Musical performers will pay homage to some of the country's decorated artists at a concert in Nanaimo in the lead-up to Canada Day.
'Oh Canada: A Celebration of the Best in Canadian Music' begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, at the Port Theatre, featuring songs from the Legacy of Lightfoot, paying homage to Gordon Lightfoot, Tower of Song (Leonard Cohen), Joni (Joni Mitchell) and the Great Divide (the Band).
Oliver Swain, a two-time Western Canada Music award winner and Juno nominee, is one of the singers with the Legacy of Lightfoot and also with Tower of Song and he told the News Bulletin he feels privileged to be part of the night.
"It's such an honour. To have the legacy of these great Canadian artists, and to have a chance to keep it going in the live setting is just one of the most exciting projects that I've been a part of…" he said. "With [many of] these great artists gone, to give people a chance to get together and and hear what those shows were like, and experience what those shows were like, is really special."
All the artists profoundly impacted music, according to Swain. Cohen is considered among the "world's greatest songwriters" with lyrical contributions "unparalleled," and Mitchell has a combination of a "confessional style of songwriting she really pioneered in the folk era" and an "incredible voice."
"When it comes to the Band, they managed to bring out all the greatest elements of Southern rock and fuse it with the songwriting of Robbie Robertson and the whole group," Swain said. "So I think that their take … probably set the standard for what Southern rock is all about in the modern era."
Swain also talked about what people can expect at next week's show.
"When it comes to the Legacy of Lightfoot and the Great Divide, we do much more of a very classic emulation and re-creation of the show," he said. "We don't wear wigs, but we do everything else we can to really create the aesthetic, both on stage and within the music."
The fact that the performance takes place a few days before Canada Day is a coincidence, but it is fitting, according to Swain. He and a Legacy of Lightfoot bandmate noticed recently while touring that patriotism seemed to be rising in response to U.S. annexation threats and tariffs.
"We thought … rather than 'elbows up, over the boards' kind of energy, let's talk about celebrating … something beautiful that Canadians can all be proud of," he said.
Performing with Swain will be Dylan Stone, Danielle Lebeau Petersen, Glenna Garramone, Aiden Miller, Tyler Lieb, Sean Thompson, Geoff Howe, Marshall Wildman and Jack Weyler.
Tickets are $44 and are available through http://porttheatre.com.
