Well, we’ve arrived at that moment that brings use to the last event of the season for the Sooke Folk Music Society.
Our final Coffee House night for this season happens Saturday, June 15 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church. For our final feature we are presenting Zachary Doeding, a local singer/songwriter from East Sooke, who is also an exceptional finger-style guitarist.
I asked Zachary to tell us his story and this is what he had to say.
“I grew up in Southern Illinois listening to the Grand Ol’ Opry and 78 rpm records with my grandfather, who had played in bands when he was young. He was a major influence and always encouraged me to play music. Many a family gathering would end up with a few guys in a back room strumming on those old arch top Gibson guitars.
When the Beatles hit in 1964 I got my first guitar, a mail-order catalogue Harmony Bobkat, and I’ve been playing ever since. My early influences were a lot like everyone else… the Beatles, Stones, Dylan (we practically wore out ‘The Gates of Eden” on the juke box at the local hangout), and luckily in those days radio played a real variety of music: pop, rock, country and soul. And on a clear night you could tune in radio station WLAC in Nashville, the station that literally created R&B, complete with advertisements for Royal Crown Pomade.
In 1969, at the height of the Vietnam war, I immigrated to Canada, and that summer I hitch-hiked and rode freights across the country, an adventure that would change/begin my new life.
My first job In Vancouver was playing in a little after hours club owned by Tommy Chong, and through the 70’s I played in a series of Vancouver bands including Northwest Company, The Union Street All-Stars, and Bedrock.
I moved to the Island in the early 80s’ and kind of put music on the back burner while I raised a family. (Mark Stuart kidded me that I “just got my priorities all mixed up”).
My style is kind of folk/alt/country/pop with a healthy dose of finger-picking. I play and write songs about love, family and politics.
Even in the early days I tried my hand at songwriting. But in the last few years I’ve gotten into it more, as a way to tell stories and chronicle a little history. Like many others I got hooked on the whole exercise of writing and of perfecting your craft to strike the perfect balance between rhythm and melody, poetry and lyric and between fact and implication.
Currently I’m in the process of recording some of my tunes for a CD and shopping them around to other musicians to play. I play regularly at local open mics including the Smokin’ Tuna, the 17 Mile House, and the Sooke Folk Music Society Coffee House... and I’m still searching for that perfect combination.”
Zachary is a gifted songwriter with a unique style and delivery that you are bound to warm up to and enjoy. Katrina Kadoski on guitar and back-up vocals, Bill Negraeff on steel guitar ands Sheri Welsfordon percussion and mandolin will be performing with Zachary. So please join us for an evening of inspirational music.
As always, it happens at Holy Trinity Anglican Church 1962 Murray Road with doors opening at 7 p.m., our open stage at 7:30 and our feature at 9.