The Fraser Valley Blues Society (FVBS) celebrates 10 years of hosting and presenting live blues music in Abbotsford with three upcoming concerts.
The FVBS features local and international acts of live music at the Eagles Hall, 33868 Essendene Ave.
The first show on Saturday, April 20 is with Mercury Fold (aka Copper Crow), a Vancouver band that not only has their own tunes but also presents high-energy, well-known blues music.
Past show attendees will recognize the band as Copper Crow, but a recent relocation of a founding member meant the band took a new name while seeking permission to use their original band name.
The second show on Saturday, May 25 is with Ruzz “Guitar” Evans, a Bristol, UK blues musician who endorses Gretch guitars and presents a mean rockabilly blues show.
Evans has been on the radar since May 2023, when he arrived in Canada for the first time and took to the local stages, commanding an immediate following.
On June 22, the FVBS hosts Big City Soul, a nine-piece powerhouse band from Vancouver. Big City Soul plays some of the most popular dance music offered in the last 30 years.
Cora Price and Bill McColeman began the non-profit FVBS in October 2013 to bring local live music to Abbotsford.
They gathered a posse of fellow blues lovers, and their first show was with the late Harpdog Brown at the Eagles Hall in April 2014. That sold-out show proved that the community was willing to support local blues music shows.
Two months later, the FVBS added its monthly Friday Night Blues jam, held from September to June.
The jam event attracts musicians and audience members from Vancouver to Hope and also taps into the Washington State contingent of blues musicians and fans.
Doors open at 7 p.m. for all shows, and the music goes until 11 p.m. Visit fvblues.com for more info or to purchase tickets for April 20 and May 25. (Tickets for the show on June 22 will be available at a later date.)