A roots group that’s making waves on three continents is coming to Red Deer’s The Matchbox this week.
The Dana Wylie Band has toured Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and is now set to perform throughout Alberta, making a stop at The Matchbox in Red Deer on Friday.
Wylie is described as having a rare gift for crafting deeply felt and sharply observed songs that are also kind of quirky. One impressed critic called her music a case of Woody Allen meeting Joni Mitchell.
The Saskatchewan native left a promising musical theatre career to perform her own material, a melding of pop, folk, jazz and bluegrass. Wylie moved to Taiwan in 2003, and connected up with British drummer-guitarist Jeremy Hellard. The two later moved to England and joined forces with jazz bassist, Nye Parsons, whose lyrical, melodic style complements Dana’s fluid songwriting.
While in the UK, the Dana Wylie Band played London’s legendary Jazz Café, as well as festivals, clubs and cosy pubs in the remote northwest of Scotland. In 2006, the group recorded and its debut independent CD, Almost There …
The band, which divides its time between Canada, England and Taiwan, recorded a 2008 sophomore album, The Unruly Ones, which has been picking up positive reviews on both sides of the ocean.
The Dana Wylie Band played in Red Deer last year as a trio. This time, the group will be joined by special guest, virtuosic London guitarist Matthew Ord, who is onboard for a three-month tour of England and Western Canada.
Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are $20, plus service charges, from The Matchbox at 43rd Street and Taylor Drive.