ATHABASCA — It is time for a Joyful Banner Blazing, which is also the name of the latest album by Alberta songwriter Maria Dunn.
The familiar folk figure will be performing at the Nancy Appleby Theatre (NAT) for the fifth time Nov. 13 as part of the Heartwood Folk Club's scaled back concert series, sharing some crowd favourites and some new tunes from her new album through what turned out to be quite a busy time during the pandemic.
“I didn't really have much downtime at all,” Dunn said Oct. 22. “We had finished recording the new album "Joyful Banner Blazing" in January of 2020, and then we were in the mixing phase.”
When everything shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so did the music, forcing musicians to change tack.
“This summer we were actually quite busy,” she said. “The Edmonton Folk Festival put on a bunch of community concerts in Edmonton. I was invited to play in Grande Prairie, we did an indoor show in Calgary … and some more backyard concerts once people sort of got the hang of it.”
And on Jan. 1 of this year the album started hitting the airwaves and got a great response.
“It was a great launch, if you will, but in a completely different way from how I've ever done it before,” she said. “Before it's always been tied to a live concert or trying to do several live concerts or a tour around the date that you're releasing an album.”
And now, almost a year to the day from when she was supposed to take to the NAT stage, she is finally able to do it.
“If this has happened in November 2020 It would have kind of been a pre-launch, you would have had a preview before anyone else.”
So, Dunn is looking forward to taking the stage for a familiar audience even if it will be at half-capacity and people will be wearing masks.
“Hopefully, they'll be able to sing along behind their masks,” said Dunn. “It is an audience who we have played for in the past and know my music and so it's always a beautiful experience. It's a lovely theatre there, the sound is always really lovely and I'm really looking forward to it.”
And then Nov. 28, Columbian-born Canadian Cristian de la Luna will be performing his unique blend of folk and world music.
Tickets are $20 each and available at Value Drug Mart and Whispering Hills Fuels.
