EAST KOOTENAY TALENT  Cranbrooks The Good Ol Goats stepped onto the national music scene via last years CBC Searchlight Talent Contest. They will be performing at this years Steamboat Mountain Music Festival on July 6th. Photo submitted

EAST KOOTENAY TALENT Cranbrooks The Good Ol Goats stepped onto the national music scene via last years CBC Searchlight Talent Contest. They will be performing at this years Steamboat Mountain Music Festival on July 6th. Photo submitted

Submitted by Anne Jardine

There are some great performers booked for the July 6th Steamboat Mountain Music Festival in Edgewater. Their talent and energy are sure to spark a musical day to remember.

The Good Ol Goats are a high energy young band from Cranbrook who burst on the scene last fall when they were voted as runners up in the nationwide CBC Searchlight Talent Contest. They earned strong regional support that carried them through several elimination rounds to the finals. Then, to affirm their regional popularity, this spring the Goats won two Kootenay Music Awards for Best Group and Best Song, and they were recently featured on Grant Lawrences CBC Beetle Road Trip. Although their instrumentation is traditional with fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar and stand up bass, their style is wild and fresh and very infectious. Band members are Nolan Ackert, Julian Bueckert, Angus Liedtke, Angus MacDonald, Theo Moore, Alysha Serani, and Joelle Winkel all attend Mt Baker Secondary School and most of them hope to go on in music. As Steamboat festival-goers will soon hear for themselves, the Good OlGoats have made a great start.

Red Girl is a folksy trio who also hail from Cranbrook. Mike Hepner, Anie Hepner and Steve Jones create beautiful harmonies and play an array of original music. Mikes song writing is very polished. His compositions are melodic and poetic, infused with warmth and humour. His mandolin is sweet, and the way he and Anie weave their vocals goes straight to the heart. Anies voice in itself is a beautiful instrument and, beyond that, she plays banjo and ukuelele. Steve Jones anchors the group with his strong stand-up bass.

5 on a String is a traditional bluegrass band from Vancouver. Bringing a high level of musicianship to their good-time music, this group includes Gary Stevenson on vocals and guitar, Gordie Sadler on vocals, banjo, and guitar, Hugh Ellenwood on fiddle, Dan Mornar on vocals, and upright bass, and Tim Eccles on mandolin, guitar, and banjo. Dan also writes some of the songs, with a bouncy humour that celebrates the human condition.

Stone of Nowhere is another very young group who love to rock out. They especially enjoy blues and they play it so well that they were recently invited to open for renowned bluesman Colin James. Despite their tender age, the Stone has racked up some very impressive experience. They played this spring at the Calgary Lilac Festival, and earlier appeared at the BluesCan Festival. This Calgary band features Mitchell Brady on guitar, Keon Friesen on bass, and Isaiah Stonehouse on drums. With their dynamic start, these three are sure to have a bright future ahead.

The lineup for the festival also includes local bands L8, Smarty Pants, the Halfsacks, Marty and Eli Beingessner, and Edgewaters own Dry Gulch Ramblers, and Mickey Maione. Other solo and duo performers include Dos Equis, Maigan Jayde, Abby Wells, Paige Ellerton, Beards Creek, Leo Downey, Craig Ellis, and Jubilee Mountain.

The program for this years festival covers ten solid hours of music. Edgewater Elementary School field is the scenic venue with its vistas of the Columbia Wetlands and beloved local landmark Steamboat Mountain. Tickets are available at many community outlets: Pips Country Store in Edgewater, Pynelogs Cultural Centre and Picture This Foto Source in Invermere, Windermere Family Pantry, Fairmont Pizza, Meet on Higher Ground Caf in Radium, Brisco General Store, Parson General Store, and Moon River Gallery in Golden. Online PayPal tickets are linked through the website and additional information about the festival is posted there as well. Visit www.steamboatmtnmusicfest.ca.