PLAY ME THE BLUES, POR FAVOR
By Mike Brcic
February 17th, 2003
The evening of Wednesday, February 5 was an evening like many others for 4900 of Fernie's residents, with the usual night-time rituals and activities: some watched movies, some did laundry, some waxed their skis in roseate anticipation of things to come.
 At the Arts Station, however, 100 lucky music-lovers were treated to a stunning display of musical wizardry and passion as Carlos del Junco, 2-time World Harmonica Champion, and his band took the sold-out crowd on a rolling, thrilling musical ride. For almost 3 hours, Carlos and his band held the audience in rapture: on this night, Carlos was a fisherman, we were his catch, and we were hooked.
I came, as did many others, expecting to hear the blues, and we were not disappointed. From Howlin' Wolf to Sonny Boy Williamson, Chicago blues to Delta, Carlos and his über-talented band played the blues as they were meant to be played: with passion, conviction and a reverential respect for the artists that came before them.
A few songs into his set, however, Carlos took the musical ride down a different track, and the 4 musicians explored their jazz roots, venturing into more eclectic terrain. They could do no wrong on this night: 8 rolling, ethereal minutes later, the crowd seemed to let out one giant, collective breath before bursting into applause, as if held breathless for the song's duration.
For this music-lover, the highlights of the night came when Carlos explored his Latin roots (he was born in Cuba). As the band laid into a sexy, soulful groove on songs such as Moliendo Café, Carlos sang of beaches, love and longing, interspersing his verses with fiery harmonica solos. The zenith of the night occurred with just Carlos and his drummer on stage, the two playing off each other and building tempo and intensity to a peak that was matched by the crowd's zealous enthusiasm.
The most impressive aspect of the night was the true band effort that was on display. As imposing as Carlos' talents were, they were equally matched by his talented bandmates. Each musician was highlighted on several occasions (although I would have preferred a more prominent role from the awesome drummer), and the band played as a multi-headed beast, 4 unique personalities steering a common body and moving towards the same goal. The crowd showed their appreciation for these world-class talents with raucous applause after each song.
Indeed, Carlos' show was emblematic of a blossoming music scene in the town of Fernie. Later that night, I wandered a few blocks down the street to the Eldorado and found another packed house (albeit much younger), grooving to the pop-funk of Vancouver’s Jazzberry Ram. On a Wednesday night? In the same town that 5 years ago was starving for good music?
Troy Cook, a local musician and one of the founding fathers of the Fernie music scene, had this to say about the town's emerging reputation in music circles: "We're now a major stop for musicians. We have Grammy- and Juno-award winners coming to play at the Arts Station. And personally, I'm involved in projects now that I couldn't have partaken in just a few years ago."
The local scene is certainly improving. Whereas 5 years ago it was a struggle to find local musicians to play with, there are now open-mic nights almost every night of the week. Almost every bar in town now boasts of some opportunity for local would-Hendrixes and Harpers to strut their stuff.
Yup, sleepy little Fernie is waking up. Maybe one of those local bands will take a chance and go for it one day, just as Carlos Del Junco did. Me, I’m off to the music store to get me a harmonica. I think E-flat blues should do it for now...
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