N.S. musicians paying tribute to late rocker Jay Smith

Musicians from across the Maritimes are gathering in Cape Breton to remember local rock guitar player Jay Smith.

The Sydney-based musician died while on tour in 2013, shaking the local music scene.

"He was such a personable guy," said Carleton Stone, who performs with the band Port Cities and grew up watching Smith perform at Rock Ranger shows. "He just had that Cape Breton kind of boyish charm about him."

Stone also remembers seeing Smith playing at venues around Sydney in two other bands, Slowcoaster and The Squatters.

Local artist and songwriter Gordie Sampson used to jam with Smith, who toured nationally with Matt Mays and El Torpedo, on stages big and small across Atlantic Canada.

"I remember doing a gig with him in Baddeck," Sampson said. "For some reason we ended up without a bass player and he was just like, 'I'll play bass' and played the whole show."

'Larger than life'

Part of Smith's charm, Sampson said, was his ability to show up at a venue unrehearsed and put on an incredible show. He joked that the tribute concert on Thursday evening will have a similar element of surprise with regards to rehearsing.

The concert is part of Cape Breton Regional Municipality's Makin' Waves summer concert series, put on at Wentworth Park in Sydney. The lineup, which includes Stone, Sampson, Colleen Power, Steven MacDougall and a cast of others, will be playing songs from Smith's solo record.

Stone said the performers want to bring the same energy that Smith did to every show.

He remembered one night at a Sydney bar where Smith jumped on a table, played a guitar solo and kicked every beer bottle in sight.

"He's that larger than life kind of character, you know?"

The concert gets underway at Sydney's Wentworth Park at 6 p.m., and admission is free.

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