Concert-goers were transported back to a different era of music on Wednesday evening as Rosie and the Riveters entertained in the lobby of the Key City Theatre. Drawing inspiration from Rosie, an iconic 1940s feminist portrait and symbol of the women's movement into the workforce during the Second World War, the trio of Allyson Reigh, Alexis Normand and Farideh Olsen dug back into history with gospel and folk-infused original material sprinkled with a few cover tunes.
Performing with high energy, pitch-perfect harmonies and punctuated by humorous dialogue in the middle of a song or in between, the trio also generated laughs with stories behind their songs and song writing process.
The Saskatoon-based group even included a 'commercial break' complete with an old-timey vocal jingle while they pitched merchandise they brought such as CDs, shirts and underwear. A neat aside to their merchandising — 20 per cent of sales is donated to KVIA.org, an organization that supports micro loans for women's projects around the world.
Before Rosie and the Riveters stepped on stage, the crowd had already been warmed up through the folksy stylings of Oliver McQuaid and Lennan Delaney. McQuaid, newly arrived to Kimberley, served up original songs on guitar, while Delaney dazzled on lead with the violin and mandolin — sometimes switching instruments in the same song.
The concert was one of the Fisher Peak Winter Ale series, a partnership of various organizations that have arranged five concerts in the lobby of the Key City Theatre.