Banderas Bay Music Festival
Dan Maguire. Scott MacKay. Geo Uhrich. All heavily involved in the music world.
Each generous with their time, experience and knowledge, coordinating together to produce the first annual Banderas Bay Music Festival.
Dan welcomed us into his home to describe how the idea to organize a music festival in Bucerias was born.
Dan has a background in producing festivals and concerts. He has a strong network of business and personal relationships in the field. He retired in December 2018, as Director for the Juan De Fuca Foundation for the Arts, in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. He and his new bride are enjoying their second winter in Bucerias. “We’re happy to be here, to say the least. We plan on coming down for a few months every year.”
Scott also has an extensive background in the music industry as a syndicated music journalist in the 1980s and 90s, critiquing pop, jazz and blues recordings, conducting interviews with artists and reviewing major concerts in Vancouver. He also has experience producing promotional materials, procuring corporate and government sponsorships, and coordinating media relations. A guitar player and avid music listener, Scott listens to a wide range of musical genres.
Geo, a local and revered performer, is co-founder of the band Luna Rumba, among many other groups. A professional and award winning violinist and guitarist, Geo has performed from Canada to Mexico, delighting his listeners with a mix of Latin, Spanish, Cuban, and flamenco sounds. As an accomplished singer and songwriter, he has merited awards for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Latin CD.
Dan and Scott met just last year, and their “first extended friend adventure” was to attend a live music evening together, featuring Geo and Luna Rumba. After the show they met Geo and a discussion ensued. That night, the concept of organizing a music festival began to form.
Dan, who had just retired from the industry, describes, “I kinda was done but we decided to do this just for fun. It’s more work than we thought. Being the first festival, we’re inventing the wheel. Should we do this, should we do that? There’s no right answers, we’re just making judgment calls. We can sit and talk about it, but we just have to do it. You learn by doing.”
The two-day festival features internationally acclaimed artists including Juno Award winners, The Paperboys. I listened to a couple of their songs linked to the festival’s website. They struck me as a bit of a mix between Spirit of the West and Van Morrison. The lead singer describes the
group’s music as, “Guinness with a tequila chaser while listening to an Americana Jukebox.” http://banderasbaymusicfestival.org
We asked if this festival would be a hand up for any musicians who are seeking exposure. “No, the musicians are all world class acts. They’re actually doing us a favour by joining our little festival. They are all very excited though, for the opportunity to play in this cool place.” In describing the venue, “At Los Arroyos Verdes, it’s open seating so first come, first served. There are no bad seats and we deliberately chose a full moon night. It’s pretty special to have a show this intimate. It’s set up pretty nice, I love it out there.”
The festival will support the children’s shelter in Bucerias, “Manos de Amor,” and the kids will perform for the crowd.
Dan describes the three friends working together. “It’s been interesting working with the two other guys. We all bring something different to the table, different styles. It’s been pretty fun. We’re all passionate about it and everyone’s getting excited. Our hope is, this will be the first of many years.
“Arts brings people together. There are no borders with music.
Every culture throughout the world has art and music. Music is not your world and not my world, it has to be our world.”
There is free parking available at the site. Also, thanks to vehicle donors, Gecko Rent a Car and Los Arroyos Verdes, a free shuttle will make continual runs from the Santander on Estaciones to the venue.
For ticket information, and SO much more, visit:
