Under the Big Top
Under The Big Top
Jens Hansen (left) and Julian Hagen getting into it Under the Big Top. Photo by Steve O’Connor
For the 16th year running, a range of the Island’s most gifted singers and musicians took to the stage under the temporary “Big Top” on Main Road. The evergreen host Cindra Hokkanen welcomed the 100-strong audience and, before allowing so much as a semi-quaver to be sung, ensured that all those who made the event possible were duly thanked.
The sun was already setting as Marisa Kehren got the show underway with Bob Dylan’s beautiful Make You Feel My Love, followed by Letters From Home. Allie Dwyer took a “quick break from her job” to follow up with Catch Me by Demi Lovato, before Justin DeCleene from Green Bay contributed a classical medley on the guitar ending with the ever-popular number Hit The Road, Jack.
Budding young musician Maren Schutz (performing on her 19th birthday) impressed with The Rainbow Connection, which will be familiar to fans of The Muppet Movie, whilst Ainslee Cornell sang the Lennon/McCartney hit Blackbird before getting the audience clapping Down Drinking At The Bar.
All the way from Nashville (TN), singer-songwriter Laura Sawosko treated the crowd to her own Johnny Cash-style folk song and a well-received piano medley that ended in Goodness Gracious Great Balls Of Fire. To round off the first part in style, suspiciously-young-and-spritely-great-grandmother Joan Reynolds was joined by Cindra as the pair performed the amusing Lydia The Tattooed Lady. “Somebody has to represent the seniors on the stage,” Joan said – and that much she certainly did!
Night was well and truly upon us by the interval, but even the dark didn’t deter the Bethel’s Church Youth Group from raising money by selling all sorts of home-made food and drink. Then, Doc Westring, Rick Gourley and Tom Noonan swung the audience into the Second Part with a jazz medley; they were later joined by natural entertainer Kathy Sparrenberger on vocals. Kathy hadn’t performed on the Island since Under The Big Top 2006, so this was a welcome and memorable return for the popular performer.
Acts don’t come much more genuine or heartfelt than Valerie Fons’ a cappella rendition of the hymn Nothing But The Blood of Jesus. All in all, three Albatross employees took to the stage – Becca Bies being the last of these with I Don’t Wanna Wait, the stand-out performance.
Following this, one of the more original acts of the evening came courtesy of Fritz Damler and his imaginary (yes, imaginary) Orchestra – in fact, he used his harmonica to mimic Rossini’s William Tell Overture.
Chris Cornell (a promising local singer/songwriter, not the 47-year-old hard rock musician by the same name) then showcased his talent with You & Me, an acoustic/vocal arrangement he composed himself.
Those who frequent the Island’s music venues – most notably the Red Barn – will already be familiar with Con McDonald, Timmy Lyons and Kevin Jones. As well as treating us to some original work, they had the audience absorbed with their better-than-the-original cover of Justin Townes Earle’s Slippin and Slidin’.
Jens Hansen, a relative YouTube phenomenon on the Island with 800 hits to date on his music video upload, sang the popular Catbird among other original folk melodies. The night was then rounded off nicely with all the performing artists on stage once more to sing Northern Lights, accompanied, as ever, by the lively Julian Hagen.
With this amount of talent on display, Islanders and tourists alike cannot be blamed for already looking forward to Under The Big Top in 2012!
by Samuel Irving
