ATHABASCA – The Heartwood Folk Club has a new music director, and he hasn’t missed a beat as the upcoming 2023 spring season will feature a mixture of traditional country, fiddling, and prohibition era jazz.
Director Charlie DeShane says the four-show series starts with acclaimed fiddler Calvin Vollrath, a St. Paul Alberta native. Unlike prior performances with Danny Hopper, it’ll just be him this time, as DeShane tried to book more “unique” shows.
“I try and look for acts that haven’t been seen quite the way that they will be. People think of Calvin as a fiddle player, and as an instrumentalist, not realizing that he’s also a performer in his own right.”
Calvin Vollrath will be in town Feb. 28, followed by the Misery Mountain Boys March. 17, then the Lonesome Ace Stringband comes to town April. 21, and finally Amy Bishop will bring the season to its close May 12.
The other challenge DeShane had for this season’s shows was the variety. Heartwood is no longer purely about folk music, although DeShane wryly noted that “all music is played to folks, by folks, and as such is folk music.” With the help of Alberta Showcase, a three-day event that brings between 30-40 performers together, DeShane pulled the four groups together
DeShane’s own musical history will certainly be an asset for the club, with his combined knowledge of performance, as well as the sound and lighting side of it bringing a unique perspective.
“When I was in high school band, the teacher asked if anyone knew how the PA system worked, and I raised my hand and said that I would be willing to learn. I didn’t know much about any of that end, I’m usually coming at it from the performers end or the production end. Once everybody found out that I was the artistic director, the emails began, and I got hundreds of emails inside of a couple weeks.”
DeShane also credited Alberta Showcase for being a major asset in finding talent, noting that Amy Bishop was discovered through this process.
“She did a set that absolutely blew everyone’s doors off. Several of us were there and were just like we need to get her.”
