As the holiday season approaches, local music lovers will soon be able to enjoy the gifts and offerings of some very talented Canadian musicians when they return to Innisfail later this month.
Juno Award winner and Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Gary Fjellgaard will be bringing his finger style acoustic guitar, gentle vocals and colourful storytelling to his eager fans during a concert at the Innisfail United Church on Nov. 17. Joining him once again will be his long-time touring partners, Saskia and Darrel, also known as The Great Plains.
The artists have been touring together on and off for about 12 years. "At that time, there was an idea to put together a Christmas album to raise money for the food bank," said Saskia, speaking on the phone from her home on Vancouver Island, which she shares with musical partner and new husband Darrel. "I asked a bunch of my favourite Canadian musicians to take part in the project. Gary was one of them and so was Darryl. We had so much fun on the tour of that album, and we felt the harmonies were divine, so we decided we should continue that partnership and tour together from time to time."
Based on the longevity of the relationship, the arrangement appears to be working well. All of Fjellgaard's tours are now booked through Saskia. Both Fjellgaard and the Great Plains clearly have their own successful careers, and they perform individually as well as with other people when the opportunity arises. However, they are all thrilled to be able to work together, as part of such a talented team, and to share the music they all love with the fans they all appreciate.
Saskia said that those fans should expect lots of great entertainment as this final, busy leg of their current tour with Fjellgaard begins. "There will be a whole lot of music and laughter," she said. "All kinds of fun stuff like yodeling and penny whistles, mandolin and beautiful harmonies. Given the season, there may even be a sprinkling of some of the beautiful, traditional Christmas pieces we all know and love."
The United Church promises to be a beautiful venue for the show. "We play a lot of churches," she said. "They are wonderful spaces to play. They promote our show and bring us great acoustics and fabulous audiences, and we share some of the proceeds with them to help them in their own fundraising efforts. It's a win/win situation."
Anyone interested in catching this gifted trio in concert might wish to consider purchasing their tickets early. "It isn't an extremely large room, and the show has been pretty popular here in the past," said Saskia. "We'd hate for people to be disappointed."
Tickets for Gary Fjellgaard with Saskia and Darrel are available at the United Church Office, or by calling 403-227-3881. Ticket will also be available at the door, unless the concert sells out ahead of time.
In the meantime, the trio are eagerly packing their winter gear and preparing to get back to the plains. "We look forward to seeing all of our friends," said Saskia. "We love Alberta and can't wait to visit again."
