Last week’s Performance in the Park, featuring Nathan Lamb-Yorski and Ben Lamb Yorski, Red Monkey Black King and the Williams Lake Fiddlers, kicked off the season with edgy folk stylings, alternative rock and old time fiddle tunes.
Nathan Lamb-Yorski and Ben Lamb-Yorksi took the stage with Nathan on Martin 6-string guitar and vocals and Ben on Kahon Jembai. The tunes were Nathan’s original tunes, who said he’s been writing music for five years.
“I played in a band in high school and that kicked it off,” he explained. “I started playing guitar seriously in Grade 9 and have been singing forever.”
Nathan said he will perform in Wells with friends this summer, and on July 31 at the Bean Counter.
Red Monkey and Black King, made up of Ilan Peimer and James Still, performed a set that including their own original tunes and one cover. Peimer, from Cape Town South Africa, has lived in Williams Lake five years.
“I take classical and opera vocal training from Angela Sommer and from Alexandra Babel in Kelowna,” he explained. “Opera is really good for your voice; it helps you shape vowels better. You get a better sound and you find where you breathe.”
He added that he enjoyed playing in the park. “Music is what we love doing,” he said, “and this town really supports artists.”
Still said he played trumpet in jazz and classical bands in high school and decided to learn to play guitar a year ago. “All my friends were getting into this and I just needed some teen rock music in my life. My parents resisted,” he continued. “They thought electric guitar would be really loud, and I had to wait two months to get an amp. They wanted to wait to see if I was really into it.”
The Old Time Fiddlers, now known as the Williams Lake Fiddlers, have been delighting audiences since 1982.
“The goal is to keep the old time fiddlers style of music going,” said member Hal Giles. “We loan fiddles out to people to try them, and also support the Cariboo Chilcotin Youth Fiddle Society.”
The fiddlers have played for parades in Williams Lake and Quesnel, at the Legion, Deni House, Seniors Village and a wide range of community events.
“New fiddle players are always welcome,” said fiddler Joe Lecomte.
“We don’t need an excuse to play: we play for fun.”
He said that the range of music in the park was fun, adding that organizerAngela Sommer does a great job mixing it up.
“Tonight was awesome,” said Performance in the Park coordinator Angela Sommer.
“We had a great crowd, and the weather doesn’t matter: we’re here to have a good time,” she said. “I’m excited about the rest of the summer.”
The next Performance in the Park is Thursday, July 14 6 p.m. and will feature Dirty Mountain and Flannel Roots.