A Full Circle Season for Almonte’s Folkus Series

A Full Circle Season for Almonte’s Folkus Series - theHumm November 2016

By — Sandy Irvin is the Artistic Director of the Folkus Concert Series

Some years, we get lucky. (And the harder we work, the luckier we get). I can’t wait to tell you how lucky we are this year. We have a superb lineup, including soulful vocals, local troublemakers, one of Canada’s best troubadours, and by coincidence, the guy who produced his last album. It’s also a season that completes a few circles. Here’s what Almonte’s Folkus Concert Series has got going on this year:

Garnet Rogers

A seasoned troubadour, Garnet will be touching down with us on January 21, 2017. Fourteen albums into his career, he still takes time to care about the little guy (he’s asked us to arrange donations for the local food bank, so don’t forget to bring something!). Celebrated both for his nimble guitar work (he brings a small van full of them) and his warm baritone, Garnet Rogers is also a raconteur and a wit.

He will also be touring with his new book, Night Drive Home, published in 2016, which deals with his early days of touring with his brother (the late and much-lamented Stan Rogers). His book, clocking in at 735 pages, is full of stories about “every stupid, inexplicable and bizarre thing that could happen to a pair of young idiots who were naive enough to think they could play folk music for a living back in the mid-70s and early ‘80s.”

Coco Love Alcorn

A bluesy, big-voiced singer, Coco is at ease with both choral groups and vocal loops. She sings protest songs, love songs, songs about bicycles. With a sultry voice that shades between Sade and Nina Simone, Alcorn will deliver an evening of warm and upbeat song on February 25. Opening for Coco will be Chris MacLean, a charming Wakefield singer-songwriter.

The Ragged Flowers

Almonte’s own crazy flower children, in their latest incarnation, will join us fresh off recording their latest album. Members of the Ragged Flowers were instrumental in founding Folkus (they even provided the kitchen table for meetings), and we are pleased and proud to be able to present them as a highlight of the series. In spite of the heavy demands in their rider (colour-sorted Smarties, cases of bananas), the executives at Rocket Chimp Records have graciously allowed them out for the night. March 25 should be a hoot. And it closes the circle of support in a satisfying fashion.

Opening for the Ragged Flowers will be Almonte expat Claire Hunter, who is working on her music career in Toronto these days. She has released her first EP and is playing regularly in Southern Ontario. It will be interesting to see the polish she’s picked up from her big-city gigs.

Scott Merritt

Our final show of the season, April 22, closes another circle. Scott Merritt actually produced a number of Garnet Rogers’ albums, including the most recent. He has recently started touring with his own material again, and we are thrilled that he is able to join us. Merritt’s own compositions are thoughtful and delicate, his guitar work is nimble without being egotistical, and his lyrics are well served by his slightly husky voice. Opening for Merritt is Shawville native Ursula Schultz, who brings her own spin on traditional fiddle tunes and a few original compositions. Schultz has grown up playing at fairs and fiddling competitions around the Valley, but is also active in the indie band Bitterly Healed.

Folkus season’s passes are still a great deal, at $90 for all four shows. Passes will be available online (visit folkusalmonte.com and follow the link to EventBrite) and at Mill Street Books beginning on November 19. Once again, the fabulous folks at Almonte Print Shop will be creating a beautiful package suitable for gift-giving. They are easy to wrap, and fit in a stocking or under a tree. Individual tickets will go on sale the second week of January, and can also be purchased from Mill Street Books (256–9090) or online.

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A Full Circle Season for Almonte’s Folkus Series - theHumm November 2016