It's hard to think of a more picturesque music venue than Mount Washington.
Every Saturday this summer, the sound of music is going to echo through the mountains, turning the heads of marmots and drawing a crowd of revellers, tired mountain bikers and kids to the slopes. However, The Sound of Music this is not, music consultant James Wood has helped pull in an eclectic mix of musicians from Vancouver Island, running the gamut from psychedelic folk to reggae to folk to alternative rock.
"I'm super excited about the bands that we were able to organize for the summer," said Wood.
The series starts on July 6, with shows happening every Saturday from 3 until 5 p.m. The first show will be Campbell River alternative rock band Vogue Villains. Jim Legacy will be playing the second show. Legacy is a psychedelic folk musician, and will be having a short DJ set to finish off the day. Tremblers of Sevens, a two-piece act with influences as diverse as klezmer and doom, hits the stage on July 20, followed the next week by reggae singer songwriter Caleb Hart. Folk favourites the Awakeneers start August off, and they are followed by Jozy, a pop-rap RnB artist who grew up on the traditional territories of the K'omoks First Nation on Aug. 10. Queen of Vancouver Island Carolyn Mark is hitting the stage on Aug. 17, with Comox Valley-based hip hop artist Oktiv6 & Funkyard up the following week. Finally, ending the summer will be Comox-based funk rocker Will Coles and his band.
"I'm really proud of this eclectic mix of music," said Wood. "it's something for everyone."
The events are all free, with drinks for sale from sponsor Vancouver Island Brewing. The shows will be held at the Eagle View Patio, with a playground nearby for the kids.
"It's going to be two hours of just a lot of joy and a lot of fun in the most picturesque venue you could imagine," Wood said.