Local  Songwriters

Richard Caissie is a popular Comox Valley musician whom we met through the Comox Valley Songwriter's Circle. Richard is a motivated and inspiring musician with a great sense of humour and playing style like James Taylor. You can check out his music on his new website. He's working on a new CD which we are looking forward to hearing.

Gordon Carter has a new CD out called "Diary of a Coaltown" which is a great listen. Gord is an excellent story teller and his songs capture the sorrow, pride, and camaraderie of the working class. He's also a great guitar picker with an amazing repertoire of songs!

Trinitude
Trinitude is a great sounding family group from Nanaimo, BC who released their debut release "Rooted" in February of 2008 . Playfully refering to themselves as "Papatude", "Mamatude", and "Attitude" their celtic flavoured roots music really gets your attention. Their songs are very spirited and well written with robust harmonies and lots of enthusiasm. Visit their web site for more info! www.trinitude.ca

Sue Pyper
Sue is originally from the UK and has written some great songs, one of which entitled "Before You Learn to Fly" won "Song of the Year" at the Vancouver Island Songwriter's Awards in 2003. You can hear some sound clips of her beautiful vocals at her web site www.suepyper.com. She is one funny and talented lady, and it's definitely worth catching one of Sue's live performances if you're able to. Sue is also a professional graphic designer, so check out her online portfolio at Emagination Design.

Helen Austin
We met Helen at the Comox Valley Songwriter's Circle which she initiated and hosts every month. Helen's music is ever changing and she is a very prolific songwriter. Her unique combination of distinct guitar patterns and powerful vocals definately get your attention. Helen's first CD is titled "Things You Can't Undo". Helen's web site has all the details...

Alan Jossul
Alan is an amazing guitarist and composer, who is also  very gifted at articulating the mysteries of music and inspiring people to want to improve their musicianship. An excellent musical instructor and performer!

Joanna Finch
Joanna's music is playful, expressive, and provocative. Her clever use of language,  sophisticated melodies, and perfected vocals are instantly captivating and she's a very bright and energetic performer. She released a CD called "In the Arms of Morpheus" which is a very classy recording available at www.joannafinch.com.

Interesting Visits

Sointula, BC
A Finnish fishing community on Malcolm Island that began with a quest to find utopia. Annual event called Artopia now attracts visitors from all over to enjoy the talents of this unique and expressive community.

Horne Lake Caves
We exchanged a campground concert for a weekend getaway last summer and found it a scenic spot to spend the weekend. If it appeals to you, you can crawl around underground with a light on your head exploring the natural caves, paddle a canoe on the lake, or spend the night in a teepee... all very fun, except for the underground with a light on your head part. But that's just me.

Art and Bloom Festival
Brian Zimmerman has tamed 24 acres of the Vancouver Island rainforest to create a garden for all seasons. We thoroughly enjoyed meandering through paths of rhodos, meadows and fountains while admiring the works of artisans. The Art and Bloom Festival is held the long weekend in May and an Artisan Festival on the Labor Day weekend in September. He also has Christmas events that are a growing tradition in the valley when his wooded glades are lit by Christmas lights and he leads you on a tour past acapella groups singing carols. A magical experience for you and your little ones.

Independent Music Supporters/Resources

Two Eagles Lodge - Two of our favourite fans, Steve and Carolyn are phenomenal hosts and have a beautiful tourist accommodation just north of the Denman Island ferry terminal. They're a couple who really know how to help people enjoy themselves so if you want to book a retreat, we recommend that you give them a call.

Comox Valley Songwriters Circle
This is a group of talented and imaginative songwriters who meet the first Wednesday of every month at the Muir Gallery in Courtenay to test drive new songs and share new ideas in a supportive environment. Hosted by Helen Austin.

Quadra Fusion Recording Studio
Merisa Donahue and Les Tibbo have a recording studio in Nanaimo. We were impressed with our little tour, a comfortable creative environment and experienced positive people. Emily Celeste recorded our vocals for "This Heart This Season" in their studio, and did a great job of mixing the tracks we'd sent them that were recorded in various home studios. She and Merisa Donoghue had very creative ideas for the harmony tracks on Silver Lining and The Water Is Wide. We were all the way happy with that experience.

Raven Underground - William at Raven Underground did the mastering for our album "This Heart This Season". He provided great service, and was an appreciated set of ears on our project.

Susie McGregor - Andy Lorimer - Highland Studios
Susie McGregor has an unforgettable and  very moving vocal style and performs with her husband Andy Lorimer who is a phenomenal keyboard player. As owner/operators of Highland Music Multimedia Productions they have produced a series of compilation cds of Vancouver Island artists called Jewels of the Island that feature local musicians. They also initiated Valley Idol and always have a major project on the go so check out their website.

Bullfrog Music
Jeremiah at Bullfrog, sells independent recordings online, and promotes independent artists in the Victoria music scene. He also provides podcasts of live performances and sends out interesting newsletters.

CD's We're Enjoying

Gambling Eden - Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem
I first heard this group on www.folkalley.com which is an online folk music station. It's a folky/bluegrass blend with great vocals, harmonies and instrumentation. "Finland" and "Sparrow" are my favorites...

"Tail Lights in the Rain" - Sue Pyper's latest release of which we were pleased to be part of the creative process. A really great listen.

We Belong to the Gold Coast - Steve Dawson
I picked this CD up at the CHLY Annual Membership Drive... what a great listen.

Saskia Munroe / Darrel Delaronde - Laura's Kitchen
Saskia and her partner Darrell are another duo act we met here in the Comox Valley. We had the pleasure of opening for them for their Christmas Dream concert in 2005. The Christmas Dream CD is a compilation recording and the various artists do an annual concert to raise money for food banks in British Columbia. They have a brand new CD released  called "Laura's Kitchen".