The Heartwood Folk Club ended its spring 2018 season with a wide-ranging performance by the Dana Wylie Trio May 4.
The three-piece folk band performed in front of a crowd of approximately 120 people at the Nancy Appleby Theatre, according to Heartwood Folk Club president Harvey Scott. The band performed a mixture of original songs and covers, including some folk, blues and even a French cabaret song.
Lead singer Dana Wylie said in an interview after the show her experiences living in different countries around the world has led her to have a wide range of music.
“Being exposed to lots of different kinds of music in my life because I’ve lived in so many different places,” Wylie said. "I sometimes felt like I should pick a genre and stick to it, but I can't. It's all in there and it comes out however it wants to.”
Playing in front of the crowd in Athabasca was enjoyable, Wylie said.
“I felt really comfortable. The feeling in the room was really good,” Wylie said. “Just really warm, especially considering the theatre wasn’t full. I feel the audience was putting out a lot of energy."
Bass player Keith Rempel said the trio did not have much time to rehearse beforehand, necessitating improvisation. But he added the three have played together a long time and are used to doing that.
“It’s relaxing because sometimes you’re on stage and you’re paranoid about what if you play a wrong note and with Dana it’s not like that. Everything is very forgiving,” Rempel said in an interview.
Scott said the performance went well and complimented the power of Wylie's voice.
“She has so much power it’s just eerie. Once of the greatest voices, I’d say we’ve ever had here," Scott said.
With the Heartwood Folk Club spring 2018 season wrapped up, Scott said he was proud of what the club accomplished with it.
“We’re very happy and very proud of it. We got a good response from the community,” Scott said.
However, he added he would have liked to have seen more people attend the final show of the season May 4.
“We work hard to get the seats full. Right now, the economy’s down, people have very short recreation and entertainment budgets," Scott said.
Wylie complimented the work of the Heartwood Folk Club near the end of her performance.
“It seems like it’s a really strong people that put all this together and its just a beautiful thing to witness,” Wylie said. “Folk clubs are just the most beautiful thing.”
Fall lineup discussed
Heartwood Folk Club artistic director Peter Opryshko also announced plans for the Fall 2018 season during an intermission in the May 4 show.
Laura Love, who was the first person to ever perform for the Heartwood Folk Club, is scheduled for Oct. 26, Opyrshko said.
Oysterband, a folk rock group from the United Kingdom, is scheduled to perform in early November, Opyrshko said.
Opyrshko said the club is also planning to schedule folk artist John Wort Hannam for a show in the fall, and Christine Hanson for a show in either the fall or next spring.
Hanson was originally scheduled to play May 4, but cancelled due to jaw surgery, Scott said.
