DANNY OLIVER  5–5:30PM and 7 – 7:30PM

Olliver learned guitar on an abandoned three string Yamaha he saved from being trashed. A quick study, he added three more strings and began writing his own material. Taking inspiration from guitarists like Don Ross and Antoine Dufour, Danny focused on fingerstyle pieces. His beginnings as a fingerstyle guitarist gave him a unique edge as he transitioned into the folk pop scene in 2008. Through the years, Olliver has honed in his honest and personable approach to entertaining to guarantee audiences a different experience each time they see him play. In the past 3 years, Danny has performed all over the world, released two albums, and is currently working on a third full length.

 THE ALLEY DAWGS  5:45PM to 6:45PM

The Alley Dawgs are a three piece country and western band that plays everything from Hank Williams to Merle Haggard to George Straight to Garth Brooks. The band
members Joel, Jeff and Marshall are accomplished musicians who have toured extensively throughout North America and Europe as part of the Juno-nominated band Rah Rah.

ANDINO SUNS  7:45  – 9PM

It wasn’t easy for Andino Suns to get to where they are today. The recording of their third full length LP, Madera, was difficult and ambitious and full of decisions both back-breaking and emotional, yet ultimately essential in the evolution of the band.

It’s a collaborative, homegrown record in which they’ve incorporated some of the most talented, hardworking musicians Saskatchewan has to offer. The Dead South, Megan Nash, Keiffer McLean, Scott Richmond and members of the Regina Symphony Orchestra all make appearances on it. The band also incorporated some international flair by bringing in world renowned percussionist based out of Montréal, Daniel Emden, as a co-producer. Emden, who has performed with the prestigious Berklee World String Orchestra out of Boston, sharpened his skills working with some of the best artists South America has to offer.

Madera combines the sizzling sounds of South American sun with the earthiness of prairie solitude. It’s laced with elements of traditional Andean music; (those with a keen ear for sound will notice charango, quena and Toyos) yet it also contains the charm and sensibilities of art, which, although far from its origins, feels more than comfortable in its surroundings.

The music of Andino Suns may have been forged in the fire of Chilean revolt –which it undoubtedly is- but it is also rooted heavily in the fabric of the vast Canadian prairies.

Andres Davalos, as well as both guitar players Andres Palma and recent addition, Cristian Moya (formerly of Descalso), are the sons of political exiles who found security in the Canadian prairies. They were raised in households that cherished its Chilean heritage. They learned the language and the history; they read the books, watched the shows and, most importantly, they listened to the music.

The band hasn’t slowed down since its inception in 2009. Their raucous and memorable live performances have made securing festival gigs pretty easy; and the band’s popularity and skill continue to grow steadily. Performances across Canada have included JunoFest, SaskTel Jazz Fest, the Regina Folk Festival and Ness Creek in Saskatchewan; Festival du Bout du Monde, and Festival des Traditions du Monde in Quebec; and Cold Snap Festival in British Columbia. They also represented Saskatchewan at Mundial Montreal, Folk Alliance International in Kansas, and the 2015 Western Canadian Music Industry Awards in Victoria.

In 2013 they released their debut, self-titled album. It was uplifting, dance-able and smothered in romance. Their sophomore recording, It’s Time to Rise, dropped in 2014 and was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award for “World Recording of the Year”. The record managed to cultivate the band’s proud heritage while simultaneously crafting songs that are feisty, identifiable and relevant.

“A wild and wooly molding of Ennio Morricone and Manu Chao”

– Roddy Campbell, Penguin Eggs

On September 11, 1973, the metallic yet proud voice of Salvador Allende could be heard broadcasting itself to the people of Chile. He was barricaded inside the presidential palace, awaiting his inevitable death at the hands of US backed forces that were about to overthrow his government and install a military dictatorship. With his final words he reinforced the revolutionary spirit of his leadership.

“Social processes can be arrested by neither crime nor force. History is ours, and people make history”. –Salvador Allende

That is the spirit behind Andino Suns. It is music for and about the people whose labour makes the world what it is; and the people who refuse to lay down to injustice and inequality. It is music that addresses the youth; “those who sing and give us joy” as Allende said; and it is music that addresses mankind; “the worker, the farmer, the intellectual; those who will be persecuted”. It is the kind of music that, were the music silenced, you would continue to hear it.

Like Allende, Andino Suns have “planted a seed in people which will not be shriveled forever.”

There may come a day when the music is gone. But within music lies ideas and passion and revolt; and that is the stuff of history.

“Long live Chile! Long live the people! Long live the workers.”

Salvador Allende, 1973

 

 

 

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