Lent may be over, but for Darrel Delaronde and Saskia Overbeek, touring for 40 days and 40 nights is par for the course.
On the road as a duo and with Gary Fjellgaard, Delaronde and Overbeek (who go by their first names for their act) are finally nearing the last few weeks of their mammoth tour.
And they are looking forward to putting up their feet and singing to some familiar faces when they return to Vernon to perform at the Schubert Centre Friday.
“We used to live in Vernon and are no strangers to the area,” said Overbeek. “Our dream is to be able to move back shortly.”
Entitled Song of the Prairies, the concert will be a mix of old and new country, roots, blues, folk and bluegrass.
“We are leaving partial proceeds for the Schubert Centre so we can continue to bring different types of music to the community at a minimal cost to the presenter and the audience and at the same time keep the musicians out of the food bank lines as well,” said Overbeek, adding that local singer-songwriter Pauline Kyllonen will join them for the Vernon concert.
The fact that Saskia and Darrel, who have based themselves in Saskatchewan as of late, often tour with Canadian music icon, and Prairie-born Juno Award winner Fjellgaard speaks volumes about their abilities as musicians and songwriters.
“Gary is well known throughout the music industry as being very fussy about his sound and the integrity of his show,” said Overbeek, adding this dedication to excellence is one of many lessons she and Delaronde have learned from their years on the road with Fjellgaard.
Besides their blend of musical genres, Saskia and Darrel are known for bringing a little western Canadian history to the stage: tales about Louis Riel and David Thompson.
Dutch-born Overbeek is also known to break out into Swiss yodeling, or singing in her native tongue as well as Gaelic, Spanish, German and French.
A well-oiled writing, performing, marketing, booking and managing machine, the duo continues to keep touring and have been booking shows across the country and abroad through their newly formed company Positive Note Productions.
Saskia and Darrel bring their Song of the Prairies to the Schubert Centre Friday, May 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets are at the Schubert Centre. Call 250-549-4201.
