Bluesman's season opener promises to 'lift the roof'
Juno-award winning musician Jim Byrnes kicking off NACC season in Fort Simpson
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, September 8, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Nothing warms you up like a journey to the heart of blues, and the Northern Arts and Culture Centre is planning to do just that as it brings blues musician Jim Byrnes to the Northwest Territories.
Jim Byrnes, a bluesman from Vancouver, will be performing in Fort Simpson on Sept. 12. Byrnes will be one of the first performers to visit the Deh Cho this year in a series of shows organized by the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre. - photo courtesy of Northern Arts and Cultural Centre
|
As the weather turns toward winter, the centre is opening its season in Fort Simpson on Sept. 12 with a show that, in the words of NACC executive and artistic director Marie Coderre, "will lift the roof of the gymnasium."
"People can expect to travel to the roots of blues music. If you like the old way of playing blues, from the southern part of the (United) States, this is going to definitely be a journey about that," Coderre said.
"Also, to see the skill set of the musician - his voice is just transcending."
Coderre's description is given credence by Byrnes' status as a Juno Award winner. He won the 2011 Blues Album of the Year for Everywhere West, his third such award. He had previously won a Juno for his House of Refuge album in 2006, and before that he won in 1995 for That River.
Hailing originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Byrnes has spent four decades in Vancouver, with a long list of credits for voice acting under his belt.
"He's a really good storyteller, too," Coderre said.
"The communication between the audience and himself will be amazing."
Although she has known of Byrnes for a long time, Coderre remembers seeing him play a show at the Yukon Arts Centre in 2014.
"It was a great show. I thought, 'I have to have him at NACC at some point, one day.' "
That day has come. Byrnes' tour through Fort Simpson marks his third stop on a list of six.
His first show of the tour, on Sept. 10, will be in Yellowknife accompanied by The Sojourners, a gospel trio.
The Sojourners won't be joining him in Fort Simpson, though, due to cost concerns. Instead, Byrnes will appear with a fellow musician to play guitar and piano in a duet of sorts.
"We want a big crowd at this show. It's our season launch in Fort Simpson, so it's a special event," Coderre said.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed the turnout will be good. It's definitely a high-scale show."
Members of the Open Sky Creative Society have been responsible for helping the centre out with logistics and promotion, she said. Before the show takes place, NACC will be bringing Byrnes to Thomas Simpson Secondary School for a presentation in front of the high school students.
"We try to get the youth involved with it, too," Coderre explained.
"It's very important . because they don't have exposure as much as in the big centres. It's a way for the youth to see, hey, you can do that too. You can work in the performing arts . It opens their eyes to new things."
The show will take place in the gymnasium of Bompas Elementary School at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online or at the Open Sky Creative Society, with discounts for families, youth and seniors.
