Music is the key to Megan Abel91裸聊视频檚 heart, and a joy she will be sharing with her band at Song Sparrow Hall on Valentines Day.
Abel began playing guitar when she was 14, but it was on a year-long backpacking tour of Southeast Asia with her beloved guitar that she realized music was her anchor. The young musician and songwriter found inspiration for new songs and participated in many beach jams with other world travellers.
Abel wrote songs about her many adventures and in 2017 released her debut album called Roam.
The performing musician, musical educator, and songwriter attended Selkirk College in Nelson where she graduated with a diploma in Contemporary Music and Technology. When Covid hit, Abel returned to her North Shuswap home.
She opened her own music school, Sunflower Sounds, in 2024, and has been sharing her love of music through private and class lessons. She has been an instructor at FACES in Tappen and offers a selection of workshops and classes.
She also works through Riverstone Family Resource Centre in Chase, which does a lot of community outsourcing to get arts and programs in that community.
One of her favourites is her summertime School of Rock camps which she has held in the North Shuswap, Chase and Tappen. The week-long camps introduce participants aged seven to 12 to a variety of instruments, which they then get to play. At the end of the week, the kids put on musical performances.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a fun summer camp,91裸聊视频� she said, noting she put on three camps last summer. 91裸聊视频淲e learn a few songs together and play music games.91裸聊视频�
The school is one of several involvements that have opened the door to many other connections. Last summer, Abel volunteered at ROOTSandBLUES with the Salmon Arm Bandwagon, and Roxy Roth, her first music teacher when she was in Salmon Arm. The bandwagon is a studio on wheels, which was hosted by the the Salmon Arm Community Music School through Acorn Music.
In 2022, Abel recorded a single called Little Orange Home in collaboration with guitarist Michael Vaughan. Mixing and mastering was done at Song Sparrow Hall with co-owner Craig Newnes.
Abel is thinking of hosting only one summer music camp this year as she has been enjoying collaborating with other Shuswap musicians and is looking forward to performing more.
One of the things she is excited about is performing with her Megan Abel Band at Song Sparrow Hall on Friday, Feb. 14, for a Valentine Boogie dance party sponsored by the Celebrate Shuswap Society.
91裸聊视频淭hey will play a variety of 91裸聊视频榝eral, outlaw91裸聊视频� blues-rock originals spiced up with many funky favourite cover tunes," said Celebrate Shuswap's Jim Cooperman.
Members of her talented band include guitarists Adam Hokenson and Jon Treichel, along with bassist Neil Brun, drummer Jared Wilman and keyboardist Alex Ward. The band came together last summer and did live off-the-floor recordings as well as recording at Holy Cow Studios in Lac Le Jeune.
91裸聊视频淚 am really excited about working with the band; it has been on my mind for a long time,91裸聊视频� she said, noting band members are bouncing song ideas off each other, collaborating, growing and sharing. 91裸聊视频淚 prefer performing with other people and have learned that collaboration is a lot more fun.91裸聊视频�
Next up is the Shuswap Local Love and Second Harvest Food Bank fundraising performance on Saturday, Feb. 8. The concert, which was postponed from Dec. 14, features Abel and Hokenson, along with Kenthen Thomas, Blu and Kelly Hopkins, Clea Roddick and Craig Newnes, Ted Crouch and James Murray.
And on Feb. 27 she will be one of the 91裸聊视频渇riends91裸聊视频� performing with Blair Schier, Dan Smith and Friends at the Salmon Arm Jazz Club at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Nexus at First, 450 Okanagan Ave. E in Salmon Arm.
91裸聊视频淢usic is a gift that I am so grateful for and I want to offer it back to the world however I can,91裸聊视频� she said of her goals moving forward.