Anyone who first visits the small seaside community of Sooke is unlikely to immediately understand that they’ve just entered a very special place.
“Sooke is one of those cool places where you can go into a pub and run into someone who once was on tour with George Harrison,” said Gary Brewer. “Another time I ran into someone – a musician – who had helped produce Tom Waits’ Broadway shows.
“There’s a weird sort of kinetic energy here and a deep-rooted love of music. I love being a part of this scene.”
Brewer is the president of the Sooke Folk Music Society and once a month his group takes over Sooke's Holly Trinity Church to present a musical coffee house.
It’s an amazing opportunity for the community to experience live performances of everything from aspiring amateurs to seasoned and very well-known artists who make the trip up Highway 17 to play for the packed venue – presenting the music in a way that folk music has always been meant to be heard.
“With all the technology out there, the truth is that you can’t ever capture the feeling of a live performance,” Brewer said.
Of course, Brewer is no stranger to performing.
He’s a lifelong guitar player who began writing songs in his early 30s and has released his own album, World of Possibilities, while performing at folk festivals and coffee houses in Western Canada before making the move to Vancouver Island.
“There was a time when I was teaching some music as well, but I realized that I needed a more stable career and became an archeologist,” said Brewer.
But that career shift did nothing to dampen his love of music and his commitment to sharing that love with his community.
“We’ve built a great musical community around us, and we get a chance to bring in these amazing musicians,” said Brewer. “My move to archeology did nothing to decrease my love of music... Music is a lifelong thing. No one really retires from it. Nobody ever really quits.”
The coffee houses hosted by Brewer’s group are a unique blend of established, well-known musicians and other folks who take to the open mic at the beginning of every evening to share the music within their souls.
“Someone once told me that everyone has at least one song inside them,” said Brewer. “During our open mic sessions, I’ve seen that demonstrated and had the chance to hear some gems that I might never have heard otherwise.”
But the monthly coffee houses are so much more.
This past Saturday evening Brewer’s group hosted internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Stephan Fearing who thrilled a packed house with his unique musical stylings. Next month, Scott Cook will take the stage and in March folk music fans will have a chance to see Valdi take the stage.
“We have Seabreeze coming in April, Daniel Cook the following month and Virgil Brown in June. These are incredibly talented performers and we are so lucky to get to see them live in this really intimate setting,” said Brewer. “It’s a shame that some people have forgotten the power of a personal performance, but we’re making sure that, here in Sooke, they will always have the chance to experience that magic.”
