Cortes Radio Kooky Cabaret A Hit!

Cortes Radio Kooky Cabaret A Hit!

Well it’s official. Cortes Radio’s Cabaret Fundraiser is well on its way to becoming an island institution, as are many of the standout performers in the show. Two Sold-Out-Nights Residents turned out in force in force to support CKTZ, attending the two-night sold-out show – a saucy, ribald production held at Manson’s Hall. The adult entertainment featured songs, monologues, stand-up, lip sync, puppetry and burlesque infused with “appropriately inappropriate” sex positive humour. CKTZ station manger and show producer Howie Roman was blown away by the support and commitment from CKTZ supporters, performers and volunteers.  Unique Reflection Of Cortes Community The event was a special and unique reflection of the Cortes community, Howie said. “We really have something going that I don’t think you’d find in many places,” he added. “Thank you all for a historic weekend.”       Thank-you Everyone CKTZ wants to give an official and heartfelt shout-out to all the sponsors, entertainers, volunteers and supporters that made the Cortes Radio Cabaret such a success. We hope everybody is named, but there are so many generous souls. Please forgive us and inform us if you were forgotten, or your name is misspelled. We will make it right. Sponsors and Supporters: Quadra Island’s Tru Value Foods, and by extension, the store’s thoughtful shoppers, who generously bequeath their spirit points to us. The Southern Cortes Community Association (SCCA) Gorge Marina Spinnaker’s Gastro Brew Pub and Guesthouses in Victoria   Cast and crew: MCs – Rick Bockner, George Sirk Sound – Sean Cowell, Scotty Martin Lights – Hannu Huuskonen Green room: Lella Gmeiner Producer: Howie Roman Performers: Jason Thompson, Bobbi...
2018: SUSANA VIJAYA: BECOMING MORE PUBLIC

2018: SUSANA VIJAYA: BECOMING MORE PUBLIC

(From the Archives: June 11, 2018 – Editor’s note: Vinho do Porto was once one of the most popular programs on Cortes Radio from 2017 until the fall of 2020. Susanna Vijaya and her partner, Lyle Brulhart, were winterng in Mexico throughout those years. They were unable to find a place to park their trailer on Cortes when they returned in 2019, and moved to Quadra Island. Susanna continued to produce Vinho do Porto for another year, Lyle is employed by Twincomm.)     She exploded onto Cortes Island’s Lip Sync stage four years ago, introducing the musical tastes of her native Portugal. She can also render a sultry imitation of Tina Turner. Her radio program Vinho do Porto is among CKTZ’s most popular. In this morning’s show, Susana Vijaya talks about becoming more public. Becoming More Public “I feel that I am …  expanding a lot. I’m becoming more public. I’m giving more not just to my close friends, the ten people who live around you, but to an audience. The first time that I sang in public was last year, at the Summer of Love. I was so nervous, I was shaking inside, my hands were shaking. And then this last winter in Mexico it was amazing, I was singing every Friday night  in the bar and every other Saturday. Suddenly I had a fan club … A lot of people would come to watch me sing and dance on stage,” she said. “That brought out a lot of insecurities because I do not think I am that good. I am still learning. In fact I still have everything to learn, but it is incredible how these...
2018: MEINSJE, LIVING BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

2018: MEINSJE, LIVING BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

(From the Archives: July 1, 2018) From the beginning, Meinsje was been a prominent voice in Cortes Island’s artistic community. She taught art at the Linnaea school for fifteen years and is a director of the Old School House Art Gallery. Meinsje’s “Dream Caravan” dance troop, her performances at Cortes Island Lip Syncs and Cabarets, puppetry and paintings continue to captivate viewers. In this morning’s interview, Meinsje describes what it was like living between two worlds. Living Between Two Worlds “I did some courses. I bought Betty Edwards’ book, “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.” – which is a great thing for artists to work with. It teaches you different ways of looking at the world and it makes just way more sense. I worked with it so much that I could feel the shift in my brain sides. It was like, ‘Ah, now I see like an artist; now I see like a person … That’s a beautiful moment, when you see the world as a painter  … I feel like often I am in between the worlds.” One of Meinje’s paintings “I make art because I have to … I go crazy if I don’t make art. It’s part of who I am.  There are so many pictures in my mind. They have to come out, because once they’re out then I’m okay,” says Meinsje. “We all have our shadow sides and sometimes its the shadow side that comes out. Sometimes its another side. It tells you something about yourself. I’ve always wanted to be an art therapist, but I’ve never had the money to be one; or the...
2018: BECOMING CORTES COMMUNITY RADIO

2018: BECOMING CORTES COMMUNITY RADIO

(From the Archives: Jan 10, 2018) George Sirk whispered “Cortes Radio” for years before he found the right pair of ears. This led to a meeting at Manson’s Hall, to  discuss possibilities. Howie Roman attended and, six months after the station was launched, became a DJ. He still is. “My prime interest in Cortes radio is [that] I really enjoy having a show.”  Howie served on CKTZ’s board for five years, the maximum amount allowed by the society’s constitution, and now is the station’s manager. In this morning’s interview, I ask Howie about the process of becoming Cortes Community Radio, CKTZ 89.5 FM. Becoming Cortes Community Radio “This is my story. It’s not Sean’s story, it’s not Amber’s story; it would not have been Vicki’s story and not John Jordan’s story – people who were really there at the very beginning and are still part of Cortes Radio,” he explained. CKTZ’s transmission tower on Thunder Road, Cortes Island Then he proceeded to describe incidents from CKTZ’s past. The station’s first antennae was up a tree. After it was destroyed in a storm, they used a 30 foot analog TV tower. One of Howie’s “coolest, craziest days” was when he and about twenty others raised the current 85 foot radio tower at Thunder Road. “Those are the days I live here for. The days when a group of us get something big done,” he says. (Listen to the full story in the podcast above) Two weeks later the board received letters stating that if they did not apply for a license, the society was liable for a $20,000 fine and each director...
2018: RICK BOCKNER: PATHS OF BEAUTY

2018: RICK BOCKNER: PATHS OF BEAUTY

His musical roots go back to the McCarthy era, when the United States was purging itself of anything that could be labelled communist. Pete Seeger gave him tips on how to play the guitar. He was a member of the psychedelic rock band Mad River, which released two albums in San Francisco before it disbanded in 1969. On Cortes Island, he is somewhat of a musical icon. In addition to being a songwriter, he is one of the key organizers of Lovefest and the face of CKTZ’s Lip Syncs for the past decade. In this morning’s interview, Rick Bockner talks about paths of beauty. Keyed into Me at A Genetic Level “Music is keyed into me at a genetic level. My dad was a social worker and I grew up with the music of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly … and lots of the folk movement prior to Dylan. I started busting into my dad’s guitar case at five, to the point where he had to buy me a little guitar to carry around. I’ve got a picture of me at age four with a plastic Maccaferri Ukulele standing on the street and I started to learn to play at age seven,” says Rick. Big Brother Is Watching Pete Seeger periodically visited his family. The folk singer was one of the performers blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1955, after he refused to testify about his political beliefs or associations. Rick’s father sponsored him at a number of events. Pete Seeger by Fred Palumbo, World Telegram staff photographer (1955) via Wikipedia (Public Domain) “My dad did house concerts and things at the community centre where he worked. There was...