Give Us Winterruption

The January-smashing festival roars back for year two

Music | by Stephen Whitworth

Winterruption
Multiple Venues
January 19–21

For the second year, the Regina Folk Festival and Broadway Theatre are teaming up to save all Saskatchewan-based humanity from January sadness with Winterruption, an epic series of concerts at multiple venues in the great cities of Saskatoon and Regina. Suck it, Swift Current.

As if that weren’t enough, the partners have somehow arranged for a weekend of unseasonable weather, so that someone leaving their house to, say, go to a concert (for example) won’t freeze solid into a icy visage of anguish and regret before they get to the show.

As of this writing (Tuesday night), Regina’s looking forward to plus temperatures, and it won’t get any colder than minus-10 over the festival’s four days.

Not bad for a month that’s given us windchills in the “Ice Planet Of Hoth” range.

The line-ups look fantastic. Starting Thursday (the day this paper comes out), The Exchange has a killer triple bill with label-defying, multi-genre artist IsKwe, Chic Gamine singer Begonia and the roosiest rootsters that ever rootsed, Elliott Brood. Unfortunately, at the same time this is happening you’ll also need to be at Artesian to see retro-suffragette sounds of Rosie And The Riveters, Chiapas fusion musician Quique Escamilla and acoustic wonder that is Danny Olliver. All you can do is activate your being-in-two-places-at once-powers and get ready to be blown away!

Moving onto Friday Jan. 20, Artisan has Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids. Just like the title says, expect a hilarious, adorable, cringe-inducing and heartbreaking evening — a crudité of emotion as only a child could write. Meanwhile, The Exchange has Said The Whale, Northcote and The Garrys. Should be fantastic, and hey here’s a bonus thing: look elsewhere on this page for the top songs of The Garry’s Julie Maier!

Onward to Saturday, Jan. 20!

The fun starts at 1:00 at the Knox Metropolitan Church, where delighter of children, Talented Guy From Winnipeg and let’s call it like it is, Hero Of The Universe Fred Penner will perform his beloved songs. I saw him at Bengough this summer and I guarantee that if you have any ability to be happy, you will enjoy this.

Also on Saturday: The Exchange and Artesian will once again compete for your attention with two frustratingly excellent line-ups. The Exchange has an evening of legendary folk music with Connie Kaldor, Heather Bishop and Annette. Artesian, meanwhile, has William Prince, Mohsin Zaman and Danny Michel. Both shows start at eight, so choose your pleasure and proceed with looking back.

Winterruption 2017: a good time will be had by all. For more details check out reginafolkfestival.com. And have a great weekend, fellow Winterrrupting buckaroos!