SUBMITTED BY MUSIC MAKERS
The Music Makers group welcomes long-time Salt Spring residents Marianne Grittani and Rose Birney back to the Tea à Tempo stage for an afternoon of music on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at All Saints by-the-Sea.
Grittani, a singer-songwriter and West Coast Music Award nominee, has been making music for more than 50 years, 20 of those here on Salt Spring Island. When she was here originally in the ‘70s, Valdy recognized her as a fellow folk artist and encouraged her to perform her own songs. They toured the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island together for many years, along with Kathy Stack and other Island musicians. She returned to Salt Spring in 2013, after 35 years based in Vancouver, and picked up right where she left off, but with that many more years of experience developing her songwriting and performance skills.
Grittani is known now for her warm, engaging stage presence and thoughtful, compelling songs. She was influenced early in her teenage life by artists like Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Tom Rush, Carole King, John Prine and so many more. She is now a seasoned songwriter in her own right, whose musical personality is deep and wide, ranging from swing-era toe-tapping tunes to intimate personal journeys. Grittani knows how to take her audience deep into her storylines with her soulful vocals. Her well-crafted songs explore common themes like love, loss, home, the road, hopes for humanity and more — all in a way uniquely her own. To see her live is to become a fan.
Birney is a two-time songwriting delegate to the B.C. Festival of the Arts and winner of the North Island Talent Search in the acoustic group category. Birney has played most of the festivals on Vancouver Island, as well as the CBC’s Madly Off In All Directions show, with her many groups from Victoria. Birney brings a lot to the table with her versatility on harmonica, mandolin and harmony — not to mention her humour!
The two musicians met on the dance floor at Moby’s Pub in November 2016. They were introduced by a mutual friend, who said, “You two should know each other.” They got together the following Thursday to play and they’ve been making beautiful music together ever since.
The Sept. 4 concert begins at 2:10 p.m.