Dan Trail is looking for local musicians to showcase their talent in this year’s Spring Live Music Show.
He says music is a beautiful expression of humanity.
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“It’s pretty wonderful. It’s one of the wonderful thing about being a human being is the ability to express yourself,” says Trail.
Spring live music show poster – Photo by Shady Grove Oliver/KSTK
And there are myriad ways to express yourself through music. That’s why, this year, the event is the Spring Live Music Show.
Trail says it’s an evolution of Piano Fest. He says by taking piano out of the name, it better reflects the wide range of musical styles local people have.
“It gives local artists the chance to show what they can do and basically, it inspires them to go on to do more because they have a place to show it off,” says Trail.
The live music fest is open to pretty much any kind of musical act. That means everything from tubas to hip hop and acapella to jazz.
As long as it’s music, it’s welcome.
“Live music is really where it’s at. Music that people are making themselves is the most fun. When you actually see it made in front of you and you can feel it and hear it, it’s really pretty wonderful as opposed to just coming out of speakers,” says Trail.
Trail says if you’re worried about performing in front of people, fear not. It’s natural to get the jitters and, he says, it’s not about being perfect- it’s about the experience.
“At the end, it really is worth it whether you get nervous or not because you’ll be happy that you got up and performed. I get nervous every time but I still keep coming back for more,” says Trail.
This year, he’s hoping for more artists and a larger audience. That’s why the show is pairing up with Bird Fest. It will be the festival’s final event.
“The timing kind of worked out and I just thought that people who organized Bird Fest were happy to have us. I thought it would just be a nice marriage; it would maybe bring in some more audience than we would have had otherwise,” says Trail.
As for the audience, he says it doesn’t matter how long people stay. It’s set up to be open, for people to come and go. He says of course it would be nice if people stayed for the whole performance. But above all, he just hopes the community will come out, listen to and support local musicians bringing their art to Wrangell.
To take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, slow down, and enjoy that unique feeling that only comes with music.
“It kind of reveals some of the deeper nature of what we are as people. In our regular, workaday, waking world, it can seem rather flat. But when you go into the arts, then life blossoms into many dimensions and it’s a wonderful thing,” says Trail.
Bird Fest is scheduled for April 24 – 27. The Spring Live Music Show will be the last event at Bird Fest, Saturday, April 27 starting at 2:30pm at the Nolan Center.
For more information, contact Dan Trail at 305-0694.
