On the same night one of my favourite bands, Bedouin Soundclash, was playing at UNBC I opted instead to go see someone from a little closer to home.
Rachelle van Zanten was at Art Space doing a fundraiser concert for the ColdSnap festival. Van Zanten has been a part of this folk series when she wasn't touring Europe, Asia or recording one of the buzzy albums she has on store shelves.
Formerly based in big cities, van Zanten made a lifestyle choice a few years ago to move back to the family farm. She renovated an old log cabin located on their homestead where they have raised cattle for generations.
I was thinking of her log cottage as I considered building one on my own family's cattle ranch. I took out several books on the subject from the library. On Friday, the day of her show, I opened the first of them. On the first page of the introduction the author explained that it was a rewarding and realistic goal to build one's own log house, and he still remembered his first built on the shores of lovely Francois Lake.
I almost fell out of my chair. Van Zanten's cabin is on the shores of Francois Lake. The one I wish to build would be on the shores of Francois Lake. All of this is a mere couple of hours west of Prince George.
Anyone familiar with van Zanten's music knows that one of her most popular songs is a gutsy, bluesy tune called "Take Me Right Back" from her album "Back To Francois."
The uninitiated might think Francois is a boyfriend, a family member, in any case a person but no, it refers to the lake. Her home from birth. My home from birth. Our families lived so close together (still do) that when trees fell across the barbed wire, the two herds would casually wander over the border. We had to colour co-ordinate ear tags for all the cattle so we could round the right ones up.
This upbringing is slathered throughout van Zanten's music, as is her urbane experiences once she moved to Edmonton for university and on to copious world travel. Her guitars jangle hard, there is a lot of slide that whines up the frets, and she is establishing herself solidly among Canada's hottest young women of indie-rock.
Among many other high profile gigs, she (and Sass Jordan) was part of a female blues summit in Toronto last fall, and one night before her Prince George appearance she was opening in Vancouver for Canadian blues legend Ellen McIlwaine.
The night following she was on home turf headlining the Lakes District Fall Fair where she used to show cattle as a 4-H youth. She is back to her roots in every sense. She is a key volunteer with the Lakes District's cross country ski association, she is a vocal opponent of both the Enbridge Pipeline and any attempts to uncork the natural and sour gas pools in the Skeena watershed, she has protested to ensure the Endako Mine isn't leaking toxins into, where else?, Francois Lake.
Which draws us to her latest recording, an album named "Where Your Garden Grows" with the popular single "My Country" that is becoming an anthem to environmental stewardship. She has ridden her music all around the world, but for her it all has a local context.
I told her about the log cabin coincidence and she lit up. "That was the book by B. Allen Mackie, wasn't it? I have that book," she said. "We all need to live in simple homes and take care of our land. The book talks about that."
What songs will grow next from Van Zanten?, written from within her organic walls of timber and inspired by the simple family life she loves back at Francois.
These highly personal musical experiences are the strength of the ColdSnap festival, and their fundraiser events. Look for more of this spirit when Connie Kaldor comes on Oct. 4 and 5 at Art Space. Volunteers are needed to help this show happen smoothly (contact Diana at [email protected] to offer help).
The ColdSnap annual general meeting happens Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. at the home of Jo and Greg Beattie (1665 Edmonton St., across from the hospital). For more information contact [email protected].
