There may not be room under your Christmas tree for country singer Corb Lund, Celtic instrumental band Lunasa or Gypsy blues duo Blue Moon Marquee, but Roots and Blues has the next best thing.
In addition to announcing its first acts booked for the 2020 festival, Aug. 13-16, Salmon Arm Roots and Blues is currently offering holiday pricing for the big event – a discount of between $10 and $20 on earlybird pricing – until Jan. 31.
No stranger to Roots and Blues, alt-country singer/songwriter Corb Lund returns in 2020 to play festival’s MainStage.
Lund has released a string of critically acclaimed records following his 2002 breakthrough, Five Dollar Bill, and is said to be back in the studio with producer Harry Stinson of Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives, working on a new batch of tunes to be released in 2020.
For next year’s festival, Lunasa will be bringing a Celtic flair with innovative arrangements and a unique approach to music that has made them Ireland’s number on instrumental band.
Nashville’s Sam Lewis will also be making his way to B.C. next summer, with a scheduled stop at Roots and Blues. His latest album, Loversity, caught the attention of Rolling Stone, landing him a spot in the magazine’s “10 New Artists to Watch” list.
Bringing it back home, B.C. Gypsy jazz/blues duo Blue Moon Marquee, with A.W. Cardinal and Jasmine Colette, will be performing original tunes “influenced by anything that swings,” and the B.C. World Music Collective, featuring several talented musicians that have played in Roots and Blues’ past, will be bringing a world vibe to the festival.
Folks looking to add a little blues to their holiday season, the Enderby Arts Council invites you to the Splatsin Centre on Dec. 5 to enjoy Hank Leonhardt and the R&B Kingpins with Big Hank’s Tribute to the Blues Songs of Christmas. The show is a collection of traditional blues Christmas tunes from the 1920s through the ’60s by the likes of Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner, BB King, Eric Clapton, Charles Brown, Etta James and more. Admission is by donation ($10 suggested) and you are asked to bring a non-perishable donation for the food bank. For more information, visit enderbyartscouncil.ca/wp/events.
For Roots and Blues tickets and to learn more about the festival, visit rootsandblues.ca.