Squamish United Church is bringing East Coast music to the Pacific this spring. Attendees will be able to tap their toes to familiar classic folk tunes in a night of fiddling, singing, and good company .
This is the Church’s fifth annual Coffee House fundraiser, with an East Coast Kitchen Party theme.
The event runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the church. Tickets are $30 and include coffee, tea and muffins served during a 30 minute intermission. The United Church Women will also host a silent auction before the show and during the break.
The evening will feature two 45 minute sets from six or seven musical acts, ranging from newer performers to established names from Squamish and beyond. Violinists, guitarists, pianists and singers are all on the bill, with performers traveling from as far as the Tri-Cities.
The ‘East Coast Kitchen Party’ theme was a natural fit when the church surveyed its members for ideas, according to Peter Spiller, who helps organize the event alongside his wife, Rev. Anita Spiller.
“Somebody said, what about East Coast Maritimes music, sea shanties and sing-alongs, the kind of stuff that you’d find in a pub in St. John’s.” Spiller Said. “Everybody universally said, ‘yeah! let’s do that,”
“It’s kind of fun music, it’s celebratory, it’s certainly the stuff that audience members can get behind.”
Although the lineup isn’t finalized, planned performers include local pianist Julie Murakami, and singer Robyn Savage. Violinist Miriam Gibb will make the trip from the Vancouver area, and retired music teachers and life-long multi instrumentalist’s Chris and Marcia Carmichael are coming in from the Tri-Cities.
The Carmichaels attended a previous Coffee House series and play in multiple bands around the Lower Mainland. Chris Carmichael said the East Coast Kitchen Party theme resonates with him personally, even as an Australian who has spent years steeped in Scottish musical traditions.
“A lot of the music is based on stories and old wives’ tales set to music, sometimes funny, sometimes humorous, sometimes love stories, but basically about people and life,” Carmichael said. “I have the Australian folk tradition and I have the Scottish folk tradition, and then we also have the Canadian East Coast folk tradition.”
Carmichael will perform alongside his wife and the Spillers as the evening’s closing act, playing a set that includes the Rankin Family classic “Rise Again.”
Spiller emphasized that the event is secular and community focused, designed to leave people feeling connected. He said Squamish’s musical community has been a constant source of inspiration since the couple started at the church three years ago.
“It’s hard not to experience music in some form and be moved emotionally,” he said. “What we try to do is leave people feeling better, thinking a little bit, enjoying, maybe reminiscing.”
The format encourages audience participation throughout, with plenty of opportunity to clap along. For more information or tickets see their page on Eventbrite.
Sounds like a cool blend of vibes for a fundraiser. Did they have any special drinks inspired by the East Coast?