Swinging into fall with new Westben season
The Barn’s upcoming season includes a benefit concert Sunday
CAMPBELLFORD – The threetime Juno-nominated Sultans of Swing will soon usher in a series of fall concerts at Westben’s The Barn near Campbellford.
The energetic party quintet will perform as part of the fifth annual At Your Service benefit concert on Sunday, a fundraiser for the Warkworth Community Centre and Rotary Club of Campbellford.
The Sultans play everything from Celtic reels to flamenco, with fiery violin dances with rumba-flamenco guitar, while bass and percussion lay down “unstoppable grooves,” organizers stated in a press release.
The band, which has recorded live for the BBC, National Public Radio and SiriusXM, has been on the Billboard world music and New York Times Christmas Hits charts and received eight Canadian Folk Music award nods, winning instrumental and world categories.
The show starts at 2 p.m. with a barbecue at noon at The Barn. Tickets are available at www.westben.ca or from a Rotary member.
The Quebec power trio De Temps Antan come to The Barn on September 23.
Éric Beaudry, David Boulanger and Pierre-Luc Dupuis have been exploring and performing timehonoured melodies from the stomping grounds of Quebec’s musical past – rooted in the Celtic diaspora, organizers stated.
Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, “they blend boundless energy with the unmistakable joie de vivre found only in traditional Quebec music,” organizers stated.
The first Friday Lunchtime Tick-Talk returns to the Clock Tower Cultural Centre in Campbellford on October 5 with Secrets of a Symphony Conductor with Michael Newnham, conductor of the Peterborough Symphony.
He will demystify the life and work of a maestro during the pay-what-you-can event from noon to 1 p.m., organizers stated.
A wine tent and food raffle tables all support Westben, promoters stated.
The new house concerts continue this fall with Newfoundland folk musical storyteller Ian Foster on October 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Clock Tower.
Often likened to Canadian songwriting icon Bruce Cockburn in both writing and guitar style, and artists like Daniel Lanois for his atmospheric approach to sound, Foster’s music has been described as thoughtful, introspective, cinematic, hopeful, atmospheric, and cathartic by critics and fans alike, organizers stated.
He has numerous awards, nominations and co-writes to his credit, including SOCAN Songwriter of the Year nominations, lyric finalist for the International Songwriting Competition in Nashville, TN, and a co-write with Canadian songwriting legend Ron Hynes.
On October 13, local performers from Havelock, Norwood, Warkworth and Campbellford will present Friends with Baggage featuring Dan Foster, Kim MacNeil, Debra Richardson-Edge and Tom Sharpe with Brian Finley at the piano.
Westben, now in its 19th season, presents more than 50 events annually at The Barn, Clock Tower and other venues in the area of Campbellford and Warkworth.
The Barn is located three kilometres northwest of Campbellford at 6698 County Road 30 while the Clock Tower is located at 36 Front Street South in the village.
For tickets or more information, visit westben.ca or call the Westben Box Office 705-653-5508 or toll free 1-877-883-5777.