Folk and blues events begin

To the delight of the new Jasper Heritage Folk and Blues Society, the inaugural show will be this weekend, June 1, with Annie Lou from the Yukon and local Kaity Zozula.

Anne Louise, the main songwriter for Annie Lou, said the group was “totally honoured” to be playing at the first concert for the newly formed society.

“I think it’s a big honour to be able to do that,” she said.

For Scott Crabbe, artistic director for the society and a long devoted member of the society’s board, the importance of this event cannot be underestimated.

“I cannot stress enough that for events like this to continue we need proof of an audience to appeal to,” Crabbe wrote in an email. “We put a lot of work into this, and invest a lot of money, and if it is anything short of sold out, then we may very well not be able to do this again.”

A four piece string band that have been together for two years, Annie Lou have  released their debut album which they only just finished in March and are touring Alberta and British Columbia.

According to Louise, the band uses “old time string music as a reference point, but we would call it old tyme/roots.”

She went on to describe their music as “new Canadian, new roots music but it’s rooted in something - its rooted in older music, but it’s something pretty new.”

The band will play at the Old Brushfire Gallery which provides the band with an intimate venue and means there is nothing between the sound of the instruments and the audience, said Louise.

“We’re definitely happy to be playing in a place where people can hear and can listen, rather than a pub environment,” she said. “We play around one condenser mic, so it’s important to have a listening audience, because it’s a very acoustic sound.”

She said by playing around one microphone, the band gets “right next to each other” which results in a “very live sound”.

“There’s nothing between your ears and the instrument. If you’re plugged there’s a whole electrical thing that has to happen there ... it provides that whole warmth and acoustic feeling for the instruments.”

According to Louise, the songs are story songs and focus on conveying a feeling about a song.

Louise said her songs generally use the “old time traditions” such as repeated lyrics and instrumental sections.

“It’s not just a complex melody with lots of chord changes - it’s pretty straightforward and pretty accessible but it’s got some liveliness and excitement.” 

The band will also be joined by local Kaity Zozula who will open the show.

Entry to the concert is $15 and tickets are available at CoCo’s Cafe or by calling 780-852-3615 prior to the event. Any left over tickets will be available at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m. with Annie Lou commencing at 8 p.m. - there will be beer and wine available as well.