Music in the Park: Steve Marc and Melody and The Swing Bastards

This week, the Trail & District Arts Council is very excited to present Steve Marc and the Melody and The Swing Bastards on July 25 in Gyro Park for Kootenay Savings Music in the Park.

Come get your dance on as Melody and The Swing Bastards bring their special blend of R&B, Funk, Jive and Blues to Kootenay Savings Music in the Park.

Celebrated Canadian vocalist MELODY DIACHUN, known for her innovative and soulful expression, has reached new heights winning the Jazz Artist of the Year award at the 2023 Western Canadian Music Awards. With a nomination for a JUNO for “Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year”in 2008 and a National Jazz Award nomination for Vocalist of the Year and five albums as leader, Melody is “a force to reckon with in contemporary vocal music.” (Toronto Music Report)

Melody’s group features Doug Stephenson on guitar, Tony Ferraro on drums, Mark Spielman on bass and, back by popular demand, saxophonist Clinton Swanson.

Praise for Melody’s singing comes from renowned jazz pianist and author Kenny Werner, who said, “She has perfect phrasing! It’s scary,” and from Joseph Blake at the Times Colonist, who hailed her as “a jazz singer of the first order.”

Melody’s musical journey began in Montreal and took her through Nova Scotia, New York City, Banff, and Vancouver before finding its poetic home in Nelson, British Columbia. Her impact on the British Columbia music scene is not only as a performer but also as a respected faculty member at Selkirk College, where she was an instructor for ten years, and now is the School Chair of the School of the Arts.

Doug Stephenson has been an integral member of Western Canada’s music community for over thirty years. The Calgary native is a bassist, guitarist, composer, producer, and mixing engineer. He has performed with artists such as Charlie Rouse, Les McCann, Bob Murphy, Jay Thomas, John Stowell, Tommy Banks, P.J. Perry, Altered Laws, Campbell Ryga, and Blues legend Big Miller.

From Trail, our own Tony Ferraro is a diverse, musical drummer who is at home in many different genres. After being named Percussionist of the Year at Toronto’s Humber College, he studied with some of the most accomplished drummers in the world, including Dave Weckl, Steve Smith, and Horacio Hernandez. Forever a self-proclaimed student of the drum set, Tony is an exciting player, always bringing his passion and intensity to the music he is performing.

Mark Spielman is a bass player whose career has been divided equally between live performance, studio session and education. As a member of “The Circle,” a Florida-based contemporary jazz group, he opened for Hall and Oates, Chicago, Rod Stewart and George Benson. Other performance credits span a variety of styles including jazz dates with Frank Gambale, Dee Daniels and Jimmy Haslip, as well as pop/rock artists such as Ellen MacIlwaine, Shari Ulrich and Paul Janz.

Clinton Swanson is a saxophonist, composer, arranger and leader of several bands in the Kootenays. Swanson grew up in the Slocan Valley and performs on sax with numerous ensembles under his own name and as a sideman, including Below the Belt, Hornography, Sax Drive, and Jazz at the Griff favorites Swing, Bluegrass, Old Country, Rock, Pop, and Disco aficionados The Devils You Don’t.

Opening the night is Steve Marc bringing you dancy reggae/calypso grooves and uplifting/healing vibes with a mission to bring out your inner peace and spread it throughout the region and beyond.

Steve Marc is an upbeat and uplifting calypso/reggae band with hints of funk and grooves you can’t help but move to. Featuring a small but mighty horn section and luscious harmony background vocalists, Steve’s unique songwriting prowess will move you in more ways than one. This six piece band brings fun, love and energy to the stage with creative arrangements of cover songs known and unknown, mixed in with mostly original songs you will surely come to love.

Bring a lawn chair. Admission is by donation – $3 minimum suggested. Or support the Trail Arts Council’s programming by buying a Season Pass for the whole summer for $30! You may buy a pass at trail-arts.com by clicking on any of the Music in the Park events and clicking the “Buy” button. Or, buy them in person at Gyro Park with cash or credit card.

Our two Night Markets on July 18 and August 15 will see us once again collaborate with Trail’s Incredible Farmers Market. These awesome events bring the community together for Music, Food, Beer Garden and Farmers Market. These special events run from 5-8:30 pm. So much fun in Gyro Park.

This show is made possible thanks to support from BC Arts Council, BC Touring Council, the Government of Canada, Kootenay Savings, City of Trail, Columbia Basin Trust, Hub International, Pharmasave Trail, Teck Trail Operations, and Tourism South Kootenay. We also gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

Upcoming shows
• August 1: The Eisenhauers / Meredith Moon
• August 8: KNS / Robin Layne & The Rhythm Makers
• August 15: Night Market – Maritime Kitchen Party / Stubbs and the / Rhythm By Nature

Shows are moved indoors if the weather is not cooperative.
Check our Facebook page by 2:00 pm on Thursdays for the exact location.