Five Creston singers — Jennee Rumley, Llana Kilpatrick, Debra Mehrer, Joanne Ferry and Shelli Morris Hutcheson — will be backed by drummer Eric Johnson and the Kings of Kitchener when Songbird Suite runs at the Snoring Sasquatch on Nov. 25.
Jennee Rumley moved to Kitchener when she was nine years old. She has enjoyed becoming a part of the diverse music that is in the Creston area. Although she is not fond of being in the spotlight, she has a passion for music and enjoys the opportunity to be involved in it.
Llana Kilpatrick was raised in Montreal, lived in Edmonton raising her son, and moved to the Creston Valley in 1994. She has sung in pop music choirs, studied music production, and tuned pianos in the Far North. Kilpatrick has also enjoyed some voice training classes with Elizabeth Stepkowski Tarhan and David Hatfield.
She sang with a local trio named Evergreen a couple of years ago, and is currently singing in a yet-to-be-named trio, with Eric Johnson and Ken Gerding, singing soft rock and some folk.
Kilpatrick is currently learning to accompany herself on guitar for solo work, and is also a local member of an a cappella improvisational singing group. Her personal musical regret is that she has yet to sing in a rock band.
Joanne Ferry moved to the Creston Valley three years ago from the West Coast. She has always had a secret desire to sing and even studied voice but never pursued it.
The Snoring Sasquatch became one of Ferry’s favorite haunts in Creston and it was there that she found the inspiration and courage to just get up and sing. A year ago at an open stage, she met Johnson and asked him if he would help her prepare a few songs to perform and accompany her on guitar at an open stage and the rest is history.
Debra Mehrer appeared on the music scene about six years ago, playing bass and doing vocal backups with Celtic/folk band Peanut Butter and Jam. She has played bass and done some vocal work with the Gone Country band, and is currently the bassist with blues/rock band Fat Charlie. She is exploring the solo aspect of singing and is enjoying the adventure of everything from folk to classical.
Shelli Morris Hutcheson grew up singing in church and at community events in rural northern Alberta with her sisters and cousins — and thus began her love for folk and roots music. She was always drawn to music and the joy she and others received from it. Hutcheson was 12 years old when she got her first guitar and her uncle showed her a few chords.
Music took a back seat to motherhood and career, however, until she opened the Snoring Sasquatch in 2005. Although an introvert and uninterested in performing publically, she began to sing reluctantly at karaoke. After singing a few duets with Johnson and receiving encouragement, they began to perform at Snoring Sasquatch’s open stage, the Wynndel Coffee House, Swan Valley Lodge and various local events. Kilpatrick joined them to form the trio Evergreen. Hutcheson continues to perform occasionally with her musical friends.
Tickets are $10 in advance at Black Bear Books and Kingfisher Used Books, or $13 at the door, which opens at 6 p.m.; the show starts at 7.
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