A magical evening unfolded at the Horsefly Community Hall Saturday, June 10 as a group of local musicians performed a tribute to American singer-songwriter Paul Simon.
From the opening number, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, to the closing encore song, Cecilia, it was a great evening that reminded people how blessed the Cariboo is with local talent.
When introducing the sold-out concert, musician Brent Morton said the idea for a concert covering Simon’s songs came from his partner Ciel Patenaude one night while they were doing dishes and Simon’s Graceland album was playing.
At first Ciel, also a musician, suggested they could cover the Graceland album, but eventually the idea grew as they asked some musician friends if they were interested.
Ciel is half of Bats Duo with Brent, while her brother Cole Patenaude heads the Cole Patenaude and the Screech Owls, her sister Marin Patenaude is a singer, and sister Pharis Romero and her husband Jason Romero are multiple Juno Award winners.
The concert proposition grew to include many more musicians and songs from other Simon albums and eras.
Brent told the audience he wondered how they would let each musician have the choice to perform the song(s) they wanted, but in the end there were no cases of people choosing the same ones.
Joining Brent and Ciel on stage were Dena Baumann, Jen Charters, Brandon Hoffman, Jenny Howell, Tanja Iwan, Cornelius Iwan, Devin Kroeger, Brent Morton, Cole Patenaude, Pharis Romero, Jason Romero, Mike Tudor and Marin Patenaude.
The musicians took turns singing the songs, which spanned the decades of Simon’s discography, including a few tunes produced with Art Garfunkel when they were a duo.
Each person who chose a song, wrote a statement about why they had picked it which MC Kevin Easthope read out before they performed it.
Pharis recalled singing 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover with her siblings and their mom when they were kids.
To honour that memory her children and siblings’ children joined the musicians on stage to sing.
Brent recalled hearing The Boxer performed in high school by a fellow student and being inspired to play guitar and sing more himself.
Before Jenny Howell, Tanja Iwan, Cornelius Iwan and Mike Tudor performed The Sound of Silence, Easthope read out a statement saying the song was written after a friend of Simon and Garfunkel’s went blind.
In May 2023, Simon now 81-years-old released his 15th solo album Seven Psalms.
“This whole piece is really an argument I am having with myself about belief or not,” Simon said of the new album in a trailer posted on YouTube.
All funds raised at the concert will go toward improving the sound system in the community hall for future concerts and the upcoming Arts on the Fly Music Festival, Saturday July 22.
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monica.lamb-yorski@wltribune.com
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