It seems time flies when you’re having fun—and touring relentlessly.
Veteran Canadian folk musician Valdy quickly estimated just how long he’s been coming up to perform on the Brackendale Art Gallery (BAG) stage.
“I’ve been coming up there since 1976, so about 35 years,” he said, before quickly recalculating. “Wait! That’s 48 years.”
Now 79, Valdy, also known as Paul Valdemar Horsdal, still tours both Canada and the U.S. regularly.
“The bottom line is music is my therapy,” the two-time Juno Award winner said. “I love to sing. I love to play. And I get to do it for almost two hours a night. The fact that I get paid to do it—let’s go! That’s fair to me.”
Those tours have regularly included stops in Squamish.
In the beginning, nearly 50 years ago, Valdy had some fresh hits on the radio, like “Rock and Roll Song.” But the first time he came up to Squamish was to hear Vancouver act The Pied Pumpkin play.
“They were wonderful, joyful players,” he remembered. “I went up to hear them and I met Thor [Froslev, the late founder of the Brackendale Art Gallery]. I enjoyed what they were doing.”
The experience had a profound impact on him; he hired Pied Pumpkin’s Shari Ulrich to record on his album, spawning The Hometown Band.
The Salt Spring island musician returned to the venue every year to perform at the Eagle Wing Ding, celebrating the end of the Eagle Count.
“I did that with a band of circulating musicians for 30 years,” Valdy said. “I’d get a call from Thor. It was just such fun to play for something he had been working so hard to make happen—and help make it happen.”
On Friday, Oct. 4, Valdy will return to the BAG stage for the second time since Froslev’s passing. With the venue in new hands, Valdy said he was pleased to see it retain its original charm.
“It’s the best news on the planet,” he said. “It’s an institution. It has the memories of generations of people who still live there.”
When he looks into the crowds these days, he sees primarily new faces, with a smattering of familiar ones.
“It’s lovely,” he said. “Most of the people up there are of a younger spirit and age as well, to a degree. It’s a vital group of people who live up there.”
This time around, they’ll hear old and new songs.
“I’m still writing and I have some current stuff,” he said. “I have a stick and I stir all the repertoire together. Each night is different. Each night features new and old.”
Tickets to the show are $37.18. Get them online.
Please note, the headline on this story has been corrected. It originally said "nearly 40 years," when it is actually nearly "50 years". The Squamish Chief apologizes for this error.
