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More Performers Announced for the 27th Annual Festival
For the 2019 festival on the weekend of August 15 - 18, Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES continues to expand not only the roster , but the event's musical palette with the addition of four acts that fall into the Celtic and UK folk tradition.
Topping this list is one of the preeminent Celtic bands of our time, Ireland's Dervish. The influence of this band has been compared to that of The Chieftains and the Bothy Band, and as ambassadors of Celtic music, Dervish has married technical brilliance with a stunningly deep catalogue of songs. and instrumentals. Formed in 1989, while playing informal sessions in the pubs of Sligo. - Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute/whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola/mandolin) and Michael Holmes (bouzouki) were soon joined by singer and bodhran (drum) player Cathy Jordan, and all -Ireland Fiddle Champion Tom Morrow. It's a remarkable and at times electric combination - "capable of playing with note-perfect accuracy and perfect control at nearly supersonic levels" (Irish Voice, New York). The fact that the band has shared concert bills with the late James Brown, Neil Young, Sting, and even Iron Maiden, shows the reach their music has with music fans of all stripes. This will be Dervish's first appearance at the Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES Festival, and the group will be playing main stage as well as workshops.
ROOTSandBLUES is also pleased to announce that Vancouver's Early Spirit will be front and centre for three days of the festival. This quartet has been winning audiences over in concert settings such as the Rogue Folk Club in their home town, and in festivals, notably a stop at the Mission Folk Festival last summer where the band delivered a moving performance time and time again.
The group consists of four outstanding musicians. Jay Knutson is the lead vocalist for Early Spirit. Jay was a founder of the Celtic folk-rock band Spirit of the West and his solo material draws from jazz and roots music. Playing drums is Ben Kelly, the son of Jay's Spirit of the West bandmate Geoffrey Kelly. Ben has performed and recorded with Fish & Bird. On fiddle is Gabriel Dubreuil, a young Franco-Canadian fiddler who attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. Rounding out Early Spirit is bassist Will Chernoff, who is among Canada's finest young jazz musicians. Bill Frisell and the Punch Brothers were his gateway into folk, and he was a member of North Shore Celtic Ensemble before joining Early Spirit. "The Early Spirit sound is a unique blend of rock and roll energy, of folk lyrical conventions centered around various facets of Canadian life." -Vancouver Province.
Toronto's Anne Lindsay is a fiddle ace, singer, solo artist, in -demand session player and long-time member of Jim Cuddy's band who will be joining us at ROOTSandBLUES for the entire weekend. One of the most versatile instrumentalists in Canada, Lindsay is an exuberant fireplug of a session-player-to-the-stars (Led Zeppelin, The Chieftains, James Taylor, Roger Daltry). She has also been resident fiddler for the Toronto Maple Leafs and performed with the stage production of The Lord of the Rings. Her latest album is Soloworks , and her first three solo albums won numerous awards including Solo Instrumentalist and Producer of the Year (Canadian Folk Music Awards) and Jazz Violinist of the Year (National Jazz Awards). Look for great collaborations and solo shows from Anne Lindsay on the ROOTSandBLUES site.
Rounding out this release is the sister / brother duo of Qristina & Quinn Bachand from Victoria. The Bachands have proven to be a quintessential part of Canada's contribution to the world stage, having won two Irish Music Awards, Top Traditional Group (2010) and Top Duo (2011). They have also received a combined total of 16 nominations at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, the Western Canadian Music Awards and the Vancouver Island Music Awards. "Two of the most important young musicians in the international Celtic music scene." (Angel Romero, World Music Central)
Looking at the depth of talent that these four acts bring to ROOTSandBLUES there is little doubt that Celtic and traditional folk fans will be blown away by their music at the 27th edition of ROOTSandBLUES.
Information on Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES can be found at www.rootsandblues.com or by phoning the ROOTSandBLUES office at 250-833-4096
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