WHAT’S GOING ON: Road Trip!
Pack your bags, load up on the liquids, and gas up your truck – it’s time for a trip out of town.
Not too far, what with gas prices what they are, eh. Let’s stick to Alberta.
First up is the perennial favourite Blueberry Bluegrass Festival July 29-31, in Stony Plain, Alberta, just 41 km away from Edmonton, where you will find superstars of the bluegrass genre largely unheard of by the general public: David Davis, Don Rigsby, Missy Raines, The Barrel Boys, and actually we have heard of this guy, Edmonton’s own fiddle champion Calvin Vollrath, along with Back Porch Swing, also from around these parts. There’s also a band called The Local Band, not sure where they’re from. I could look it up, but why ruin the mystery?
Read here the story of the awesome giant instrument sculptures you’ll see at Blueberry, made by local artist Spyder Yardley-Jones.
Next, down in a hot baking field in Camrose, Alberta (100 km away) is the venerable Big Valley Jamboree, July 28-31 – this year featuring Tim McGraw (above), Eric Church, and Dallas Smith (from former Nickelbackian grunge-rock band Default), plus many more. For those unfamiliar, this festival is country culture with a capital C – real die-hard trucking fucking mama beer swillin’ honest to goodness goddamned COUNTRY. As host Danny Hooper said to me once backstage in a memorable quote I can’t get out of my head, “Country music will get to you … if you let it.” Because it DOES.
Finally, for something completely on the other end of the spectrum, the Loud as Hell metal festival takes place in Drumheller, Alberta (281 km away) July 29-31 – once again featuring superstars of the chosen genre largely unknown outside of it: like Endast, Neck of the Woods, and I wanna say Caroosa? Can’t read these goddamned band name logos – that’s how you know they’re good.
Read here a story about the man who has designed thousands of unreadable metal band logos. He is named Lord of the Logos.
