I’m very happy to have seen so many people attend this month´s event with our guest Willy Blizzard. A Local indie-roots folk band that has been following their musical passion since ´54.
I was immediately struck by how open and down to earth they are. My impression was confirmed during their opening words where they clarified they weren’t very sure what Eco-Arts was and they didn’t really think of themselves as artists… go figure? I guess it’s not your background but your heart that makes you who you are, and the love and respect for the environment –particularly for our Canadian riches. What is present in their songs was what brought us to them, and their hearts have earned them the title of artists… so here we are eco-folks and music-folks who, without knowing it, share the same values. I was completely thrilled by how uniquely they see themselves. Not only are they not artists (in their opinion!), but it seemed that more than musicians they think of themselves as crafters of lyric photographs, the art of creating pictures with words. You have to love them right?
Each song was unique, telling a story. Each was born in a specific place and grounded on a moment that took life of its own. It might have been the selection of songs but it seemed that each verse was acutely aware of its surroundings. Listening to Willy Blizzard felt like a gentle nudge to be more present! I loved their warmth and their openness. The everyday memories that shine in their songs had me aching for places that I hadn’t even heard of before. And apparently all this was just their opening songs… today was seriously amazing.
What we seek in our music is integrity, we don’t know anything about marketing but we do bring a lot of integrityHow often do you hear that in the music business?
It was very refreshing to listen to a band that managed to succeed in their own terms, joy first, values first, love for nature first and while they were busy creating beauty, doors kept opening. All in all an amazing, inspiring and musical night. I hope you shared this evening with us and if not I hope to see you in our next Eco-Arts Salon where we will be crafting a lantern for Year of the Snake at Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.
We thank Choices Market Yaletown for their kind donation of yummy and wholesome goodies to share at this event and all of our volunteers who made it come together!
~Author: Andrea Fiscall-Woodhouse