IN CONCERT
What: 91原创 Island Music Festival featuring Colin James, Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, Asleep at the Wheel and more
When: Friday through Sunday
Where: Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds, 4839 Headquarters Rd., Courtenay
Tickets: $119 (Friday) and $129 (Saturday and Sunday), $220 for weekend pass; children 12 and under admitted free
Information: islandmusicfest.com
A few months ago, Doug Cox strolled through the open expanse of the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds, the longtime home of Courtenay鈥檚 91原创 Island Music Festival. The event鈥檚 artistic director eventually stopped at the spot where his main stage will sit for the duration of his festival this weekend, and took a deep, contemplative breath.
Twenty-five years of memories came flooding back.
鈥淚 thought about the music that has hit that little field in that little spot over 25 years, and it鈥檚 mind-boggling,鈥� Cox said of MusicFest.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really amazing to think of all the people that have come through and stood at that spot, especially knowing that lot of them are gone now, too.鈥�
Emmylou Harris, Ry Cooder, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Buddy Guy, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt, Roberta Flack, Los Lobos, k.d. lang and thousands more have performed at the festival over the years.
Cox was largely responsible for booking them all, but he doesn鈥檛 ever take sole credit for such things. The magic that comes into play each year is a result of a variety of factors, not the least of which is the support of a devoted MusicFest fan base, he said.
鈥淭he same circle of people in our campground has been coming for 20 years, from all over North America. There鈥檚 these little circles of people who come and have a reunion every year, and I have nothing to do with that. People have met and been married at MusicFest, just about everything you could think of. We have people who have spread ashes of their loved ones because it meant so much to them, the memories of being here with family members. It doesn鈥檛 get better than that.鈥�
MusicFest is heading into another winning weekend with its current edition, which features everything from 91原创 classic rock (Colin James, Tom Cochrane and Red Rider) to Hall of Fame honkytonk (Asleep at the Wheel). With an impressive 95 performances from 350 musicians on tap starting Friday, MusicFest is celebrating its silver anniversary in style, with an expected daily attendance of 10,000.
Cox, a Juno Award nominee, has been at the job long enough that many who play his festival are friends by this point. And he books what he knows his audience will appreciate, even if they do not know the artists beforehand. He satisfies the needs of his audience with a few big-name headliners each year, but their continued support has given him the confidence to go out and explore. What he often comes back with are configurations of artists unique to what has become one of the best festivals in the province.
鈥淢y goal as we keep doing this festival is to be able to call on my friends and basically say: 鈥榃hat do you want to do?鈥� We鈥檙e looking for something totally unique to our festival. That鈥檚 where my heart is, that鈥檚 what is really exciting. As an artist and producer and festival guy, that鈥檚 the fun stuff.鈥�
He has delivered on cue this year. More than dozen performers will be on stage for an exclusive Saturday night set by the Muscle Shoals Allstars, a group of studio-session giants. Included in the lineup are players who played on some of the biggest hits in the history of modern music, including efforts by Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aretha Franklin and Paul Simon.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 ever tour 鈥� they are studio guys,鈥� Cox said. 鈥淏ut this is such a unique adventure for them, they agreed to do it. I can truly say you will never see this lineup anywhere else. It鈥檚 not just a bunch of guys on tour trying to sell a record.鈥�
Cox put together a second all-star group for the festival, Danny Kortchmar & Friends. The resum茅s of the group led by guitarists Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtel and bassist Leland Sklar features a who鈥檚-who of rock 鈥檔鈥� roll, with collaborations with Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Carole King, James Taylor, and Keith Richards topping their list of accomplishments. Fans obviously can鈥檛 be in all places at once, so Cox created Woah, Guitar! to help ease their pain. The Sunday afternoon workshop of MusicFest artists features Wachtel, Kortchmar, Colin James, Robben Ford (who played with George Harrison), Amos Garrett (Maria Muldaur), Tommy Talton (Allman Brothers), and Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel), among others.
鈥淢y favourite complaint is when people get mad because they can鈥檛 go see everything,鈥� Cox said with a laugh. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the biggest compliment you could get.鈥�
Cox one-upped himself this year and added a seventh stage at the Comox Valley Curling Club, which is situated on site and will offer everything from salsa classes to a DJ workshop. This degree of care and attention is what sells MusicFest out each year, but that鈥檚 both a good and bad reputation to have, according to Cox.
While camping sold out two months ago (there are spots available off-site, and within walking distance, at Puntledge Campground), there are still day tickets available for the festival itself. That runs contrary to the public perception that all tiers of tickets are unavailable, he said. 鈥淪old out is a really dangerous phrase. The minute you say you鈥檙e sold out [of any ticket tier], people automatically make the assumption they can鈥檛 come. Because we have sold out in previous years, people make that assumption right away. We鈥檝e been hearing for months from people that they thought we were sold out already.鈥�
The end goal is to make sure everyone who is interested in coming has the opportunity to attend. Cox is eager to share what MusicFest has to offer, as residents of the Comox Valley have had a hand in its success. 鈥淎s the festival world becomes more and more commercial, people always ask me: 鈥榃hat鈥檚 the magic? Why are you still able to do what you do?鈥� The real reason is we are a community festival.鈥�
