Wakefield does Wakefield Does Wakefield at Sheep

Confused by this headline? Read on

Plumbers have a union. Thespians have a troupe. But musicians, according to Wakefielder Luther Wright (a musician himself), often work on their own. That’s why a project like Wakefield Does Wakefield “is such a beautiful thing for the musical community,” Wright recently told the Low Down.

Wakefield Does Wakefield is the name for a series of concerts featuring local musicians covering one another’s original songs. The next show will be taking place at The Black Sheep on Feb. 7, during which 12 local songwriters will take turns performing a song written by another local artist, as well as at least one of their own original tunes.

Audiences can hear Chris Maclean’s take on a Johnny Mac song; old school rocker Phil Jenkins covering bluegrass songstress Kate Weekes; and Luther Wright and Greg Stone covering each other – to mention just a few of the performers.

It will be the first time this group of musicians has played together on the Sheep’s stage. It will also be a kind of homecoming, explained Wright, who is helping organize and also playing in the show, as each musician involved has performed at the Sheep at one time or another.

According to Wright, The Black Sheep, an iconic music venue that sat empty for more than five years before reopening last fall, is the perfect spot for this iteration of Wakefield Does Wakefield.

“It’s got all the feeling and the vibe and the sentimentality of the days of yore, but also it’s got a fresh coat of paint, you know, and it’s got the dynamic, engaged, very local, highly experienced powerhouse matriarchs of [manager] Christina Stobert and [owner] Jennifer Nesbitt,” Wright enthused. “And then there’s the crew of bartenders and the sound staff and everyone that Christina’s corralled into it. It’s just a total win-win, you know. It’s been a long five years; it’s good to have it back.”

Wakefield Does Wakefield traces its origins back to a conversation at Kaffé 1870 a number of years ago. In Wright’s telling, it was during a tribute concert for Tom Petty when a table of local musicians wondered aloud why, in a village brimming with musical talent, they couldn’t just cover each other’s music.

“It turns out the concept had legs,” Wright explained.

Wakefield Does Wakefield was born. Participating musicians drew names from a hat to discover which local they’d be covering.

The first concert was a success, but then the COVID pandemic “left the performing arts virtually frozen,” Wright explained, and artists needed to get crafty. Thanks to a collaboration with Theatre Wakefield, a grant from Heritage Canada and a team effort from musicians and technicians, an album was recorded and a full-length documentary was made (‘Wakefield Does Wakefield’ the film is available for free on YouTube).

Now that audiences have returned and The Black Sheep has finally reopened, the 12 musicians involved with this iteration of Wakefield Does Wakefield are ready to put on a show for what they hope will be a mix of out-of-towners and locals (the latter, Wright admits, are perhaps a little less well-behaved but sure do have a “hell of a lot of fun” dancing to the homegrown tunes played by their friends and neighbours).

Tickets go for $25 and are available at: events.frontdoor.plus/event/1833.