Saskia and Darrel at Ashcroft’s Music in the Park
Winding Rivers Arts and Performance Society presents another Music in the Park outdoor concert on Wed., July 23. Bring your favourite lawn chair or blanket to the Heritage Park gazebo for the next in the series of popular evening concerts, which begins at 6:30 pm.
What do you get when you cross a folk/roots singer-songwriter from a Dutch background with a blues-rock-guitar-playing Métis from Saskatchewan? Sparks, probably! Saskia and Darrel deliver a hot blend of music, and an unpredictable series of songs that changes every night. They are a well-oiled writing and performing machine who perform throughout Canada and Western Europe. Under the shelter of their newly formed company and band name “The Great Plains” they are cultivating an immense following, winning over their fans one hall at a time.
WRAPS is thrilled to present a doubly awesome Music in the Park show with a special guest: legendary Canadian performing artist Jenny Allen! Jenny will be in our area and has graciously agreed to be the opening act for Saskia and Darrel. This is not to be missed!
Music in the Park is a series of live musical performances featuring an eclectic mix of musical genres and styles that appeals to a wide range of audience tastes; everything from single and duo folk performers and blues and roots artists to soul and rock. Check out the website for details on other shows: www.windingriversarts.ca
Lillooet’s Apricot Festival this weekend
Lillooet’s Annual Apricot Tsaqwem Festival is this weekend, July 25–27. Events include the Lillooet Farmers’ Market on Friday and Saturday, the Lillooet Golf Tournament, a street dance, live bands, beer garden, dinner at the Legion on Saturday, the Route 99 Show and Shine, Sturgeon Derby, quilters’ show, a community garage sale, and much more!
Spences Bridge Desert Daze Festival
The plans for the fifth annual Desert Daze Festival (Aug. 8–9) are heating up! The dedicated group of volunteers are very busy with preparations: there’s lots to do!
We are very happy to announce the main line-up for this year’s Festival. On Friday evening we have local favourites Spiritus Mundii, followed by North Country Gentlemen, and the Magic Rooster Blues Band finishing off the night. Saturday evening will see another local favourite, Flat Busted, followed by Terrence Jack; then, back by popular demand, The Johnson Brothers will finish off the festival. The afternoons will be filled with a variety of musicians, starting at 3:00 on Fri., Aug. 8 and at 1:00 on Sat., Aug 9. There’ll be something for everyone! The final schedule with all the start times is now posted on the website. On Saturday afternoon we will again have an apple bobbing and watermelon seed spitting contest, and there will be a supervised area for the kiddies to play. The Volunteer Fire Dept. will be putting on a pancake breakfast, and of course we will have a beer garden.
Tickets for the weekend are very reasonable. You can find details on the website at www.desertdaze.ca, and I encourage you to check out the various musicians’ websites or facebook pages: we really have some fantastic talent coming to entertain us! Anyone wishing to volunteer in exchange for a weekend pass or a discount please go to the website: we need lots! And if you would like to be a vendor, the applications are there as well.
Music in the Park in Clinton
Clinton Music in the Park features a musician with the same first name. Clinton Swanson and Friends with Kelly Fawcett brings together four longtime musical friends to collaborate on an eclectic repertoire of originals and covers in the styles of blues, R and B, soul, and jazz on Thurs., July 31 from 7:00–9:00 pm. The group consists of Kelly Fawcett on vocals and guitar, Tony Ferraro on drums, Billy Mendoza on bass and vocals, and Clinton Swanson on saxophone; four seasoned musicians coming together to share a few notes and stories. They’ll touch your soul while you tap your foot. The concert is at the gazebo at Gyro Park with admission by donation; a toonie minimum is suggested. For more information contact (250) 364-3003 or info@trail-arts.com.
Prairie balladeer Scott Cook at UniTea
UniTea Tea Room invites you to experience an enchanted midsummer evening of acoustic live music, the first of many musical events to be held at Ashcroft’s newest hang-out and tea room. This unplugged show on Aug. 18 will feature Scott Cook and the Second Chances. Come and enjoy some outstanding three-part harmony, acoustic guitars, upright bass, fiddle, and banjo. It’s also Nadine’s birthday, so come celebrate with us! The door opens at 6:30 pm, and the concert starts at 7:00. Tickets—limited to the first 30 people only—at the door, or reserve yours by calling (250) 453-9345.
Edmonton’s prairie balladeer Scott Cook is a tirelessly traveling DIY songwriter with heart forever on sleeve. Road-worn, painfully honest, and deeply human, his straight-talking tunes weave together folk, roots, blues, soul, and country with spacious fingerstyle guitar and clawhammer banjo arrangements. He has a way of connecting to every audience member as he sings.
For this show, Scott will be bringing along his acoustic trio the Second Chances, consisting of Bramwell Park on banjo, mandolin, guitar, and harmony vocals, and Melissa Walker on upright bass and harmonies. More info, music, photos, and hobo travelogue can be found at http://www.scottcook.net.