There will be lots of opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of live music in the lakecity this winter and spring during a unique concert series titled Safety Meeting.
“I’m really excited about all the artists we’ve got on board,” says event co-organizer Brandon Hoffman. “We’ve got some serious rock stars of the Music Festival circuit, a couple of whom have never played in Williams Lake.
“We will be featuring an out of town act coupled with a local act each evening,” Hoffman adds.
The concert series will take place at the Central Cariboo Arts Centre next to city hall in Williams Lake with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. and the concerts starting at 8 p.m.
Except for opening night on Saturday, Feb. 28 all of the concerts will be held on Friday evenings.
Hoffman is organizing the concert series with Megan Chutskoff and Brent Morton in concert with Horsefly’s Arts on the Fly Festival Society.
“We have a good little team of volunteers and are really thankful to have all of this help,” Hoffman says.
In efforts to get the community off the couch and out of the house Hoffman says they are calling the concert series Safety Meeting, in a tongue-in-cheek reflection that nine out of 10 accidents happen in the home.
“It’s just my morbid sense of humour,” Hoffman says of the name. “If you stay home you might get hurt, so you might as well come out and be entertained.”
He says posters for the series will feature a variety of comic inferences related to the Safety Meeting theme.
The first Safety Meeting concert will be Saturday, Feb. 28 featuring Brent Morton with his Drum and Bell Tower one man band and Blocktreat, which is Hoffman’s solo project. The two artists will perform separately and together.
Hoffman says he will play bass with Morton as Morton introduces songs from his new album and Morton will play with him in some of his “electronic meets bluegrass” songs.
Two concerts each will follow in March, April and May.
March 13 will feature Red Haven with Flannel Roots.
March 27 Pharis and Jason Romero will team up with Harry Tudor.
April 11 features Colin Easthope with Shadows Cast.
April 24 Joey Only Outlaw Band will be featured with Cariboo Songwriters in the Round.
May 8 features Black Spruce Bog with Sober Becky.
May 22 will feature Leathan Milne with Marin Patenaude.
Hoffman says the suggested price of admission will be $10 for most shows and $20 for the March 27 show but no one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
There will also be beer and wine and non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase.
A portion of the proceeds from the bar and admission will go to the Arts on the Fly Festival Society to help get this summer’s festival off the ground.
Advance tickets will be available at Red Shreds.
“Stubbed toes, choking on undercooked ichiban noodles, electrical shocks, cooking burns - staying at home on a Friday night is about the most dangerous thing you could choose to do,” Hoffman begins his pitch encouraging people to attend the concert series.
Watch for future stores on the series.