SILVER SKATE FESTIVAL 2011

Night Works in the Park 

February 18th - 21st, 2011

Hawrelak Park, Edmonton

Stay tuned for 2011 

Below are some of the artists who visited in 2010

DIFF Film festival

A Film Festival of Short films from local filmmakers that will be projected on a 16’ x 20’ snow screen. Curated by filmmaker Dave Morgan, this festival will feature a variety of short films including live action/ stop motion animation, rotoscope animation, dance pieces and music videos.

Colleen Brown

Edmonton, Alberta singer-songwriter Colleen Brown is the recipient of the Alberta Emerging Artist Award and finalist in this year’s CBC Song Quest. A multi- instrumentalist, Brown has steadily gained momentum since she first self-released “Foot In Heart” in 2008, with dedicated radio play on CBC, CKUA and college stations across the country and most recently placement in a CBC Radio 2 TV commercial. To date, Colleen Brown – both solo, and as part of her side projects ‘The Secretaries’ and ‘The Kit Kat Club’ - has performed more than 250 shows, sharing stages with a broad range of artists including Frank Black, Gogol Bordello, Hey Rosetta, Dan Mangan, Danny Michel, The McDades, Adam Cohen and Adam Gregory. Colleen Brown will re-release her album “Foot In Heart” with Emm Gryner’s Dead Daisy Records & Outside Music on March 16, 2010.

"[Foot In Heart] sounds like some of the best music you heard on pop-radio back in the '70s...I love this album.”
-Rich Terfry, Radio 2 program ‘Drive’

“Colleen Brown is a national treasure in the making – along the lines of Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot or k.d.lang.”
-Sandra Sperounes, The Edmonton Journal

 “Colleen Brown played the show of her life, opening up. There is a confidence about her new songs that’s actually scary, savaging the things we men do with a sarcastic lilt and an eager smile for the next round of battle.”

-Fish Griwkowsky, SEE Magazine.
 

Martin Kerr

Martin Kerr seemed an unlikely contestant for Canadian Idol... a fact that didn't stop the altruistic British-born busker from becoming a top-16 finalist in the competition. Martin's rapid rise from the street to the studio has been both uncompromising and well-deserved. His smart, Crowded House-style songs celebrate love, marriage and the undiscovered geniuses that shun the sell-out of manufactured reality shows.

Martin has independently released two folk-pop albums, “I Know You're Out There” and “Just Another Man” and sold over 5,000 copies worldwide. After years of traveling (and busking) around the world, Kerr settled in Edmonton in 2005. He recorded his second album, “I Know You're Out There”, with Captain Tractor's Chris Wynters. It went on to be named “Best Canadian Pop Album 2007” by Toronto Exclusive Magazine.

Playing to his roots in 2009, Martin enjoyed incredible success as a street performer, drawing in huge crowds and selling thousands of CDs on Edmonton's street corners. The Edmonton Journal gave him a double-page spread as they named him 2 in their "52 Things to Love About Edmonton" series.

Currently Martin is currently working with Juno nominated and WCMA winner, Sandro Dominelli, to contract and produce a new album scheduled to be released in early summer 2010

Krystle Dos Santos

Krystle Dos Santos is a Soul and Jazz singer-songwriter.  As one of URB Music Magazine’s “next 1,000 artists to watch,” in 2009, Krystle Dos Santos is a fresh face on the Canadian music scene. Her unique blend of dance beats, funky grooves and soft jazzy soul have inspired comparisons to Sade, Joss Stone and Jill Scott.  Krystle’s debut CD, released in July 2008, was awarded Urban Recording of the Year at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards.
 

Trevor Tchir

Born in St. Albert, Trevor Tchir unites the sounds and images of Canada’s rural and urban spaces. Over the past twelve years, he has played his original songs to audiences across the country. His music tells stories of the people who work and love in its pulsing cities and austere hinterlands. Trevor has a Master's in Political Philosophy, focusing on the cultural theory of the influential Canadian writer, Charles Taylor.


In 2001, Tchir released “November”, whose songs center on themes of devotion, ecological responsibility, and the place of spirituality in a world increasingly bent on economic and technological efficiency.

 In 2005, Tchir released “Wooden Castles Fall”. It’s closing song “Athabasca” was recently featured in Leslie Iwerks' film, “Downstream” which was shortlisted for the 2009 Academy Award for short documentary, about the environmental health hazards of Alberta oil development.

 In October 2009, Tchir released his fourth album, Sky Locked Land. Many of Edmonton’s finest musicians are featured on the album, including his brother, Stephen Tchir, Lane Arndt, Jordan Faulds, and Shannon Johnson.

"Tchir's lyrics are populated with characters who are both universal and intimate…In Tchir's hands place, time and relationships become characters, too, with their own agendas and idiosyncrasies...His allegiance is to the time-honoured art of evoking emotion through storytelling."
- Mary Christa O’Keefe, Vue Weekly

Asani

Asani (“rock” in the Cree language), a contemporary Aboriginal women’s trio from Edmonton, has been captivating audiences with their breathtaking harmonies, their dynamic vocal artistry and their powerful rhythmic style. Carrying with them the traditional influences of First Nations and Metis music accompanied by drums and rattles, their songs resonate with their own blend of traditional vocals infused with the sounds of jazz, folk and blues.

Asani’s debut CD Rattle and Drum (2005) was nominated for 11 music awards throughout North America, including a 2006 Juno Award nomination for ‘Aboriginal Recording of the Year’.  Asani received a Canadian Aboriginal Music Award in 2005 for Best Female Traditional/Cultural Roots Album. Asani is currently garnering national acclaim for their unique arrangement of “O Canada”.

Paul Bellows

Paul Bellows is a singer-songwriter from Edmonton, Alberta with a roots-rock sound – imagine if Elvis Costello had grown up in Saskatchewan listening to Gordon Lightfoot.  Paul's influences are pop (XTC, Elvis Costello, Crowded House, Ben Folds, Weezer) merged with a songwriter's love of lyrics (Shawn Colvin, World Party, Ron Sexsmith, Lyle Lovett, Bruce Springsteen).  Paul has released three recordings over the last 8 years, “Juliet Pauses” which was chosen as a Top 12 DIY record by Performing Songwriter Magazine in 1998, and “Like He’s Famous”, released by Cake Records in 2001. Paul’s most recent recording, “Tape Deck Classics” (2005) ran in the Top 30 on more than 25 Top 200 CMJ stations across the US and Canada. Paul’s music has been featured on national and provincial CBC radio, commercial stations, university and public radio all over North America. Paul has been featured on “Richardson’s Roundup”, CBC’s national afternoon show. Paul has toured from coast to coast in Canada and through the northern US as a solo artist and with a band.

Vibe Tribe

Vibe Tribe -   Started in 2006, Vibe Tribe is rooted in the tradition of Improvisational Tribal Fusion Bellydance ,they have grown to become a mesmerizing Gypsy circus as they gone beyond Belly Dance and have incorporated Poi, Hoops, Swords and Fire. Vibe Tribe seeks to inspire their audience with every show they perform by weaving a magical experience of gypsy-inspired grace and intensity. 

Sean Sonego

Sean Sonego, 17, sings with a sincerity and soulfulness rarely found in such a young person. A folk/blues singer/songwriter, Sean has performed in Hollywood and will be heading down to perform in Nashville both as a result of winning local competitions.

On Saturday, March 6th, Sean will be performing in the Back Alley Blues Concert along with Devon Belcourt.  Sean has been a visible force out in the community using his talents in support of local charities and events.  Sean was the keynote singer for the esteemed Kid's Kottage Earth's Angel's Gala; he has performed on behalf of McDougal House; the YMCA Peace Awards, the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign and the homeless commission among many others initiatives that support cancer treatment and research.  Sean has been interviewed on CityTV; CTV, Global, CFCW and 630 Ched and has been invited to perform at the Big Valley Jamboree for the last 3 years.

Sean has performed at the Citadel, the Arden theatre, Festival Place and the Catalyst Theatre and most recently won the Junior Division Global Country Star Search; Parkland's Got Talent and Future's Fest.

Most recently, Sean has been busy writing and recording his own material and would love to see you at the Back Alley Blues ....   www.seansonego.com

Kira Hladun

Kira is an independent Singer and Songwriter / Musician.   She accompanies herself on both the piano and guitar.  Kira’s music style is Contemporary or Modern Folk / Indie Rock / Astmospheric Folk- Pop.   Kira has always been passionate about singing and her musical background includes Classical, Folk and Pop.  Kira’s music is unique because it doesn’t follow all rules….she writes thoughtful meaningful songs that simply speaks to the heart!   Her music maturity and delivery suggests a soul much older as she weaves poetry and imagery in her music compositions

Viajante

Viajante (prounounced: vee-a-HAHN-tay), is a World Beat Drum Ensemble formed in 2000 by the students of Master Percussionist Tilo Paiz, who wanted to bring his unique style of Latin-American infused percussion music from the classroom to the stage. 

Since their inaugural performance at the U of A's International Week in January 2001, Viajante has been busy performing at festivals and events of all kinds.  Performances include Heritage Days, Night of Artists, The Works, and the Alberta Summer Games.

More recently Viajante was proud to be one of the performing groups at the inaugural staging of Edmonton's only percussion festival, "Rhythms of Our Own" on September 19, 2009.

We're delighted to be here at the Silver Skates festival, and hope that this will be the first of many more appearances at this wonderful event.  If you would like more information about our organization, please feel free to talk to one of our drummers after our performance.

iViva Viajante!