Local music man of many hats, Patrick Zalinski, is looking to add to the cultural vibrancy of Cochrane with the continuation of his monthly Active Light Concert Series at The Hub in Sunset Ridge.
The longtime member of indie-folk rock band Arcadian Sons, Zalinski is also a guitarist, producer and guitar teacher who is hoping his monthly offerings will continue to fuse the music community together while providing a platform for new sounds and styles.
"I'm looking to get it going and try to get live music happening ... I don't know if I'm the one to pioneer it, but I would love to see Cochrane as a whole with a broader scene."
This Friday (Jan. 25) Zalinski's mini-monthly concert series will be a student recital at 6 p.m. Free to attend, the 6 p.m. start will showcase some 15 of the guitar teacher's students.
Following this, Feb. 8 will be a Active Light concert featuring the talent of singer/songwriter Benjamin Longman, with opener Braden Crawford.
The 26-year-old songman will acoustically perform his lyrical, indie-folk singer/songwriter sound to a listening audience to the tune of $15/ticket, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at activelight.ca.
It will be the first time that the Calgarian has performed in Cochrane and he's looking forward to an intimate, listening crowd.
"I definitely try and create more of a storytelling atmosphere," said the London, England native characterized as an introspective songwriter who writes about such themes as isolation, doubt, anticipation and discovery.
"It's all about the kind of music (the venue) attracts," said Longman, of the pluses of performing in smaller venues. "A more intimate and quiet venue attracts a listening crowd."
With a few EPs under his belt, Longman is looking to rev up recording (self) for a full-length debut album.
When he's not busy with his own music, he spends plenty of time digging into the nuances of the throwback art of developing film with his company Film Drop YYC.
Zelinski is looking forward to bringing more talent to town in the months to come.
