The 20th Annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival
In 2012 you can look forward to such headliners as singer-songwriter Alex Cuba - with his trademark sugarcane-sweet melodies - pop-soul and rock.By Glenn Kohaly
The 20th Annual Salmon Arm 'Roots and Blues Festival' takes place on August 17-19, 2012, at the Salmon Arm Fair Grounds. Encompassing a wide range of musical genres, more than 50 performers will set foot on the six outdoor stages. Between acts, festival goers can enjoy the beer gardens, the International Food Zone, the Artisan Market, a smattering of children's activities as well as (preregistered) camping. The blockbuster list of entertainers just goes to show why this event is one of the best festivals in Western Canada. Come and visit the beautiful BC interior and be sure to make this festival one of your destinations.
In 2012 you can look forward to such headliners as singer-songwriter Alex Cuba - with his trademark sugarcane-sweet melodies - pop-soul and rock. The Beaton Sisters will share their own style of Celtic music along with their obvious love of step dancing! Introducing their fifth album at this years festival, Ontario’s alternative/country road-warriors, Cuff the Duke, blend traditional country and folk music with indie rock elements to synthesize a sound uniquely their own. HAZMAT MODINE draws from the rich soil of American music of the 20's and 30's through to the 50's and early 60's, blending elements of early Blues, Hokum Jugband, Swing, New Orleans R & B, and Jamaican Rocksteady. The band is fronted by the sound of two harmonicas using call and response, providing harmony, melody, and syncopated interweaving rhythms. Two-time Juno winner, banjoist Jayme Stone, will perform music inspired by folk traditions the world round. His latest album, Room of Wonders, explores music from Norway, Sweden, Bulgaria, Brazil, Italy and North America. His repertoire includes a movement from Bach’s French Suite, a Moorish sword-fighting dance, and his own lush, edgy originals.
Markus James joins forces with four West African music masters to cook up what NPR Music calls "Rock with a West African twist". Thundering West African percussion meets voodoo-trance North Mississippi-style guitar riffs, with vocals in both English and Mali's Bambara languages. With their most recent work, We Walk This Road, brilliant multicultural American funk and soul group, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, explores the relationship between gospel, blues, and rock - playing everything from 1920’s blues up to modern-day songs by Prince. With dynamic live shows that actively use dance and movement as a means to interact with the audience, this band is famous for its high voltage performances that leave audiences breathless and euphoric. In the past, they have opened for the likes of Eric Clapton and the Dave Matthews Band, and have since become headliners in their own right.
Get up off of that thang – we’ve got Five Alarm Funk back in the house! For more than six years the band has brought their relentless and unforgettable live show to clubs and major festivals across Canada and the United States. Award winning Delta Blues musician and folk artist, Super Chikan, received his first musical instrument in early childhood. The rudimentary instrument, a ‘diddley bow’, was a piece of wood with a length of baling wire strung end to end. Though basic in design, ‘Chikan Boy’ (as his friends dubbed him) learned to play and later improvise on the diddley bow until buying his first guitar at age 13. In 2011 he was nominated for the Blues Music Awards, BB King Entertainer of the Year.
Find out more about the artists and activities on-line at www.rootsandblues.ca, where you can explore the full line-up of performers, schedules, and information about the free community outreach performances leading up to, and during, the festival. For more information call (250) 833-4096.