The biggest little festival in northern B.C. is looking snappy this year.
The 2016 edition of Coldsnap, the Prince George winter music festival, has just had the full lineup unveiled. It is seven days of concerts, workshops, special events, and an international collection of music stars.
Many of the artists on the menu are familiar to local audiences, and some are area residents, but many are from afar and this is a rare opportunity to see them play live in our own community.
Over the years, local music enthusiasts have learned that the selection process for Coldsnap performers is painstaking and trustworthy. Even if you've never heard of a particular headliner, it is easy to believe they are hot tickets if this selection committee picked them for Prince George.
Artistic director Sue Judge walked through this year's nightly festivities with The Citizen, to help familiarize each name on the marquis between January 22-30.
Jan. 22 (Ramada Hotel ballroom)
Barrelhouse Swagger with:
The Devin Cuddy Band
The Matine
Kym Gouchie
"Yes, Devin is Jim Cuddy's kid, but he's making a name for himself all on his own. I actually don't want to tout someone on their name, or that can backfire really badly. They have to have the quality there. Devin has come to the front of the crowd for the Canadian honky-tonk sound.
"The Matine is hard to describe. I first met them when I was at the Western Canadian Country Music Awards and got to hear them. People call them country, but I don't know if that's the best description of what they do.
"And the same goes for Devin, really, so that's why we're calling this our Barrelhouse Swagger night.
"And our own Kym Gouchie fits that perfectly, that sorta-country-but-not-exactly thing is her thing, too. She is going to welcome us all, that first night, to Lheidli T'enneh territory, and what could be more perfect? Isn't that something, how her music is doing these days? We were actually quite excited that she said yes to us this year."
Jan. 23 (Ramada)
Coast to Coast Celtic Kitchen Party with:
Còig
Cod Gone Wild
Judy Russell's Enchanement Dancers
"Còig (pronounced KOE-g, which means 'five' in Scottish Gaelic) will blow the roof off," said Judge. "They tour the world from Cape Breton but not everyone in Canada knows just how big these guys really are. Each band member has their own solo career with a lot of awards between them all, and then they get together and make up a sort of Cape Breton young supergroup."
This band is paired with some Celtic flavours from this side of the country. Cod Gone Wild is a popular Kelowna group, they have been to Prince George before, and have a strong following that will mesh well with that of Còig.
"We thought this would be a great night to have Judy's dancers come out and show their stuff, and warm everybody up, since this is a night we want everybody up dancing," said Judge.
Jan. 24 (P.G. Playhouse)
Hot Jazz for a Cold Night with:
Jaclyn Guillou
Maureen Washington
Midnight Blue
"Jaclyn Guillou was someone I spotted a long time ago, I really enjoyed what she brought to the stage, and this year there was a chance to finally show her to the Coldsnap audience," said Judge. "She does a tribute show to Dinah Washington, she's a major influence on Jaclyn, and that opened the door to pair her with Maureen. They are friends anyway, and Maureen is such a hometown favourite here, and her work fits so well together with Jaclyn's, so it's going to be a very special night having them on the same stage that night."
Joining them will be local band Midnight Blue made up of Eric Tompkins and his ensemble. Judge called Tompkins "a consummate musician" who could come out and play anything at all "and I would have total faith in whatever he brought to the stage."
Jan. 26 (P.G. Playhouse)
Sweet Banjos & Harmonies with:
Old Man Luedecke
The Sweet Lowdown
Vanessa Wittstruck
"Old Man Luedecke is getting a lot of attention all across Canada, he's just terrific in concert, and he's about the nicest guy you'll ever meet and that shows on the stage," Judge said. "He's cute as a button and tells the best stories in between the songs, and his songs are great little stories too. He's already won some Juno Awards and that's a bit of a different thing for us. We tend to get acts who win Junos after they've played at Coldsnap, but he's already got a couple of them. He's coming in from Nova Scotia."
The Sweet Lowdown is a trio from Victoria rooted in modern folk-bluegrass. Their female harmonies lay on the ear like what The Wailin' Jennys or The Good Lovelies do, or a multi-voice version of local favourite Yael Wand. Judge said "we do a lot of outreach to musicians, but they came to us, and when we discovered how much teaching they do, a lot of workshops and camps, that made them a really good fit. That's an important part of Coldsnap."
Wittstruck is the winner of the most recent edition of Prince George Limelight Quest "and that's not even why we wanted her, she was on our radar because of her vocal abilities," Judge said. "She's a great fit for this vocal-emphasis show. She can really sing."
Jan. 28 (Artspace)
The Beatbox Goes On with:
The Racket
Hachey The Mouthpeace
Bright City Heights
"There are a lot of young and really interesting performers out there, and we like to have at least one night each year focused on that," Judge said. "This year we are bringing in The Racket because they are doing so well and they are from northern B.C., originally from the Hazeltons. I've seen them perform in Smithers, I've seen them perform in Wells, they are always great, a really solid band, good songwriters, so we are happy to have them for Coldsnap."
They are paired with solo multi-instrumentalist Hachey The Mouthpeace. "He's a force of nature all by himself," said Judge. "He plays instruments, he uses his voice, he loops, he deejays, and he's just amazing at beatboxing. You'd never know he was just one guy, if you only heard it. He's coming in from Hamilton. It's going to be the show that people talk about the most, is what I predict, and we like him so much that we're having him perform for our own volunteer party behind the scenes."
Bright City Heights is the local band getting some of B.C.'s the biggest pop music buzz right now. They were the darlings of the Canada Winter Games, they got radio play for several singles off their debut album Rain Season, and Judge carved them out a special spot on the Coldsnap schedule.
"What can you say about these guys? They are just a solid, solid, band, excellent musicianship, excellent songwriting skills, and they deserve to be with The Racket and Hachey because they all have that high-level presentation value."
Jan. 29 (P.G. Playhouse)
Breathtaking Blues with:
Markus James
Jeff Lang
Ani Kyd
"Markus James comes from Colorado and he will be playing some really deep blues, but he also has roots that go into African-style world music," said Judge. "Jeff Lang is coming from Australia, he's an amazing blues player, and he has a sort of Tom Waits influence. Both Markus and Jeff are just amazing guitar players."
The night is opened with a special treat, the latest addition to the local music scene, longtime Vancouver rock star from the punk scene Ani Kyd who recently moved to the area.
"She is really enthusiastic about the music scene in Prince George, she's been out to play a couple of places already, I've been blown away by her talents, and I think she is going to be a real playa around here," said Judge.
Jan. 30 (Ramada)
(Coldsnap and Festival d'Hiver) Soire Dansante with:
Le Vent Du Nord
Cécile Doo-Kingu
Local Francofun performers
"We are absolutely excited to have Le Vent Du Nord here in Prince George," said Judge. "These guys are world famous, they tour all over the world, they have an ultra-traditional Quebecois sound, so they are real ambassadors of Canada on the global stage. They have a hurdy-gurdy and they're not afraid to use it. This is a band that gets people on their feet."
Doo-Kingu is a different sort of performer – an urban blues/soul sound – but her guitar playing is renowned and her musical point of view is all her own. She's from New York City, but she has lived in France as well, she is in close touch with her Cameroon roots, and now calls Montreal home.
"She's a headliner in her own right, we are very lucky to have her in this francophone lineup, she puts on a very powerful show. I think we're lucky to have her in Canada," said Judge.
This night of French focus starts off with local entertainers from among the members of Le Cercle des Canadiens Franais de Prince George, the city's French-Canadian club.
In addition to these mainstage performances, two showcases will be held at ArtSpace on Jan. 25 and 27 to give performance exposure to all-local acts.
Tickets are available at Studio 2880, Books & Company or online. Admission is $30 per show for advance tickets, or $35 at the door.
