By Barb Brouwer

Contributor

Salmon Arm’s annual Roots & Blues Festival has attracted thousands of people from around the region and across the world to play and listen to great music.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the two-night 29th edition festival, produced by the non-profit Salmon Arm Folk Music Society, will again be virtual this year.

Artistic director Peter North says several studios in Western Canada will be used to shoot performances, which will air on Friday, Aug. 13 and Saturday, Aug. 14.

The event, which will link from www.rootsandblues.ca, is free but donations are welcome.

Read more: Roots and Blues online festival live tonight on Black Press Media

Read more: Roots and Blues festival to kick off virtually on Friday

Already on the performance slate, North describes Celeigh Cardinal as a powerhouse singer-songwriter. Following a time-tested path from singing in church to performing in cover bands to writing original material, the 2020 winner of the Best Aboriginal Award at the Junos, has reinvented herself with each new chapter in her career. With a confident voice and boundless energy, Cardinal owns a stage, connecting deeply with her audience through humour, passion and love.

Jon and Roy were well-received when they played the festival about six years. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jon Middleton and percussionist Roy Vizer began playing together in and around Victoria and Vancouver in 2003. The band streams a lot, does a lot of work with TV shows and movies/commercials, tours Europe and Canada and continues to produce killer folk/rock music. Middleton and Vizer play as a quartet that also features Dave St Jean on trombone and Esme John on bass.

“They have a great vibe,” says North, noting the rest of the slate will be announced in the coming weeks. “I think there will be a nice variety.”

Watch for more news on the festival and 2021 performers at www.rootsandblues.ca.

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Salmon Arm Observer