Get ready this Friday for some seriously-good tunes, right here in Oak Bay, thanks to prolific musicians David Gogo and Tim Williams.
The talented duo will play live in the upstairs lounge at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre, at 7:30 p.m.
Both Gogo and Williams bring two lifetimes of music careers, each having won several awards nationally and internationally for blues and captivating solo performances.
While new to the Oak Bay venue, Williams is a regular of concerts in Greater Victoria. He has received three Juno nominations, a string of nominations at the Maple Blues Awards, as well as other awards and nominations from the Memphis Blues Challenge, Calgary Blues Association, Real Blues Magazine, among others.
“I sing, play guitar, Hawaiian guitar, mandolin, banjo and Mexican/Latin American instruments…. it’s all about where you grew up and what you heard,” said Williams, who grew up in Southern California exposed to what he calls really good western swing, blues, Hawaiian and Mexican tunes.
This launched him on a life-long love of the guitar, which he started playing at age 8, and has pursued a career as a professional musician ever since.
He also met Gogo, and have remained good friends to this day.
The Nanaimo-born Gogo brings his own repertoire of musical achievements, with his groove-fueled blend of blues and rock that earned him five Juno nominations and multiple Maple Blues Awards, including 2017 Guitarist of the Year.
“It’s always exciting to get back to writing and work on new stuff,” Gogo said, referring to his most recent album, Vicksburg Call. “We’re at the stage where we’re figuring out what we’ll do, whether we want to push the envelope. Blues is a life experience, there’s always room to grow.”
On Friday, the two amigos will be playing tunes from their own collection of albums, and will also be doing a “song swap” which Williams said is guaranteed to be entertaining.
“Those usually end up being pretty funny.”
Doors to Oak Bay Recreation Centre’s upstairs lounge open at 6 p.m., which includes a fully-licensed bar and restaurant. Concert starts at 7:30 p.m., tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door.