On rodeo weekend, country bands tune up for a good time in Cloverdale

It’s rodeo time in Cloverdale, which means country musicians are tuning up for a May long weekend of good-natured songs about cars, girls, guys and having a good time – among other topics, we’re sure.

A couple months after winning their first Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year, the Washboard Union will play the World Famous Longhorn Saloon on Sunday, May 19, with a 75-minute set that starts at 10:15 p.m.

Of course, the Longhorn is THE place to hit for a good time at the rodeo, with Dave Hartney (modern country and southern rock) and Ettinger (country-flavoured covers) trading off sets of music in the Agriplex building for three nights, starting Friday (May 17) and continuing until Sunday (May 19).

SEE ALSO: Rodeo competition promises to be a ‘nail-biter’ this weekend
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As this year’s headliner at the Longhorn, the Washboard Union will showcase music from their award-winning What We’re Made Of album, a 12-song collection.

Last summer in Cloverdale, the trio (with backing musicians) played the Gone Country event at Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre, in a return engagement for them at the cancer-fighting benefit concert. The band’s positive, feel-good music was a perfect fit for the annual gathering.

“We tend to write positive songs, I guess, and we’ve been told that by people, which is kind of neat,” band member David Roberts told the Now-Leader at the time. “I have favourite bands and songs I’ve listened to throughout my life, that helped me get through tough times, so when you hear that back from people who attend your concerts, it’s a pretty cool feeling.”

• READ MORE: Country band happy to return to Cloverdale for cancer-fighting concert, from July 2018.

The video for the banjo-driven title track of What We’re Made Of was filmed by Surrey-based director Stefano Barberis on a cold Ontario day.

In the fall of 2017, the Washboard Union were a hot commodity at the B.C. Country Music Awards, where the band won seven awards, including Group of the Year, Single of the Year (for “Head Over Heels”) and Roots Group of the Year.

Located in the Showbarn at the fairgrounds, the Boots & Buckles Saloon is hosted by the B.C. Country Music Association. More than two dozen bands and solo artists will be featured there from Friday to Sunday, including the man they call Kadooh.

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/LVqRebUdq1

— Kadooh (@Kadoohmusic) April 27, 2019

Currently living in Abbotsford, the Alberta-raised Kadooh will headline the Boots & Buckles Saloon on Saturday night (May 18), starting at 10:45 p.m.

“We’ll be doing a 90-minute set, broken into two,” Kadooh said on the phone from Brandon, Manitoba, during a press tour to promote his sophomore single, “Something to Roll On.”

Kadooh, signed to Vancouver-based 604 Records, made a video for the song that features Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, among others.

“I have a few buddies of mine in the video,” said Kadooh, who, like Kroeger, hails from the town of Hanna.

“Chad was very influential on me and was a big inspiration for me to move west and follow the music trail he blazed out to the coast in the ’90s,” Kadooh explained. “I came out there a little bit later than him.… He co-wrote and co-produced a couple of the songs on the EP, a six-song EP, I have coming out in June.”

A former member of the rock band State of Shock, Kadooh says he prefers a five-piece band setup in concert.

“It makes for more of a high-energy show, to put it all out there,” he said. “When I got to a show, I want it to be high-energy and upbeat, and a kick-ass backyard party, so that’s what I like.”

Other artists set to perform at the Boots & Buckles Saloon include Jenni Doyle, Michael Daniels, Ashley Pater, April Reign, Bryce Allan, Hillside Outlaws, Golshan DaCosta, Chris Andres, Rachel Layne, Troy Toma, Marilynne Anne, Nikita Afonso, Richard Tichelman, Merv Tremblay, Duane Watson, Danielle Ryan, Justine Lynne, Taylor Rae, The Beaten Path, Horse Opera, the Heels, Myles Murphy, Outlaws & Lace and Dakota Pearl. Nightly, DJ-played music will be featured at the saloon from around midnight to 2 a.m.

Outdoors at the rodeo and country fair, the Lordco stage schedule will feature music by the likes of Whiskey Jane Band, The Rollin’ Trainwreck, Emily Taylor Adams, Appaloosa, Brad Darrid and more. The stage goes live Friday (May 17) from 5:30 to 10:15 p.m., on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10:15 p.m., and on Monday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The complete live-music lineup and schedule for the 2019 Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair is posted at cloverdalerodeo.com, along with other details about the annual event.