Realm Food Co. is getting a little help in celebrating its recent move to Parksville, welcoming Oliver Swain’s Big Machine in an intimate concert Sunday, Feb. 28.
Realm Food Co., a locally sourced diner, moved from Qualicum Beach in mid-January. A liquor licence followed shortly thereafter, along with twice-monthly Sunday jazz brunches with pianist Gary Hodi.
Partners Kyla Campbell and James Hannah plan to bring live feature acts on a regular basis, with a ticket limit of 40 patrons in the cozy diner. Following Big Machine, Saskatchewan-based Indie band Bombargo has been scheduled for March 13.
“We believe this is why we ended up here,” said Campbell. “We’re going to have at least one concert a month.”
Swain is a Juno-nominated, Prairie Music Award-winning singer-songwriter adept on both banjo and upright bass. An early member of Mark Atkinson’s Bill Hilly Band (now The Bills), Swain is a purveyor of a genre-bending roots sound he refers to as “chamber folk odyssey.” His music blends spiritual and socially conscious lyrics with melodies tinged with everything from bluegrass to early R&B to modern rock.
The Parksville stop is part of a coastal tour in support of Big Machine’s sophomore album, Never More Together. Group members may include Adrian Dolan (violin/mandolin), Adam Dobres (guitar), Richard Moody (guitar/mandolin), Matthew Pease (percussion) and/or Danuel Tate (keyboard).
Additional concerts on the tour will be played in Vancouver, Victoria and Duncan.
Tickets for the all-ages show are $20 and go on sale today, Feb. 2, through Realm’s website at realmfoodco.com. If any tickets remain, which Campbell and Hannah believe unlikely, they will be made available at the door.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Feb. 28, with the concert kicking off at 7. Realm Food Co. is located at 180 Craig St. in downtown Parksville.
— NEWS Staff and Big Machine release