Was that a great Trout Festival weekend or what? Congratulations to the organizers, and many thanks from the arts and culture community. Thanks also to Jan Modler and Greg East for taking the lead in organizing the Canada Day Cabar-eh! with the incredible and enduring Brent Parkin. He was amazing.
There is all kinds of excitement coming up in July. On Saturday, July 23, the Flin Flon Cranberry Portage Folk Music Society presents Kevin Roy in concert at Johnny’s Social Club.
Readers may remember Kevin from the very successful Manitoba Arts Network Showcase conference in Flin Flon in October 2015, where he played a main stage set then went on to the Jam Session at the Vic Inn. That was another great weekend, wasn’t it?
Kevin Roy is billed as an altcountry folk singer-songwriter. One writer said that if John Prine and Townes Van Zandt went on a fishing trip in the Canadian Shield, they might come up with the next Kevin Roy album.
Now, my own admiration for both those songwriters knows no bounds, so I was totally curious and I have to say (from listening online), he’s a great songwriter! He performs ballads of love or loss and makes you smile with his upbeat numbers. He can tell a story, too.
Kevin took to the road in 2013 to play music full-time. He left a career as an arts teacher for the great unknown and has really not looked back.
His debut EP, Taller than the Trees, was released in 2014 and he played folk festivals all across the country to hone his craft. Now he has a full-length album ready for release in September (the release party is set for September 23 at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg).
Kevin is a storyteller and a ‘troubadour’ in the old-fashioned meaning of the word. Come out to hear this lovely young man entertain.
Tickets are available at The Orange Toad. The doors at Johnny’s Social Club open at 7 pm on ‘game day” and the show starts at 7:30 pm. Regular rules for treats apply.
There is another show at Johnny’s Social Club in July. On July 15 and 17, Jennifer Hanson, a hometown girl who lives and sings now in Marietta, Georgia, will bring her eclectic musical talents to our little city.
She will share the stage with the Antisocial Band, CC Trubiak and Johnny Bettger, so you know it will be fine! Unfortunately, the Friday night show, July 15, is sold out, but there are still some tickets available for the second show on Sunday, July 17.
Tickets are available at The Orange Toad. The Johnny’s Social Club rules for treats apply, and take note the shows are Friday and Sunday. That is not a typo.
