Thursday December 17th from 6 - 9 p.m. is the
2nd Annual 'Jammin' For The Bank' event. Admission is $10 at the door, OR $10 worth of food for the hamper. We look forward to a successful event for the community and invite you to come early to get a seat. The event will showcase 7-9 local musicians, duo's and the quality will be amazing. For reservations email to freshcupsidneytelus.net and we will save you a table. Fresh Cup Sidney is located at 2360 Beacon Ave. (the main street in Sidney beside Home Hardware).

Open Mic Thursday - Fresh Cup Sidney
Aug 2009

A community Open Night is not a new concept for most small towns, but the old saying 'build it and they will come' is sometimes all so true. Last fall, The Seaside Times launched the first Sidney Acoustic Series, which was intended to offer musicians of various styles a forum to play their music solo or in a group environment every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Fresh Cup in Sidney. Well, it has turned into a great success with a number of different musicians jammin' away each week at the free admission 'Open Mic' and it's now going to the next level.

"Often Crowds of 50 people have gathered to watch and listen to some of Sidney's local acoustic talent perform," says local singer/song writer Lucy Ransom. Some of the quality musicians that have come out of the woodwork have been amazing". The talent was so encouraging that the Seaside Times and Fresh Cup came together to produce a CD compilation of local artists doing all original material. "The idea of helping musicians get a start or record some of their material for the first time was well received by the musicians," comments Jim Townley, co-owner of Fresh Cup Sidney. "They all agreed that it would be beneficial to promote what Sidney has to offer in terms of local talent." The compilation CD called 'Feed The Soul' was recorded by T.W. Tobin through the months of April and May of this past year, and is now available at various retailers on the Saanich Peninsula. Checkout the web site for more details: www.westcoastacoustic.ca

The process was straightforward, starting with the auditions. In March, 15 local musicians came forward and auditioned for the CD. In the end 9 acts, either soloists, or duo's/trio's made the cut. They were sent into record over the course of the 2 months, with the mastering process being completed by the end of May. "It was a rush for time", states T.W. Tobin, "So many of the musicians started to collaborate and with that came more layers for each song". That collaboration led to an amazing new dimension for some of the songs on the 'Feed The Soul' CD. "Brad Hawkes who plays percussion many of the Open Mic Thursday's had 14 songs to play on", notes Jim, "He was a true workhorse in the positive sense. The addition of Brad's percussion to the songs added some great texture and filled out the sound nicely".

The group of musicians plan to raise $12,000 through the sale of CD's by Christmas of 2009. "The Food Bank has really seen an increase this past year in terms of demand", notes Bev Elder, manager of the Sidney Lions Food Bank, "We find this project a really fun way to help raise money, while at the same time bring people closer to the live music scene happing on the Peninsula".

So what started as a simple Open Mic on Thursday's has blossomed and continues to grow. The format is simple and relaxed.musicians that want to play simply come in and put their name on the list to play that evening. Sign-up is done on a first come first play basis and if the musicians want to play 3 more songs (time permitting), they simply sign-up again once they have finished playing their songs. "Many times near the end the energy is flowing so well that a multiple musician jamming session breaks out", smiles Townley, "If you really want to see some magic, you need to stick around for those moments as some of the best sounds have come spontaneously from people jamming on stage at the end, and that have never played together but know music".

The plan is to grow the Thursday Open Mic at Fresh Cup Sidney into the Fall, promote CD sales for the benefit of the Food Bank and prepare for Season 2 of 'Feed The Soul'. Auditions for Season 2 will start sometime in January, with the selection process happening by the end of February. Musicians wanting more information are encouraged to stop into one of the Open Mic sessions on a Thursday and talk to Jim Townley co-owner of Fresh Cup Sidney. "We are looking for original material and musicians with a unique sound," describes Jim. "They will be required to grant us permission to use their songs on the second CD, similar to the existing process and we will take care of all the costs associated with recording, producing and marketing the CD. We will also provide the musicians with the digital masters for future use as they see fit."

We have a couple of impromptu concerts planned for the fall and a "Christmas Concert" for sure sometime closer to December.

So as summer moves into Fall on the Peninsula, the sound of local music will continue to liven up Sidney in ways that makes everyone feel a little fuller for it. Stop in to Fresh Cup one Thursday night to get a taste of the sounds being created and friendships being born. While many musicians feed their souls by making music, it's clear for all to see that music is truly the chosen appetizer for many of the Peninsula's locals.