Van the Man. The Belfast Cowboy. The Mystic of Belfast.
Call him what you will — the Celtic-soul firebrand Van Morrison remains one of music’s most mercurial and enduring voices. At 80, he’s still turning out an album nearly every year, so it’s hardly surprising that bands like Moondance: The Van Morrison Songbook have stepped up to celebrate the sound that changed generations.
Co-founded by vocalist-guitarist Bruce Coughlan and bassist Laurence Knight — longtime bandmates in the acclaimed Celtic-roots trio Tiller’s Folly — Moondance brings the Morrison catalogue to life with a full band, complete with sax, trumpet, and a touch of Celtic soul.
The band’s next stop is Nov. 20 at the Charlie White Theatre in Sidney’s Mary Winspear Centre.
“Bruce sings the hell out of Van Morrison — people close their eyes and swear they’re hearing the real thing. We’re not trying to be a copy band,” says Knight. “We do the songs with the integrity they were written in, but the solos and things like that are our own.”
The idea for the project was born just before COVID, after a show Knight and Coughlan played alongside Vancouver’s Whiskey Dicks. Their guitarist also played trumpet, sparking the realization that a horn section could unlock the soul and swing essential to Morrison’s music. The pair tested the concept with five sold-out shows at White Rock’s Blue Frog Studios — only to have the pandemic put everything on hold. When live music returned, promoter Andrew Roberts of Got Pop? Concerts helped bring Moondance to Vancouver Island audiences, where it quickly became a hit.
The Sidney show will feature songs like Brown Eyed Girl and Domino to Into the Mystic, Wild Night, and Moondance itself — tunes that still ignite audiences generations after “Van the Man” first sang them.
Knight and Coughlan will be joined on stage by an all-star ensemble including Geeta Das on trumpet and vocals, Karen Graves on saxophone, flute, and vocals, Lee Warden on guitar and piano, and Greg Stuart on guitar and vocals — a lineup that brings both punch and polish to Morrison’s unmistakable groove.
For Knight — who has toured and recorded with artists such as Shari Ulrich, Roy Forbes, and Long John Baldry, and has been playing his heart out for more than 30 years — the magic of Van Morrison never fades.
“Into the Mystic and Moondance — those songs are timeless,” he says. “They still lift people up. That’s why we play them.”
Tickets and information are available through the Mary Winspear Centre box office (marywinspear.ca).
