Free concert part of Wide Skies Festival
Afree evening music concert outdoors is expected to draw crowds downtown Tuesday, midway through this year’s Wide Skies Music and Arts Festival. But organizers are also expecting good numbers for paid performances Monday and Wednesday evenings. Last year, reports spokesperson Mike Spencer, about 1,350 people attended the two-day event.
“We expect up to 2,000 over the three days,” he says.
This year, Spencer adds, performers are coming from all four western provinces as well as Ontario, North Carolina and Washington State.
The Tuesday evening event, from 5 to 11 p.m., will feature music on two stages located on a closed-off section of 11 Street South, alongside Southminster United Church. One stage will be Brooklyn-born Shakura S’Aida, who’s toured Europe, Africa, Australia and North America. Now living in Canada, she’s been seen more recently in television series including “Flashpoint” and “Schitts’ Creek.”
On the opposite stage, hometown favourite Skinny Dyck and Friends will be one of the attractions. Other acts on that evening include The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, as well as the Weber Brothers. Artisan booths, street art, food trucks and a beer garden will also be on tap during the evening.
For after-parties Tuesday, music fans can enjoy Tom Phillips at The Slice or the Weber Brothers at the Owl.
Monday’s concert, in Southminster United, will showcase husband-and-wife team Shovels and Rope with a blend of traditional folk, country rock and rock ’n’ roll. Sharing the bill, Little Miss Higgins — a three-time Western Canadian Music Award winner — will serve up early country blues, folk and jazz.
Closing the festival Wednesday will be another double bill, Frazey Ford and then The Cave Singers. Guitarist Derek Fudesco, drummer Marty Lund and vocalist Pete Quirk released four albums as The Cave Singers in recent years on two different labels, then successfully tapped into crowd-funding to produce their fifth independently.
Ford, on her latest release “Indian Ocean,” has tapped into soul music to deal with issues ranging from pain to trust and love.
Tickets for Monday’s concert are priced at $60 plus a service charge, and Wednesday’s at $50 plus, with a festival pass going for $100 plus a $5 fee.
As part of their goal to create an environment-friendly event, organizers are suggesting music fans take transit, carpool, ride a bike or walk to the festival site. Recycling and composting stations will be provided, along with water stations.
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