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Parksville singer-songwriter is home for the holidays

Beth Marie Anderson kicks off Island tour with Parksville shows
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File photo Local singer/songwriter Beth Marie Anderson will kick off a Vancouver Island Christmas concert tour with shows in Parksville Dec. 1 and 2.

Parksville-raised singer-songwriter Beth Marie Anderson has just released a new Christmas album, and hometown fans are invited to hear the music directly from the source this weekend.

Anderson will perform a pair of intimate, acoustic shows of songs and stories Dec. 1 and 2, at 7 p.m. each evening at the McMillan Arts Centre in Parksville. They are part of a nine-date Vancouver Island tour on what has become an annual holiday season tradition.

“I love making my audience feel like they are in my living room,” said Anderson, who now makes her home in Victoria. “From connecting through stories behind my original songs, or having the audience react to my lyrics, to singing someone’s favorite Christmas song… there’s something about these smaller, intimate shows that create magic in the air.”

Anderson said each show will be an evening of original songs, stories behind the songs and Christmas classics. They will feature plenty of selections from her brand-new album Christmas With You, made up of fan favorites and originals including Tropical Christmas, Reindeer Reunion, Same Sky, A Kid on Christmas Day, and more.

Anderson, who won honourable mention in this year’s Canadian Songwriters Awards, co-wrote each of the original songs on the album, which she co-produced with Juno/CCMA-nominated musician Jordan Honsinger. The record features backing by a number of multi-Grammy winning musicians, Anderson said, and CDs will be available to purchase at the concerts.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. each evening at the MAC, 133 McMillan St. in Parksville. Tickets are $15 and are available in advance, while supplies last, at Mulberry Bush Bookstores in Parksville and Qualicum Beach. Seating is limited.

— NEWS staff and Beth Marie Anderson release