It’s a place where people can gather, and where music lovers of all ages and backgrounds may experience the Secwépemc ways of knowing and connecting with one another.
Named for the gathering of the people in the Secwépemc language, Plulk’w Place will be right at the heart of the Salmon Arm fairgrounds and the 2023 ROOTSandBLUES Festival.
The Plulk’w Place stage will be set up with interactive educational displays, storytelling and more, and will be the place to enjoy performances by Dallas Arcand, DerRic Starlight, Ryley Booth, Rain August, Kuksjammin and more.
Meanwhile, on the Barn and CBC Blues stages, the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society is looking to make music history with once-in-a-lifetime musical pairings.
During the Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Aug. 19 and 20, this year’s workshops bring together musicians from across genres, cultures and languages in a series of thematic workshops.
“Some of the best ROOTSandBLUES memories have been made during these exciting afternoon collaborations,” said artistic director Kevin Tobin. “This year, we knew we wanted to take audiences on a real musical journey with unique thematic pairings.”
Saturday workshops kick off with Pocket Change featuring Corey Harris, Garnetta Cromwell & DaGroovmasters and Munro & Patrick on the CBC Blues Stage before La Dame Blanche, TEKE::TEKE and Moontricks take festival-goers on a virtual world tour in Globetrotting on the Barn Stage.
After more international travel through Boarding Pass, a Blind Date and a history of Indigenous blues and hip hop in Change Agents, Saturday workshops wrap with a deep dive into The Band’s monumental album, Music from Big Pink featuring Colin Linden, John Dymond, Gary Craig, Hawksley Workman, Heather Gemmell and Boy Golden.
Sunday brings five workshops, beginning with Boiling Point on the CBC Blues Stage with Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, Crystal Shawanda and Colin Linden, and an exciting, drum-fuelled Percussion Syndicate on the Barn Stage. Back on the Blues Stage, things get funky with Five Alarm Funk and the Melawmen Collective in Funk Hop Nation before When the Levee Breaks digs into the history and importance of the blues.
Hawksley Workman, Heather Gemmell, Munro & Patrick, Jake Vaadeland and Abigail Lapell round out the 2023 ROOTSandBLUES workshops with a heartfelt celebration of Gordon Lightfoot in If You Could Read My Mind.
See below for the complete list of workshops.
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WORKSHOPS: MAGIC BEHIND THE MUSIC
It’s the big names that make the headlines, but as anyone who has been to ROOTSandBLUES can attest, it’s the workshops that make the lasting memories.
From world travel to the best drumming in the business, here are this year’s thematic workshops”
• Blind Date – Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Barn Stage, featuring Le Vent Du Nord, the Hello Darlins and Little Miss Higgins Country blues, Americana and roots, and traditional Quebecois folk come together for a late lunch when these talented artists meet for the first time to share the stories behind their songs.
• Boarding Pass – Saturday, Aug. 19 at the CBC Blues Stage, featuring Apollo Suns and Battle of Santiago Experience global songs and stories that have influenced the lives and sounds of these artists.
• Boiling Point – Sunday, Aug. 20 at the CBC Blues Stage, featuring Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, Crystal Shawanda and Colin Linden.
• Change Agents – Saturday, Aug. 19 at the CBC Blues Stage, featuring Crystal Shawanda and the Melawmen Collective.
• Funk Hop Nation – Sunday, Aug. 20 at the CBC Blues Stage, featuring Five Alarm Funk and the Melawmen Collective
• Globetrotting – Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Barn Stage, featuring La Dame Blanche, TEKE::TEKE and Moontricks.
• If You Could Read My Mind – Sunday, Aug. 20 at the Barn Stage, featuring Hawksley Workman, Heather Gemmell, Munro & Patrick, Jake Vaadeland, Abigail Lapell.
• Music from Big Pink – Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Barn Stage, featuring Colin Linden, John Dymond, Gary Craig, Hawksley Workman, Heather Gemmell and Boy Golden.
• Percussion Syndicate – Sunday, Aug. 20 at the Barn Stage, featuring TEKE::TEKE and Mazacote.
• Pocket Change – Saturday, Aug. 19 at the CBC Blues Stage, featuring Corey Harris, Garnetta Cromwell & DaGroovmasters and Munro & Patrick.
• When the Levee Breaks – Sunday, Aug. 20 at the CBC Blues Stage, featuring Corey Harris, Rick Estrin & the Nightcats and Sue Foley.
For more information and tickets, visit rootsandblues.ca. Advanced pricing weekend and day passes are available until Aug. 11 online or by phone at 250-833-4096. For more information, follow the Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES on Facebook and Instagram.
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