From roots to rhythm, blues, indie and world, artistic director Peter North has crafted a Roots and Blues Festival to appeal to all genres and ages.
North says he has pretty much finalized this year’s talented slate and is extremely satisfied with the results.
North’s announcement yesterday includes:
Juno Award winning Russel deCarle, lead singer for Prairie Oyster, a Canadian country music group named Country Group or Duo of the year six times by both the Canadian Country Music Association and the Juno Awards.
“Juno award-winning Amos Garret and Geoff Muldaur, his American sidekick, are not only great as a duo, but were instrumental in the Paul Butterfield Band,” North says.
North is delighted that Current Swell, a Canadian indie rock band from Victoria have signed on.
“They’ve been here before and their star has never been higher,” he says. “They sold out two nights at Vancouver’s Commodore and will close the Mainstage on Friday night.”
North describes the Ballroom Thieves as a brilliant young folk pop band from Boston and is also excited about another U.S. group – Josh Hoyer and the Shadowboxers, who have broken out all over the States and are getting great airplay on Americana Radio.
A Kenyan now living in Seattle, singer-songwriter Naomi Wachira won Folk Singer of the Year in Seattle and brings “interesting stuff” with a Kenyan lilt.
Growing the world music segment of the festival are Grammy-nominated The Ducks, with a banjo player and lead vocalist out of Winnipeg, Swedish fiddle player, American percussionist and a Québecois guitar player who play everything from West African music to traditional folk songs.
Add to that Quique Escamilla, who hails from Mexico but lives in Toronto .
“He’s a powerhouse – an energetic Latin fusion, folk-rock thing with a real social edge lyrically,” raves North of the artist who recently won the Juno for World Music Album of the Year. “I saw him at a Vancouver Island festival last summer and he really rocked it.”
Still on the world theme, Rifatt Sultana channels the musical wisdom of 500 years and 11 generations of master vocalists from India and Pakistan _ with traditional instruments combined with electronica.
Amadou Fall, a kora player from Senegal, is making his second appearance in Canada. Groove to the hot rhythms of the Marco Claveria Project, a 10- piece Afro Cuban band of musicians originally from Chile, Cuba and Nicaragua, who now call Canada Home.
Juno award-winning Brent Parkin will be singing the blues and the Wailin’ Jennys’ Cara Luft has joined JD Edwards in a new band called The Small Glories.
“I think they’ll be the breakout folk root acts of the summer,” says North.
The Slocan Ramblers from Toronto are getting a lot of attention stateside and from North.
“I mean this sincerely, I think they’re the best bluegrass, new grass group to come out of Canada – ever,” he says. “They’ll not only do material from their new album, they’ll be instrumental in the Jeremy Garcia/Grateful Dead project – a special feature of this year’s festival.
Kat Danser, a rising star in the acoustic blues scene is onboard, as is Tom Walbank, a young acoustic blues artist from Phoenix.
Red Tail Ring, a young duo from Michigan play old-time bluegrass and folk reminiscent of Mandolin Orange are making their first trip to Canada.
Kelowna’s Devon Coyote, who rocked the Doin’ it Right concert in March, will appeal to the younger set as will Scott Cook and The Second Chances, Nelson’s singer-songwriter James Lamb and spoken-work artist Magpie Ulysses.
These are just the newcomers. For a complete list of this year’s Roots and Blues Festival performers, visit www.rootsandblues.ca.
On another front, North says organizers are thrilled with community response.
“We’re so far ahead in terms of volunteers from last year, it’s really gratifying...” he says. “A year of challenges can bring out some really good things... I think we’re seeing that we’re steering the ship down the right tributaries.”