CAPTION: Ken McCoy, who sang about our troops, our country, our firefighters and our national pride, proved paying it forward is what makes the man and his band. If he's playing in your city, go see him. Class-act dude, great music!
BY GORD KURENOFF
Managing Editor
Abbotsford-Mission Times
If you checked out the spiffy websites of the independent artists who performed in last weekend’s Rockin’ River Music Fest, you may have noticed the abundance of awards.
Everyone who hummed a note at Mission Raceway Park last Saturday and Sunday had been either nominated or decorated with a musical honour of some kind. Some, in fact, had more awards than hits, which is kind of interesting!
So, with that same Honour Thy Artist generosity on this critic’s mind, we offer the first annual Music Fest Gordos.
Please hold your applause to the end and remember that you’re all winners (wink, wink!).
The envelopes please:
THAT'S JUST GOOFY AWARD
Nikki Werner of Mission, who gained a new fan (me) for her powerful singing and terrific tunes Dashboard Days and How Can You Love Someone, was going to drive her three- and six-year-olds to Disneyland after Saturday’s gig. (In a Minnie-van?) Bet mom’s going to suffer some Disney spells after seeing more than enough Tigger and Pooh in Anaheim, Calif.
D’OH! WE ARE ALL CANUCKS AWARD
Cloverdale crooner Damian Marshall may be “the next one” according to music critics who rate B.C.’s rising stars. While he earned applause for his songs and stares from the ladies for his poster-boy looks, he earned some boos after he announced he was originally from “Edmonton Oilers land.”
SEND HIM SHOPPING MORE AWARD
Mission country whiz Kenny Hess – one of the event co-organizers – performed three songs that he wrote after “trips to the local grocery store.”
All the tunes, including one about Angelina Jolie and the other about a homeless person asking for change, received standing ovations.
REALITY OF THIS GIG AWARD
Julian Austin, who made a name for himself in 1997 with the huge hit Little Ol’ Kisses, and who currently has a monster hit The Red & White – which he didn’t play for some reason – said this about his up-and-down career: “It ain’t a 9-to-5 living, but it keeps the bills paid!”
YOU REALLY ROCK MAN – IN COUNTRY AND OUT OF COUNTRY AWARD
Ken McCoy of Mission, who gained another huge fan (me) for his brilliant set on Sunday, made people cry, beam with pride and stand on their feet clapping after his touching tribute to our troops and fallen soldiers (Right to be Free) and brave firefighters (Pray for Rain) and Canadians (Great White North).
His cover of Copperhead Road would have made Steve Earle roll out the welcome mat to Guitar Town.
PASS THE HANKY AWARD
Kenny Hess sang Randy Travis’s I Told You So with daughter Kate. Not a dry eye in the crowd, or on stage! That first-ever duet tugged the heartstrings. Would have made Brent Lee cry, too!
ALWAYS THINK POSITIVE AWARD
Patricia Conroy, who sounds and looks better than ever, quipped: “You are a small, but mighty crowd.”
BLAST FROM THE PAST AWARD
Best “glory days” line in the show goes to Conroy: “For those over 40 who remember me when I had long, black hair and my bandmates had mullets, please keep those memories between us!”
MAKING THE BEST OF AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION AWARD
Rick Tippe of Maple Ridge, with one of the hottest power ballads in the country right now (Forever), found out at the last minute his highly anticipated 50-minute set was trimmed to 28 due to Sunday’s schedule running late.
“Forgive me for talking and singing fast, I got a lot to squeeze in,” said Tippe.
POWER OF ONE AWARD
A woman who barely survived a nasty battle with lupus, turned around after Tippe sang Keepin’ the Faith and said to people behind her that his song really stuck in her heart. Wiping away a few tears she said: “And that’s tough to do considering I still have a small hole in it!”
LOVE THE ACCENT AWARD, EH!
Ronnie Milsap, who showed at age 66 there is no such thing as mailing it in while he’s on stage, asked folks what they thought about his new Canadian accent: “We’re having a good time, eh?”
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