Cousin Harley has come from Vancouver for two gigs, one this free concert at Ship Point, the other an evening show at the Central Bar and Grill. At just $7 a ticket, the place has to be packed for the band to make any money.


"Mom's bringing eight people," says Mr. Cahill, who grew up in Victoria. "I don't even know eight people."


Mr. Pigat moved to British Columbia in 1994. The Toronto native was fleeing from a profitable if unsatisfying run with a Garth Brooks tribute band, leaving mid-tour in Thunder Bay, Ontario.


"After a week of debaucherous lifestyle, I just couldn't take it anymore," recalls Mr. Pigat, who turns 36 this month. He then had a long run in Victoria with a swing band called the Smokin' Jackets. After playing every venue in town he moved to Vancouver.


He played lap steel guitar on Neko Case's 1997 debut album, "The Virginian", making him a charter member of her Boyfriends, the ranks of which include such stellar musicians as Ron Sexsmith, Carl Newman (The New Pornographers) and Brian Connelly of Atomic 7 (ex-Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet). Mr. Pigat has also recorded with Victoria's Carolyn Mark, whose beer-drenched hootenannies are a Sunday-afternoon delight.


Among the Cousin Harley acolytes at Ship Point this day is Bob Dalziel, 55, who wears his hair greased like Squiggy from the old Laverne and Shirley TV show. By day, he picks up garbage at city parks. By night he is the lead singer of Rukus, a rock 'n roll dance band.


"We do the hits," says Mr. Dalziel, Cousin Harley's acknowledged No. 1 fan. "These guys do unknown stuff and they still stir up emotion." Mr. Dalziel follows them on the road, snapping photographs and recording shows on a cheap tape recorder. He caught them at Island Musicfest in Courtenay this summer and is a regular at their quarterly showcases at the Quinsum Hotel on the Island Highway in Campbell River. Sometimes, he gets to share the stage.


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