Highlights March 21-27
Here’s what Roots Music Canada was up to last week:
- Jadea Kelly may be young, but her sweet voice and country-tinged folk songs have an old-timey feeling. Jadea dropped by the Woodshed for a chat with Editor-in-Chief David Newland and to share a few of the songs from her latest album, Eastbound Platform.
- Thunder Bay songwriter Rodney Brown is further pursuing his interest in the fur trade era of Canadian history by working to have a plaque created to recognize the role of William McGillivray, Chief Director of the North West Company.
- Manitoba Hal has carved a well worn groove in the Canadian touring landscape, hauling his ukulele from house concerts to concert houses. He brought his unique blues and gospel sound and big personality to the Woodshed this week.
- The chance to see Grammy-winning, Nashville-based songwriter Rodney Crowell in a setting as intimate as Hugh’s Room was a dream come true for our Eric Thom.
- War and Politics is a Folk Alliance International compilation of 20 peace and protest songs, featuring some notable Canadians joining in the topical songwriting tradition.
- Cowboy Junkies’ latest album is a collection of songs by the late singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt. Our David Newland writes about a record that pays honest tribute to a man who struggled with his own demons.