Following my afternoon nap, and finally shaking off my headache we headed back over to catch the last of the bands at Springfest. This post includes the last of my digital snapshots from the festival. I did shoot a couple rolls of 35mm film, but as of this writing I have not yet processed it. As it turned out, a couple of the bands that I enjoyed the most, played in this last set....
At 7:00 Glen Brown and Spur Crazy played a set in the Community Hall. I saw these guys at last year's Springfest and really enjoyed them. Margarit and the others aren't really into twangy old school country, so they didn't join me for this one. According to the festival guide these guys are centred out of Airdrie. They stick to the roots of their raisin' and play traditional roots country music with a Texas flair. The musicians are extremely talented players and have been sidemen for several recording professionals on tour throughout Canada.
I'm a sucker for the pedal steel and and just get mesmerised watching someone play. The fiddle player was exceptionally good as well, and I understand he used to play with Mel Tillis.
After Spur Crazy wrapped up their set I reconnected with Margarit and we headed over to the Schoolhouse. Shane Larmand was playing in the small venue in the Tea Room. By this point in the day things were running a little behind schedule and their 7:30 start time was actually closer to 8:00, which worked out perfectly for us. He had a banjo player and a percussionist backing him up in this small room. Shane Larmand is a roots-rock Americana tunesmith, featuring shadowy blue songs of prairie anxiety and mountain love. This campfire tapestry of crackling wood, wire and crooning calls is an enticing mixture of the classic sound of an experienced musician with the fresh tones of an artist embarking on a new singer songwriter journey... as per the guide. I can't recall exactly where he was from, but is was somewhere up in the Bonnyville-Cold Lake area.
At 9:00 the Barrel Dogs hit the stage back over in the Community Hall. I've seen these guys a couple of times before at previous Springfests and they always put on a good show. Their keyboardist-accordianist also played with the Bungalows earlier in the day. The Barrel Dogs are a five piece group that play originals and classic roots/rock covers. All are inspired by the eclectic radio mix of the 1970's - Roots, Rock, Blues even a litte Reggae fill the list of their danceable 'vocals-forward' sets.
The final act of the festival was the Sadlier-Brown Band. These guys were one of my favourites. A family band of husband, wife and son that played an awesome mix of rockabilly. As the last band of the night, they were in no hurry to finish and the crowd kept them playing through a few encores. The guide describes them like this... The Sadlier-Brown Band mixes original songs with obscure vintage songs to five you a creative show. All of their music is played with an infectious solid rhythm that encourages dancing. The look and style of the band is vintage. This includes clothes and instruments dating from the early time of country and rockabilly jive music.
The dad was a superb guitarist and kept the place just rocking well into the evening. A great wrap up to the festival that was once again a really great time....
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