Hold on to Your Stetson. Here Comes Ranchfest

Mark Bignell

Right on the heels of the jazz festival comes the fourth annual Ranchfest, the lower mainland’s Roots festival of local music July 3 to 6 all around town.

After much deliberation, juggling, hair-pulling, blood, sweat and tears, here is the much anticipated line up for this year's Ranchfest 2003, sponsored in part, by Radio Bandcouver.

If you have yet to take in Vancouver's stellar Roots music party, I'll let you in on two important matters:

1.You don't have to dress up in a cowboy hat and boots to fit in. Ranchfest is about music and community. It's not about being trendy.

2. The music is not just limited to country music. Many of the acts performing have wide enough tastes and imagination to offer you a varied and eclectic mix of everything from rockabilly, punk, gospel, 60's influenced Pop, folk, jazz, new wave, art rock, and even the odd tinge of Tom Waits, so it will be anything but one dimensional! The music's incredible, the playing and singing top notch, and much of it is from your own backyard!

The Ranchfest 4 Schedule:

Opening Evening: Thursday July 3:

The Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir, upstairs, just off Seymour Street)

Rich Hope, Serena Ryder, & The Parlour Steps

The Sugar Refinery (1115 Granville Street, upstairs, just off Helmacken)

Coal, John Guliak, David P. Smith, & Rodney Decroo

The Royal (1029 Granville @ Nelson)

Ray Condo, Bottleneck & Petunia

The Main (4210 main street @ East 26th Avenue)

Ba Johnston, Roger Dean Young & Leah Abramson

Friday, July 4:

The Railway Club

The Golden Wedding Band, Accordion Madness & Conrad (The Band)

The Sugar Refinery

Dave Gowans (Buttless Chaps) And His Quartet, Jack Harlan, Ashley Park & Belinda Bruce

The Royal

The Bughouse 5, Big John Bates & Chris Houston's Evil Twang

The Main

Andrew Vincent & Amy Honey

Saturday, July 5:

The Railway Club

5-8pm: Butch Murphy's Rockabilly / Roots Jam

The Cambrian Hall (217 East 7th Avenue)

Herald Nix, El Dorado & Mac Pontiac

The Main

Kent Mcallister & The Whistle Punks

 

Closing Night: Sunday, July 6:

Closing Party At The Main with Ranchfest creator Shelley Campbell and her group

Auburn, with guests The Fill Ins featuring Jon Wood of Coal, Flophouse Jr. and

Little Wonder.

 

There you be! Don't miss this rootin' tootin' good time full of stellar playing, soulful singing, solid songcraft and music that goes well beyond your wildest expectations!

For more on this year's Ranchfest 4 acts, please visit bandcouver.com and
www.ranch.ipfox.com.

Many thanks to Ranch-hand Richard Chapman for delivering the goods.

 

For the latest in Ranch happenings, you can subscribe to their e-mail newsletter at ranchprod@zworg.com.

 

Now go out there and spoil yourself!