Up Close and Personal with Dan Lew at The Vibrant Vine
Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Lew performing at The Vibrant Vine, May 10, proved that live music at an outstanding venue is a magical elixir to boost your spirit.
The sun was shining, and it was a gorgeous day to drive along Okanagan Lake from Penticton to Kelowna to spend time at a beautiful farmland winery. Given the unpredictable shifts in weather during spring, the concert was held indoors although on this evening, it easily could have been staged outside on the picturesque grounds.
Arriving early allowed us time to check out the tasting room, sample a few selections as well as appreciate the three-dimensional art of Phil Lewis through 3-D reusable eyeglasses.
Jacko’s Underground Lounge, the lower-level venue, is decked out with the psychedelic label bottles for which The Vibrant Vine is known. Some 378 bottles are a backdrop to the stage and the dimly lit room is reminiscent of classic old hangouts like The Cavern in Liverpool.
The bar, too, is bedecked in those creative bottles repurposed as lights. Here, from the friendly and knowledgeable staff, we could order wine and pizza to enjoy during the show.
Lew’s mission in devoting his life to music as a means “to uplift the world” was born out of the circumstance when 11 years ago “he spontaneously went deaf in his left ear and developed tinnitus”. With this enthusiastic although sparse audience, he accomplished his mission as he charmingly wove the story of his life with pop, folk, and rock music.
He talked of being grateful for what happened to his hearing because it brought him back to his music and made him focus as if “it would be the last time he ever played”.
His selection of covers performed as well as his own songwriting draws inspiration from John Lennon and John Mayer. Of course, that time surfing in Indonesia, roads trips in his SUV, busking at Vancouver transit, and the story of the dog rescued from Columbia all had a place in his tunes.
Normally Lew does not take requests, yet the neighbour who instigated six of us to make the trek also managed to convince him in her email to play her song.
Travelling lightly, he primarily played guitar. However, the venue has a lovely piano and he leveraged it exquisitely with “Imagine” and other crowd-pleasing tunes.
An emerging artist in Creative BC’s Career Development Program, he is recording a new album “Destiny” to be released May 2024. With a vision of increasing the Asian-Canadian representation in the music industry, he is supporting the release with this Canadian tour.
We’ll be watching for future engagements and releases with Dan Lew. His intimate and talented performance was well worth the drive!
A fun family-owned winery, The Vibrant Vine is a showcase for their passion for wine, art and sound. A proud member of the ‘Sip South East Kelowna’ Community, The Vibrant Vine is a great stop to include in wine touring.
It offers a full line up of live music and events this season so check out the website to make your plans soon.
