Block Heater 2019: Saturday Evening

It’s big. It’s back. It’s Calgary Folk Music Festival’s Block Heater 2019!

Schedule: 

7:00 pm – Lucky Sonne

8:35 pm – Eamon McGrath, The Wet Secrets, Lucky Sonne, Kay Berkel

10:30 pm – Eamon McGrath, The Devastation Trio

About Lucky Sonne (via Block Heater)

Energy and anarchy are the forces that drive Lucky Sonne’s bold, “eh list” alt/folk/country/rock sound. Luke Colborne’s astute songwriting is peppered with bee stings: empire builders slipping in and out of prison, self made men falling victim to poisoned apples and slow learners finally catching up to the plot. Every reminiscence of Dylan in Colborne’s writing is countered with a Cobain abrasiveness. Over the course of Lucky Sonne’s four albums and hundreds of shows, Colborne, long-time co-conspirator, Arran Fisher (percussion/vocals), and bandmates Darren Young (bass/vocals) and Mark Race (keys) have increasingly upped the ante, reveling in the energy and the anarchy. Lucky Sonne are Stampede City kings burning Cowtown to the ground. We. Should. All. Be. So. Bold.

About Eamon McGrath and The Devastation Trio

After nearly a decade in Toronto, Edmonton-born Eamon McGrath has evolved from a wild, young punk rocker into the road-wizened singer-songwriter, author and record producer he is today. Long a proponent of the DIY model of artistic freedom, McGrath has steadily carved out his career by building community amongst the musicians he’s met along the way, refusing to compromise his ideals for quicker shots at the brass ring. With the Devastation Trio, McGrath takes the songs from his latest, the self-produced Tantramar (2017), to a quieter but more experimental place. With this album, McGrath reaches a new peak, evoking the feel of the late night streets with smartly composed songs that highlight his outside-the-box production style.

The Wet Secrets

It’s easy to imagine Edmonton weirdos The Wet Secrets as a cartoon but that would undersell the fully realized production of their records and the infectious hooks in their offbeat brand of dancefloor rock n’ roll. Masking a certain lyrical darkness behind upbeat melodies and driving rhythms, The Wet Secrets latest album, The Tyranny Of Objects (2017) is an uproarious ride, with blasting fuzz bass riffs accented by funky horn shots and carnivalesque synth hooks, all bathed in sugary vocal harmonies. In a world intent on heading to gloomy places, The Wet Secrets offer a white-hot burning disco dance party on a hyperbolic meteor.

About Kay Berkel

This brand new collective of proud purveyors of country AND western music is set to open the gates wide and let their ponies run. Wrangled together by multi-instrumentalist and country music singer-songwriter Trixie Berkel (Daniel Romano, Astral Swans), The Rhinestones feature a rotating backing cast of Alberta’s finest, led by a trio of harmonies that might make you forget your own birthday. For this show, the collective includes Tyler Allen, Dayna Moritz, Geoff Hilhorst, Erik Allen and Andy “Bicycle” Beisel. Like an old forgotten bed of flowers, The Rhinestones’ music harkens back to early unvarnished, traditional aching stylings, and attributes their unique sound to many fortuitous reunions of kindred spirits.

Find more information about the timing and lineup here.