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Rockin’ Rhonda & The Uptown Blues Band: Peter and Dave, they’re on the mics. All right, join the ride. It’s gonna feel just right.

Peter McCully: Welcome back to the PULSE Community Podcast. I’m Peter McCully, and we’re watching spring become established here on mid-Vancouver Island. The days are longer, the gardens are waking up, the air is filled with the sounds of the season.

Dave Graham: And I’m Dave Graham. Yes, the birds are calling, the kids are playing. The antique vehicles are back on the road and the lawnmowers are busy, along with the weed trimmers and the edgers and the blowers — and the silent, but unmistakable voices of my neighbours saying, “Hey Dave, isn’t it about time you cleaned up last year’s leaves?”

Peter McCully: And are you feeling motivated, Dave?

Dave Graham: Oh, yes. I got inspired to get active, and I will — just as soon as I find my rake. I’m pretty sure it’s in the garage, but it’s a bit hard to move around in there right now. So I think that cleaning out the garage needs to be my first project.

Peter McCully: Sounds like you’ve got a lot going on there, Dave.

Dave Graham: And maybe when I go in to find my rake, I’ll come across the lawnmower.

Peter McCully: Sounds as though you’re almost on the verge of starting to get a few things done.

Dave Graham: You know, Peter, that pretty much describes my life at any given moment. So what else is going on?

Peter McCully: Well, lots of folks are planning for the Easter weekend, which means the great debate is back, Dave.

Dave Graham: Turkey or ham.

Peter McCully: Yes. Turkey or ham.

Dave Graham: The answer to that is yes. I have given this much thought and I believe that is the best answer. Have both — throw in some kind of potato situation, maybe something green, and you have the kind of meal that might even get mom’s approval. Add to that an Easter egg hunt for the grownups, and you have an event.

Peter McCully: You want to go looking for Easter eggs, Dave?

Dave Graham: Why should the children be the only ones to have all the fun? I’m perfectly capable of searching behind couch cushions and under shrubs and feeling the joy of discovery.

Peter McCully: Well, along the way, maybe you’ll find that rake, Dave. This week on the podcast, Laura Kelsey — a Nanaimo-based vocalist, songwriter, filmmaker, and poet whose work spans from symphonic rock stages to documentary film sets — is releasing her debut full-length album, Hidden Mountains.

Laura Kelsey: I’ve lived here for almost 10 years. I absolutely love it. I feel like it’s very accepting in most ways. It has a really engaging art scene. Even the city puts a lot of funding into arts. We’ve got these visual arts installations around town, murals. It’s a very cool place. The downtown is very bustling — the art gallery, the museum, the library is absolutely beautiful. And then the venues too are very supportive.

Dave Graham: Singer, songwriter, filmmaker, poet — how would you even find time to hunt for Easter eggs with all that going on, let alone debate turkey versus ham?

Peter McCully: Also joining us today, Dave — Daniella Novak, the CAO of the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce. Daniella has been shaping the future of business in Qualicum Beach for years, and she has a lot to say about what the future looks like.

Daniella Novak: We want you to be successful doing business here. So whatever we can do to help move or alleviate hurdles, perceived or otherwise — whatever we can do to alleviate those — that’s the future of the Chamber of Commerce: let’s figure this out. How do we keep sustainability happening at Qualicum Beach, and the economic driver, which is tourism for us?

Dave Graham: Alleviate hurdles. I like that. I have a few hurdles I’d like alleviated — aside from locating missing garden tools, I could use a hand managing the price of gas.

Peter McCully: Well, couldn’t we all. Folks will be hitting the roads this summer to catch some shows. The concert season is ramping up. Coming to our area this summer: 54-40, April Wine, and the Chris Buck Band, with events including Rock the Course, Beach Fest, Boots and Boats, and Sun Fest. On a future edition of the podcast, we’ll be chatting with Greg Adams. The former NHLer is the man behind Sun Fest and the Lake Cowichan Benevolent Society.

Dave Graham: We will also speak with Aaron Cully Drake, an author who can tell us about the ups and downs of writing a book using artificial intelligence. I tried to use AI to help me plan a strategy for hunting Easter eggs. Instead, it suggested that maybe I have a problem with chocolate. AI is useless if you ask me.

Peter McCully: We’ll also hear what’s happening at the Parksville Museum from Sarah Ronald. The museum is a busy place with lots of exciting things coming, including a live music concert series.

Dave Graham: And Chris Buck of the Chris Buck Band will stop by to tell us about Boots and Boats, a singer-songwriter festival in the news.

SOSD69: When families are supported, our whole community thrives. That’s why SOS launched For Our Families — a campaign dedicated to keeping essential and enriching SOS child, youth and family programs open, accessible, and vibrant. You can make a donation through the SOS website and you can help by teeing off at the first ever SOS for Our Community Golf Tournament, June 6th at Morningstar Golf Club. For just $180 per person, enjoy the driving range, 18 holes of golf, a golf cart, buffet dinner, on-course challenges, the chance to win a brand new vehicle from Parksville Chrysler, and other great prizes. Bid on great local items in the silent auction. Support local children and youth. Strengthen local families. Learn more at sosd69.com.

Ian Lindsay & Associates: Ian Lindsay of Lindsay and Associates has played an active role in the local community since 1979. He has been with RE/MAX, Vancouver Island’s most advanced real estate business network, since 1996, marketing and selling residential, rural, strata, recreational, investment, and project development real estate. Ian has received several awards recognizing his exceptional community commitment locally, as well as awards for outstanding performance and achievement from both RE/MAX International and the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. You’ll find true real estate professionals at ianlindsay.ca.

Peter McCully: A reminder that our Sun Fest contest closes April 1st at midnight sharp. Someone is going to win a four-day general admission pass for two. This year’s lineup includes John Pardi, Tyler Hubbard, Riley Green, and Hannah McFarland.

Dave Graham: To enter, visit our Facebook or Instagram pages — The Pulse Community — or our website, ThePulseCommunity.ca for details. And stay tuned for more giveaways. We have a summer of them planned.

Peter McCully: It’s time to meet our first guest today. Here’s Marilyn.

Marilyn: Since joining the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce as a board member in 2019, Daniella Novak has risen through the ranks from Vice President to Chair, and now serves as CAO. With a background in financial services and a passion for coaching and community, she’s helping shape the future of business in Qualicum Beach.

Dave Graham: Daniella, thank you for joining us on the podcast today. I’m delighted to see you again. It’s been too long.

Daniella Novak: Yes, my pleasure, Dave.

Dave Graham: You’ve been involved with the Qualicum Beach Chamber since 2019, starting as board member, then Vice President, then Chair, now serving as CAO. Tell us the origin story — what was the draw, the attraction, for you in the first place?

Daniella Novak: Short answer is I can’t say no to anything. The long answer is I believe you can live in a community, or you can participate in your community — and I firmly believe you need to participate in your community so you have a voice. The Chamber of Commerce is a great spot for me.

Dave Graham: How has your perspective on the role of business in community evolved along the way?

Daniella Novak: I think it’s important to recognize that Qualicum Beach is unique. My perspective of the business community hasn’t necessarily shifted — I grew up here. Business has always been: this is where you go for boutique shopping, this is where you go golfing, this is where you go to have holidays and spend time with your grandparents. I don’t know that my perspective has shifted much — it’s more confirming what I already knew.

Dave Graham: You mentioned your financial background with CIBC, also spending time with RBC. How did your time there shape the way you lead the Chamber today?

Daniella Novak: A lot of people think that all I did was lending, and the majority of my time — which is darn near 30 years, I have to pause and have a moment of silence for myself — the reality is I spent the majority of my career as a leader. COVID probably was the hardest moment in my career, but also taught me a lot — because you learn about human nature, you learn a lot about what motivates people, and those are definitely translatable skills. When I moved into the Chamber, I was taking over as Chair at the same time we were taking our administration back from Parksville. Leadership is leadership.

Dave Graham: So when you came on board, the Chamber had fewer than 120 members. It has now grown to —

Daniella Novak: Closing in on 200, and I think we’re probably going to hit 300 this year. I’m not even making this up — I was doing the math.

Dave Graham: Would you view that as solid growth? And what does it say to you?

Daniella Novak: Yes, I think it’s solid growth. What we discovered through self-reflection on the board is maybe our members need us to reach out more. Maybe we need better communication. Maybe we need clarity — what is the Chamber, what does the Chamber do? There needs to be robust communication and healthy dialogue with the town. We did that, and I think our members saw us really wrapping our wingspan around them, and they recognized that we are the voice of business. We are here to support you. How do we make it easier for you to do business in Qualicum Beach and be successful when you do it? That’s where our growth comes from.

Dave Graham: Here’s a chance to do your pitch — I’m a business owner in Qualicum Beach, I don’t know what’s in the Chamber for me. How do you convince me to sign up?

Daniella Novak: It’s really about the support. Running a business is hard — it’s really hard. And we all heard the provincial budget. It’s hard. Joining the Chamber allows for that angst to be alleviated, because you’ve got a whole group behind you who are supporting you, who genuinely want you to be successful. You’re allowing us as the Chamber to be your advocate to make sure that you are successful.

Dave Graham: Does the Chamber offer members access to group benefits — health and dental, life insurance?

Daniella Novak: Huge. I think for a small business owner — and if I think about my own father who ran trucking companies, that’s why he joined the Chamber — it allowed him to offer a benefit plan to his employees. Benefits are expensive for an employer. Whereas if you come in as a Chamber member, there are all kinds of great benefits you can extend. If there is one reason outside of connecting with like-minded people, it would be the benefit plan.

Dave Graham: Beyond the annual AGM, any other events or programs coming up?

Daniella Novak: I love events. We started last year with a speaker series — once a quarter, we have Breakfast with Your MLA. Stephanie Higginson came up, it was great. We’ve got Gord Johns coming for Breakfast with Your MP. We’ve got Coffee with a Cop — Sergeant Travis de Coen comes in and our members have responded extremely well. We also have Business After Business once a month. We’ve got our AGM coming up April 21st. Then we’ve got a joint Chamber dinner with both Parksville and Qualicum Beach — I can’t tell you who the guest speaker is, but you’re going to love it. Start popping your popcorn now. Our Christmas party now also has a past president’s reception for the first hour.

Dave Graham: The mobile visitor kiosk was an interesting initiative. How did it work out?

Daniella Novak: I love that kiosk. Qualicum Beach really does have two defined spaces — uptown, as we locals call it, and then our main building down at the beach. The kiosk will be right at the foot of Second Avenue where all the foot traffic and street traffic is. You might be interested to know that kiosk was actually busier some days this summer than the office was. We have it set up during the Thursday night market and on Saturday mornings for the Saturday market.

Dave Graham: You’re all about embracing new tools — social media, AI literacy workshops, grassroots marketing. How do you see technology changing the way small business in Qualicum Beach operates?

Daniella Novak: Social media and AI are not going away, and the faster you can embrace those things, the more successful you will be. We’ve launched AI workshops in conjunction with the Career Centre and Community Futures to support our members. The way tourists are doing their research is through social media, so the better we are at embracing our brand, the better served we are. We are currently working on a strategy — not a rebrand, but a relaunch of the brand of the Chamber. Hold onto your horses.

Dave Graham: As you look ahead the next year or two, what’s the one thing you most want the Qualicum Beach business community to know about where the Chamber is headed?

Daniella Novak: The Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce used to be the Board of Trade — that’s what we were called in 1937. That’s how long we’ve been around. Moving forward, it is a beautiful relationship of recognizing where we came from and where we’re going. Our job is efficacy. We are an advocate. We want you to be successful doing business here. How do we keep sustainability happening at Qualicum Beach? How do we keep tourism, our economic driver, going?

Dave Graham: Let’s talk about what success looks like for you.

Daniella Novak: Success from a Chamber perspective is members telling other potential members that they need to be a member. If you’ve got an existing member who says to Dave, who’s opening up his dog walking business, “Before you even get the keys to your shop, you need to get a membership” — that is success. And for me personally, I’ve done pretty good for a kid from Qualicum Beach. To retire out of this job would be a pretty cool success.

Peter McCully: Thanks to Daniella Novak for joining us today. The Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce is doing thoughtful, forward-looking work to support local businesses and keep tourism thriving in the community. You’ll find links to the Chamber in our story notes.

Dave Graham: Check out our website — if you have someone in mind that you think we should be talking to, you can reach us and leave a voice or text message. Click on the contact link at ThePulseCommunity.ca.

Peter McCully: You can find us on Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube. We’re also on Facebook and Instagram.

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Peter McCully: Dave, I’d like to come back to this idea of gardening.

Dave Graham: I’m really impressed by actual gardeners doing real gardening, because I’m having a hard time keeping up with my crop.

Peter McCully: You mean your pot of mint?

Dave Graham: Some people call it container gardening. I’m a mint farmer now, and it’s a demanding life. I had hoped to maybe add a little rosemary, but I’m just not sure I could keep up. Let’s bring on our next guest. Marilyn.

Marilyn: Laura Kelsey is a Nanaimo-based vocalist, songwriter, filmmaker, and poet whose work spans from symphonic rock stages to documentary film sets to the pages of literary journals. With a powerhouse voice and a restless creative spirit, she’s releasing her debut full-length album, Hidden Mountains.

Peter McCully: Thanks for joining us on the podcast today, Laura. It’s great to meet you.

Laura Kelsey: Wonderful to be here, Peter. Thank you so much.

Peter McCully: You started music at a young age. Tell us about singing and writing for bands in and around Vancouver. How young were you?

Laura Kelsey: I feel like I’ve always enjoyed singing — I’m certainly a singer first. I started joining bands here and there, getting to jump in as a vocalist. I think I started around 18, and then it went from there. I got to be in different genres, everything from metal to folk and blues bands.

Peter McCully: And you eventually moved to the interior of BC and began performing as a solo artist. What prompted that move?

Laura Kelsey: Lack of a drummer, probably. Living in solitude there and just playing guitar — I didn’t grow up learning to play any instruments, so that gave me some time to work on it. I’m still working on it — I’m taking lessons now. And just writing all the time.

Peter McCully: I’ve read reviewers who have compared your vibe to Stevie Nicks and Florence and the Machine. Pretty high praise. What do you think when you hear comparisons to other artists?

Laura Kelsey: I don’t know if there’s anything completely original left — everybody’s done everything. But at the same time, everyone is their own person and has their unique experiences, so they all create something that can be original. I’m sure my voice has been moulded by all the different songs I’ve sung along to in my life. To be compared to great artists is absolutely a great honour.

Peter McCully: In 2014, you were the lead vocalist for a symphonic metal band that was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award, and that same year you wrote a ten-song rock musical that premiered in Vancouver. You seem to be constantly pushing into new creative territory.

Laura Kelsey: Yes — I’d actually sung some death metal up until that point for a few years. I hurt my vocal cords and created nodules on them, which are callouses from your vocal cords hitting too hard together. So I relearned how to use them properly, and because of that I feel like my voice is actually a lot stronger. I’m able to do four-hour gigs back to back and still feel great. Each experience can be a setback, but at the same time it leads to better things.

Peter McCully: The whole world learned a lot about nodules when Elton John went under surgery for them at the peak of his career and managed to come back.

Laura Kelsey: Yes. And Julie Andrews had the surgery, and it actually damaged her vocal cords. You can actually massage them away with exercise rather than having surgery.

Peter McCully: Laura, you’re a member of SOCAN and Music BC and have served as a juror for Factor Canada. I’ve done some regional work for Factor in the past. How has engaging with the music industry ecosystem influenced how you think about your own career?

Laura Kelsey: It’s very inspiring to read everyone’s submissions as a Factor juror. It’s very cool to see someone entering at the ground level of things, and then a year later you see them at the Juno Awards. It’s not like I’m out there to get a Juno or any awards. But at the same time, it’s possible — these people are just everyday folks, writing and being creative.

Peter McCully: I wanted to ask you about New Home, New Music — a series you produced for TELUS Storyhive profiling musicians who immigrated to Nanaimo. What drew you to the story, and what surprised you most about making it?

Laura Kelsey: I spoke with my friend Kiana, who’s featured in the series. She talked about how she had immigrated from China and lived in Nanaimo — just what she went through to get here. At one point she had to leave with her newborn and come back. Just such an inspiring story of adversity, and music stayed with her the entire time.

Peter McCully: And who were some of those other people?

Laura Kelsey: Vocalist and composer Shruti Romani — she does traditional Indian singing with a hybrid of jazz, absolutely incredible, otherworldly vocals. She’s actually moved to Vancouver and she’s doing huge things — been nominated for major awards. Absolutely amazing artist.

Peter McCully: You also wrote and directed a short film named Tub that won Audience Favourite at a one-minute mobile movie award show. How does filmmaking feed — or challenge — you as a musician and songwriter?

Laura Kelsey: Any time you get to create and piece together a story is what it’s all about. Recently I completed the Found and Sound series — two seasons through TELUS Storyhive — all about how sound, vibration, and music influence mental, physical, and emotional health. The first season focused on interviews with sound workers, music therapists, dancers, musicians. The second season went into the reciprocal relationship between sound, humans, and nature — can plants make music? Can fish sing? They can, and it’s amazing.

Peter McCully: Now you’ve got me. How do fish sing?

Laura Kelsey: They make different sounds in different ways you don’t expect. Some of them have something called sonic muscles around their swim bladders, and they can use those to vibrate and make sounds. Others can snap their bones — their whole bodies — so there are multiple ways that fish can communicate through sound that people just aren’t aware of.

Peter McCully: The house band for the Skookum Kids series that Dave and I produce — Eddie Van Haddock and the Rockfish — they’re doing it.

Laura Kelsey: That’s true.

Peter McCully: Laura, it’s not enough that you write songs, perform songs, get in front of a camera and behind the camera, interview people — you also write poetry. You debuted a poetry chapbook called West Coast Shorts a few years back, and your poems have appeared in publications across the country. Do you see songwriting and poetry as coming from the same place?

Laura Kelsey: Absolutely. I started writing poetry before I was putting songs together. A song is a poem — it just felt natural. Window Seat Books in Nanaimo is putting on a local authors month in April, and they’ve asked me to put in some copies of West Coast Shorts. Good for them for supporting local authors.

Peter McCully: You’ve played everywhere from the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver to festivals up and down the Island. Nanaimo keeps calling you back. What does the city mean to you as an artist?

Laura Kelsey: I’ve lived here for almost 10 years. I absolutely love it. The city has a really engaging art scene — the art gallery, the museum, the library is absolutely beautiful. The venues too are very supportive — the Queens, the Globe Live Studio, the Nanaimo Bar. These people are mostly one-person shows devoting their lives to bringing live music. There are also a lot of restaurants that continue to have live music, which is a huge income source for local musicians. I’m thankful for anywhere that supports that.

Peter McCully: You’ve got a new album, Laura. Tell us about Hidden Mountains.

Laura Kelsey: It’s a follow-up to my EP Hunting Season, which came out in 2023 — that was funded by Creative BC. Hidden Mountains is my own funding, so it’s a little scaled back, but it’s still got an epic feel, I hope. Engineer Paul Sini at Canary Sound has done an amazing job. He did a lot of the instruments as well — he’s a multi-instrumentalist and an amazing songwriter and singer. It’s a journey into modern mythology — stories I’ve come up with.

Peter McCully: Was there a central theme or feeling you were chasing from the beginning?

Laura Kelsey: Myth and mystery. Stories from the unknown.

Peter McCully: Tell us about the song Crescent.

Laura Kelsey: Crescent is probably the most upbeat number on the album. It’s one of the most recently written ones — some of the songs I’ve written ten years ago. Paul is playing guitar on that track and I’m playing harmonica. It’s a good song for running, I hope.

Peter McCully: You mentioned Paul Sini at Canary Sound in Lantzville. What does having a local recording relationship close to home bring to the process?

Laura Kelsey: Paul is great to work with. Having someone local cuts down on costs and travel costs as well. You can collaborate more often — do an hour here and there, rather than having to take two ferries and stay a weekend. I hope to work with Winston again too, who did the engineering and produced Hunting Season — he’s on Bowen Island. That’s a different experience — you feel really special when you go somewhere else to record. These are two different but equally wonderful experiences.

Peter McCully: So what’s next for Laura Kelsey?

Laura Kelsey: We have an album release event happening April 18th at the Globe. And I’ve been accepted to the Artists on Board program through VIA Rail. I get to go to Toronto and back on the train, playing music every day. I’m very excited.

Peter McCully: There’s nothing like being on the train heading across the country.

Laura Kelsey: I’ve never been on the train. I’m very excited.

Peter McCully: I went to the Junos and back on the train. The food was fantastic, and it’s a very intimate setting — you get to know everybody around you very quickly.

Laura Kelsey: I wonder about the sleeping — is it loud?

Peter McCully: No. You go to sleep right away, just like your mama rocking you to sleep.

Laura Kelsey: It lulls you to sleep. The tracks.

Peter McCully: There’s a song in there, Laura.

Laura Kelsey: There are many songs about trains, for sure. But I’m sure I’ll be writing one on the train.

Dave Graham: Laura Kelsey — what a talent. With Hidden Mountains, we’ll have links to Laura’s music and her work in our story notes at ThePulseCommunity.ca. It’s a debut album, a long time in the making. From what we just heard, it’s very much worth the wait.

Peter McCully: Our Skookum Kids Stories feature Captain Dave and the crew of the Mellow Submarine, and Peter and Gracie, the Eskimo dog. Our kids’ stories now offer colouring pages to go along with each new episode.

Dave Graham: This week, Captain Dave and Larry the Lobster discover the Deep Bay Drop-off. I don’t want to give too much away, but Larry handles it remarkably well for a crustacean.

Peter McCully: And our Radio Archaeology classic radio series features original episodes of Dragnet featuring Sergeant Joe Friday, and Gunsmoke with Marshal Matt Dillon.

Dave Graham: Plus we invite you to join another member of the PULSE Community Podcasts — as Cindy Thompson of Parksville hosts A Resilience Project. Through guest stories, listeners can discover key elements that can move us from surviving to thriving.

Peter McCully: And Parksville counsellors Joel Grenz and Sean Wood, the Non-Partisan Hacks, take listeners behind the scenes of municipal advocacy work that directly impacts Vancouver Island taxpayers.

Dave Graham: You’ll find these podcasts and more at ThePulseCommunity.ca. And while you’re on the website, sign up for our weekly newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcasts, guests, and contests.

Peter McCully: The Sun Fest contest closes April 1st at midnight. Get your entry in at ThePulseCommunity.ca or on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Dave Graham: We hope you’re able to get outside this Easter weekend. Enjoy some of that beautiful spring weather here in paradise. Maybe you’ll want to hide some Easter eggs and invite your favourite local podcast hosts for a hunt. No pressure. Just so you know, I prefer Cadbury products, if that’s at all helpful. Although I will accept Nestlé’s, and in a pinch, I allow Hershey.

Peter McCully: Anything else?

Dave Graham: You know what I think we need in the cafeteria, Peter? A chocolate bar. Get it? It’s a bar where you can order chocolate. A chocolate bar. Hey Peter, where are you going? Happy Easter, everybody.

Rockin’ Rhonda & The Uptown Blues Band: Here comes Peter, here comes Dave, oh listen. Bringing stories, making waves. No missing. Spinning tales in the podcast cave. So to speak. Laughs and insights everywhere. What a treat. Peter and Dave, they’re on the mics, all right. Join the ride. It’s gonna feel just right.