Campbell River鈥檚 Highway 19 Concerts and veteran musician J. Plank (Jeff Plankenhorn) is launching a new concert series called The Ramble debuting on Friday, June 13 at the Big Yellow Hall in Merville.
Inspired by the late, great Levon Helm鈥檚 legendary Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY, each concert will shine a spotlight on three songwriters from emerging and established local talents to show stopping guest headliners, all backed by a stellar house band of mid-Island players led by Plank and recently christened The One Spot Ramblers.
For Plank, it鈥檚 all about lifting up talent, building musical community, and creating unique and unforgettable nights of song in our region.
鈥淚 wanted to put this together with the help of some more connected musicians in the area to become a better part of the musical fabric on the Island,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was something I did regularly in Austin, so it鈥檚 about time I started doing it here.鈥�
Originally from the American midwest, Plankenhorn built a career in Austin, Texas (a town where everyone鈥檚 a guitar player) as the guitarist of choice for some of the best songwriters in the English language including Ray Wylie Hubbard, Joe Ely, Eliza Gilkyson, Ruthie Foster, and the late Jimmy LaFave.
In 2016 he decided to give his own songs an honest try releasing his first solo album Soulslide. Shortly before the pandemic, Plankenhorn and his wife decided to make her hometown their hometown, and they settled in Campbell River. While he continues to spend much of the year touring the US and Europe, he鈥檚 focussing increasingly on playing in his new chosen country and community.
To make the Ramble happen, Plank pulled together a house band of outstanding musicians, collaborators and friends: his go-to Campbell River drummer Dallas Carrie, award-winning bassist Stefan Schedler from Black Creek, and Ladysmith guitarist and keyboard player Lee Worden who spent a number of years working in Nashville and has toured and recorded with Ian Tyson, Sweeney Todd, Bobby Rush, Anson Funderburgh, Kim Wilson, and Louis Shelton.
The June 13 Ramble features songs by Amy Muloin, Doug Folkins, and J. Plank himself.
Cumberland鈥檚 Amy Muloin delivers low-slung, laid back indie folk with a blues rock/alt-country vibe. With a fresh, haunting, and profoundly honest voice reminiscent of Lucinda Williams and Stevie Nicks, she's been writing and performing original music for a number of years in and around Vancouver Island solo or with her band The Alley Flowers.
Campbell River鈥檚 Doug Folkins has some impressive songwriting achievements with over 200 songs recorded by other artists and a collective 6 million streams. In addition to over 70 Film and TV song placements Doug鈥檚 songs have been performed on legendary country music stages including the Grand Ole Opry and the Blue Bird Caf茅. He is a regular co-writer with many Nashville hitmakers and recognized Canadian artists such as Aaron Goodvin, Don Amero, Wes Mac, Buck Twenty, and Hailey Benedict.
Tickets are available online or in person through the Tidemark Theatre box office. The Ramble is a family friendly, licensed event. Kids are free with a paying adult, teens pay what you like at the door.
For tickets, visit: .
