The silence was broken last week when organizers of the Jasper Folk Music Festival released the much anticipated line-up for the second annual event.
For those who attended last year, there will be at least a few familiar names, as Tim Vaughn, The Ray Elliott Band and Jasper's own Randal Scott Band return for a second year in a row.
Filling out the remainder of the weekend are 11 acts that run the gamut from blues rockers Willhorse to folk rockers The Royal Streets, creating an eclectic, exciting line-up.
This year's festival runs from Sept. 12鈥�14, and early bird tickets are on sale. To snag yours, visit Ticket Web, www.ticketweb.ca, and search Jasper Folk Music Festival.
鈥� Friday headliner 鈥�
Shred Kelly
Five years ago Shred Kelly was playing shows for sandwiches and beer.
Fast-forward to today and the five-piece, banjo-wielding Fernie-based 鈥渟toke folk鈥� band is playing festivals all over the country and getting paid to do it.
The quintet formed in 2009 and has since released two albums full of gritty 鈥渂oot slappin鈥� slacker anthems.鈥�
Following the release of their second album, In the Hills, the band was named Artist of the Year at the Kootenay Music Awards, and it also won a spot on the Tracks on Tracks tour that took bands across the country on a Via Rail train in 2012.
鈥� Saturday headliner 鈥�
The Bright Light Social Hour
Born out of a university art-rock collective, The Bright Light Social Hour swept into the public consciousness after a blistering live performance in Austin, Texas. The band鈥檚 strange brew of southern rock, hard dance, psychedelic blues, and deep soul captured the attention of fans, and they鈥檝e been going full-force ever since.
The group netted six awards at the SXSW 2011 Austin Music Awards, including Band of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year, and there鈥檚 no reason not to expect that quality when they headline the festival Saturday night.
Jenie Thai
Festivals are nothing new for Jenie Thai. In the last few years, she鈥檚 appeared at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and the Canmore Folk Festival.
The classically trained pianist, with a performance degree from the jazz and contemporary music program at Grant MacEwan, was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and was raised outside of Edmonton.
Thai released her first EP in 2011 and a full-length album in 2013, garnering nominations for several Edmonton Music Awards for Artist to Watch and Female Artist of the Year.
She combines classical techniques with jazz harmonics, a touch of the blues and some folk charm to create a unique sound all her own.
Willhorse
After years in prairie dive bars, blues rockers Willhorse relocated to Golden, B.C. from Saskatchewan.
It was there that Jeremy Borschneck, Branden Winterholt and Nick Petrowich met Todd Menzies, who filled out the band and brought business sense to the ensemble.
With a full compliment and a 1973 MCI tour bus, the guys hit the highway, touring hard鈥攅ven doing a 60 day, 41 show tour across the country.
Willhorse released its latest album, The Farm Sessions, last year. It was recorded live at The Farm Studios in Vancouver, B.C.
Sam Spades
Sam Heine found himself a new band last year, after years as a solo act.
Sam Spades is the former Jasperites鈥� latest musical pursuit. Joining him in the rockabilly trio are John Richards on bass and Greg Hann on drums.
Since the bands鈥� creation last year, Sam Spades has travelled to Jasper for two shows, packing the Olive Bistro and the Jasper Legion and pulling the audience onto the dance floor.
The trio is also making a name for itself in Edmonton, where the guys are rocking shows with the likes of The Creepshow and The Fuzz Kings.
The Pick Brothers Band
As their name suggests, the Pick Brothers Band is a band of brothers.
The trio formed when Gabriel, the youngest of the Picks, was on bed rest. While trapped in a hospital room, Gabriel started writing songs about his life inside and outside of his little room, and then his brothers joined forces with him to arrange the songs.
Later, Casey and Jeremiah began writing songs as well, and before the brothers knew it they had a huge repertoire of songs and an intense musical chemistry.
The Pick Brothers Band released its debut album, Pink Lemonade, last fall and the brothers are already looking forward to their next.
Sweet Alibi
鈥淚f Mumford and Sons and the Supremes had a love child, it would be Sweet Alibi,鈥� so said CBC Radio 2鈥檚 Tom Power.
Sweet Alibi hit the Canadian music scene in 2009, and has, in just a few short years, built a reputation for its vocal harmonies and playful sense of lyricism. The trio鈥檚 sets feature an eclectic mix of folk and roots tunes, with pop sensibilities.
The group adds to their soulful vocals with everything from banjos to ukuleles, upright bass and electric guitars, giving a refreshing diversity to its live show.
The Rockies
After starting as an acoustic duo more than five years ago, The Rockies have worked hard to forge themselves a reputation as a powerful rock trio. Over the past few years they鈥檝e opened for Bon Jovi, Kid Rock, Bif Naked, Collective Soul and Mother Mother.
With a new record coming out in 2014, the group is a ball of energy鈥攑utting on a live show that should bring out festival goer鈥檚 happy feet, as their tunes demand dancing.
Randal Scott Band
Another of this year鈥檚 returning acts, local favourite The Randal Scott Band is set to put on another blistering set at this year鈥檚 festival. With an eclectic blend of fiddle, guitar, upright bass, tuba and who knows what else, the band lays down a diverse mix of foot-stomping tunes, that are rooted in the prairies.
Last year the band鈥檚 frontman, Randal Riddell, had a mission to 鈥渇ire it up and get everyone on their feet,鈥� and the band delivered. There鈥檚 no doubt this year will be no different.
Darklark
Darklark, is an indie-rock-electro-pop collaboration between Mel Larkin, D鈥橝ri Lisle, Jay Marcovitz and Jake Birch, that evolved out of Ontario rock outfit Nine Mile.
The group is just beginning to rev up its musical engine, but the crisp electro-pop tracks it鈥檚 laid down so far demand to be grooved to. In a recent Facebook post, the group teased the possibility of a song explosion in the near future.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been hoarding. Songwriting is like a sickness, an obsession. Our hard drives are proof,鈥� they wrote. With 鈥渉undreds鈥� of ideas on the burner, look for a solid show at the Folk Fest this September.
The Royal Streets
Emerging from the urban sprawl of Waterloo, Ont. just a few years ago, The Royal Streets have already become a force in the Canadian folk-rock scene. The band released its debut album Kings and Queen in March of this year, after more than a year of touring Eastern Canada.
With all that touring under their belt, and the fresh energy that comes with an album debut, the newcomers to the festival should be primed to put on an unforgettable show.
Tim Vaughn
Returning to the festival for a second year, multi-instrumentalist Tim Vaughn is set to rock Centennial Park once again.
Vaughn is based in Saskatoon, and for more than a decade, the Maple Blues Award Nominee has been blasting out his genre-bending tunes, to the delight of many.
The singer-songwriter once described his music as being 鈥渓ike Prince, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix and Radiohead all met in Los Lobos at the bar in from Dusk 鈥楾ill Dawn, and Jack White was playing with Elvis Costello.鈥�
If that鈥檚 not incentive to check out his set, what is?
Ray Elliott Band
Ray Elliott was born in Jasper, and the town has never left his soul. The alt-country singer-songwriter pens tunes inspired by the mountains, taking listeners on soulful journeys into the wilderness.
For Elliott, songwriting is about telling a complete story in two to four minutes. His songs 鈥渃hange like the weather in the mountains or flow free like waves on wheat fields in the wind.鈥�
They鈥檙e nothing too complicated, just an experience that brings people together, and connects them a little bit more to the 鈥済reat lone land.鈥�
鈥� Battle Royale winners 鈥�
Doug MacNearney
This PEI born, banjo-playing biologist won his spot in the lineup with a victory in the solo/duo competition at the Folk Fests鈥� Battle Royale last May. A caribou researcher by day and occasional troubadour by night, MacNearney鈥檚 songs are compelling, not only because of the stories they tell, but because of his impressive musicianship.
His rambling banjo and resonant voice delighted the contests鈥� judges and audience, and the singer said he is excited to give them even more at the festival this September.
Hundred Miles Across
With a pure bluegrass sound, tight harmonies and duelling instrumentals, Hundred Miles Across rocked the Jasper Folk Music Festival鈥檚 Battle Royale last month, winning a spot in the festival line-up.
The group consists of Jasperites Monika Schaefer and Brian Lackey, Hinton鈥檚 Lois and Brian Carnell and Brian Fitch of the Shining Bank Hills.
In the past, most of the band played under the moniker the Fiddle River Band. But, when Brian Fitch hopped into the lineup to replace the recently departed Ron Brown, the members decided to start fresh.
With Fitch and his Dobro replacing Brown and his banjo, the group forged ahead with a new sound, renaming themselves with a nod to the 100 miles that separate them.
聽N. Veerman and T. Nichols
