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8:15pm: Rick Scott & Nico Rhodes

Veteran dulcimer maverick and young keyboard ace join forces for an intergenerational smorgasbord of roots, rhythm and groove!

What do you get when you combine a famed folkie with a rising star seasoned expertise and youthful exuberance old school groove with Broadway chops? Rick Scott and Nico Rhodes blur all boundaries. In a word, (well okay - two words) they cook!

Rick Scott emerged in the ‘70s in the iconic folk trio Pied Pumkin. Since then he has released 18 recordings and performed his highly original music in nine countries, earning three Juno nominations and Vancouver Island, Western Canadian and Canadian Folk Music Awards. Singer, songwriter, actor and raconteur, he is legendary for his capacity to combine music and humour to uplift and refresh the human spirit.

Nico Rhodes is astonishing, not just an accompanist, you have to hear and see him caress, cajole and at times almost punish the piano. Breathtakingly fresh sounds and style radiate from this young musician whose hands effortlessly fly across a keyboard leaving us in utter amazement and jumping to our feet at the end of a solo!

Rick and Nico are recording a CD, due out in September! This collaboration has been decades in the making. At age 8 Nico wrote Rick a fan letter and at age 23 he orchestrated Rick’s music for symphony. Equally proficient on keyboards and woodwinds, he’s in constant demand across Canada as an arranger and musical director for stage shows from Chemainus to Ontario, when not playing jazz with his own trio or touring with renowned chanteuse Joelle Rabu.

AUDIENCE REACTIONS:

"I had the very real pleasure of attending Rick Scott and Nico Rhodes at Char’s landing. I LOVED this show. Such a great cross section of music that appealed to all ages and tastes. I already knew of Rick’s talent as a singer/songwriter/dulcimer player and his special charisma on stage as a performer, and he brought all of that to this show. The excellent surprise was the addition of Nico to this. Wow! Such an amazing pianist and performer. But I think what impressed me the most and made this a concert I will always remember was the wonderful collaboration and sharing on stage between these two artists, their very real and visible caring for each other and the magic and joy their music. Such a great evening. Thank you."  KR, Port Alberni.

"We’ve done about ten house concerts now and of all of them, Rick and Nico’s had everything going for it. It was what a show should be in every way. It had a joy to it because it came from inside each of them and it was utterly infectious. They had everything burning bright and right. Here are some Facebook comments:  That was a fantastic show! That was one of the best concerts I've ever enjoyed! Absolutely fantastic entertainers! Thank you for bringing these two charming, gifted firecrackers to us! It was a grand concert!" JM, Hornby Island. 

7:30pm: Steph Cameron

Steph Cameron's music and lifestyle seem to echo another time and place. Think of the beatniks in the '50s, hitchhiking and hopping freight freights. Think Greenwich Village circa 1963, and the beginning of the Dylan-fueled folk explosion, or a late '60s commune in northern California perhaps. In fact, Steph Cameron and her community of like-minded friends have made their own time and place, right here, right now. They have chosen to share music and ideas around the campfire, or by candlelight within the rural cabins they have built themselves.

There is an undeniably retro feel to Cameron’s work, but she is certainly not mired in the past. “I’ve been involved in the underground punk and hip hop scenes for years,” she says. “I have always felt an affinity for music that comes from the street or other places of conflict.” She goes on to express a “respect for music that admires the resourcefulness of struggling people and demonstrates a distrust for authority.” Steph acknowledges that her core passion, however, remains “folk and blues music.” This ranges from the country blues of Lightnin’ Hopkins to the bluegrass of Doc Watson to the vintage ’60s folk of Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and early Joni Mitchell.

Hints at these diverse influences can be found in her songs. Along with its refreshing eclecticism, her material here has a lovely dynamic range. Steph explores a vast emotional terrain with convincing skill, thanks to her pure, strong and supple voice. Cameron’s crisp and rhythmic playing is another key component to the album. Self-taught on guitar, she explains that she has made a recent major breakthrough on the instrument. “I have been playing for a decade, but only seriously for the last few years, after a friend gave me a set of metal banjo fingerpicks. I now find guitar interesting, which challenges me to progress and compels me to write songs.”

Lyrically, Steph’s songs dig deep, drawing upon the experiences and lessons learned from a fascinatingly nomadic and sometimes turbulent lifestyle. Born in Saskatoon, she has since spent time living in East Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and now the Kootenay region of the B.C. interior, as well as logging serious miles traversing the country.

Her songs also draw inspiration from her circle of close and creative friends. “In some ways, the songs are like a sounding board,” she explains. “I write music as a way of digesting events that have shaped me and my community. A storyteller has to be honest – even, and often especially when that honesty is uncomfortable. Some of the songs on this record are light-hearted and playful, but the songs that are most meaningful for me acknowledge the turbulence in my own life and the lives around me. ” Cameron also finds creative sustenance in living simply, for the last several years in cabins she has built herself. "I use oil lamps and candles and heat with a wood stove,” she says. “I’m not a stranger to cities, though. I never have been. The songs on this record concerned with the city recall the sadness and trouble I’ve found there.”

For Steph Cameron, music has always been a passion rather than a career choice. She has performed extensively across Canada, primarily in a very unstructured fashion as a busker . “That’s how I’ve worked my way across Canada for nearly ten years,” she says. “With my friends and our dogs, we hitchhike and ride trains to get into cities. We take over a spot, play music for a week, make enough money to keep going and then move onto the next place.” Busking has helped shape Steph into an engagingly communicative and energetic performer.

The shift from busker to recording artist is not one Steph actually pursued or predicted. The catalyst was a friend from Victoria. “He pressured me into making a demo about 18 months ago,” Cameron explains. “I had been playing these songs around the fire and he really enjoyed them so he got after me and we set up a recording date in our friend’s bedroom.” This same friend then gave the resulting demo to Cowboy Junkies bassist Alan Anton, who was highly impressed with what he heard and offered encouraging advice to Cameron. “When Alan contacted me, I had a feeling that this could all get a little more serious than I intended.”

That first demo then found its way to music industry veteran Kim Cooke at Pheromone Recordings. Knocked out by what he heard, Cooke reached out to Cameron, eventually signing her to the label. “For someone new to this, Steph has incredible instincts and she knows exactly what she wants,” says Kim. “I think she is a unique character who has already led a fascinating life at a young age, and it is on display in her music.” Cameron reflects that “I had a good amount of time and space between hearing from Alan and meeting Kim. I was able to write a lot of material for the record in that time and was able to digest what was going on. This is all about small steps for me. It is not something I was pursuing or felt driven to do. It is just something that has happened, and we’ll see where I take it.”

Steph Cameron is now gradually surfacing from the underground, but with ideals intact. She is ready to take her eloquent material and compelling voice public on a much wider scale than simply sharing it with friends around the fire or passersby on street corners. For that, we can feel very fortunate.

The Rogue Folk Club is pleased to provide great SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES for all our shows. For a nominal cost, individuals or businesses can sponsor any of our shows and reap a number of benefits - free tickets, reserved table, recognition on literature, our web site and at the concerts. For more information simply contact our Sponsorship Director Morris Biddle at mobiddley@me.com

Please note that the admission price for this concert includes a $2 Venue Improvement Fee that we are required by the St. James Square to collect from every patron. Starting in September 2016, the proceeds from this temporary fee will be used for construction projects such as ventilation, flooring and washrooms that will make the hall a nicer place for you to visit in the future. If you wish, you can make a secure donation by clicking on the big blue button at the bottom of the page at www.sjcommunitysquare.org. For information on donating by phone or post, please contact the St. James Square office at 604-739-9373.