Music lovers will enjoy 'Wide Open Spaces' in an intimate one.
The Duncan Showroom gets a sweet surprise and welcomes Canadian folk icon Connie Kaldor in the September lineup as she brings music from her new album Wide Open Spaces. After her Sept. 17 concert at the Showroom quickly sold out, a second was swiftly added on Sept. 21, which Longevity John Falkner said will definitely satisfy local music lovers' thirst for a fine folk and roots performance.
"It is wonderful we were offered the extra date albeit due to the closure of Penticton’s Dream Café on Sept 6, which was another famous much needed listening venue in the Canadian folk scene," said Falkner.
Kaldor has been a musical force for more than 45 years. She is not only a three-time Juno Award winner and a member of the Order of Canada, but also the writer of the beloved prairie classic 'Wood River.' This past year alone Kaldor received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Woodstock Folk Festival as well as nominations from both the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and the Folk Alliance International. As a trailblazing voice in Canadian roots music she has always written her songs with honesty, humour, and deep connection to place, and Wide Open Spaces is no exception as she turns her focus homeward, crafting a collection of songs rooted in the vast prairies of western Canada.
“I wanted to do a recording about the prairies — stories, characters, landscape, pedal steel, and country roots," said Kaldor. "Basically, songs that would mean home to me in some way. It is an extraordinary landscape in that western part of Canada, and it is often overlooked. Some of the songs are sentimental, some are funny, some are personal, and some I could perform at a prairie wedding."
Wide Open Spaces, which is now available on all streaming platforms, reflects Kaldor’s long-standing love for country traditions and classic women writers such as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Patsy Montana. Her new album, which was co-produced by her husband Paul Campagne and Zachary Bachand, who also contributes pedal steel, features the vocal and violin talents of her two sons Gabriel and Aleksi Campagne. Rounding out the ensemble are Stephane Krims on bass, Maude Bastien on drums, and Steve Normandin on accordion.
At a time where Canadian pride and political reflection is heightened, along with Kaldor’s signature warmth Wide Open Spaces blends grit, humour, and heart with songs such as 'Outlaw (Revisited)', which reclaims prairie myth through a woman’s lens, to tender reflections like 'Crane Valley Road' as well as songs like 'Hitched Together' and 'Raining on the Farm', which delve into the struggles of small farmers, climate change, and rural displacement, while celebrating resilience, love, and community. These are themes that resonate deeply with Kaldor, who spends nearly half the year on her family's farm in southern Saskatchewan.
Kaldor's latest 'This Car' is a nostalgic ode to the vehicles that carry us through our lives, loves, and careers, inspired by a touring vehicle belonging to Kaldor’s friend, Canadian blues singer Suzie Vinnick.
Kaldor is just getting started on her Canadian tour to support her new album, which kicks off at the Showroom, and folk fans will be kicking themselves if they miss the added Showroom performance on Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40. For more info on Kaldor and her new album and other tour dates visit conniekaldor.com.
"Connie has been performing across Canada for over four decades, while releasing new material on a regular basis," said Falkner. "Everyone who attends one of her shows feeling like they were just in her living room — such an engaging performer."
