It sounds like bathtub weekend.
Vancouver-based jazz singer Maya Rae will try to bring her good vibes to the stage at the Nanaimo Marine Festival this Saturday (July 22), one of numerous acts who will provide a soundtrack to Bathtub weekend.
Rae will be performing for free on the Paradise Island Main Stage inside the park.
“I am super excited. I’ve never played in Nanaimo before so it’s a new experience for me,” Rae said.
The Vancouver-based musician is just one of a handful of singers and bands rotating onto the stages.
The weekend’s headliners are The Stampeders (July 21) and Prism (July 22) who will be performing nighttime paid-admission concerts at Maffeo Sutton Park.
Although Rae is young, she’s no stranger to playing in front of people. The Vancouverite first began singing when she was in grade three and was busking by the age of 12.
“I had been going down to Granville Island all my life so I knew that there were buskers and once I got into music I started playing with my cousin,” she said. “We started playing there about three or four years ago and we’ve been busking down there every summer since then.”
Rae has since played at the Vancouver Jazz Festival and she has used her voice to help raise money for charitable causes along the way. Last year, she performed at a concert that raised money for Syrian refugees and in 2015 her voice helped raise more than $10,000 for victims of the Nepal earthquake.
In February, Rae released her debut album, Sapphire Birds, which contains 11-tracks, including two originals.
“It’s my debut album so there are a few classics on there, but there are also a few originals on there as well that I wrote,” Rae said about the record. “Sapphire Birds, the title track, I wrote when I was nine. So, it’s mostly some jazz classics, but also some pop songs that I really enjoy and I put some jazz flare on them as well.”
Rae says she likes to sing and write music that is positive, uplifting and represents her.
“A lot of the songs have to do with loving yourself and being true to who you are and having self-esteem,” she said.
One of the biggest challenges for Rae is finding other young musicians to play with in Vancouver. Although she has a band, Rae says she would like to play with younger more energetic individuals.
“I definitely have been looking for younger people to play with. It is a little bit more exciting to have some youthful energy to play with,” she said. “That’s definitely an ongoing struggle for me.”
Rae says she is working on a second album, but doesn’t have a time frame for when it will be released, adding that she is also looking forward to performing in more shows and festivals.
“I want to keep playing music and hopefully making connections along the way,” she said.
Nanaimo Marine Festival and the Great International World Championship Bathtub Race runs Friday through Sunday.
Nighttime concerts Friday and Saturday are paid admission and begin at 7 p.m. Friday night performers include The Stampeders, Jesse Roper, Wise Youngblood and The Black Franks. Saturday night performances include Prism, Chevy Ray and the Fins, David Gogo, Mark Crissinger, Bathub 150 Tribute Band and more.
Tickets are $25 in advance or $35 at the door. A weekend pass is $45 in advance or $65 at the door.
For information, visit www.bathtubbing.com.
reporter2@nanaimobulletin.com