Some of the region’s most talented musicians are heading to Okotoks this weekend to sing the blues.
Award-winning bluesman John Rutherford has rounded up an impressive lineup for the inaugural Okotoks Harvest & Blues Festival with performances on Sept. 23 and 24 in the Rotary Performing Arts Centre. Among those performing are Kat Danser, Debra Power and Okotoks’ own Darren Johnson.
“These are people who I have worked with and I’m very familiar with their work,” Rutherford said. “I picked people who I thought were terrific and bring great talent and showmanship to the stage. It’s representing a regional community of artists.”
The festival kicks off on Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. featuring Rutherford and his band mates Aaron Scholpp on bass and Erik Allen on drums, as well as slide guitar player and vocalist Bill Dowey and harmonica player Ethan “Shorty” Askey, in what Rutherford is calling a variety show.
“My band will do a few shows, the artists will play, another artists will come out and join us and will be featured in a couple of songs,” he said. “The idea is variety and the depth we can foster with the artists we have.”
Rutherford, a Calgary singer/songwriter who performs solo and alongside other artists, has produced records and wrote and produced music for film and television. He recently released a solo recording project called Echo Broadcast.
“Blues is a beautiful and fascinating art form,” he said. “Hopefully, we expose more people to the blues and create interest in that music.”
The Saturday evening concert will feature a variety of instrumentations and sounds, including Rutherford, Airdrie singer-songwriter and pianist Debra Power, Edmonton guitar slinger and vocalist Kat Danser and Darren Johnson, with each playing a 25-minute set.
Rutherford said the concert will showcase a range of styles in just one evening.
“Everybody has a different take on things and a different style,” he said. “I wanted to be able to paint a picture of a variety of blues sounds in blues history. I wanted to have a broad sampling of what blues is all about to create a balance of artists and approaches and sounds.”
To wrap up the evening, the four blues talents will jam for about 10 minutes in an unrehearsed performance.
“That’s what blues artists often do when we’re put either on stage or off stage in a garage or living room,” he said. “You think they’ve been playing together for 100 years. It’s really fascinating to see that kind of spontaneity.”
Power, an International Blues Challenge semi-finalist, is ready to get on stage and reveal her soulful voice and piano skills to an Okotoks crowd on Saturday.
Music has been a part of Power’s life for as long as she can remember, and she said the blues have always held a special place in her heart.
Despite dabbling in other genres like rock music, she always comes back to it.
“I’ve always sang everything bluesy,” she said. “Even when I was playing in a country band years ago I was singing very bluesy. For me, blues music is very closely linked to gospel and I love that soulful singing.”
Power said she recently released her debut album Even Redheads Get the Blues, which has been picked up on radio stations around the world.
“It’s mostly original material,” she said. “I produced it myself and I wrote all the songs and sang and played piano. There came a time in my music career where I didn’t want to sing anybody else’s songs anymore. I think as you get older and mature you sing the way you want to sing. You sing how you feel when you’re inspired and that’s how I feel when I sing this kind of music is I feel inspired.”
Powers was nominated this year for both the West Coast Music Awards for blues record of the year and the inaugural Calgary Music Awards YYCMA for blues artist of the year. Tickets to attend the concerts cost $27 on Sept. 23, $36 on Sept. 24 or $45 for both. Showtime is at 7:30 p.m. on both evenings. Tickets can be purchased at okotoks.ca or by calling 403-938-3204.
