The second performer in the Barrhead Arts Council’s 2018-2019 concert season will also be putting on an afternoon concert at Hillcrest Lodge on the day he comes to Barrhead.
Singer-songwriter Tanner James will perform at the Barrhead Composite High School drama theatre on Thursday, Feb. 28. The show starts at 8 p.m.
James, who hails originally from Lethbridge, is a folk singer that likes to weave stories and humour into his concerts.
As described in his online biography, James is “one of the last great Canadian storytellers who is proud to carry on the oral storytelling tradition. His songs are about the people he meets and places he’s been. They are gut-wrenchingly funny and heartbreakingly confessional.”
His list of songwriting accolades including winning first place in the 2014 Calgary Folk Music Song Contest, though he also placed second and third in the same contest in the years leading up to that win.
He was also a semi-finalist in the 2009 UK Song Contest, an international songwriting competition.
Notably, he also completed a musician-in-residence program at the Banff Centre in late 2015, where he wrote a collection of songs and performed a number of recital hall shows.
Jennifer Lechelt of the Barrhead Arts Council said they hired James through the Alberta Arts Touring Alliance to perform in town, and he stated that he would like to throw a free afternoon concert at a local lodge.
As such, James will be performing for the residents of the Hillcrest Lodge from 2-3 p.m. on Feb. 28 as well.
“He likes to give back to communities,” Lechelt said. “Isn’t that a wonderful thing to do?”
Tickets to the show are $30 for those who do not have a season pass, which cost $90. Lechelt said there are still some tickets available at Comfort Corner for those who would wish to come out.
“Everyone is welcome … Let’s get out there and support live music,” she said.
After the concert with Tanner James, there are still two more shows left in the season: fiddle and guitar duo Ghostboy, who will come to town on Thursday, April 4; and folk and roots trio Red Moon Road, who will perform in Barrhead on Thursday, April 25.
The first concert of the season was the Johnny Summers Little Big Band, who came to town on Nov. 29. As well, the Arts Council also brought the Rapid Fire Theatre improv group to town on Jan. 24 to perform “Off Book: The Musical.”
