Jammin'

Another bright and beautiful day today and the causeway was almost as busy as mid-summer. I was lucky to catch one man band Dave Harris doing an afternoon performance when he was joined for a few numbers by Marty Lewis on harp and vocals. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.

Jammin'

It always makes for an interesting musical evening when two of the Causeway's musicians get together for a jam. On the left above is Mather Hewison with one man band Dave Harris on the right. At one point Mather delivered Elvis Presley's version of "Donald, Where's Yer Troosers" and that should give you a hint of the eclectic musical spectrum they surveyed.

Jammin'

I enjoy the music of individual buskers on the causeway but it's always a special treat when two or more of them get together for a little jammin'. This afternoon I was lucky to catch one man band Dave Harris performing with one of the causeway's younger performers, guitar prodigy Landen Shaw.

Spring Music

Another sunny day today and much warmer brought loads of people out to stroll around the Inner Harbour Causeway. And there was lots to enjoy - refreshments, art and crafts and music. For perennial performer, one man band Dave Harris (above) it was his first outing this year and I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine once again and listening to his music. Later another veteran busker/musician, Country Dave Ryerson joined Dave for the photo below. The contributions these musicians make to the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the Causeway year after year cannot be too highly appreciated.

Rapt Attention

If you come to Victoria Daily Photo very much you will know that I like to photograph street performers. I post a lot of photos of buskers and while digging through the archives I realized I have a particular subset of photos of small children watching street performers. At the time I posted the above photo (August 2016) I wrote, "Nothing speaks so strongly about the power of live performance and the value of performers who bring their music to the streets as the kind of rapt attention they get from small children." The performer above is Karly Summers. Below is another example with one man band Dave Harris (April 2016).

2017 Bluesville

The above trio are a Victoria-based blues band called "Slim & The Deuces". They contacted me last week and asked if I would like to take some photos to use on their latest CD. On Friday I spent about an hour with them down on Store Street in old town Victoria. One of the cuts on their CD is entitled "Store Street Shuffle" and they wanted some photographs to include the street sign if possible. Above is one of the many photos I took that day. From the left, band members are John Hunter, Dave "Slim" Harris, and George Fenn. For me it was a great opportunity to try some new techniques and work with interesting, congenial people. Below is a little taste of their music from a live recording made on Canada Day 2016 by Dave Harris.The song is the "Store Street Shuffle" by John Hunter. For the CD, the band is still in the studio and the CD will be released in early 2017, entitled "2017 Bluesville".

"No Regrets" - New Music from Dave Harris

I am pleased today to bring you some new music, a new original song from Victoria's best-known busker and One Man Band, Dave Harris. Sit back and enjoy "No Regrets".

Night Market Music - Dave Harris

When I left Karly Summers and walked down Ship Point Pier through the night market I was happy to find our fine local one man band, Dave Harris, at the other end of the pier. Dave was in excellent form and I always enjoy his music. Once again, I initially was photographing using a wide angle lens (24mm) in the above photo and then I switched to the portrait lens (85mm) for the photo below. And, once again, as in the pair of Karly Summers photos (yesterday's post) I prefer the portrait photo below. It's a difficult choice that ultimately comes down to whether you want context or not.

Special Occasion

Friday night was a special occasion on Victoria's Inner Harbour Causeway. August 12th marked the 60th birthday of the city's best-known busker, veteran blues musician Dave "One-Man-Band" Harris. The date also marked Dave's 40th year as a busker here in Victoria. In celebrating his birthday Dave was joined by a large crowd of friends, fans, and fellow musicians and buskers. Many of his fellow musicians joined him onstage.In the photo above the musicians are (from the left), Landen Shaw (guitar), Charles Gates (snare drum), Mike Kraft (banjo), Dave Harris, and Clark Brendon (bass). Dave's wife Jane somehow provided cake for everyone in the happy crowd to cap what was truly a memorable celebration. Happy Birthday Dave!

Dave Harris

Victorians as well as tourists are lucky to be able to enjoy the performances of Dave Harris, our legendary one man band. Dave is a Victoria institution and has been entertaining on the Inner Harbour Causeway for more than 30 years. People who first heard him as children now bring their own kids to share the experience. I was lucky to catch his first Causeway appearance this year on Saturday. Below, Dave always draws an appreciative audience!

Jammin' - Clay George and Dave Harris

When I strolled along the causeway from where I took yesterday's photos I found one man band Dave Harris jamming with Clay George on some folk and country tunes. Below is a sample of sunset sounds from Victoria.

Dave Harris - One Man Band

Down on the Inner Harbour Causeway on Easter Sunday I was happy to see A favorite causeway busker, one man band extraordinaire, Dave Harris. I am pleased to be able to share with you a few songs I was able to record from that day's performance. Dave is a remarkable talent and this city is fortunate to be his home.

Dave Harris - One Man Band

I was down on the Causeway again on Sunday to catch a performance by its most enduring performer, one man band Dave Harris. If you ever visit Victoria plan to spend some time on the Causeway listening to Dave. It's a unique and rewarding experience. A couple of years ago I recorded the video below of Dave's version of the Orange Blossom Special. Enjoy!

Dave Harris - One Man Band

The Inner Harbour Causeway is humming with the vitality usual at this time of year. There's lots to eat and drink and interesting things to look at and buy and the whole scene is enlivened by music performed by our resident buskers. Above is a photo of Victoria's famed one man band, Dave Harris, performing on the Causeway. Below is a video of Dave doing a song written by another of our veteran causeway performers, Country Dave Ryerson. Country Dave is pictured to the right. The song is called "Now That You're Gone."

Dave Harris

Just as there is a predictable sequence in natural events as spring turns towards summer, so is there a sequence as the city wakes up out of winter. For me one of the best signs of spring is that the Inner Harbor Causeway stirs into life once again. One of the perennial performers there is Victoria icon, Dave Harris, one man band extraordinaire. Dave's been singing and playing there for 37 years now and has made memories for millions of visitors to this city. People who heard him first as children now return to the city bringing their own kids to share their experience. Click here to see some Dave Harris videos on his YouTube Channel.

Powerhouse Trio

The wide variety of musicians playing on the Inner Harbour Causeway make for interesting listening anytime but sometimes, if you're lucky, you will get to see and hear several of the performers jamming in impromptu groups such as pictured above. On the left is Victoria's famous One Man Band, Dave Harris. Center is Ian Bennetts, one half of the Bennetts Brothers Blues Band, the other half of which is sibling Jonathan Bennetts, on the right. These musicians have probably got a hundred fifty years of professional musical experience between them and when they wind it up and pour it out it's a great and unique listening experience.The video below (by Dave Harris) of the group playing a Calypso medley will give you some idea of this performance.

Sign of Spring

Well, the sunshine is still a little weak but here's sign of spring as welcome as spring flowers, Victoria's own famed One Man Band, Dave Harris. Warm sunny holiday weather on Good Friday brought crowds of Victorians out to stroll on the causeway and enjoy the entertainment provided by our resident buskers, artists and crafts people.

Safe Mode 3

Here's another using the same special effect setting as yesterday's photo. Today's photo is of one man band Dave Harris who is endlessly patient with my incessant photo-taking. Thanks Dave. And thanks also to regular visitors here who are getting a grab-bag selection of photos for the last couple of days because I am having ongoing computer problems. Operating in Safe Mode means I can only see very fuzzy distorted versions of my photos and cannot edit them before putting them up here.

One Man Band - Dave Harris

I've been spending a lot of time down on the Inner Harbour Causeway lately for several reasons. It's one of my favourite places in this city, especially when the weather is warm enough to be out in the evenings. I've also been spending more time recently shooting video of some of the entertainers who busk on the Causeway. A special project has been to record some of the performances of our famous One Man Band, Dave Harris. Below is a video of Dave's extraordinary version of the classic Orange Blossom Special. Take a close listen to the Harmonica/fiddle/drum break near the middle of the recording - it's an amazing performance. You can see more of Dave Harris on his YouTube Channel HERE.

Swan Song

			The musicians pictured here gathered together on Thursday afternoon to hold a concert on Victoria's Inner Harbour Causeway. The concert was to bid farewell to a long-time musician on the Causeway, Swan Walker. Swan is moving to Toronto and the proceeds of the concert were aimed at helping to defray his moving expenses. Swan's energetic reggae and calypso influenced music will be much missed here.

The video below captures some of the session, which ran for two hours.