Tennyson King

April 28, 2023 at 7:30 pm

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.

Tickets: $30 until October 1st, $32 after with the new PST.
Available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

Born in Hong Kong, raised in Canada, this nomadic musician brings a jovial personality to the stage. Appearing solo in venues from great halls to small intimate theatres, tennyson King stuns the crowd with stories of adventure  and travels while strumming electrifying guitar sounds paired with silky vocal lines. He is rock and roll infused with earthy roots and blues subtly laced in psychedelic ear candy.

Over the past two years, Tennyson has been living his passion of travelling and sharing his music with different cultures all over. He’s driven from the bustling city of Toronto to the mountains of British Columbia, along the coast from Tasmania up to Darwin in Australia, and taking bullet trains through the vastness of China. Between back packing trips in South East Asia, Tennyson has played in Thailand and Vietnam with performances at the famous Shambala In your Heart Festival.

If you’re looking for the place where your soul can be wild and your heavy heart assuaged, follow the sound of Tennyson’s crisp, round voice,  as he plucks an electric chord and hammers out a beat on the kick-drum. Tennyson is a true indie folk rock nomad.

tennysonking.com

Catch Tennyson King April 28th 2023 at Blenders! Tickets are $30 until October 1st when they go up to $32 with the new PST and are available at Swift Current Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm. Blenders thanks Half Peeled Beats for sponsoring this show.

Marlaena Moore

April 14, 2023 at 7:30 pm

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.

Tickets: $25 before October 1st, $27 after with the new pst.
available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

You'd be hard-pressed to find another artist with as brilliantly clear a trajectory as Marlaena Moore. From her earliest days of solitary bedroom recordings through the maximalist sonic explorations of her last album Pay Attention, Be Amazed, to the laser-focused sound of her newest work, charting a course through her career to date is about as tangible as it gets.

Originally hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, and currently based in Montreal, Moore has become one of Canada's preeminent songwriters and performers, rightfully recognized for a commanding, yet warmly engaging stage presence in tandem with her superbly crafted and emotionally direct – even disarmingly so, at times – brand of songwriting. to wit, Consequence of Sound  praised her “powerful vocal range and sturdy songs...her music did more than charm.” She's shared stages with acts such as Angel Olsen, US Girls, and Jennifer Castle, and Exclaim!  listed Moore as an “Artist To Watch” in 2020.

After gaining traction in the late '10s with her celebrated album Gaze, Marlaena Moore joined forces with Sub Pop recording artist and cherished indie iconoclast Chad Van Gaalen and drummer/producer Chris Dadge to record her next album Pay Attention, Be Amazed. 

If there is a theme to Moore's latest batch of songs, it would have to be the notion of openness: in life, in music, and in one's approach to viewing the world around them. Indeed, one of the tracks from her new album, tellingly titled 'I Love Everything', opens with the line “you can do anything, you can go anywhere”. But, these seemingly positive affirmations didn't arrive in a gleam of bright light; Moore admits that “the record was written at a time where I was equally the most sad and most happy I have ever been in my life”, battling the polarizing notion that “both nothing and everything is possible”. Where these dichotomies could have resulted in stagnation, or – even worse – giving up entirely, Moore more than rose to the occasion and has crafted yet another surefooted, engaging set of pop/rock gems.

Marlaena Moore is an enigmatic performer with an incredible presence and soaring voice. Her songs cross personal bedroom confessionals with grunge influenced guitar tones in a tight pop-song package.

marlaenamoore.com

Catch Marlaena Moore April 14, 2023  at Blenders! Tickets are $25 until October 1st, 2022, $27 after with the new PST, and are available at Swift Current Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm.

Justin Saladino

March 25, 2023 7:30 PM

Homegrown Montrealer, Justin Saladino leads a guitar-driven group that can be referred to as - roots-rock, contemporary blues, or anything from funky to country with one tune to the next. What is for certain, anything JSB will include powerful guitar playing, sultry vocals, and genre-blending compositions that are uniquely Justin’s own signature. Firmly backed by the foundation of Denis Paquin and Gabriel Forget, the explosive core trio has brought their much-acclaimed albums No Worries, A Fool’s Heart, and JSB Live to stages across Eastern Canada.

Through the turbulence of the pandemic, Justin unearthed some truly remarkable songs exploring fresh territory for JSB. This second and upcoming full-length studio album - Honest Lies  was produced by Ariel Posen at Tone Bender Studio in Montreal with an all-star team. It was worth every ounce of anticipation.

In 2018, the 21st annual Maple Blues Awards  nominated the group for New Artist of the Year. The following year, Blues and Roots Radio acknowledged JSB’s country-crossover tune, “Third Week Of June,” as 2018 Song of the Year  under the group category. 

JSB Live  was recorded over two nights in front of an audience of loyal fans at Quebec's largest recording facility, Piccolo Studios. "Six musicians, two shows and 11 songs... I'm proud of that," says Justin fondly of the group’s new recording.  The album is a true, live music experience and fan acknowledgment, feeding a desire for a live record. With the addition of an electric take on Tom Petty's "You Don't Know How It Feels”, JSB Live delivers a diverse setlist of the band's history to date.

Their rich history has informed the 10,000 hours of experience reflected when Justin and his band steps on stage. Live shows capture the band in full bloom, an experience you don’t want to miss.

justinsaladinoband.com

You don’t want to miss Justin Saladino March 25th, 2023 at Blenders! Tickets are $35 until October 1st, $37 after with the new PST, and are available at Swift Current Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm. 

Cancelled: Charlotte Cornfield

Tickets to Charlotte Cornfield may be used for Colleen Brown on March 4, 2023

March 10, 2023 7:30 pm

Cancelled: Tickets to Charlotte Cornfield may be used for Colleen Brown on March 4, 2023.             After spending much of 2020 with her thoughts and instruments, Charlotte Cornfield knew it was time to take her new songs out of the house. She’d spent months writing a suite of evocative, autobiographical story-songs in near-solitude, and was ready for the immediate, regenerative experience of a band playing live in the studio. But this wasn’t mere pandemic-related longing. It was instead a long-simmering desire.  

The Canadian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist’s 2019 album The Shape of Your Name  had received widespread praise, including being longlisted for the coveted Polaris Music Prize. But it was a slow solo endeavor, written alone and meticulously recorded in fits and starts over the span of a few years. She’d even played most of its instruments. It was a mode that proved fruitful, if not inauthentic to the spirit of musical community Cornfield has dedicated herself to since childhood. After coming of age amid vibrant DIY scenes in her hometown Toronto, and forming lasting bonds in the music program at Montreal’s Concordia University, for Highs in the Minuses  Cornfield knew she needed a cast that was representative of her journey — those friends and colleagues who’ve helped her become the incisive, witty, and generous writer and player she is. 

Though the songs of Highs in the Minuses  are highly personal, Cornfield wanted their sonic quality to convey the communal, acoustic energy of live performance. Channeling the spirit and working methods of Jason Molina, Neil Young, and Big Thief before her, she and the band allowed their psychic connection to convey the emotional interconnectedness that comes with stories of heartbreak, self-discovery, and new love. “I knew everyone was coming in prepared, but I was really excited to see what was going to happen spontaneously, and those ideas that happened really quickly,” Cornfield says. “It was so much about trusting who I was with and trying to capture the immediacy of the emotions in the songs.” So many of the tunes expose her messy corners, and an animate soundtrack played with equal parts heart seemed only fitting.  Though Highs in the Minuses  teems with brutal honesty, it does not weaponize its pain. Instead, Cornfield presents its details like a documentary, laying out her facts without a hint of bitterness or an evident agenda. So is it difficult to be so vulnerable? To showcase one's flaws and longing for all the world? “For the first few years I was a little on edge about it like, ‘What if so-and-so hears and knows it’s about them,’” she recalls. “But now I’m way over that, because for me it’s the best way to connect. I’ve always loved music that is vulnerable. I’m really into honesty that way.”  

charlottecornfield.com

Katie Tupper

With Marissa Burwell

December 3, 2022 7:30 PM

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.

Tickets: $25 until October 1st, $27 after
available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

Beneath the painted hues and infinite prairie skies of Saskatoon -- a  city in the heart of Canada -- lies a soulful, creative, spirit that proves there’s much more to the so-called ‘fly-over states’ than  grassland and grain silos. Katie Tupper, a 24-year old neo-soul  musician, embodies that spirit and is determined to show there’s an  entire world of boundary-pushing, genre-defying artists at work within the often overlooked region. 

On her debut single, “Live Inside,” Tupper ruminated on notions of identity and what it means  to let someone change your appearance, to surrender into your  relationship, and allow your partner to become a piece of who you look like everyday. 

“How Can I Get Your Love?” Tupper’s second single, rising in the CBC Music Top 20 chart, deals in a blanketing mixture of Neo-soul and exquisite folk, seeming to speak for a region neglected all too often, displaying just how richly her  music roots through the native meadows and grasslands (or as she refers to them here, “fields of butter”). It’s a song that at once speaks of all the possible partners we miss out on from sheer cluelessness, and  ultimately centers around a single, great passion. 

Tupper released her newest album, Towards The end,  in 2022 which features swelling strings and twinkling keys exquisitely backing up an instantly catchy, syrupy drumlines. Her voice soars over the tracks, telling stories of heartbreak and resentment, the vast openness of the prairies, and digging into that feeling of having so little left to lose that there’s hardly anything worth salvaging.

“Saskatchewan's Katie Tupper makes the kind of soul-stained folk that feels instantly familiar, but it's her complex writing — vividly  capturing the sights and smells of her home province, like the "fields  of butter" on "How Can I Get Your Love?" — that makes her debut EP so  anticipated, further calcifying the singer/songwriter's distinct and  subtle touch.“ Exclaim! 

“Tupper's smooth, neo-soul delivery is paired with a minimalist sound, often letting her honest songwriting shine in the forefront; definitely recommended for fans of Charlotte Day Wilson or Loony. …we can't wait to hear how she'll continue to grow and expand her sound.” CBC Music

katietuppermusic.com

Opening for Katie Tupper is Marissa Burwell!

Marissa  Burwell is an indie act from the heart of Saskatchewan, known best for  her captivating yet endearing performances. Her debut self-titled EP was  released in 2019 creating a buzz that allowed appearances at  international festivals including Reeperbahn, Liverpool Sound City, and  Breakout West. And now, on the heels of her self-titled EP, Burwell  remerges as a fully realized artist.

Burwell’s latest full-length album, Bittersweet (2022), demonstrates remarkable growth, both as a songwriter and with her sonic  palette. Her warm, summery voice and wry wit remain but beneath its  indie-folk exterior, the album is adorned with lush keys, warm synth  passages, and subtle drum programming. Lyrically it is her most personal  work, full of images of dinner parties, church, gardens, and that darkness that comes in waves and in seasons. Born and raised in  Regina, Saskatchewan she writes one eye focused on childhood, the other gazing toward a hopeful future, and both feet planted firmly in the  snow.

marissaburwell.com/

Catch Katie Tupper and Marissa Burwell on December 3rd 2022 at Blenders! Tickets are $27 PST included, and are available at Swift Current Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm. Blenders thanks Pharmasave for sponsoring this show.

little Miss Higgins

October 28, 2022 at 7:30

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.

Tickets: $30 before October 1st and $32 with the new pst after.
available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

From the Great Northern Plains, Little Miss Higgins struts and serenades her way onto any stage playing music brewed in early country blues, jazz and folk. Playing, touring, collaborating, and recording for over 15 years, this musician and mother now navigates her time through performing and parenthood.

Her six independently released albums and artwork have received many awards and nominations, including a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for her 2017 collection of songs, MY HOME, MY HEART. Recorded at The Song Shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, this album’s sound remains true to Higgins’ roots, but ventures into new territory.  Co-produced with Scott Nolan and engineered by Jamie Sitar of Outta Town Sound, this album is an effortless addition to her impressive body of work.  

 Little Miss Higgins (aka Jolene Higgins) was born in Brooks, Alberta, and raised in Independence, Kansas.  Music entered her life early.  “When I was about four my dad brought home an old mini-grand piano and told me it was mine.  I carved my name in the side of it and then I had to start taking piano lessons.” As a songwriter and musician, Higgins has been influenced by a range of artists from Memphis Minnie and Billie Holiday to Joni Mitchell and Dolly Parton as well as the vast array of Canadian and International musicians and bands she has had the fortune to see live or even share the stage including kd lang, Corb Lund, Buddy Guy, and Maria Muldaur.

Her first two studio albums Cobbler Shop Sessions (2005) and Junction City (2007) superbly showcase Little Miss Higgins as a highly-developed songwriter as well as a remarkable country blues performer in a style gracefully highlighted by her partner at the time and guitarist Foy Taylor and occasionally a handful of other roots musicians.

She has earned multiple accolades including JUNO and Maple Blues Awards nominations and won as Outstanding Blues Recording at Western Canadian Music Awards and Favourite Blues Artist/Group or Duo of the Year category of the 8th Annual Indies Awards.

Higgins has appeared live on many CBC radio shows such as Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café, Michael Enright’s Sunday Edition and Rich Terfry’s Drive.  Her talents have also been put to use in the creation of a dust-bowl folk opera in collaboration with the Old Trout Puppet Workshop of Calgary, Alberta.  

littlemisshiggins.com

Catch Little Miss Higgins October 28th, 2022 at Blenders! Tickets are $30 until October 1st, then $32 with the new pst, and are available at Swift Current Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm. Blenders thanks Voth’s Brandsource for sponsoring this show.

SOLD OUT! Jake Vaadeland

October 13, 2022

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.

Tickets: $25 until October 1st, then $27 including the new pst.
available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

Jake Vaadeland is a self taught multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Saskatchewan, Canada. His traditional sound and unique style could be defined as a blend of Bluegrass and 50s Rockabilly, with Jake also specializing on guitar and banjo in addition to his impressive vocals. Jake strives to write and play with a focus on storytelling and messages that he hopes his audience can relate to, all packaged in foot stomping, high energy performances with The Sturgeon River Boys. Jake received 4 2022 Saskatchewan Country Music Awards, including Fans Choice Entertainer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Alternative Country Album of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year. His album, Retro Man also finished at #2 in fan voting for the Best Saskatchewan Albums of 2021. “He cut a foppish figure and seemed to have stepped right off of a Greyhound Scenic Cruiser double-decker bus, fresh from the fertile plains of Saskatchewan, bound for Music City with a pocket full of songs, a guitar, and the dog-eared stub of a one-way ticket. Jake had just enough attitude to let you know that he wasn’t kidding…a healthy dose of bravado and svelte, and a double dose of knowing who he was and where he wanted to go while working out for himself how to get there.” – Mississippi Chris Sharp, The Bluegrass Standard, Rancho Mirage, California

jakevaadeland.com

Catch Jake Vaadeland October 13th, 2022 at Blenders! Tickets are $25 before October 1st and $27 after, available at Swift Current Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm. Blenders thanks Nuwest Interiors for sponsoring this show.

LEEROY STAGGER

September 8, 2022 at 7:30 pm

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.
Tickets are $40 and are available at Swift Current Pharmasave or Eventbrite.com

blenders thanks Service Master Clean for sponsoring this show.

Doors to the September 8th show open at 7:30 and music starts at 8:30.

Check out his website!

Whether home or abroad, fans love the emotions evoked from Leeroy Stagger’s alternative country rock sound. Leeroy isn’t afraid to make the audience rock, sway, or to break their hearts. Leeroy Stagger had worked with many local bands in Victoria, BC before gaining acknowledgement from artists like Hot Hot Heat and Carolyn Mark. Using country, rock and punk influences, Stagger re-invented himself as a strong song writer and musician embarking on his first LP which featured heart rendering lyrics and infectious songs.Relentless touring with his honest, gritty, and eclectic music as well as sharing the stage with the likes of Steve Earle, Modest Mouse as well as George Thorogood has earned this Canadian a strong fan base. Stagger varies the emotions he wants you to feel just as he varies his guitars. In a career spanning more than 15 years, no longer needing to play for empty rooms this artist has had his music featured in shows like Sons of Anarchy and Grey's Anatomy.

Catch Leeroy Stagger September 8th, 2022 at Blenders! Tickets are $40 and are available at Swift Current Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm. Blenders thanks Service Master Clean for sponsoring this show.

Blenders thanks Fusion Shop+Salon, Bre’s Boutique, and Optical Image for sponsoring this show.

Tickets are $25 and available at Swift Current Pharmasave or Eventbrite.com

Doors to the April 23rd show open at 7:30 and music starts at 8:30.

Singer-songwriter Andrea Ramolo is the first to admit that she creates music out of chaos and often misery. If that is a dark statement, it’s also one she laughs about because it all works out in the end. This time, once again, it has lent itself to the creation of her stunning new seventh studio album, Quarantine Dream .

Her past six studio albums — four solo and two with the duo Scarlett Jane — have been borne out of heartbreak, but Quarantine Dream, made almost entirely with women, is different: it’s about a breakup with our lives as we knew it when COVID-19 hit in early 2020. 

“The record’s about extreme hope, extreme fear, extreme loss, extreme loneliness, and extreme imagination — wishing and hoping for a better tomorrow,” says Andrea.

From the escape of “Italian Summer” that she created to transport her into other imaginary and more hopeful circumstances, to the protest song “Free,” feat. Kinnie Starr, about sexism, sexual violence, racism, and the lie that is ‘freedom,’ to the title-track about her wish for the state of the world, Andrea also tackled more personal issues, such as being childless in “Morning Glory” and wanting to disappear in “Carousel.” 

The first single, “Dust,” a piece of James Bond-ian noir seduction, is about an intense, albeit brief, intimate encounter during the pandemic with a man whose darkness and struggles shed light on her own, about fear, trust and judgement.  The video, directed by Nikki Ormerod, features Andrea dancing alongside The National Ballet of Canada’s choreographer and performer Jera Wolfe, and a live snake. 

“It's unreal. It tells of this connection through a contemporary dance piece choreographed by Shawn Bracke. My favourite creative project to date besides making this album,” Andrea says.

The other important cornerstone of Quarantine Dream is all the women she worked with from writing to recording to the visuals.  The 10-song statement was produced mixed and engineered by Sarah MacDougall (who plays on it too), mastered by Elisa Pangsaeng, and includes co-writes with Kinnie Starr and Hill Kourkoutis (“Free”) and Madison Violet’s Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac (“End of Time”), guest vocals by Kinnie and Madison Violet, and piano by Kathryn Calder of The New Pornographers (“Morning Glory” and “Lose Me”). 

“Don’t get me wrong, I love men,” says Andrea, “but I made the decision you need to be the change. The music industry is a man’s world; there aren’t hundreds of women coming out of the woodwork because we haven’t been given the opportunities. I have worked with really good men, but this is an opportunity to start the shift. It has to start with us women hiring women.”

It’s not surprising Andrea feels this way. Born in Toronto to Italian immigrants, she comes from a close famiglia with strong female role models, her mom (who beat cancer twice) and Nonnas who celebrated and encouraged hard work, strength, and perseverance. The triple-threat began her journey into the arts as a dancer and actor, until she ventured into music in 2008 with the release of her album, Thank You For The Ride, which she supported with close to 200 shows across Canada.  

Her 2011 follow-up, The Shadows and the Cracks led to her first Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination. Andrea then partnered with her friend Cindy Doire to form Scarlett Jane and spent the next five years touring behind two folk albums for distributor Warner Music Canada, 2012’s Stranger and 2015’s eponymously-titled offering.  Stranger earned them two more CFMA nominations.

Along the way, Andrea also contributed to projects by Tom Wilson’s Lee Harvey Osmond, where she met Cowboy Junkies’ Michael Timmins, who would go on to produce her next two solo albums, starting with the stellar NUDA (Italian for ‘naked’). The album emerged out of a deep depression following a romantic breakup with Tom and shifted her artistic path to something raw, dark, cool, understated and melancholy. Taking a break from lyrical catharsis, she then dove into an album honouring songs by Leonard Cohen, appropriately titled Homage, which earned her another CFMA nomination in 2020.

Then the pandemic struck, first overseas. Italy declared a state of emergency and the world watched in horror as the death toll rapidly climbed. Heartbroken by what she saw in her family’s homeland, where she has explored her heritage and built up a music following, Andrea wrote and released her first original Italian-language song, “Una Lettera,” to raise funds for the Red Cross’ Italy Covid-19 Response Appeal. 

Meanwhile, as the virus spread in Canada too and the country went into lockdown, for her creative and personal sanity Andrea became part of a bi-monthly online group of women and non-binary friends with a who’s who of talent from the music industry and beyond, including Jill Barber, Sarah Slean, Melissa McClelland, Ivan Coyote, Erin Costello, The Good Lovelies, and some of the people who would later appear on Quarantine Dream, Sarah, Hill, Kathryn, Brenley and Lisa.

“We cry together, we share secrets. It’s so intimate. We’ve been helping each other both musically and emotionally get through really hard times and become so close. I couldn’t have done this lockdown thing without them,” says Andrea. “I was getting so excited and fired up to work with women in leadership roles. Even talking about music with women was more inspiring than my experiences have been with males.

“There seems to be less ego and more heart involved,” she explains. “Communication feels nurturing and passionate and clear; reasons behind getting into a creative collaboration in general just seem more clear.  And there’s a lot of magic, a lot of fire that has come out of working so far with all of these incredible people. They are all contributing so much to this project and it’s nice to hold each other up like that.” 

Doors to the April 23rd show open at 7:30 and music starts at 8:30.

Kobo Town

April 9, 2022 at 7:30 pm

As per government regulations all patrons, volunteers, artists, and staff will be required to wear an approved mask and provide either proof of COVID 19 vaccination or a negative COVID test. More information is available here.

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.
Tickets: $35 at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

This concert is generously sponsored by
W.W. Smith

Blenders Is Pleased To Present Kobo Town In Their Upcoming Season

Founded and fronted by émigré Trinidadian songwriter Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town’s music has been variously described as “an intoxicating blend of lilting calypsonian wit, dancehall reggae, and trombone-heavy brass” (Guardian) and a “unique, transnational composite of rhythm, poetry, and activist journalism.”(Exclaim!) From their home in Toronto, the JUNO-nominated group has brought their distinct calypso-inspired sound to audiences across the world, from Port-of-Spain to Paris and from Montreal to Malaysia.

At once brooding and joyous, intensely poetic and highly danceable, Gonsalves’ songs betray deep roots in Caribbean folk music, while the band delivers them with an indomitable energy that has earned them a considerable following far beyond the niche of world music enthusiasts and calypso fans.

On his last release, Where the Galleon Sank (2017), Gonsalves continues to explore 500 years of history through his post-colonial, Trinidadian lens, armed with his trademark wit and gift for melody. As on Kobo Town’s two previous outings, “Galleon” is filled with buoyant music that stimulates both body and mind; propulsive, infectious grooves are juxtaposed with incisive lyrics that expose human folly and our tendency to repeat our mistakes. Part poet, part correspondent, Gonsalves delivers compelling dispatches from events both real and imaginary.

Kobo Town is named after the historic neighborhood in Port-of-Spain where calypso was born amid the boastful, humorous and militant chants of roaming stick-fighters. Situated near the fishermen’s wharf, the area was a site of constant defiance and conflict, a place where sticks and stones, songs and verses clashed with the bayonets and batons of colonial rule.

Gonsalves grew up in a middle class neighborhood in Diego Martin, a town just outside of Trinidad’s biggest city, Port of Spain.

“Diego Martin is a valley in the northern range, which is very green with a little contaminated river running through it, and that was the playground of our youth,” Gonsalves recalls. His mother is originally from Quebec City, Canada and had met Drew’s father in Barbados on a trip when he was visiting family. A few days later, they were engaged and she came to Trinidad where Gonsalves was born

Gonsalves eventually moved to Ottawa, Canada with his Mother and siblings, but on a return trip to Trinidad at age 18, his father took him to Lord Kitchener’s Calypso Revue tent. He was blown away by the cleverness and the wit of the calypsonians and also their engaging interplay with the audience. Never experienced anything like it before, from that point on calypso was always on his mind.

While Gonsalves’ writing has earned praise with critics, some traditionalists carp about the new elements Gonsalves included in his music. “I’m not sure I should call it calypso,” he says. “It is calypso inspired and derived, but it’s a conscious departure from the way it developed back home. Calypso is the folk music of urban Trinidad, but it has always drawn on outside influences, from big band and jazz in the 30s and 40s, to funk and disco in the 70s and 80s. It’s hard to pin down pure calypso. For me, the calypsonian is a singing newspaperman commenting on the events of the day, with an attitude halfway between court jester and griot.”

https://rootsrockcalypso.com

Catch Kobo Town April 9th 2022 at Blenders! Tickets are $35 and are available at Swift Current Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm. Blenders thanks W.W. Smith for sponsoring this show.

Kaia Kater

March 31, 2022 at 7:30 pm

As per government regulations all patrons, volunteers, artists, and staff will be required to wear an approved mask and provide either proof of COVID 19 vaccination or a negative COVID test. More information is available here.

REBOOKED
Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.
Tickets: $30 at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

This concert is generously sponsored by
Wildflower Florist

Blenders Concert Series is pleased to present Kaia Kater on March 31, 2022 at the Lyric Theatre in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian, Kaia Kater’s old-time banjo-picking skills, deft arrangements, and songwriting abilities have landed her in the spotlight in North America and the UK, garnering critical acclaim. She is a Canadian Folk Music Award winner and a Stingray Rising Star Award winner. Her most recent album was JUNO nominated and long listed for the Polaris prize.

Described as bluegrass meets Nina Simone, Kater’s plaintive and mesmerizing voice will have you hooked from the first song. Her music is both ancient and brand new. This will be a spectacular show!

www.kaiakater.com

Tickets for the Thursday, March 31st show are $30 and are available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm. Blenders thanks Wildflower Florist for sponsoring this show.

Ryan McMahon

March 12, 2022 at 7:30 pm

As per government regulations all patrons, volunteers, artists, and staff will be required to wear an approved mask and provide either proof of COVID 19 vaccination or a negative COVID test. More information is available here.

REBOOKED
Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.
Tickets: $30 at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

This concert is generously sponsored by
Winmar and Wallace Construction

Blenders Concert Series is excited to welcome back Ryan McMahon on March 12, 2022 at the Lyric Theatre in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

Previously performing at Blenders with The Lion The Bear and The Fox, Ryan McMahon has a twenty year career as an independent artist in Canada’s vibrant music scene. He’s always been a genre fence sitter, hanging out on the edges of country just enough to say he isn’t; Ryan is both a whisper and a scream.

McMahon’s 5 studio albums showcase his songwriting craft which speaks to the human condition. The BC artist hopes his music relates to people who love, have loved, cried, and been lost. His passion shines through in his music and his desire to connect with his audience.

ryanmcmahon.com

Tickets for the Saturday, March 12 show are $30 and are available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors at the Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and the music begins at 8:30pm. Blenders thanks Winmar and Wallace Construction for sponsoring this show.

Field Guide

December 10 at 7:30 pm

As per government regulations all patrons, volunteers, artists, and staff will be required to wear an approved mask and provide either proof of COVID 19 vaccination or a negative COVID test. More information is available here.

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.
Tickets: $25 at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

Field Guide Makes Debut at Blenders

Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Field Guide is the soft rock brainchild of singer-songwriter Dylan MacDonald. MacDonald’s songwriting doesn’t leave you questioning what’s on his mind. It’s music formed from late night, love fuelled nostalgia, seen through rose-coloured lenses. No Stranger to the road, he has toured extensively since high school both as a guitarist for artists like Michael Bernard Fitzgerald and with his previous band The Middle Coast.

Full Time (2019), his debut solo effort, is a beautifully hushed quartet of thoughtfully written, warmly delivered songs of heartbreak, loss, and leaving. Artists trading in confessional acoustic intimacy are pretty easy to come by but what sets Field Guide apart from the crowd is the lyrical quality and the careful, understated execution in what they do. Rather than wallowing in regret, his writing takes a more pick-me-up than a drag-me-down path. The songs are sad but matter-of-fact; sober but wry.

It’s always a careful balancing act as a songwriter to not only express yourself in a way you can remain extremely personal, but that still appeals to the universal themes we all can relate to. Far removed from his old band’s yacht-rock sound, MacDonald has a knack for simple, sticky melodies that stay with you long after the show finishes.

The type of immersive prairie songwriting of which MacDonald seems fond gives his music a comfortable, familiar feel, even if it’s the first time you are hearing it. The unmistakable themes of love, heartbreak, and the yearning for something that isn’t there anymore are great reminders that it’s often the softest voices that speak to us the most powerfully.

In his second and third albums You Were (2020) and Make Peace With That (2021), Field Guide employs simple, enduring melodies, subtle pedal steel, a compendious guitar sound, sure-handed, utilitarian drumming, restrained Wurlitzer keys, and understated bass lines. MacDonald has mastered the less is more approach, without sounding like something is missing in the arrangement.

Field Guide is Counting Crows mixed with John Mayer and Andy Shauf. There’s a unique tone to his voice that is masterfully complemented by guitar, an emotive force that leaves listeners drawn into his lyrics.

www.fieldguidemusic.com

Don’t miss this show! Tickets are $25 and available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors to The Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and music starts at 8:30pm.

Blenders thanks Rittinger’s Men’s Wear for sponsoring this show.

Gunner & Smith

November 20 at 7:30 pm

As per government regulations all patrons, volunteers, artists, and staff will be required to wear an approved mask and provide either proof of COVID 19 vaccination or a negative COVID test. More information is available here.

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.
Tickets: $30 at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

Blenders is excited to welcome Saskatoon’s Gunner & Smith to our stage on Saturday November 20th, 2021.

Hope and redemption. Philosophy and folklore. The music of Gunner & Smith has always been a collection of fiery elements, blending searing guitars, brawny rhythms and distinct folk-family vocals to produce tightly-knit rock anthems. But on Byzantium, the group’s second full-length album, the songs simmer and seethe with a newfound brooding energy that looks at the darker sides of love, loss and humanity.

Anchored by the stolid songwriting of frontman Geoff Smith, the ever-shifting nature of the band has once again undergone another evolution, with a talented cadre of musicians joining the frontman at the helm. Featuring an ever-expanding sound that combines indie rock, alt-country and sizzling psych-Americana, Byzantium is borne from a deeper, darker place than the group’s previous material.

Having released his debut full-length album He Once Was a Good Man in 2014, the band has since toured across North America numerous times, played Folk Alliance International in New Orleans, and appeared the Reeperbahn Festival in Germany, traversing across the highways that cut through desolate areas that the frontman drew his inspiration from. Tapping into the mysticism of yesteryear, Smith – who has a Master’s Degree in Religious History focused on the Radical Reformation – continues to embrace a number of sly classic rock influences that tendril their way into the group’s core.

Gunner and Smith released Wisconsin, a 3 song EP, in the fall of 2020. The EP features traditional finger picking by Saskatoon’s the local group mingled with multi part harmonies reminiscent of folk greats of yesteryear. The album includes Townes Van Zandt’s I’ll Be Here In The Morning which is beautifully framed by two originals featuring traditional finger picking by Saskatoon’s the Local Group mingled with multi part harmonies reminiscent of folk greats of yesteryear.

www.gunnerandsmith.com

Tickets to this Saturday November 20th show are $30 and are available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors to The Lyric Theatre will open at 7:30pm and music starts at 8:30pm.

Blenders would like to thank Pharmasave for sponsoring this show.

Megan Nash

October 29 at 7:30 pm

As per government regulations all patrons, volunteers, artists, and staff will be required to wear an approved mask and provide either proof of COVID 19 vaccination or a negative COVID test. More information is available here.

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.
Tickets: $30 at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

Blenders Concert Series is pleased to welcome Saskatchewan songwriting superstar Megan Nash to the Lyric Theatre on October 29th, 2021.

The incredibly talented Megan Nash is a Juno award nominated artist who has toured both North America and Europe. Nash has made appearances at events such as Regina Folk Festival, Ness Creek Music Festival, and Merlefest in North Carolina. Their many accomplishments include nominations for Breakout Artist of the Year as well as Songwriter of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards.

In 2015, Megan released her first album entitled, “Song Harvest Volume One”. The tracks were recorded with minimal production, utilizing just guitar and vocals.

In 2017, Megan released her last album, “Seeker” with her newly formed band The Best of Intentions. The project established Nash as the titular “seeker” in her artwork – someone who is always looking, reaching, searching for more. In the time since, Nash’s life has seen many changes, and her music reflects that. In their own words, Nash said this new music had been written “in the cracks of a foundation – in moments of reflection during years of whirlwind romance, gut wrenching heartbreak, reviving friendships, and life saving dog love.”

More recently, Nash has been proactive in finding ways to connect with fans via drive-in events and virtual shows amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, while simultaneously making new music. Their most recent single, My Own Heart, was released in July 2021 with a new album coming this fall.

www.megannash.ca

Don’t miss this show! Tickets are $30 and available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors to the show open at 7:30 and the music starts at 8:30.

Blenders would like to thank our sponsor Henderson Legal Solutions for making this show happen! Thank you for all your support.

John Wort Hannam

October 9 at 7:30 pm

As per government regulations all patrons, volunteers, artists, and staff will be required to wear an approved mask and provide either proof of COVID 19 vaccination or a negative COVID test. More information is available here.

Doors open 7:30 pm.
Music starts 8:30 pm.
Tickets: $30 at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com

Blenders Concert Series is pleased to welcome the talented John Wort Hannam back to the Lyric Theatre on October 9th, 2021.

Albertan artist John Wort Hannam is an award-winning folk musician, known for storytelling through his songs. He explores themes relevant to us all as he frequently depicts life in Western Canada, and the human experience, through the eyes of working folk. Hannam has won numerous awards for his work over the years, including a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Album of the Year and a Kerrville Texas New Folk Award.

John’s entry into the Canadian music scene came with his 2003 album, “Pocket Full of Holes”. Almost two decades later, Hannam is set to release his eighth full-length album, “Long Haul”. On this latest album, John has “further refined his lyrical style and has landed squarely on his niche in the folk-roots world.”

johnworthannam.com

Don’t miss this show! Tickets are $30 and available at Pharmasave or online at eventbrite.com. Doors to the show open at 7:30 and the music starts at 8:30.

Blenders would like to thank our sponsor Standard Motors for making this show happen! Thank you for all your support.