Paul Tessier
Special to The Morning Star
Some people are just born to sing.
When Celeigh Cardinal was three months old, her mother noticed that Cardinal was repeating a melody over and over and actually singing.
“I’ve always felt singing is what I’ve been called to do,” she says. “I feel very fortunate to be someone who’s always known my true passion.”
Fresh off her win at the Western Canadian Music awards for Indigenous Artist of the Year, the Celeigh Cardinal Trio will be singing and performing live for the Vernon Folk-Roots Music Society Nov. 10 at the Knox Presbyterian Church.
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Her first public performance was in church at the age of four.
“I couldn’t actually read so my mother drew pictures for me to serve as cues for the lines in the song. The diva in me came out even back then because I didn’t want anyone playing the piano except the pastor’s wife,” she says with a laugh.
“I basically grew up in that church. It was a pretty strict church so at home we weren’t allowed to listen to much secular music. But for some reason, we were allowed to listen to a station which featured hits of the ’50s and ’60s – basically Motown music and the Beatles. We’d hear Gladys Knight, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson. That’s the kind of stuff that really shaped the kind of music I play today.”
Out of high school, she started playing in a duo. Later on, the duo became a full band called Bella Bella. At one point, she was playing in five bands.
“Good times,” she says with a chuckle. “I was extremely busy.”
In May of 2017, she released the album, Everything And Nothing At All.
“Timing is everything in music,” she says. “It was very fortunate that we released this album just at the time when my name was starting to get out there. It was up for seven Edmonton Music Awards and was nominated for the CBC Best Pop album.”
Just last month — she won The Western Canadian Music Award for Indigenous Artist of the Year.
“We were on our way to Kelowna for the Awards show but we got delayed in Revelstoke due to power lines being down and the highway being closed,” she says. “We didn’t get into Kelowna until around 8:30 and were watching it stream live on Instagram as we were checking into our hotel.”
The reaction in the hotel lobby was instantaneous.
“I wasn’t expecting to win – I just wanted to be at the awards. So when they announced that I won, I just started screaming and scaring the all the people in the lobby of the hotel,” she recalls. “I was flabbergasted. I was totally stunned. I did not think for a second that I would win that award.”
She is already reaping some of the benefits of winning such a prestigious award.
“I’ve already been contacted for more shows,” she says. “I see it as another tool to keep the momentum going in my career. It will help with festival bookings, grants and just bigger gigs.”
One of those gigs will be on Nov. 10 in Vernon. She’ll be performing as part of a trio.
“Brayden Treble is my lead guitarist in my full band. He adds a lot to the trio. He has a bit more of a country-roots background with a Telecaster-type sound. I also squeeze a little more of a bluesy-rock sound out of him and I love playing with him, “she says. ” I also have Brennan Cameron playing in the trio. I was looking for a guy to join the trio and he is definitely the right guy. He plays mandolin, bass and guitar. We sing a lot of three-part harmonies and he fits right in.”
The show on Nov. 10 promises to be a wonderful, intimate evening.
“People can expect a mix of bluesy-folky-roots, singer/songwriter stuff. I tell a lot of stories and have a lot of laughs. I share stories about myself and where I come from, which is from northern Alberta. I tell some really funny stories, happy ones, some sad ones and awkward stories. But really, it’s just an example of another human who happens to tell stories and sing songs about her life.”
The Vernon Folk-Roots Music Society presents the Celeigh Cardinal Trio live at Knox Presbyterian Church Nov. 10. Showtime is 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, $20 for members, available through ticketseller.ca, 250-549-7469, Expressions Of Time Bookstore or at the door if available and by cash only. Memberships to the Society are available for $20. Society members receive a $5 rebate when attending a show and are eligible to attend the Annual General Meeting.
More information on all shows for the season is available through vernonfolkroots.com and on Facebook (vernonfolkroots). For further information, contact info@vernonfolkroots.com.
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