Year in Review 🥂

Another year has come and gone, and already a second year of “The Word” is in the books. Blue Frog Studios had a successful year and the two top frogs, Kelly and Juanita, would like to thank the loyal audiences who attended shows this year. Live music is truly alive and well at Blue Frog Studios thanks to your support.

As the year came to a close, a Michael Buble tribute put everyone in the Christmas mood, with Tony Barton’s “Jingle” wall-to-wall Christmas music. All three shows sold out.

And we welcomed back Canada’s Troubadour, Valdy, to the Blue Frog stage. He was as entertaining as ever with his songs and countless stories. It’s amazing how he keeps going, playing 200 dates a year.

Eagle Eyes, the Eagle’s tribute band from Lake Cowichan did it again. Eight sold-out shows over four nights. The band holds the record for most sold-out shows by a group at Blue Frog Studios. They are planning to hit the road this coming year with dates in Washington, Oregon, California and Arizona. I like to tell the story of a Blue Frog patron storming out of one of their shows because he thought the group was lip-syncing to Eagles records. That’s how good these guys are.

Some of the other tribute acts this past year included Moondance, the music of Van Morrison featuring the talents of Bruce Coughlan. There was a night of Bowie, a celebration of David Bowie’s greatest hits from the 70’s to the 90’s.

The music of Burt Bacharach was featured this year. A marvellous catalogue of music that stretched from the 1950’s to the 1990’s and beyond, featured the talents of Don Stewart, Miles Black and Vince My.

Zachary Stevenson was back with a fabulous show titled “Dead Ringer,” where he paid tribute to the talents of some legendary performers, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis and Phil Ochs. What a marvellous night of music that was!

And there was the night when a group of West Coast musicians got together to remember the music of John Prine.

Scott Smith brought his band Midnight Riders for an evening of music from the Allman Brothers songbook.

Cousin Harley paid us a visit once again. The trio has been entertaining audiences for over 20 years. Paul Pigat and the group dished out a healthy serving of Rockabilly, Country and Western Swing and good old Rock and Roll.

Yacht Rock was again very popular. The Crew paid a number of visits to Blue Frog offering up a smooth mix of harmonies from the 70’s and 80’s featuring the hits of Michael McDonald, The Doobie Brothers and Christopher Cross. I’m sure the Crew will be back next year.

The twin pianos were rocking again. Rockin 88’s hit the stage twice this past year with the most fun you can have with two pianos. The talents of Tom Arntzen and Mark Olekson had the crowd singing along all night long.

The Funk Monks played Blue Frog this past June in a special evening billed as “Hands across the 49th.” Combining the talents of some of the best musicians from both sides of the border. This band is a fan favourite that plays to sold-out performances in Palm Springs and managed to get the band together for a concert on this side of the border.

The King of Boogie came to play last May. David Gogo, an award-winning musician came down from Gogo Mountain on Vancouver Island and brought his exciting brand of Blues to the Blue Frog stage. Gogo has a podcast called Soul Bender that’s worth checking out.

We had a special event in April. Singer songwriter Ron Irving, and singer songwriter Dan Hill were together again on the Blue Frog stage. In 2010, the two performed the very first Blue Frog concert that started an amazing run of shows that’s still going 14 years later. It was quite a night, bringing back many memories not only for the patrons, but also for the performers.

One of my favourite shows this past year was the performance of singer-songwriter and one-time bass player for The Byrds, John York. York has also played with the Mamas and Papas, Johnny Rivers and the Sir Douglas Quintet. He had a marvellous set list that included a song we captured on video called “Goodbye Was Really Goodbye.”

A favourite of Kelly’s was Angelique Francis, a Canadian blues singer from Ottawa. She won the Juno for Blues Album of the Year in 2023 and she’s a two-time Maple Blues Award winner. And Warren Hill, a smooth jazz alto saxophonist from Toronto was here in March.

Colin Wiebe came back to visit. Colin toured the world with Randy Bachman for two decades. He presented a catalogue of the music of The Guess Who and BTO for Randy Bachman/Burton Cummings fans. Colin will be coming back in 2025.

And there was Harry Manx, a remarkable entertainer who has received 7 Maple Blues awards. Harry blends blues, folk music, and Hindustani classical music. His official website describes his music as being a "blend Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues, add a sprinkle of gospel.

And two of the top shows this year as judged by the staff at Blue Frog were Fantastic Cat, an energetic band from New York that tore the roof off Blue Frog, and a band from Los Angeles, Dustbowl Revival featuring a mix of folk/rock with a touch of country. Let’s hope they’ll come back and see us.

That’s just a sampling of the entertainment we enjoyed this year at Blue Frog Studios. On behalf of Kelly, Juanita and the entire Blue Crew, I wish you a Happy New Year! Have a safe and healthy 2025 and see you next time at Blue Frog Studios.

Till next week...
Wayne