-wide Winnebagos were swarming the Trans-Canada, eh, guided by a vigilant foreign satellite... as were lots of innocent-looking "road-construction crews" equipped with suspiciously-placed "single-lane-only" flashing signs & barriers which preceded miles of perfectly-normal roadway.

By July 27, I'd made it as far as Nanaimo.
I needed a beer, so I pulled into The Patricia Hotel. To my surprise, Nigel Mack was performing there (let's forget those darned vapour trails for now), after a 3-month Canada/US tour which included the Chicago Blues Festival.

David Dykhuizen

Nigel Mack, alternating between his harps and (mostly) slide guitar, puts on a power-packed blues show. This year, he won the 'Best Guitarist' at the 2001 Maple Blues Awards; and was a nominee for 'Best Blues/R&B album' (sponsored by Cosmic Debris) at the 1997 West Coast Music Awards.

Accompanying Nigel were veteran Vancouver players Trevor Newman (bass), Scott Hills (drums) and David Dykhuizen (guitar), all monster musicians. I was particularly impressed with Dykhuizen's expressive blues style and crisp attack on the Strat, which nicely complemented Nigel's dramatically-dynamic presentation.

For more info on Nigel Mack and on his latest CD, 'Road Rage' (the title was inspired by the fact that over the past dozen years Nigel Mack & the Blues Attack have logged almost half a million miles across the highways of North America), check out: www.nigelmack.com

Checking out the Debris listings, I realized that Strange Behavior were also playing in Nanaimo that night. I advised my bodyguard to warm up the Debrismobile.

Would we make it in time? After plowing through a couple of poorly-marked road barriers, we landed at a handy parking spot in front of The Queens Hotel.

Strange Behavior, fronted by the Rekjavik-born Jona Kristinsson (cosmic covergirl, issue #25) is a tight, top-40 cover band... highly-danceable (as evidenced by the packed dance floor that night)... and fully-geared to toss some funky R&B into their mostly rock-flavoured menu.

Featuring Scott Calver (bass), Brad Donkersley (lead guitar), Colin Perry (sax & keyboard) and on this particular night, Phil Wipper filling in on drums for Dave Milner, this band includes some of Nanaimo's finest players with backgrounds in busy and long-lasting local bands such as Ramfunctious, 57 Monkeys, Ice 9, One Big One and Rubber Soul. I really dug Brad's tasty guitar work; and Jona is one of the most formidable blues vocalists on the west coast... rock is a cinch for her.

Don't miss Strange Behavior at The Queens on Sept 7/8; The Patricia on Sept 21/22; and at The Rod & Gun in Parksville on Oct 17/18/19/20 (actually, you can see strange behavior on any given night at any west coast pub... if you watch real close).

The next morning, the vapour trails had expanded to the point whereby the entire sky was saturated with aluminum, kinda like a former president's brain (I can't recall his name). There was nothing to indicate a trail; no path to guide one north or south... just a vast, inverted, gray-tinged carpet leading everywhere. I steered south.

The previous month, I'd stopped by The Rocky Creek Pub in Ladysmith to hear Citizen Strange. This was an acoustic CD release party with Ryan McMahon and co-writer/guitarist Brad Looyen. The pub was packed with a lot of familiar faces.

Ryan is an gifted songwriter and his vocals deliver with plenty of punch & range. Brad's excellent guitar accompaniment, whether at an acoustic, rock or a studio performance, nicely complements Ryan's mature, melodic material. Their excellent CD 'Sleepless Night', available at HMV (Nanaimo), is getting airplay on various regional stations.

After a couple of more lane closures along the Trans-Canada, I arrived back in the Cowichan Valley several weeks later.

At The Cobblestone Inn, the Be Bop Blues Band was playing, fronted by the scat-style vocals of Susan Rankin. Backing her, were Ross DiCosta (guitar), Wayne Wicks (drums) and Tim Murphy on bass.

Susan has a unique, jazzy vocal style... wandering back & forth between clear, sweet highs to searing, spine-tingling rasps. DiCosta's versatile guitar work ably wove through the blues, ballads and rock with conviction and finesse.

A few days later, Us... with Nanaimo's Kathy Stacey (formerly with Bremen Town Musicians; Vancouver Island Symphony) on the cello and Craig Kambeitz (formerly with Acoustic Love) on guitar... showed up at the Cobblestone's Wednesday jam. This unique duo played some of Craigs originals, instrumentals and a few pop covers, including some Beatles tunes.

Us will be playing The Globe (Nanaimo) on Sept 22 and at The White Hart Pub (Gabriola) on Oct 19 & 20.

A block away from the Cobblestone in downtown Cobble Hill, lies Minstrels music school & studio, operated by keyboardist Phil Newns & Lori Carroll. Their Sunday afternoon jazz jams commence again on Sept 9 with host Phil on keys; John Wade on bass and Wane Summers on drums. Interested musicians are invited to bring their instruments.

This year, the school's teachers will include Phil (keys/vocs); Maria Manna (classical vocs); Alexis More (violin); Adrianne Stacy (classical guitar); and Brent Hutchinson (guitar/sax/flute).

Young Cowichan artist Jack Connolly, accompanied by slide guitarist David K, had a CD release concert at Minstrel's this summer, with over 100 in attendance. Jack also performed at several regional festivals, including The Filberg Festival in Comox and The Islands Folk Festival and SunFest, both at Providence Farm. Watch out for this dude... he's got a great voice, comfortable stage presence and solid songwriting.

I was able to attend The Islands Folk Festival for the Friday & Saturday evenings shows. Artistic Director Brent Hutchinson gave the US Airforce a stern warning about those vapour trails... so it didn't rain... and over 4000 attended. Also, 130 weekend passes were pre-sold for The Eighteenth Island's Folk Festival next year. That amount of advance sales wouldn't normally materialize until May) !!

Among the many stunning performances, I was particularly impressed with Tri-Continental, featuring Madagascar Slim, Lester Quitzau & Bill Bourne. With three brilliant guitarists, a spacey background lightshow and warm, bluesy slides on steel, there were moments when it felt like an unplugged Pink Floyd show.

The blues jam held early on Saturday afternoon received rave reviews from all I talked to. I later chatted with guitar legends Lester Quitzau, Tim Williams and David Essig, who posed for the camera beside a protest sign callling for the God-given right of jammers around the free world to get free beers without doing 'Mustang Sally'.

A few weeks later, Duncan's SUN-FM brought SunFest to Providence Farm, with Jack Connolly, Iris, The Special Guests and headliners, 54/40.

Initially, a light rain threatened to dampen the event. It started to feel like OctoberFest and a few older hippies sought refuge neath the roof of the beer garden (to quote Joni Mitchell: "...we've got to get ourselves back to the garden"), but the SUN's Cam Drew, who hosted the concert, made a quick call to George W. and the rain soon stopped.

Special Guests, Iris, Jack Connolly

After Connolly's warmly-received opener, Iris kicked in with a lively set of original, semi-psychedelic rock & power ballads, at times reminding me of Jefferson Airplane and other westcoast bands. Ellen Bjelica's soaring soprano & animated performance, backed by Jonathan Williams (guitar), Ian Bartlett (bass) & Keith Weldrick (drums), drew a crowd of fans and dancers up close to the stage. Iris' new CD, recorded by Zak Cohen at The Woodshop Studio, should be available in October.

When The Special Guests started up, the audience surged forward like the tidal bore in the Bay of Fundy. Even my weary bodyguard got up to dance when the SG's played their hit 'Take Them Higher'.

Comprised of writers Adam Kittredge (lead vocals, guitar) and Piers Henwood (guitar, piano), with Brendon Pye (drums, vocals) and Jocelyn Greenwood (bass); the Special Guests are an exceptionally-melodic and high-energy rock band. All of them are kick-ass musicians.

I was especially impressed with Adam's remarkable vocal range and Jocelyn's interesting, but beat-focused bass playing (few bassists seem capable of nailing down that combination, while at the same time, putting on a lively performance). Killer percussion work too, by Brendon !

After the show, Adam expressed some concern about the hazards of life on the road and the effects which constant performances were having on his vocals. Unlike instruments which can be repaired or replaced, nodes can't be replaced... and repair means surgery; not a problem for many blues/rock singers, but the melodic nature of Adam's songs requires maximum clarity, pitch & strength. It didn't seem to be any problem at this concert.

The Victoria-based band has toured extensively the past year with bands such as 54/40, Moist, Matthew Good Band, Kim Mitchell...

"It's been a bizarre experience," added Piers, "meeting and sharing the stage with all these idols from my childhood." [Editor: Back in 1971, my band opened for Lighthouse at UVIC... my brush with stardom.]

The Specials Guests were the high point of the concert for many of us, but a big chunk of the crowd came to see & hear west coast rock legends, 54/40. Their hit-after-hit show brought back a lot of memories to more than one generation of rock music lovers. Kudos to Cam and SUN-FM !

Swarms of teens (and adults) crowded the area in front of the stage. Most were dancing and many (including myself) were pressed up against the barricade trying to take photos through the security team.

At one point, a teenaged girl tapped me on the shoulder... "My turn," she sternly ordered, "you got enough photos". I hadn't, really. But I made way for her anyway, cause my bodyguard lost her thong... umm... got lost in the throng.

Anticipating a traffic jam after the concert, I split shortly before the ending.

Earlier this summer, I was able to see & hear the amazing Harry Manx at Duncan's Native Heritage Centre.

Harry Manx plays an assortment of exotic stringed instruments: 6-string banjo, 20-string Mohan veena (sort of a guitar/sitar cross), and the more conventional 6 string guitar. A fine vocalist, the real magic of his show is his stunning slide work, which he applies to both blues and raga.

Prior to moving to Salt Spring last year, Manx worked in Holland, Brazil, Japan and in India, where he studied for 5 years with Grammy winner Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

Harry Manx throws a monkey-wrench into some of the works by Rudyard Kipling... and proves that sometimes east does meet the west ("never the twain shall meet" must refer to Shania or Mark Twain mayhaps, or quite possibly, the Trans Canada Highway during construction season, if yer radiator has a hole in it... or your car insurance is due to expire any year).

A special thanks to organizer Longevity John for inviting me to this truly magical musical treat !

Back in the Shawnigan area, it was time to check out The Gold Diggers at The Black Swan Inn. I'd been typing out their name in the magazine's calender and website listings since the last century, but I'd yet to actually hear this busy band play.

The Gold Diggers are primarily a country-rock band who play some classic rock and blues covers to boot... Shania, Chris Isaac, Patsy Cline, Dwight Yoakam, Pretenders, Elvis, Merle Haggard, Faith Hill, Stones... Unless you just got a stud pierced through yer tongue, it's good old stuff you can sing along with. They also play a few originals.

Fronting the versatile band is Judy Gent (vocals, guitar), with brother Darren Law (lead guitar), Ed Timmermans (bass and vocals) and Paul Adelborg (drums, vocals).

With a sharp sense of humour, Ed keeps the audience (and the band) on their toes. Many will remember Paul from Night Magic. Darren has worked with Sean Hogan, The Moffats and Darlana Moffat.

While passing by The Southside Pub, I was reminded of the outrageously-hilarious show I'd seen there some weeks prior... Kenny Shaw with Chris Palmer.

Kenny Shaw (based out of Courtenay) is not only a gifted singer & musician; he's a

brilliant comedian and an accomplished emcee. Armed with a guitar and a small arsenal of costumes and props (including a prophylactic which he stretches over his head), he airlifts his audience on a whirlwind tour of Canadiana & contemporary culture. Bob Dylan, Doctor Ruth, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Cash, Stompin' Tom & Ed Sullivan come alive within Kenny's impersonations.

In between his rigging job at logging camps during the 70's, Kenny honed his musical skills with various North Island weekend bands (ie: Stillwater).

Eventually, he got a Roland beat box and went solo full time. He recalls gigging at a scuzzy hotel in Castlegar back in '81 where a resident showed him how to cook a hotdog with an extension cord and two nails (don't try this at home, kids).

In '89, Kenny was spotted by the National Speakers Bureau and things soon took off... large country clubs, overseas armed forces shows, corporate conventions. He emceed at Manitoba's Dauphin Festival for 11 years and he's shared stages with the likes of Waylon Jennings, Carlene Carter, Farmers Daughter, Vince Gill, Doctor Hook, Asleep at The Wheel, Tommy Hunter...

Kenny still plays the small bars. "Bars are a good source of material and energy for me," he adds, "they keep me sharp."

Lately, Chris Palmer (a gifted harmonica player) has teamed up with Kenny Shaw at his Island gigs. For these shows, Chris might be compared to Dick Smothers, with Kenny being the mischievous Tommy.

Originally from the UK, where he worked with Family, Joe Cocker, George Harrison and played with The Strawbs, David Bowie, Billy Preston... In 1975, Chris moved to Ottawa where he worked with David Muir, The Dirt Poor Boys, Sticks n' Stones, David Waffen, Sam Crosbie... usually playing harp; sometimes playing his originals on the twelve-string. He's now living in Sooke.

If you like the MacLean Brothers, you'll really dig Kenny Shaw & Chris Palmer.

I'd been hearing about a band called Stretch and was finally able to hear this versatile jazz / blues / southern-rock band down at the Glen Lake Inn.

Bassist / lead singer Wayne Dupuis directed the band through several kick-ass ZZ-Top type numbers, backed up by Brendon Hedley on the keyboards, Al Sabourin on lead guitar and Wayne Wilson on percussion. Filling in on rhythm guitar was Ian Callan. Guest singer Helen Davies then joined the band for a few tunes.

After a while, the band switched over to play Al Sabourin's Santana-flavoured, jazzy originals... really inventive progressions and trippy arrangements ... brilliantly accented by Wilson's amazing drumwork.

Wayne & Helen have organized a benefit for the Helmken Hospital Bunnies (I guess Hugh Hefner's alimony cheques didn't arrive) at the parking lot of Vancouver Island Brewery & Allison Piano, 2300 Government St, Sunday Sept 16, 1:pm to 5:pm with: Keith Allison & Friends, Bandwagon, Stretch and Velvet. Bring your wallets and a trailer of hay!

Local papers picked up the story about the vapour trails being part of a climate-control (or worse) conspiracy... so most of August ended up being sunny.

With just a trace of aluminum on my breath (not from a Bud can), I visited the Black Swan's Thursday blues jam hosted by Thor & The Thundercats... brothers Thor & Hoss with Nick Jarvie (this jam's house drummer). Victoria's Larry Labreque has been a regular at this jam. His easy-going blues style helps to make this one of the more relaxed, ear-friendly jams in the South Cowichan Valley.

At one point, Jimmy Fitzgerald and I grabbed our guitars and joined the band for an extended, psychedelic version of 'Ghost Riders in The Sky'... with Thor & I trading off harmonics & whammy-controlled feedback on our Fender Strats in behind Jimmy's bright, Ovation acoustic accenting the spiritual melody.

Demons were purged... snaking around the pool tables, out onto the deck and up into the balmy August sunset... heat-seeking, vapour-eating, aluminum-guzzlin' banshees, stalking a cruel, high-octaned pestilence that plagued the province. Or mayhaps some joker snuck some beer in my acid.

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