Hall of fame songwriter headlines song sessions
Kim Mitchell among Juno-award-winning musicians taking to the stage in Penticton
One of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters Kim Mitchell joins fellow artists at the 4th annual 97 South Song Sessions Festival in Penticton this weekend. Weekend passes are still available for the multi-day event.
The 97 South Song Sessions showcases acoustic music performance and storytelling event where award-winning, multigenre songwriters and recording artists share the stage, in-the-round, entertaining the audience with tales of the creative journey that inspired their hit songs.
“We’re excited to bring such a special lineup of world-class songwriters to our beloved Okanagan Valley and to introduce a national audience to this beautiful and fast-growing wine region,”said Robert Ott, Director, 97 South Song Sessions and former music industry CEO. “Our past audiences have found this event to be an unparalleled music and storytelling experience. It’s a powerful performance and one of the most purely creative, intimate music happenings you’ll ever be part of.”
Festivalgoers will be graced with an intimate show that is variously touching and certainly unforgettable. The concerts includes two 90-minute shows on back-to-back nights featuring unique, multi-genre lineups of songwriters playing their hits and telling the stories behind them, acoustically, in the round, at each performance.
The weekend series will once again be hosted by media personality Paul McGuire.
Songwriters include Grammy winner and Hall of Famer Tim Nichols (Live Like You Were Dying/Tim McGraw) who returns to the show for the in 2022, iconic Canadian songsmith and recording artist Marc Jordan (Rhythm of My Heart/Rod Stewart), longtime Sheryl Crow collaborator, Jeff Trott (Every Day Is A Winding Road, Soak Up The Sun)
and Nashville hit writer Chris DeStefano (Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl”, Rascal Flatts’ “Rewind”, and Jason Aldean’s “Just Getting Started”).
“After being a part of the first 97 South Song Sessions, by the time I got home to Nashville, I was already looking forward to going back for 2022,” said Tim Nichols.” The event founders had a vision to combine the gorgeous setting of the Okanagan Valley with some of the most talented singer-songwriters in Canada and the U.S.”
Mitchell has sold more than 1.5 million records in Canada, taken home three Juno Awards, and been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021. His addition to the lineup will be highly welcomed by the festival’s audience of music lovers, who will also be treated to performances by other Canadian and US songwriters and artists from the country, pop and rock genres.
Peer-respected for his guitar playing,
Mitchell has written many classic rock anthems including Go For Soda, Rock N Roll Duty, Patio Lanterns, I am a Wild Party, Easy To Tame and All We Are. These hits have become part of the Canadian musical landscape and earned Mitchell three Juno Award wins for “Male Vocalist of the year”, “Album of the Year”, and “Most Promising Male Vocalist.”
In 2018, Mitchell collaborated with friends, The Barenaked Ladies, to record a new version of his Max Webster hit Diamonds Diamonds — the band has called Webster, and this track in particular, a huge influence for them as musicians. The song and accompanying video were released in 2019 through Ole Media (now Anthem Entertainment). In 2021, he dropped his latest album, The Big Fantasize (El Mocambo Records).
This year, 97 South will also be publishing the third edition of Storytellers, a deluxe, fourcolour edition book series written by Martin
Melhuish featuring anecdotes and career insights from hit songwriters like Paul Rodgers, Tim Nichols, Kim Mitchell, and Jim Vallance– as well as artisans that include a master chef, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, a luthier, a broadcast executive, and a well-known photographer.
The festival takes place at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre (273 Power Street), A Weekend Festival Pass including general seating at 2 shows, is $180.00 CAD per person.Tickets can be purchased at 97southsongsessions.com/tickets or in-person at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton.
Songwriter Lineup
North Stage
Tim Nichols, Chris DeStefano, Maddison Krebs, Jessi Alexander, and Teigen Gays
South Stage
Alan Frew, Kim Mitchell, Jeff Trott, and Marc Jordan