Festival Place in Sherwood Park, AB, has announced the first round of concerts for the 2019/2020 season. Tickets are on sale now for a selection of world renowned performers and favourites from across Canada. Tickets for the full season lineup go on sale as of July 18, 2019.
To see the full schedule to date, please visit: festivalplace.ab.ca/view/date
Lindi Ortega | Thursday, Sept. 05, 2019
Kick off the 2019/2020 season with Juno nominated, Canadian-born artist Lindi Ortega. With her signature red cowboy boots and onstage “country gothic noir” persona, she offers a fiery and dramatic take on modern country that’s impossible to ignore. The show will feature a feisty, rockabilly mix “drenched in passion, heartache and country swagger” (Huffington Post) and will include familiar songs like “Tin Star” and “Ashes,” mixed with songs from her recent release, the Quentin Tarantino-influenced Liberty.
Leahy | Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019
Over the course of their notable career, Canadian group Leahy has secured a place as one of the country’s most highly regarded progressive folk-roots bands. To date Leahy has sold more than half a million albums worldwide. They have been featured in three PBS television specials and are the subject of an Academy Award winning documentary, The Leahys: Music Most of All. As well as touring extensively throughout Canada, the US and Europe in support of three acclaimed records – Leahy, Lakefield, and In All Things – the band had the enviable opportunity to open for fellow Canadian Shania Twain on her record-breaking Come On Over tour. On the edge of a new chapter in their career, some things don’t change – the experience. An encounter with Leahy is inimitable. Performances are full of energy, big rich sound, poignant songs, fiery instrumentals and percussive step-dancing – all delivered with unapologetic passion!
MonkeyJunk | Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019
Since 2008, the name MonkeyJunk has been synonymous with the emergence of a new kind of blues on the Canadian and international music scene. Continually pushing boundaries and blurring genre lines, the Ottawa based trio has added an edge to their music by incorporating swampy blues and rock with thoughtful and intelligent lyrics. MonkeyJunk has won a collective 21 Maple Blues Awards, two Canadian Independent Music Awards, and one Blues Music Award (USA), and they have been nominated three times for a Juno Award, twice winning the award for Blues Album of the Year in 2012 for To Behold and in 2018 for Time To Roll.
Danny Michel | Thursday, Oct. 03, 2019
Danny Michel is unquestionably one of Canada’s finest songwriters. His thoughtful lyrics and earnest performances have earned him a devoted fan base as well as three Juno nominations, a spot on the Polaris Prize long list, a CBC Music Awards Heart Of Gold Award nomination, and most recently the Canadian Folk Music Awards for Producer of the year and Pushing the Boundries. A musical chameleon, Danny’s able to slip into many genres with ease. An adventurous and fearless artist, he’s a master at striking the right balance between being unpredictable and meeting expectations, leaving you wanting more as soon as it’s over.
The Sojourners | Friday, Oct. 11, 2019
The Juno nominated and Western Canadian Music Award-winning Sojourners sing with earthy vocals, gorgeous harmonies and effortless swing. Their latest project, Sing and Never Get Tired, is a classic gospel album sung in a soulful, rootsy, bluesy style and with a musical backdrop that recalls the best of 60s gospel and rock music. Highlights of the group’s time together include a definitive show with the Dixie Hummingbirds, opening spots with Jim Byrnes at the Vancouver Jazz Festival for both Dr. John and the Blind Boys of Alabama and featured stages at most of the major Canadian folk and roots festivals.
The Legendary Downchild Blues Band 50th Anniversary Tour | Friday, Nov. 01, 2019
After 18 albums, countless awards and sold out audiences around the globe, The Legendary Downchild Blues Band is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with a brand new show featuring hits like “Flip, Flop and Fly,” as well as fan favourites and hidden gems from throughout its illustrious career. Downchild came to international prominence as the inspiration for Hollywood stars Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi’s hit film, The Blues Brothers. The band is Donnie “Mr. Downchild” Walsh (guitar and harmonica), singer Chuck Jackson (harmonica), Pat Carey (tenor sax), Michael Fonfara (keyboards), Gary Kendall (bass) and Mike Fitzpatrick (drums). With its signature jump blues style and infectious, soulful sound, Juno award winner Downchild delivers a live performance that is second to none, and this special anniversary show is one not to be missed!
Kim Churchill | Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019
Kim Churchill’s style is explosive, with intricate fingerpicking, percussive beats, powerful harmonica melodies and a soulful voice. His songwriting reflects his coastal lifestyle – growing up on the East Coast of Australia, with the surf at his front door – and his nomadic life on the road. Whether he’s blazing through a distorted guitar solo or harmonizing with himself over feather-light instrumentation, there’s a sense that his music is authentic. His ambitious new venture, a global multi-EP project, features songs that tap into the people and environments of some of his favourite parts of the world — Germany, Canada, the UK and (naturally) his own land down under — in collaboration with local artists and producers.
