INUVIK
If you had a case of cabin fever going in to the inaugural Cabin Fever festival March 15, renowned performer Louie Goose would have stoked it for you. If you didn't have one, his rousing set would have given it to you.

East Three Secondary School teacher Abe Drennan was one of the featured performers at the first Beaufort Delta Cabin Fever music festival March 15 at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

Goose, along with his daughter Leanne, were the headliners at the show that featured a wealth of talent from around the Beaufort Delta area.

Louie Goose returned to the stage full of his trademark swagger and passion in the early morning hours of March 16 after a layoff of a few months. The dance floor flooded with people as he turned the amps up on a show that had already seen people grooving to the music.

The show also featured the Raven Street Trio, formerly known as Mumford & Friends, the Shorty Boys from Aklavik, Robert Voudrach of Tuktoyaktuk and newcomer Abe Drennan.

The crowd roared as Goose called out for anyone from Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk to hit the floor, showing

a more-than-ample contingent from each community had made the trek down the ice road for the show, which was the first Cabin Fever festival.

The program had only been announced two weeks before, and Leanne Goose had organized it in that fleeting time span with some funding from the GNWT.

Drennan, who teaches at East Three Secondary School, said he was more than happy to be offered the chance to perform.

"That was a lot of fun, and it was really nice to be invited to come and perform," he said. "I understand this is the first Cabin Fever they've done, and it felt really great to be a part of the community."

He's from Ontario originally, and relocated to Inuvik less than a year ago. He is teaching language arts to Grade 7 students.

"It's a great experience and an adventure for the family, and I'm playing more music here than I have at home for a while," Drennan said.

The Raven Street Trio, comprised of Bob Mumford, Miki O'Kane and Janet Boxwell, are veteran performers on the Inuvik scene, and they were as excited.

"Miki and I have been performing together for more than 10 years," Mumford said.

Boxwell, a talented saxophone player, is the more recent addition, having begun playing with them about five years ago.

"I hadn't played for about 30 years, since high school," she said following their set.

She joined the community band, which is now defunct, and that's where she met her bandmates ... at least musically.

"Bob encouraged me to join," she said.

"It was a lot of fun," Mumford recollected.

"Janet followed us over to our little group here."

They decided to change the name from Mumford & Friends when they lost their guitar player several months ago when he left for the south.

The group often practices in a garage on Raven Street, and they adopted the name.

"Yeah, we're a garage band," Boxwell said with a chuckle.

"We're a grunge folk band," Mumford chipped in with a wide grin.

The group primarily plays folk and jazz, and classic rock.

Boxwell and Mumford have some formal musical education, while O'Kane said she's self-taught.

O'Kane was one of the organizers of the festival, although Leanne Goose did most of the work. Leanne Goose is one of Inuvik's leading performers, who also organized last year's End of the Road Music Festival.

"We had a meeting two-and-half weeks ago, and we heard there some money available and could we do it," O'Kane said. "Three or four of us sat down with Leanne and said, 'Cool, let's do it.'"

It's hoped this inaugural festival will usher in a new era for a late-winter musical festival.