Joe Nolan has come a long way since he appeared at Kimberley’s Live at Studio 64 in April, 2016. Still billed as a roots singer-songwriter, Nolan has introduced elements of vintage rock & roll, blues, country and punk into recent recordings and performances. He opens the 2021 Livestream at Studio 64 spring series with a solo concert from his home town of Edmonton, Alberta, on Saturday, March 13, at 7 p.m.
Following the release of his album Cry Baby in 2018, Nolan took off on a journey across North America and Europe, playing 175 shows. He recorded new material in Sweden and signed two other European recording deals. That year he won the Cobalt Prize for songwriting at the 2018 Maple Blue Awards and Blues Solo Artist of the Year at the Edmonton Music Awards. In 2019 he wrote and recorded the predominantly acoustic album Drifters which was variously described as “a remarkable collection of slow-burning melancholia” (Exclaim) and “viewing the world from a battered heart and thoroughly beautiful bloodshot, half-mast eyes” (Calgary Herald).
Following Nolan in this spring’s Livestream at Studio 64 series will be the Leeroy Stagger trio from Victoria on April 17. Stagger performed solo in a livestream folk-rock concert aired by Kimberley Arts Council on July 25, 2020. This time he returns with a combo for a blues, rock and country concert, also livestreaming at 7 p.m.
The spring series concludes May 15 when Pharis & Jason Romero perform. This Juno and Canadian Folk Music multi-award winning couple of country, bluegrass singer-songwriters have multiple recordings to their name. If pandemic restrictions allow, they will appear Live at Studio 64. If not, they will be livestreamed, the concert starting at 7 p.m.
This third series of free Livestream at Studio 64 concerts is supported by a grant from the BC Gaming Commission and local donations. Live at Studio 64 chair Keith Nicholas and his committee of John Parker, Peter Kearns, Christine Besold, Helen Robertson, Robin Douglas, Rand Davis and Irma de Visser are to be commended for their efforts to try and keep things going in the local music scene during these trying times.
All three concerts are available via Facebook and Youtube. Access details will be posted on the Kimberley Arts website (www.kimberleyarts.com) and through social media shortly before each concert date.
READ: Live at Studio 64 fall concert series becomes Live Stream at Studio 64
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