VANCOUVER – It’s not often that you can watch an outdoor reggae performance, a rap concert and a didgeridoo beatboxing gig all in the same night in Vancouver for free.
But you can this Friday.
About 20 local buskers will take the stage on Granville Street downtown to showcase their musical talent and artistry between 7 p.m. and midnight.
“We’re bringing music to the streets and there’s going to be some really incredible talent,” said event coordinator Marc Stokes. “It’s going to be a good time.”
The selected performers auditioned for the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, the event host.
First up will be TalaKita, a folk/pop trio made up of a cellist, a guitarist and a violinist. Also taking the stage will be singer/guitarist David Morin and soul and jazz performer Tonye.
“Tonye is the Lauryn Hill of our generation, and David Morin has the most incredible voice,” said Stokes.
Other acts lined up are ATMA (hip hop), Paul Clifford (raw acoustic) and Des Larson (rock and reggae).
“I’m really stoked to have a free concert in the city,” said Morin, 27, who has been making music since he was 16. “It’s really important to get arts and culture on the streets and not just on the Internet. People need to see it live to be inspired creatively.”
Between set changes, buskers will perform on the green turf between Robson and West Georgia streets. Keep an eye out for Andy Rimer – more famously known as Spandy Andy – the goofy, colourful spandex-wearing, arms-flailing dancer who auditioned on last season’s So You Think You Can Dance Canada.
Other acts include: ENFM, a didgeridoo beatboxer; Jim Meyer, a Chapman stick player; Cora & Jesse, an indie pop duo; Phareke, a rapper; and Hang Johnny, a hang drum player.
Friday’s busking concert is put on by the Downtown Vancouver BIA, the city and members of the busking community.
It will be the first of three concerts this summer. Called the City Motion Busking Series Concert, it is part of Re-Discover Granville 2.010, a free summer event organized by the city to revive the excitement and entertainment experienced on Granville Street during the Winter Olympics.
The concert also is part of a busking initiative led by Stokes, in which he’s lobbing the city to allow buskers to play past 10 p.m. downtown and to use amplification.
“Our goal is to bring busking to the streets so people won’t have to hunt for live music,” he said. “We drew in so many tourists during the Olympics and we were allowed to play past 10 then because Granville Street doesn’t even get busy until that time. We want to try that again this summer.”
Morin hopes the concerts will help make street performances a norm in Vancouver.
“I think Vancouver is really lacking in culture,” he said. “The police shut us down because the busking laws are so strict, and people think we’re bums. But if they see us on a regular basis, then they’ll realize buskers provide a service, they inspire creativity.”
vluk@vancouversun.com
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