The Cowichan Performing Arts Centre Podcast

We are thrilled to welcome Cowichan performing legend Eugene Smith to the pod and he chats about his unique family history, his experience of racism in Canada, Black Lives Matter and the impact of COVID-19 on the live performance industry.  He also performs two songs live using Kalimba.  Do it up.

Find out more about Eugene here:
http://www.eugenesmith.ca/

Eugene Smith is a venerable icon of the Canadian music industry. With over 50 years in the business and over 200 original tunes to his credit, Eugene brings warmth and generosity to his performances that entertain and captivates audiences wherever he goes. His prodigious vocal talents are supported by solid rhythms from his unusual 4 string tenor guitar, and he holds as well in his bag of tricks a variety of musical instruments including the harmonica, kalimba, jaw harp and djembe. Each show is delivered in his own unique, humorous and entertaining style, bringing to each performance a sense of harmony and the magical power of music!

Eugene comes by his many musical talents honestly. His father was the amazing Al Lucas, who played stand-up bass for such greats as Duke Ellington and James Brown. His mother, Valeire Abbot, was a well-known Toronto jazz pianist and vocalist who was invited by Louis Armstrong to tour as a jazz singer with his orchestra. Over the past 4 decades Eugene has shared the stage with such great artists of the music world as Gordon Lightfoot, k.d. Lang, David Clayton Thomas, King Curtis, Willie Dixon, Lenny Breau, Peter Tosh, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, The Beach Boys and The Dave Clark Five. In the wild and wonderful 60’s he played Toronto and toured the United States as a singer with Ronnie Hawkins and the infamous Hawks.

Eugen’s latest CD, “Now and Forever”, features many of his most loved classic tunes, as well as his new single, “Thank You Mother”. Eugene lives on Vancouver Island, where he has a large following, and tours Ontario in the summer months, sharing his love and passion for music wherever he goes!

“Sometimes just the feel of a song says a lot about where it’s coming from and the Spirit in which it was written… There’s a real delightful feel about ‘Eugene’s music’ that only the performance carries.”
Murray McLaughlin

We are delighted to have Cowichan-Malahat-Langford Member of Parliament, Alistair MacGregor, on the pod to share his insights into the ongoing struggle for arts workers during COVID-19, the importance of culture in his own life, and his early memories of visiting the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre. 

Once again, Kirsten Schrader, the Manager of the Arts and Culture Division of the CVRD and Cowichan Performing Arts Centre leads the discussion with our MP and asks great questions about what it's like to conduct parliamentary business over Zoom and the role of the federal government in supporting cultural institutions like ours. 

We are honoured to welcome North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring, to share his insights into what it means to be a leader during a time of crisis, the importance of the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, and the incredible value the arts has in our civic lives. It's a great and very optimistic conversation.

Once again, Kirsten Schrader, the Manager of the Arts and Culture Division of the CVRD and Cowichan Performing Arts Centre leads the discussion with the Mayor and asks great questions about the future of the arts, the impact  the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre has on the economy as a whole and much more.