It’s time once again for another of the Sooke Folk Music Society’s concerts. For this second concert of our season, on Saturday, February 1, we are presenting the dynamic duo of Darrel and Saskia De la Ronde, now known as “The Great Plains.” This duo has graced our stage before and were very well received.
For those who don’t know them yet, they are a Canadian musical duo who sing and play contemporary and original folk songs. The correct designation is “Prairie Folk.” That’s what they play. That’s who they are.
Darrel and Saskia share a prairie ancestry of Saskatchewan Metis and solid Dutch stock. They are singers, songwriters and musicians with long careers as professionals working festivals, concerts, dance halls, pubs, cafes, weddings, parties and conventions.
Darrel is a veteran performer and sought after studio musician, whose debut album “Family Tree” features guest appearances by Darby Mills and Daniel Powter. Saskia has shared stages with such notables as Valdy, Ian Tyson, Roy Forbes and more. While touring throughout Europe, Western Canada, the United States and Mexico she turned out four albums. Together they follow their hearts and dreams with their most current album called Laura’s Kitchen, and have cooked up an enticing batch of songs with the help of friends; Ken Hamm, Gary Fjellgaard, Nathan Tinkham, Alison Humphries, Jordan Stringer, Jerry Paquette and Nolan Murray (Tiller’s Folly).
The music of Darrel and Saskia comes from the heart.
“With an open mind comes a melody or phrase that rattles around in the brain, chasing out all other thoughts like mortgage payments or home owner’s grants, until one writes out of sheer desperation,” said Darrel.
“We have found, (after years of trying to convince ourselves we were chefs or loggers or something) that our purpose in life is to play music and sing. Nothing else ever worked out for us, yet when we get on a stage something clicks into place and we’re in sync with the universe. By truly living and working in an artistic way we find, like so many other artists before us that our goals have also changed. We work in music because it is our calling and our dream. We know today that it is the journey, not the destination that matters.
“So our new outlook on our music is this — we are simply going to write, record, and perform the very best music we possibly can, for you — the people, whom we love and like and to whom we are responsible.”
Please come this Saturday, February 1 to Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 1962 Murray Road and enjoy an evening with these two gifted musicians and songwriters.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m., concert at 8.
