Live from Lynn Valley, it’s Friday night!
Now in its seventh year, the weekly show featuring improvisation, music and conversation is set for its fall season.
The show’s list of guest musical performers swings from blues, to classic rock, to soothing new age, to original songs.
“What we really were looking for in our artists was folks that had a story to tell that was compelling, inspiring, and really fit with the idea that Friday Night Live is an opportunity to bring the community together,” said volunteer Shauna Grinke.
Singer/songwriter Norine Braun is set to take the stage at the Lynn Valley United Church Sept. 29.
The Vancouver artist recently released Gone to the Spirits, a concept album that features Braun’s lyrics about Two-Spirit, an oracle, chief, guide and warrior woman. The album delves into legends, prophets, and transformation, all backed by ukulele, flugelhorn, blues harp, drums and guitars.
Braun is a perfect fit for the event, Grinke explains.
Friday Night Live is a show, but it’s also intended to be an opportunity “to reflect on positive, inspiring messages,” Grinke says.
The fall lineup also includes returning acts like Trent Savage, Shawn Bullshields, and Craig Addey and the Quiet Hearts Ensemble.
Addey’s last performance utilized piano and a reed to create a meditative experience that compelled some audience members to wrap themselves in a duvet under the piano, Grinke reports.
Attendance generally ranges between 20 and 100, according to Grinke.
“We manage to break even most years and Lynn Valley United Church supports any shortfalls in our funding.”
Grinke is part of a group of volunteers who began putting the show together after Lynn Valley United Church organizers noticed empty seats during Sunday services and embarked on a quest to find a new way to bring the community together.
On Nov. 10, Friday Night Live is scheduled to feature Devon More, a Vancouver musician who defines herself as a post-capitalist, environmentalist, feminist, social activist, to perform a piece entitled “Berlin Waltz.”
The show is meant to commemorate Remembrance Day without glorifying war, Grinke says.
“It is absolutely about thinking about peace and reconciliation,” she says.
The show is an alternative to heading to a club or a jazz bar, Grinke says.
“It’s an all-ages experience, but it really is for anybody who wants to build relationships within the North Shore.”
Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
