Iconic Canadian rocker Henry Small, who is still busy recording, and his partner Heidi Kulzer are bringing good times and great music to the Youbou Community Hall.
Their new ongoing concert series kicked off on Sept. 30 with Vancouver Island’s The West Coast Slackers. They were a smash with their country-rock musical stylings.
“The last event was extremely successful, and the word spread from Youbou to Honeymoon Bay to Duncan, everyone had a blast,” said Kulzer. “The Youbou Community Music Fest is a non-profit group bringing bands to the community that normally would not have the opportunity to come here. We are a small group of volunteers that pool our own money and time to bring the community talent from all over. We do this because we all truly believe in good, old-fashioned gatherings with live music and dance which is what Youbou Hall was intended for when it was built in 1931. We are bringing ‘community’ back into our community.”
READ MORE: Getting to know the community of Youbou
The series will continue with Mary Jane’s Last Dance out of Vancouver paying tribute to the original heart-breaker Tom Petty on Saturday, Nov. 11, making it not just a day, but also a night to remember. Tickets can be purchased in Lake Cowichan at Tiptons Gas Bar, Sugarwell, Patrick Miller Pemberton Homes and Lake Cowichan Chiropractor, and in Youbou at the Youbou General Store and Daly’s Auto Centre. For shows that do not sell out in advance, tickets will also be available at the door.
“When I met the band last summer with Henry in Kamloops on their tour I personally really wanted them here,” said Kulzer. “They are fabulous people and really take on the Tom Petty energy. I did a survey on the back of the tickets on our last event asking what category of music people would like to see in a Youbou with the choices of jazz, blues, country, and classic rock and 95 per cent circled the latter.”
Small, who recently relocated to Youbou, wants to bring his experience in music and love of it to the area and get the community involved. Small is a bonafide Canadian classic rock legend and has bought his musical prowess to four different rock bands over the span of his career. This included becoming the front-man for the popular Vancouver-based band Prism after former lead vocalist Ron Tabak left. They gained much success through their No. 1 hit song ‘Don’t Let Him Know’, which was written for the band by both Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams. Small also brought his songwriting and multi-instrumentalist talents to the bands Small Wonder, Gainsborough Gallery, and the Calgary outfit Scrubbaloe Caine which featured both Paul Dean from Loverboy, and Guess Who bassist Jim Kale.
Other big opportunities for Small included touring with Burton Cummings, and having the chance to work with John Entwistle and many others. Small, known for his wit, recently wrapped up a long stint of co-hosting a morning show, and organizing a successful summer music festival in Kamloops. He has collected a zillion great rock ’n’ roll stories along the way, and through his and Kulzer’s new endeavour of bringing music acts to Youbou, they hope to give even more people something to talk about.
The pair said they have the help of others who bring their unique talents to make this labor of love possible, and each event going forward will give a portion of the proceeds back to the community. Their event on the 11th will donate $5 from every ticket sold to the Lake Cowichan Legion Branch 210, and other non-profits will benefit going forward. With no plans to back down anytime soon, Small and Kulzer are already looking at following up this good time with another in February.
“We simply all just want people to come together and feel free and happy and forget about the world for a night,” said Kulzer. “To bring them that little magic spark when they wake up the next day with a smile and say, that was just what I needed. I find we are so alienated in society today, and it is a proven fact that people need each other for a healthy balance.”