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Winter Ale concert series will light up winter and spring

Key City Theatre, Fisher Peak Performing Artists Society hosting four shows
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Clockwise from top left: The Wardens; Tim Ross; Dave McCann and Ethan “Shorty” Askey; The Confluentials; John Wort Hannam; Heather Gemmell; RedGirl; Maddisun.

Winter Ale promises a rich flavour

Together as partners, the Fisher Peak Performing Artists Society, Key City Theatre, and Fisher Peak Brewing Company present the 2022 Winter Ale Concert Series, with four outstanding and intimate musical events held in the Key City Theatre Gallery. Each show features brilliant performances, an exceptional connection between artist and audience and uniquely crafted refreshments. Some call it the perfect middle-of-the-week-night-out.

The line-up begins with The Wardens, opened by Tim Ross on March 9; Dave McCann, opened by The Confluentials on March 23; John Wort Hannam opened by Heather Gemmell on April 13; and RedGirl Trio, opened by Maddisun on May 17

Seating capacity is limited for now, with the potential to change according to Provincial Health Safety orders.

Tickets are available at the Key City Theatre Box Office www.keycitytheatre.com/

More information on the Winter Ale Concert Series artists at www.fisherpeakperformingartists.com

The Wardens

Wednesday March 9: The Wardens, with opening act Tim Ross

The Wardens don’t just sing about the land, they’re part of it. The Rocky Mountain-based band’s stories and songs rise from the very land they’ve protected as Canadian national park wardens. With haunting three-part harmonies and chilling tales, the band’s mountain music - blending folk, roots, and western styles – reflects Canada’s protected wilderness areas. Celebrating the return of wild buffalo, wrangling grizzly bears, lonely nights on the pack trail and reflecting on an environment in crisis, a performance by The Wardens has been dubbed “the quintessential mountain-culture concert experience.” thewardensmusic.com/

Tim Ross

Tim Ross is a singer/songwriter/guitar slinger. His songwriting influences range from rock-and-roll and blues to rockabilly and cowboy songs. The songs on his first western recording, “Blue Sky, Green Grass”, released in 2006, reveal his humour, and his love of the land, people, dogs, horses, and cattle that make up the New West. Recent releases include “Cowboy Museum”, 2012, with leanings toward rockabilly and western swing and “13 Scenes” in 2020. YouTube - Limousine

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Dave McCann and Elton Askey

Wednesday March 23: Dave McCann and Ethan Askey, with The Confluentials

Dave McCann and Ethan Askey take to the stage together as a formidable and unforgettable duo. Both have crushed the Alberta music scene as unique solo artists and as key performers in other bands. McCann has been described as one of the best untold singer songwriters working in contemporary roots music, while Askey, originally trained in Cranbrook’s school system as a trumpeter, was recognized in 2014 as Blues Harmonica Player of the Year by the Calgary Blues Music Association. McCann’s original songs are delivered with scorching honesty that will transport the audience to other times and places. www.davemccann.com/

The Confluentials

The Confluentials are Cranbrook’s compelling acoustic duo, Christina Blaskovich and Barry Coulter. Well known locally for bringing a 21st sensibility to Celtic Traditional, English Folk Rock, and Americana. This pair is skilled at layering vocal harmonies over accompaniment by guitar, Irish bouzouki, mandolin, fiddle and more. The Confluentials on YouTube

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John Wort Hannam

Wednesday April 13: John Wort Hannam, with Heather Gemmell

John Wort Hannam quit his teaching job in 2001 and spent 10 months wearing his lucky hat while writing his first ten songs. Those songs would become his first recording, Pocket Full of Holes, released in 2003. Seventeen years later, the Alberta musician is releasing his seventh full-length recording, Acres of Elbow Room, and has a few feathers in that lucky hat for his first six offerings. Feathers that include a JUNO nomination, a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Album of the Year, a CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, a Kerrville Texas New Folk win, and numerous Western Canadian Music Award and Canadian Folk Music Award nominations. In recent years John has emerged a better songwriter, a better singer, and a better player. On Acres Of Elbow Room, John has further refined his lyrical style and has landed squarely on his niche in the folk-roots world. He’s spent years learning the craft of songwriting and is taking those tools to write some of his most personal songs. He has, quite literally, found his voice. www.johnworthannam.com/

Heather Gemmell

Heather Gemmell: Rooted in the heart of the Kootenay Rockies, Gemmell draws inspiration from the wild and rugged landscape that she calls home; the golden larch covered hills of Kimberley and the towering ponderosa pine woodlands of Cranbrook. She finds it a welcome way to wake up and view the world every morning. Gemmell pulls her creative inspiration from the rivers she wades in and the small town working life she leads. With a choice of traditional instruments, kinetic stage percussion, and old-timey lyrics, she places herself into the category of authentic folk/roots, with a slight hint of bluegrass. From delicate stories of love and loss to tongue-in-cheek murder ballads, to interpretive tales from her life, she writes from the heart and shows her true self on stage. heathergemmellmusic.com/

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RedGirl

Tuesday May 17: RedGirl Trio, with Maddisun

RedGirl Trio is Anie Radish, Mike Hepher and Rhonda Shippy. With a light shade of bluegrass and some visible folk roots showing, this trio is fronted by the clear and fearless vocals of Anie Radish. RedGirl’s music is built around her pure and unfettered voice, clawhammer banjo, guitar and occasionally, a sassy ukulele. Michael Hepher (married to the girl) on mandolin, octave mandolin and backing vocals, brings a balance in harmony, humour, and musical creativity to the songs and stories of the band. The trio includes Rhonda Shippy, a much in demand multi-instrumentalist whose journey as a musician started as a youngster playing alto saxophone in a big band, leading to folk and Celtic music on flute and bodhran. For the past fifteen years she has branched out into strings- mainly bluegrass, folk, and old time music. www.redgirlmusic.com/

Maddisun

Maddisun is free-spirited indie pop/folk artist from Cranbrook, BC. Her dreamy, soulful vocals and expressive lyrics provide comfort and inspiration. Maddisun plays a mix of keyboard/synth, electronic Drum and Bass pads and electric guitar. She delivers feel-good, chill originals along with classic rock, blues and folk covers and delightfully mixes her individual indie sound with undertones of soulful blues and folk. maddisun.bandcamp.com/music