Martyn Joseph: the Welsh Springsteen
Pender Island Community Hall
“One of the most charismatic and electrifying performers in Britain today…tough and passionate”
Tom Robinson BBC 6 music
Martyn Joseph is a completely unique and mind blowing artist. Take everything you think you know about singer songwriters….and rip it up. For one man and a guitar he creates a performance with a huge far-reaching sound that is energetic, compelling and passionate. Be it to two hundred people or twenty thousand, he blows the crowd away night after night.
He is gifted with the rare ability to speak to the soul with his expressive and poignant lyrics and has a career spannig over 40 years, 35 albums, over a half a million record sales and thousands of live performances. Compared to Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews, he has created his own style and reputation as a mesmerising live performer and stands in his own right, built on a reputation for giving what thousands have described as the best live music experience of their lives. A unique talent driven by passion, social awareness and love for his trade, he’s a jaw dropping guitar player who has developed a unique percussive style, teamed up with a powerful show stopping voice, and has been called “The Welsh Springsteen”.
In addition to his 5 top 50 UK hits, the importance of his work has been recognised by programmes such as BBC Radio 2’s prime time series on Singer/Songwriters. Social justice has an essential presence throughout his music, which has been recognised with various humanitarian awards and plaudits.
Concerned with making music that is relevant and vital to his audience, he engages with challenging narratives tackling the complexity of the human condition, underpinned with a promise of hope. In his own words “Really what I do is to try and write songs that might step up and make some sense of a moment in time. A good song makes you feel like you’re not alone in the world.”
There is a versatility to Martyn’s music that is hard to categorise. Many have tried, resulting in labels such as Folk, Rock, Soul, Folk Funk and Americana; all of which somehow miss the mark. But sometimes music doesn’t need a defining genre and with the ability to articulate a sense of the bigger picture, Martyn’s music and social commentary manage to empower and speak for many. His songs are pictures, and stories, and feelings all put to music and delivered by a master craftsman.
“A singer-songwriter who is not afraid to take a stand, Joseph eschews sentimentality”
Cara Luft: A Versatile Folk Music Virtuoso
Pender Island Legion
With special guests, Pender’s own Deer and Coyote
Juno award winning singer-songwriter-musician Cara Luft is that rare artist steeped in folk and traditional roots music almost from birth, yet willing to alter the fabric, stretch the boundaries and fearlessly bend genres and styles.
A founding member of Canadian folk super-group The Wailin’ Jennys and the brainchild behind Winnipeg’s acclaimed powerhouse duo The Small Glories, Luft deserves her solid reputation as one of Canada’s finest live performers, armed with amazing tenacity, vision, energy and a contagious hilarity.
Cara has a spirit that drives her to connect with people, and for this she is loved everywhere she goes. Cara’s the real deal, there’s nothing pretentious about her. And that sense of honesty, integrity, personality and spontaneity permeates both her music and her live shows.
As one promoter put it, “I don’t know which is more beguiling… her 1000-watt personality, her wizardry on guitar and banjo, the power of her voice or her songwriting talent? In any event, the audience is in for a real treat!”
A Crisp Festival Special Summer Concert
This will be one unique night!
Bring a chair and blanket.
The Lee Boys grew up in the church where their father was a pastor and a steel player himself. “Sacred steel” is a type of music described as an inspired, unique form of Gospel music with a hard-driving, blues-based beat. The musical genre is rooted in Gospel, but infused with rhythm and blues, jazz, rock, funk, hip-hop, country and ideas from other nations.
When The Lee Boys bring their joyous spiritual sound to the stage, audiences instantly recognize that this is not “sitting and listening” music: dancing, shouting out, and having fun are considered essential parts of their tradition. Founder and bandleader Alvin Lee explains “The inspiration and feeling that comes along with our music is the reason that people feel good.”
May 4th – The Unfaithful Servants
The Crisp Festival was delighted to present this concert on May 4th, 7pm at Pender Community Hall to celebrate our volunteers and local sponsors! It was a very fun night!
These videos are credited to volunteer Karolle Wall www.karollewall.com
TURNING THE TIDE
CHORUS
We’re turning the tide, coming together, sticking through all the stormy weather
The plan is in motion, we move like the ocean, let the waves take us somewhere better
Cause’ I’m done running, I’m done hiding, I’m here with something to say
We’re turning the tide to a new day
So grab us a kayak, paddle around, from the north down to Puget Sound
With the wind as our sail, we’ll dance with the whales,
until we’re Pender Island bound
Then here comes the singer, singing his song, till’ the whole coast is singing along
Like turning a tide
CHORUS
I’m in love with the islands, in love with the shores,
I don’t think I could love em’ anymore
In love with the people, in love the towns, in love with the sights, I’m in love with the sounds
In love with the feeling, the feeling I get, it’s a feeling I could never forget
Like turning a tide
CHORUS
It’s gonna get higher
BY LUKE WALLACE





