THE BLUES ARE HERE TO STAY

The sweet sounds of the blues sail through the heart of Alberta as some of the finest blues musicians gear up for another extraordinary year.

The Carma Acoustic Blues Series, held at Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts, invites blues lovers from far and wide to enjoy the most masterful musicians in the genre.
Now in its 13^th year, the event features seasoned professionals coming together and performing in the intimate setting of the Engineered Air Theatre, low-key and mellow for their fans to enjoy.

The series, running from Oct. 22 to May 20, is designed to unite blues artists from across the globe. As the blues is not a mainstream music genre, this series was also created to lure audiences into the sensual world of this influential artform.

Sue Foley, a Juno winner and one of the festival’s most distinguished performers, will be present this year to wow the audiences once more with her electrifying sounds. Foley is one of the country’s most astounding blues artists. Having started her career at just 16, by the age of 21 she was already recording for illustrious labels such as Antone’s Records. Her first-ever CD, Young Girl Blues, was a smash and quickly earned Foley a reputation as a remarkable songwriter and guitarist. She then went on to work with some of the industry’s best and is now sharing her music with Canada’s finest artists.

‘HE SAID, SHE SAID’

One of the series’ most acclaimed shows is a duet featuring Foley with master songsmith Peter Karp. “He Said, She Said” is a real-life account of two artists sharing their woes through letters. It tells a tale of the lonely road, while on tour. Both artists mix the blues, flamenco and jazz to completely enchant the audience. This masterpiece, which boosted the hype of the series, is widely known for its masterful combination of powerful storytelling and awe-inspiring sounds.

Karp and Foley’s story reads like two soulmates who lost each other but found one another again in the most powerful way. Only a few years ago, Sue and Peter knew nothing of each other. They happened to meet at the Ottawa Bluesfest where a mutual love for the blues piqued their interest in each other. Peter enjoyed what Sue was playing and she his work. The artists got together and, in an attempt to collaborate, decided to do a duet. But in a surprising turn of fate, the record could not materialize.

“We were so used to performing on our own that we weren’t prepared to do things like come together and mix harmonies. That’s when we went our separate directions,” says Karp.

Karp was raised in Alabama and always had a love for music. His influences consisted of listening to the blues and singing and songwriting. In his late teens, he saw his career blossom as the guitarist, keyboard player and songwriter for the rock band They Came From Houses. He is now being compared to American songwriting legends John Prine and even Bob Dylan. 

Foley’s career was just as popular before they met. Calling herself “Canada’s Guitar Woman,” Sue’s whole life was devoted to her love of music. Born and raised in Ottawa, she was constantly around music as her three brothers and father were guitarists themselves. By the time she was 13 she started playing the instrument herself, and by 16 was a distinguished musician.

After the blues festival in Ottawa and the unsuccessful attempt at a duet, Sue went on her way and Peter his. Although it would be some time before they met up again, they never forgot one another and kept in touch by writing letters.

Their correspondence started out as conversational writing, congenial. But as time went on, the letters became much more important to the artists because of what they were going through as humans and as musicians on the road. 

“We started looking to each other for daily inspiration and support. Over the course of a year, when we came down to making a new record, we thought gee, we have a lot of great heartfelt and honest material… songs that can be straight from those letters,” says Karp.

“The whole thing was mind-blowing. For me the most astounding thing about it was how the songs came together, how easily things came together. We didn’t really try,” says Foley.

The artists compare their masterpiece to a lightning bolt in the middle of the day: natural and organic, yet something amazingly spectacular.

Foley and Karp plan on creating more eclectic pieces — an extension of the previous story but with the same powerful emotion and undercurrent.

“This new record will have the same feel… We are really just having a lot of fun,” says Karp.

“Internationally, our piece has been overwhelmingly good. It is something that transcends music, it has a universal theme… It has all kind of feelings of hope, frustration and redemption,” says Foley.

Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts is giving these two artists the opportunity to share their story with all of Canada. Both artists recognize this stage as a world-class place, worthy of having legendary artists perform.

“Looking at these artists, I feel great about it. This is a world-class venue and it has really great Canadian talent,” says Foley.

A DIVERSITY OF TALENTS

Other acclaimed artists set to perform at the Carma series this year include Paul Reddick, blending new sounds with flavours of the past; Morgan Davis, combining humour and the blues; Brother Yusef with acoustic and electric guitar; Julian Fauth, infusing piano with passion; and Harrison Kennedy on guitar and harmonica.

The blues is becoming one of the most powerful musical undercurrents in Alberta. “He Said, She Said” has all of the makings to be a legendary masterpiece. During the Carma Acoustic Blues Series, artists from all over Canada and around the world come together to take the music world by storm. The most innovative sounds are produced creating a tidal wave of contemporary sounds while keeping the sweetness of an old tradition. Something this big simply cannot be missed.•

Tickets can be purchased at epcorcentre.org.