Young Buskers

I caught this pair on Saturday. There's more kids busking this year than I can remember seeing before, though most don't do it regularly. These little girls don't look so much like buskers - they have the gravitas and dress that made their performance seem like a concert.

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.

Phat Funk

You may notice a slight orange cast to the colors in these photos - we are suffering from smoke from forest fires so the light is a sort of ominous yellow-orange. Couple that with higher than normal temperatures (about 30 degrees C when these photos were taken) and it sounds like a prescription for finding a cool, shady spot to rest. None of that deterred this group of young musicians who bounced around producing some high energy music so stimulating that a large group of small children couldn't help but dance. (See the short video clip below)

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.

Cute!

This is the Sizzlers Fiddle Camp ensemble adding their sounds to summer on Government Street.

Smiley Brothers

To continue with the line-up of this year's buskers on the Inner Harbour Causeway, here are the Smiley Brothers. I've not seen or heard them before but it's obvious they've been making music together for a long time - very smooth, original arrangements of pop classics. Stop and listen if you are lucky enough to see them - you won't be disappointed.

Musical Family

Here's a group that have been entertaining Victorians and tourists on the causeway for years, the Kennedy Family, consisting of father Caleb (center), son Cairo (left) and daughter Autumn.

Mike & Joy

Most busker musicians' repertoires focus mainly on adult tastes but here's a duo that adds a good selection of kids' songs to a collection of pop classics. This is Mike and Joy. If you're on the causeway with your kids, keep an eye (and an ear) out for this pair. They sound good no matter what age you are.

The Harbour Rats

Here's a pair of brothers I've not seen before - Gabe and Mac, who are busking on the causeway this year under the name of The Harbour Rats. They have a wide repertoire that includes some high-energy bluegrass. Great stuff!

Zoubi and the Sea

There's lots of buskers around these days but there are also many other musicians participating in The run-up to Canada Day and Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations. Here is one group, Zoubi and the Sea, that I caught on the Ship Point Stage yesterday.

Chase the Bear

I am always interested in new groups coming to busk in Victoria so I was happy to see these musicians playing at the bottom of Government Street yesterday. But in this case I was amazed at the raw talent they displayed. And I was not alone - many spectators were equally struck at the music these young perfomrers provided. The group is called, "Chase the Bear" and consists of Troy Gilmore (vocals), Jordan Phillips, and Braeden Royer. Dusty Townsend (cello) of "Fish in a Birdcage" was jamming with them. (Please excuse the quality of the video below. I had gone out to shoot landscapes earlier and neglected to bring my proper video recording equipment with me. The video is from my phone. Consequently the sound is muffled by wind and traffic noise for the first 30 or 40 seconds.)

Braeden Royer

Jordan Phillips

Troy Gilmore

Fish in a Birdcage

Fish in a Birdcage has been featured here in other years with other members but the one consistent member is Dusty Townsend, usually playing cello as on the right in the photo above. When I saw him earlier this week he was playing in the company of Esther-Ruth Teel, on the Celtic Harp. It's an odd combination of instruments but it works amazingly well, the deep, rumblings of the cello perfectly counterpointing the softer pluckings of the harp.

Summer of Love...

When I saw this trio of young buskers I was suddenly thrown back to the "summer of love" - 1967 - and it made me realize that ideas and movements that were ignited then never really died but that fragments of that time still float around and seeds that were planted then continue to bear fruit. I hope these kids made it home safely.

The O'Brien Family

Sunday evening I chanced to hear this group performing as part of the Night Market on Ship Point. This is the O'Brien Family, a very accomplished group that were a pleasure to listen to. Below is a video of one of their performances a few years ago to give you some idea of their sound.

Quartet

Among the many charms of spring here is that we see more young performers on the Causeway and Government Street. This youthful quartet was sawing out some splendid jigs and reels this afternoon on the Causeway. I hope to see more of them over the summer. I suspect these are music students who've joined together in an impromptu group to make a little money from their talent. Whatever the reason, the joie de vivre and energy they bring to their playing is a pleasure to behold.

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.

Bijoux Du Bayou

I've got lots of old favourites among the street performers but I'm always happy to see and hear something new. The group pictured here describe themselves as a "Cajun-Zydeco Swing Dance Band" but seemed to be capable of playing anything and giving it their own unique style. I'm not familiar with Cajun music and I really enjoyed getting a taste of it.

Mix and Match

There is always some interesting music on the Inner Harbour Causeway and one of the reasons is that the musicians often jam together in various combinations. I've not before seen the trio above, for instance, although I've often seen them playing with others. From the left, playing the big stand-up bass is Cairo Kennedy, who often often plays with his sister Autumn and father Caleb. He also plays in a local group of young musicians called The Colts. In the center is Harbour Nolan, who also plays with the Colts, generally on drums but here showing his skills on ukulele and harmonica. On the right is Jaime Nolan, Harbour's father, who often plays the causeway as a one-man-band - guitar, harmonica and foot drum. The music was good but perhaps what was most enjoyable was the fun this group was having while performing.

More B T Williams Quartet

In June I posted a photo of the B. T. Williams Quartet. Left to right in the above photo are Austin Nicholl, Lee Whitehorne, Zach Smith and Seán Maynard. I was lucky enough to hear them again on Thursday and this time I recorded a bit of their repertoire in the video below. In the video clip they are playing Taylor Swift's I Knew You Were Trouble, arranged by Jenny Wabich.

You can hear some more of their music and find out more about them by clicking this link to SoundCloud.

Fish In A Birdcage

Here's some music I recorded last month and have only just got around to processing. This is Fish In A Birdcage with Dusty Townsend on cello and Heather Woodbridge on violin. I believe this is Celtic music but I neglected to ask the name of the tune. Check out the video below to get your toes tappin' and fingers snappin'.