She loves the blues and is determined to make sure touring acts don't pass her by.
Barbara Ann Senft, better known as Dovey of Dovey's Blues News music promotions, is trying to help keep live music thriving in Prince George by arranging for artists passing through or near town to make a stop.
The Twisted Cork at 1157 Fifth Avenue is the venue and blues is the music.
First, on what Senft hopes to be a long list of entertainers, is Harpdog Brown and Graham Guest, an acoustic duo, who will appear Sept. 14 with an offer of blues and old-school jazz numbers.
Harpdog Brown, a well known blues musician who sings and plays harmonica, is no stranger to Prince George and said he loves it when people like Dovey want to get up close and personal with him.
"When I play a more intimate room I become more intimate with my audience," said Brown. "I prefer the 100-seat room to the tavern or pub where you're trying to be heard. You know where people are barely paying attention? When that happens I don't talk much. It all boils down to not the size of the venue but the type of venue. So this I think is more of a concert venue even though it's a smaller room. People are going to be coming to listen to the music. When that happens it's more personal."
Senft and Brown have known each other for years.
"Dovey and I are like old friends who just met," said Brown. "It's been five or six years but when we first met it was kismet for sure. She's like family to me."
Senft grew up playing the standards from the '30s, '40s and '50s and now volunteers to play the piano at Simon Fraser Lodge, where her mother is being cared for as she is in stages of Alzheimer's.
"You should see how people respond to the old classics," said Senft, who moved to Prince George in 2009. "Some of them seem to light up and others sing along."
She hopes bringing more live music into Prince George will see a resurgence in the downtown, as well.
"The Twisted Cork is the perfect venue for this kind of show," said Senft. "It's intimate and really good for solos and duos. When I go to see a show I like to sit close enough to see the whites of their eyes. I want to be front and center and see all the expressions cross the musicians' faces."
Senft's ultimate dream would be to have her own blues club, meanwhile she's happy to do what she, all with a great amount of support from her husband Ken.
Tickets for Harpdog Brown and Graham Guest are $20 in advance, $22.50 at the door. Doors at 7, show at 8 p.m. For tickets and information call Dovey at 250-963-9741 or e-mail doveysbluesnews@live.ca.
