Current Swell

IlluminAqua - July 5

Because I love music, I had secured the opportunity to volunteer in the green room at a recent IlluminAqua concert in Welland. I had the pleasure of working with two charismatic women who made it their plan to spend Friday concert nights in that well-appointed office. It was the first leg of the folk festival, and we were tasked with ensuring a comfortable space for the members of Street Pharmacy, Jon and Roy, and Current Swell.

There was magic in my air that night.  I loved that all three bands were collaborating in a board room cleverly disguised as a dinner hall! I imagined the conversations they must have been having: Street Pharmacy sharing stories about their host town, all the reminiscing about various concert tours, and everyone exchanging ideas about their wonderfully expressive chosen profession.  

It was intriguing to observe the artists up close and relaxed before the show... a guitarist nonchalantly strumming around the corner, the strings behaving like extensions of his fingers to reveal the melody... sketching out schematics to illustrate their ideas for the lighting technician... and kicking around the hackeysack which seemed a fine outlet for connecting and blowing off steam before a show!

Close up, they were all polite - genuinely appreciative of the space and amenities provided to them, mellow and down to earth. On stage, they exploded out of their quiet personas to properly occupy the entire floating stage and engulf the entire block in music! It's awesome what a microphone and some well-timed lighting can do to amplify talent.

The boys appreciate their fans. I spied the lead singer of Street Pharmacy occupying the merchandise booth, happily signing CD's and t-shirts. Current Swell acknowledged those audience members they knew came from Ridgeway, from Sarnia, and from as far away as Boston to see their show. They then proceeded to play a song so many people were requesting and thrived on eliciting outright elation among them!  They acknowledged those people taking in the show from their kayaks, a sweet benefit of being afloat in Welland! 

At the end of the evening, I walked home with a smile on my face and some great new CD's in my purse with a complete set of autographs adorning them. There was no question about whether I would do it again. The WRCC was thanking me for volunteering, but I kept thanking them for the opportunity to be a part of it all!!