For the last 19 years the annual Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival has been a highlight of the outdoor concert season. On Saturday, August 11, 2018 the event returns to picturesque Deer Lake Park with another lineup of world-class musicians. Mixing folk and Americana to rock & roll and vintage rhythm & blues, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats headline this year’s performance with more artists to be announced in April. Fans of the family-friendly event will once again enjoy a full day of music, local food vendors and activities for supporters of all ages.
Nathaniel Rateliff
Like his heroes, Nathaniel Rateliff has always been an omnivorous listener and player. Growing up in Hermann, Missouri, a small town with a booming tourism industry, he started his music career playing in his family’s band at church, but that came to a tragic end when his father was killed in a car accident. Music became an obsession for him and his friends. “We would walk around these deserted country roads and talk about music all the time, how it can change the world and how it could change our world,” recalls Night Sweats bassist Joseph Pope III. “Music was what we thought would save us.”
Following a move to Denver, Pope and Rateliff formed their first band, Born in the Flood. A set of rough demos recorded in the early 2010s and based on old Stax and Motown records pointed Rateliff in a new direction. Those demos eventually developed into the band’s 2015 self-titled debut, which became a massive hit and pushed them out on the road for two long years. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats blasted their way through hundreds of shows in North America, England, Ireland, and Australia, and they played Coachella, Farm Aid, Newport Folk Festival, and the Monterey Pop Festival’s 50th Anniversary. The crowds grew larger with every show and The Night Sweats grew tighter and more vigorous.
In May 2017, they brought that same boundless energy to theopens plains and prickly cacti of Rodeo, New Mexico, where the entire band disappeared for a week to write songs for their follow-up. Tearing at the Seams, the follow up album, shows The Night Sweats tearing at their own seams, at their own sturdy sound, at their long-held definitions of friend and family and band. It’s an album that builds on the sound of their debut but dramatically redefines what they can do and where they can go next.
The Rural Alberta Advantage
The Rural Alberta Advantage's percussive folk songs about hometowns and heartbreak, and relentless tradition of touring have taken the trio of Amy Cole, Paul Banwatt and Nils Edenloff from humble recognition amongst indie rock die-hards as "Canada's best unsigned band" to sold-out tours and devoted fans around the world with featured coverage from Spin Magazine, Pitchfork, The New York Times and Rolling Stone all taking note. The band has been nominated for two 2012 Juno Awards (Best New Group and Video of the Year for their song “Stamp”),long listed for the 2011 Polaris Award, and awarded the CBC Music Prize for Best Independent Artist in 2014.
Nikki Lane
Nikki Lane’s latest album Highway Queen, sees the young Nashville singer emerge as one of country and rock’s most gifted songwriters. Blending potent lyrics, unbridled blues guitars and vintage Sixties country-pop swagger, Lane’s new music will resonate as easily with Lana Del Rey and Jenny Lewis fans as those of Neil Young and Tom Petty.
Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival acknowledges its many sponsors and partners including presenting sponsor TD Bank Group, Chevron Canada, Tourism Burnaby, Global BC, Burnaby Now, Brentwood Town Centre, Lougheed Town Centre, and UniverCity.
Visit www.burnabybluesfestival.com for festival information.