To kick off the 9th Annual Maritime Festival at the Britannia Heritage Shipyard, the City of Richmond is putting on a free concert Friday night, Aug. 10.
This is the inaugural year for the outdoor concert, which will run from 7 to 9 p.m. on the YVR Community Stage. Headlining the concert is Vancouver's Headwater.
The folk/rock band, which consist of Jonas Shandel, lead singer/banjo picker/guitar player, vocalist/guitarist Matt Bryant, steel guitarist Tim Tweedale and upright bassist/backup vocalist Patrick Metzger, started about a decade ago as a roots/folk band. With the release of their new album Push this past May, their sound has evolved to more of a rock/pop/folk blend.
"We've gone back to our rock and roll roots from Jonas and my high school days," said Bryant, who co-writes the band's songs with Shandel. "It's a real strip down and layered version of folk and rock. Actually, you can say our sound is really a mix of indie, folk and rock - kind of a blend of Doc Watson, Hank Williams, legitimate folk artists with a dose of pop."
At the heart of their new sound, added Bryant, are "great vocal harmonies, seriously catchy choruses and some tasty grooves."
The guys are looking forward to performing in Richmond once again - they played at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery last summer.
This Friday, they will perform some tracks off of Push, as well as some new tunes.
"One of the tracks we will play is "Fuel the Fire", which will be released Sept. 20," Bryant said. "It's about gaining confidence in yourself and not delaying things."
This year, the group has been busy touring locally - Vancouver International Jazz Festival and Surrey's Canada Day - as well as nationally and getting good reviews along the way.
VanMusic.ca said: "Push is a solid album. If you're already a Headwater fan you will not be disappointed and if you're new to Headwater, you'll probably want to grab their first two albums."
Headwater has been selected as one of 20 top bands to compete in the Peak Performance Project 2012. If crowned winners, Headwater walks away with $100,000.
In the meantime, Headwater will share the stage with Richmond's own, Tetsu Taiko, a young Japanese drumming troupe, as well as the Eire Born Irish Dancers. CTV's Norma Reid, co-host of CTV Morning Live, is the emcee for the evening.
The same day as the concert, the city is also offering a special free public boarding of the tall ship Kaisei from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is a special bonus boarding opportunity in addition to festival hours on Saturday and Sunday.
However, people should note this is the only activity on festival site Friday besides the evening concert. The rest of the site will have limited access during the day.
The three-day maritime-themed festival returns to the Britannia Heritage Shipyard this weekend from August 10 to 12. For more information about the Maritime Festival, visit www. richmondmaritimefestival.com.
The details are also available on the Steveston Village mobile app for free at www.stevestonapp.com for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Blackberry.
