Anyone who first visits the small seaside community of Sooke is unlikely to immediately understand that theyB次元官网网址檝e just entered a very special place.

B次元官网网址淪ooke is one of those cool places where you can go into a pub and run into someone who once was on tour with George Harrison,B次元官网网址� said Gary Brewer. B次元官网网址淎nother time I ran into someone B次元官网网址� a musician B次元官网网址� who had helped produce Tom WaitsB次元官网网址� Broadway shows.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a weird sort of kinetic energy here and a deep-rooted love of music. I love being a part of this scene.B次元官网网址�

Brewer is the president of the Sooke Folk Music Society and once a month his group takes over Sooke's Holly Trinity Church to present a musical coffee house.

ItB次元官网网址檚 an amazing opportunity for the community to experience live performances of everything from aspiring amateurs to seasoned and very well-known artists who make the trip up Highway 17 to play for the packed venue B次元官网网址� presenting the music in a way that folk music has always been meant to be heard.

B次元官网网址淲ith all the technology out there, the truth is that you canB次元官网网址檛 ever capture the feeling of a live performance,B次元官网网址� Brewer said.

Of course, Brewer is no stranger to performing.

HeB次元官网网址檚 a lifelong guitar player who began writing songs in his early 30s and has released his own album, World of Possibilities, while performing at folk festivals and coffee houses in Western Canada before making the move to Vancouver Island.

B次元官网网址淭here was a time when I was teaching some music as well, but I realized that I needed a more stable career and became an archeologist,B次元官网网址� said Brewer. 

But that career shift did nothing to dampen his love of music and his commitment to sharing that love with his community.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e built a great musical community around us, and we get a chance to bring in these amazing musicians,B次元官网网址� said Brewer. B次元官网网址淢y move to archeology did nothing to decrease my love of music... Music is a lifelong thing. No one really retires from it. Nobody ever really quits.B次元官网网址�

The coffee houses hosted by BrewerB次元官网网址檚 group are a unique blend of established, well-known musicians and other folks who take to the open mic at the beginning of every evening to share the music within their souls.

B次元官网网址淪omeone once told me that everyone has at least one song inside them,B次元官网网址� said Brewer. B次元官网网址淒uring our open mic sessions, IB次元官网网址檝e seen that demonstrated and had the chance to hear some gems that I might never have heard otherwise.B次元官网网址�

But the monthly coffee houses are so much more. 

This past Saturday evening BrewerB次元官网网址檚 group hosted internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Stephan Fearing who thrilled a packed house with his unique musical stylings. Next month, Scott Cook will take the stage and in March folk music fans will have a chance to see Valdi take the stage.

B次元官网网址淲e have Seabreeze coming in April, Daniel Cook the following month and Virgil Brown in June. These are incredibly talented performers and we are so lucky to get to see them live in this really intimate setting,B次元官网网址� said Brewer. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a shame that some people have forgotten the power of a personal performance, but weB次元官网网址檙e making sure that, here in Sooke, they will always have the chance to experience that magic.B次元官网网址�