Calgary alternative blues/rock musician Matt Blais is bringing his upcoming Western Canadian tour to Armstrong’s Interior Provincial Exhibition in support of his newly released album The Heartbeat.
Gaining strong comparisons to artists such as Sam Roberts, Matt Mays and Joel Plaskett, Blais combines elements of fiery rock and roll with smooth vintage soul to form a sound uniquely his own.
The combination of his high energy live show and a passion for songwriting has so far been well received by critics and the audiences that continue to grow in number.
“I’ve missed being on the road. I like to think of myself as a musical troubadour, or some kind of old school minstrel,” said Blais. “The road is my home, especially the Canadian road. I don’t think there is a better time to tour Canada than in the fall, so I’m excited to take my music to any city that will have me.”
Blais takes the stage at the IPE beer gardens in the Armstrong Curling Rink Aug. 30 and Aug. 31. Admission is 19-plus and admission is entry into the fairgrounds. Blais also returns to the North Okanagan Sept. 20 for a performance at The Green in the Village Green Hotel.
The IPE has two other music stages during the fair, which starts Wednesday and runs to Sunday, Sept. 1.
Country and western artist Jack Jackson and his band are returning to the Ram Truck stage, which will also see daily performances by the likes of High Mileage, The Beat, Vernon’s Cod Gone Wild, Vancouver legend Jerry Doucette, Travis Fiello and the IPE-Sun FM Youth Talent Competition. Also performing are emerging artists on the Lee’s Music Emerging Stage.
For a full schedule of events, visit www.armstrongipe.com/schedules.
