PembertonbringsthesoultoInletTheatreMarch31

Music was the first industry to shut down when the pandemic hit in 2020 and it’s been one of the last to come back

Gigs have returned slowly for professional musicians since the restrictions eased; however, many venues have closed over the past three years in Metro Vancouver, making it harder for performers to make a living and connect with crowds

Still, there’s a cool trend happening in the music scene lately, says award-winning soul singer Dawn Pemberton, who will play in Port Moody this month

Music lovers are opening their homes for shows in their living rooms and promoters are finding unique spaces for intimate concerts

In Port Moody, for example, veteran musicians Bill Sample and Darlene Cooper started a music series last September to bring top names into the community, performing in amenities rooms in condo buildings, as well as at the Inlet Theatre

“It’s encouraging,”

Pemberton told the Tri-City

News last Friday (March 17)

“People are taking the initiative to create more spaces for us to play There’s a mutual appreciation by the musicians and by the audience”

For her March 31 show at the Inlet Theatre, Pemberton will be with a four-piece band Derek DiFilippo (bass); Gavin Youngash (guitar); Jonny Tobin (keyboard); and Paul Clark (drums) to play her original and re-arranged cover hits, but she declined to name the tunes

“I always like to keep things a bit of a surprise,” she said

She’s grateful to Sample and Cooper, whom Pemberton met via the Marcus Mosely Ensemble, for reaching out to keep local music alive “because it gives people access to artists that they might not have access to

"They’re making things in their own hometown and I’m proud they’ve stepped up”

For 2023, Pemberton, who typically has hundreds of dates booked a year, has some big projects in the works

In June, she starts a twomonth run with the Arts Club Theatre for the produc- tion of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in Vancouver (Pemberton is cast as a Shirell)

And, in September, she appears with Jean Cianca on Cortes Island to offer a musical program about pilgrimages

Pemberton also has a few Vancouver gigs with the Good Noise Gospel Choir In January, the Roots N Wings Choir, of which she is the director, also entertained at a Vancouver church

Tickets to see Dawn Pemberton on March 31 in Port Moody are $30 in advance and $40 at the door of the Inlet Theatre (100 Newport Dr., Port Moody). For more details, visit portmoodymusic.com or Eventbrite.ca. The concert is sponsored by Pacific Coast Terminals. The last show in the inaugural series is the Vince Mai Quintet (jazz, Latin jazz) on May 6.