Oilcan and Sparky go on an adventure!: Day 3 - Saturday at the Atlin Music Festival

Day 3 - "Rock and Roll is a friend of mine but
I cannot take her home for she does not get along with my mother!"

This Rock and Roll phrase is from one of the songs we heard today! What a great line! I was thinking about what to write about such jam-packed full of music day. It will be hard I think, to relay the experience in words. For folks who have not been to a music festival I urge you to put it on your bucket list. The variety of music, the talent (so amazing), the people you meet, the absolute pride you get from knowing that all this talent is CANADIAN! Sorry I'm shouting but I don't think we realize how deep the pool of talent is in this country. We saw acts from right across the country ~ PEI, Ontario, Vancouver, the North and other parts to numerous to mention and they were all fantastic.

We spent the morning taking in some workshops at the Lake Stage. This stage is right on the waters edge where you just look over your shoulder for a glimpse of the mountain vista! Workshops our one of our favourite things to take in at a music festival because it is so fascinating to hear the music that comes from this. The organizers pair two or three artists together and give them a theme. They meet perhaps up to an hour before the show and then come on stage and improvise, talk about their music, and create original music together. Our favourite this morning was the coming together of Mike Stevens and Anne Lindsay. Mike Stevens plays the harmonica like nobodies business - even makes it sound like a dog chasing a rabbit! Anne Lindsay is a violin/fiddle playing virtuoso who's original compositions leave you breathless. So, you put these two phenomenal musicians together, and magic happens. We could have listened to them all day!

We spent part of the afternoon in a line up on bated breath. Would we get in to see "The Silver Screen Scoundrels"? We first experienced them last night and their original jazz and swing with funny patter and shenannigans left us laughing so hard and their music is beyond words. So it turns out we did get in, I had a seat but Earl was standing room only which suited his free range photography needs anyway. This time, the were at the Globe Theatre and they played their original music to black and white silent movies they had made! We had a great chat with them afterwards, they are looking for a Model T (mmmm, who do we know with one or two of those). Earl had a link with Brandon Isaak as his family are long time yukon Musicians and Entertainers (Mom and Dad ore Ed and Donna Isaac). Earl remembers was Drummer witht he Canteen Show which perfromed in Watson lake in the 1990's when Earl was the Milepost Man! Such a small world. This was the most original performances, we have ever seen and here is the link so you can have a taste of their work http://silverscreenscoundrels.com/

Back at the mainstage, it was Headliners night from 7 p.m. to past midnight. The Crooked Brothers, Michelle Wright, Harry manx and Kevin Breit, Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys and The Boom Booms. Folk, Jazz, Blues, Country, PEI jigs, Oh my goodness. We clapped, stamped, danced, marveled, sang along, laughed and were oh, so happy!

We went to bed just so tired but humming happy tunes and ready for more tomorrow ~ the closing day already - it will be bittersweet.