A Prince George entertainment institution will continue to provide warmth during the winter season with the hot artists scheduled to blow through town during next year's Coldsnap, Prince George's winter music festival.
Some of the biggest names in non-mainstream music will once again grace local venues between Jan. 20 and 28. The lineup for the 2012 festival was announced last night at ArtSpace during a Colin Linden show.
"I was very excited to have Colin play at this event in particular," said Sue Judge, artistic director for the Prince George Folkfest Society. "He represents a wide variety of musical genres from folk, to blues to rock and roll, which is exactly the goal of this festival."
The festival will kick off Friday, Jan. 20 with a Celtic kitchen party. Providing the tunes will be Vancouver duo Fiddlestix, warming up the audience with fiddle and percussion arrangements. Ontario Celtic band Searson will be the next to take the stage, and are expected to bring people to their feet to dance.
On Jan. 21, former Prince George resident Ana BonBon will grace the stage with her accordion and sultry voice. She will be joined by Canadian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Linda McCrea. McCrea plays clawhammer banjo, acoustic guitar, accordion and porchboard bass to combind old-time sounds with universal themes of heartbreak and redemption. Opening for the two internationally recognized artists will be Sheena Burgess, who won this summer's inaugural Prince George Idol competition with her jazz and blues vocals.
The Sunday show is likely to be a big draw, Judge said. The Jan. 22 performance will feature Melissa McLelland and Luke Doucet, a husband and wife team who have been long-time touring musicians with Sarah McLachlan. The duo now have an album of their own as they tour under the name Whitehorse.
"It was quite a coup to get them," Judge said.
Jan. 25 will feature two artists who came to town for the society's summer festival in 2005 - Gordie Tentrees and John Wort Hannam - while the following night, will feature two up-and-coming acts. Current Swell will bring their version of folky-groove rock and roll while C.R. Avery will showcase his one-man band with a rare ability to sing poetic verse, beatbox and play the piano simultaneously.
"They're really on the verge of breaking out," Judge said.
A member of Canada's folk royalty will hold court Jan. 27, with Nathan Rogers in the lineup.
Judge said she's definitely looking forward to the final act taking the Coldsnap stage on Jan. 28. Steve Dawson, a Vancouver songwriter, musician and producer, will present his tribute to the Mississippi Sheiks. Accompanied by his band, guitar queen Del Rey and blues legend Jim Byrnes, Dawson will bring to life some of the body of work fo three sons of slaves who created memorable blues rants and square dance hollers on fiddle and gut-bucket guitar between 1930 and 1935.
Since the early 2000s, Coldsnap has worked to make it's mark on the cultural map. Judge said it continues to be a popular event for artists to play because of the atmosphere created here in town.
"A lot of it is the diversity of the music we have," Judge told The Citizen, noting many artists get to share the stage with musicians they would never otherwise come across as well as reunite with old friends. The volunteer-run event is also known for the warmth of the people.
"Our hospitality is second to none," Judge said.
The shows will be held at ArtSpace, the Prince George Playhouse and the Ramada Hotel ballroom. Tickets for all mainstage events are $30 and go on sale Tuesday at Books and Co. and Studio 2880. For more information about the 2012 lineup, visit the festival's web site at www.coldsnapfestival.com.
