***Original published in South Mountain Press, Sept 14, 2018***
Local Artist Spotlight – Route 10 Collective
Fresh off their latest gig at the Kelwood Harvest Sun Music Fest, I caught up with Murray Evans of the Onanole band, Route 10 Collective, to see how their summer play list was going.
Route 10 Collective could be best described as a Classic Rock Tribute Band. Their repertoire has included Joni Mitchell, The Beetles, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and for Kelwood it was their rendition of songs from The Grateful Dead. The band operates with a year-round core group of musicians of 6 to 7 which can swell up to 18 in the summer months when members are in the area. The band usually has two main August performances and will be celebrating their 10th annual Onanole Community Center concert next year.
Murray described how the idea for a cover band emerged from a Winnipeg get-together and a chance look at another cover band’s play list for ‘The Last Waltz’. ‘The Last Waltz’ was a concert played by the group The Band in 1976 and has inspired numerous tribute bands. Once he returned to Onanole, Murray gathered up fellow musicians, pitched the idea for the band and started playing.
Since the population of Onanole and Wasagaming explodes each summer season, there is no shortage of musicians to fill out the Collective. Some of the players have formal music training and others are just natural musicians. They have even had inter-generational families coming out to play. Some of their members are already accomplished artists with albums to their credit. Others, like Murray, have other projects on the go like his published book on his Asian travels. But the thread tying them all together is a strong passion for live music and performing in front of an audience.
Each summer, The Park becomes a unique microcosm of worldly culture, which Murray says positively buzzes with live music. When musicians are already in the area for temporary summer work or holidays, Route 10 Collective gives them a venue to keep their ‘musical chops’ in tune.
Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.