A west coast couple looks forward to seeing some familiar faces when returning to the Foothills with guitars in tow this weekend. Award-winning western Canadian singer/songwriters Darrel Delaronde and Saskia of the band The Great Plains are returning to the Lewis Memorial United Church in Turner Valley Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. for an intimate concert. The couple performed last in Turner Valley in 2015. “For me it’s about going back to see old friends,” said Saskia last week. “We look forward to seeing a lot of people we know to just catch up on old news and new news. “I recorded my first album in Turner Valley with friends years ago.” Saskia is referring to the album Lucky Lady, which is chock full of Celtic stories. The couple has connections to musicians Amos Garrett, Cindy Church and Ian Tyson. Once on stage in Turner Valley, Saskia expects to get the audience laughing, clapping and singing along to a combination of their old and new songs. “They can expect some songs about Canadian living, prairie people, farm auctions, heroes of Canada like Louis Riel and David Thompson, love songs, gospel, and songs about their own spiritual journey,” said Saskia, who plays guitar and bass. “We may yodel, depending on the how the mood strikes us. Often our audience decides what our show is going to be like because they inundate us with requests.” Saskia and Delaronde have performed as soloists, a duo and with other area singers like Gary Fjellgaard. The couple has a preference for folk, Celtic and bluegrass music and The Great Plains is known for its stories about prairie culture and history from farming to Louis Riel. “I wrote a song called Laura’s Kitchen about a place we used to go sit around and play music about the good feeling of sharing music and conversation and coffee and muffins with your friends,” said Saskia. “We sing about friendship and the experiences we have along the road, places we see, that kind of stuff.” Delaronde, who plays guitar and mandolin, is a Saskatchewan native who grew up on country and rock before entering the folk scene. Saskia was born in Holland and grew up in Revelstoke, B.C. The Celtic and folksy bluegrass music she heard when she moved to Canada influenced her. The couple is known for performing a range of old folk tunes to creating their own. In the past two years they’ve released two albums. Holy Ground is a hodge-podge of different material including songs from their previous 10 albums, old time classic cover tunes and new songs. “It’s more of a spiritual album with some old gospel and some stories we wrote about our own journey,” said Saskia. The album The Bluebird Trail represents more of the couple’s Canadian storytelling from the title track about a young Hutterite girl who has herself an adventure to a song about a prairie elevator and a tongue-in-cheek tune called Cabin Fever. “We have a lot of new songs, we just haven’t found the time to go into the city and record,” Saskia said. “We’re singing the new songs in Turner Valley - that’s how they get honed, that’s how they get good before you get into the studio.” The couple’s stop in the Foothills is part of a 40-day western Canadian tour before they head home to Comox Valley to relax. “After the tour we’ll play some little concerts around home, just little things here and there,” Saskia said. Having toured Europe earlier this year, Saskia said they plan to take it easy in 2019. “We’re going to just do a couple months and go home, plant some garlic, play in the field,” she said. “If we get some time in the fall we’re probably going to record.” Refreshments will be provided during intermission. Tickets to see The Great Plains perform cost $15 and can be purchased at Bluerock Gallery in Black Diamond or by calling 403-933-4114 or 403-933-2167. Proceeds will go towards the church’s outreach programs from Jacket Racket to rental fees for the local Girl Guides unit.
