The Cowichan Performing Arts Centre Podcast

Ashley chats with Vancouver Island-born soprano Eve Daniell about her illustrious career; singing for the queen and her upcoming recital with music entirely by female composers on Oct 1 at 7:30pm on cowichanpac.ca  ABOUT EVE  Canadian/British Soprano Eve Daniell was born in British Columbia, Canada and grew up on Vancouver Island. She currently lives between Canada and the United Kingdom after moving to the UK to study at the Royal Academy of Music on a Sainsbury Award and the Catherine Osborne Scholarship.  There she won the highly prestigious Pavarotti Prize before graduating from the Royal Academy Opera in 2016.

Join John Ivison, the songwriter of Cowichan local band Cabin Fever as he talks about his musical life plays live songs in the studio, and talks about his first guitar! Cabin Fever is a dynamic group of five Cowichan Region-based artists whose wholly original tunes are full of heart and energy, and their 30-minute set will leave you cheering with joy. Cabin Fever’s 35-minute concert is entirely original and features music composed by the Kuecks twins and bluesy local guitar favourite and fire protection expert John Ivison. Cabin Fever includes five highly-regarded multi-instrumentalists: Thomas Kuecks (guitar, flute, and vocals), James Kuecks (guitar and vocals), John Ivison (guitar and vocals), David Lane (keyboards), and Rod Gray (bass) You can buy tickets to their live stream concert here.

We chat with talented multi-instrumentalist Jared Popma about his musical roots in the Cowichan region, his love of guitars, and his ability to blend jazz, funk, and pop into a delectable blend.  Jared also plays some of his music live on the show!  Jared Popma is a singer-songwriter/guitarist born in the Cowichan Valley and currently based out of Nanaimo BC. He grew up studying a variety of instruments and pulls inspiration from an array of different styles and genres. Jared has just recently completed his first year of Jazz Studies at Vancouver Island University and is excited to be performing with some of his extremely talented friends: Drake Shoemaker (Bass), Ryan Bennet (Drums) and Jamie Johnstone (Tap). Watch Jared's concert online on June 11 at 7:30pm. Tickets are here

We dig into the fascinating project that is Zee Zee Theatre's Virtual Humanity. Details are here Contributions from  Lama Mugabo  Kevin Scow Rudy Krause  Zee Zee Theatre presents the world premiere of Virtual Humanity, streaming online from March 6 to 28, 2021. The deeply personal, one-on-one experience adapts the company’s annual Human Library project into the digital space, where participants can ‘check out’ a human for a candid conversation about their life experiences, culture and beliefs—including such titles as Perspective of a Mixed Man;  Indigi-Queer Identities, Two Spirit and Beyond; I am not a scammer, and more. Co-curated by Sam Chimes and Bunny (Daisy Joe), the online edition will feature an array of new and returning ‘Virtual Humans’—with a particular emphasis on representation from BIPOC individuals—available for 20-minute loans over the course of four weekends. Day Passes are now available at zeezeetheatre.ca. Reservations are $5 with a subsequent request to ‘Pay What It’s Worth’ after the show. The full roster of titles available each day for bookings will be announced the morning of through a secret portal at zeezeetheatre.ca. Virtual Humanity is inspired  by the Human Library—created by Stop The Violence (Copenhagen)—and presented with support from community partner Vancouver Public Library.

We are thrilled to welcome Cowichan performing legend Eugene Smith to the pod and he chats about his unique family history, his experience of racism in Canada, Black Lives Matter and the impact of COVID-19 on the live performance industry.  He also performs two songs live using Kalimba.  Do it up. Find out more about Eugene here: http://www.eugenesmith.ca/ Eugene Smith is a venerable icon of the Canadian music industry. With over 50 years in the business and over 200 original tunes to his credit, Eugene brings warmth and generosity to his performances that entertain and captivates audiences wherever he goes. His prodigious vocal talents are supported by solid rhythms from his unusual 4 string tenor guitar, and he holds as well in his bag of tricks a variety of musical instruments including the harmonica, kalimba, jaw harp and djembe. Each show is delivered in his own unique, humorous and entertaining style, bringing to each performance a sense of harmony and the magical power of music! Eugene comes by his many musical talents honestly. His father was the amazing Al Lucas, who played stand-up bass for such greats as Duke Ellington and James Brown. His mother, Valeire Abbot, was a well-known Toronto jazz pianist and vocalist who was invited by Louis Armstrong to tour as a jazz singer with his orchestra. Over the past 4 decades Eugene has shared the stage with such great artists of the music world as Gordon Lightfoot, k.d. Lang, David Clayton Thomas, King Curtis, Willie Dixon, Lenny Breau, Peter Tosh, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, The Beach Boys and The Dave Clark Five. In the wild and wonderful 60’s he played Toronto and toured the United States as a singer with Ronnie Hawkins and the infamous Hawks. Eugen’s latest CD, “Now and Forever”, features many of his most loved classic tunes, as well as his new single, “Thank You Mother”. Eugene lives on Vancouver Island, where he has a large following, and tours Ontario in the summer months, sharing his love and passion for music wherever he goes! “Sometimes just the feel of a song says a lot about where it’s coming from and the Spirit in which it was written… There’s a real delightful feel about ‘Eugene’s music’ that only the performance carries.” Murray McLaughlin

An insightful chat with Jazz Colette of the gypsy blues duo Blue Moon Marquee, who recently filmed a pre-recorded concert for the Cold Snap Festival at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, about the challenges of COVID-19, some hair-raising touring stories, and how the band got their unique sound.  Catch Blue Moon Marquee's live stream at https://www.facebook.com/events/1733723186805907/?ti=ls

We are delighted to have Cowichan-Malahat-Langford Member of Parliament, Alistair MacGregor, on the pod to share his insights into the ongoing struggle for arts workers during COVID-19, the importance of culture in his own life, and his early memories of visiting the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre.  Once again, Kirsten Schrader, the Manager of the Arts and Culture Division of the CVRD and Cowichan Performing Arts Centre leads the discussion with our MP and asks great questions about what it's like to conduct parliamentary business over Zoom and the role of the federal government in supporting cultural institutions like ours. 

We are honoured to welcome North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring, to share his insights into what it means to be a leader during a time of crisis, the importance of the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, and the incredible value the arts has in our civic lives. It's a great and very optimistic conversation. Once again, Kirsten Schrader, the Manager of the Arts and Culture Division of the CVRD and Cowichan Performing Arts Centre leads the discussion with the Mayor and asks great questions about the future of the arts, the impact  the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre has on the economy as a whole and much more.

We are honoured to welcome Margaret Grenier, the Artistic and Executive Director of the Dancers of Damelahamid to our podcast on National Indigenous People’s Day 2020. Margaret has toured the world with the Dancers of Damelahamid’s innovative productions. The company’s production, Flicker has also toured to the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre’s stage. In this special episode, Kirsten Schrader, the Manager of the Arts and Culture Division of the CVRD and Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, talks with Margaret about the challenge of creating work in these times, the origin of the company, and the unique way the company blends traditional dance with modern day technology. Visit Dancers of Damelahamid's website. 

We chat with beloved Victoria-based comedian Mike Delamont about his unique career, his award-winning show God is a Scottish Drag Queen, and what he's doing to keep busy during the pandemic.  There's also special preview of God is a Scottish Drag Queen: The Podcast included!  Check out what Mike is up to by visiting his website, and donating to his Patreon account.  Produced, hosted, and edited by Ashley Daniel Foot.  Share your feedback with us at [email protected]