Claire Baker- Queen of the Cafe Culture

By Maddy Cristall

Claire Baker is one of those people who is un-dislikable. Her bright eyes emanate an unmistakable kindness. It is as if her soul is spilling out of her and she can barely keep it in her nimble frame. Claire is half Irish, half British and a fully fleshed cornerstone to the BC music scene. She curates the one of a kind Root Dwellers Music Series. This wonderful series started at the cozy Kings Cafe and has now expanded to the equally intimate Spade and The Garden. Each cafe has a capacity of 50 people and they’re also packed to the brim. Three different bands and solo artists play each event and usually take up half the room. The musicians are always impressive and perform sweaty, passionate and emotional concerts to a captivated audience.

What makes the series so special is the woman behind it. Claire is a musician herself and used to sing the indie rock band Hollow Strangers. She is also a mother, teacher and particularly gifted at those important jobs too. She asked the staff at King’s Cafe two years ago if she could hold a performance there. She did just that and kept the concerts coming. The small space has hosted a wide variety of artists such as Year of The Wolf, Small Town Artillery, The Long War, Winter Youth, Cassidy Waring, Elle Wolf. The artists answer personal questions on stage and can feel the audience watching them. It has a similar aesthetic to NPR’s Tiny Desk. The artist perform particularly captivating concerts because of the warm and inclusive space. It is the only chance to see the artists do that kind of performance so it’s truly a once in a lifetime experience. The series has become wildly successful, it has expanded and she now works alongside the talented and hyper-organized Nicola Kill. Each concert typically ends with a melted audience ecstatic with what they just witness and an emotional Claire, that’s her soul spilling out. She describes Root Dwellers as “an intimate space that permits you to become immersed in a collage of sound the artists have created”. The artist's music is honoured and a space is given for the music to breathe deeply”. Even though these collages of sound happen in a small space there are no parameters to what people experience during these events.

Claire does this simply because she loves music and cafes. She used to spend most of her time writing songs in them. They facilitate creativity and community in a way that noisy bars don’t. Her dream is to open a cafe of her own one day that has listening stations, books, local art for sale and concerts during the day and at night. If anybody could make this dreamy space a reality it’s Claire. Check out the second year Root Dwellers concert on April 18th at King’s Cafe.