It was the second last night of the season for the Vermilion Folk Club on March 11, and musicians eagerly waited for their chance to take to the stage at the Vermilion Legion. Vermilion Folk Club President Rita Barr said that musicians travel from as far away as Sundre to play in Vermilion at the open mic nights.

Phillip Willes CD Launch (Pictured) Phillip Willes launches his CD ‘Brass Tracks’ at the Vermilion Folk Club Open Mic night in the Vermilion Legion on March 11. Photo Marie Conboy

“Our open stage nights are really popular. I think we are gaining momentum all the time. We have a really good line up and people are always really well received by the community. Musicians just walk in the door, they don’t get paid; they do it for the passion and for the exposure. The fact that people in our venue listen to them is a very positive part of the Vermilion Folk Club. I would like more people to pay attention to the Folk Club and to try to come out and take part in what we present; we have a well-rounded range of performers from a lot of different genres of music,” said Barr. Musician Phillip Willes launched his CD on the night and he was first up to play. The album is a collection of folk rock songs, all written by Willes. “My old friend Franklin Wolters was the one who inspired me to record my own album. It took 5 months to get it done last summer. You can hear Franklin playing the harmonica on this album. Music is my therapy. My wife had a stroke around 9 years ago and I’m a 24/7 caregiver for her now. So, I figure, if I’m going to do something with my spare time, it better be something that gives something back to me,” said Willes.

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