A number of artists will perform at three different Red Deer venues during the first-ever Cold Front Music Festival later this month.
The event, which will feature shows at Bo’s Bar and Stage, The Velvet Olive and The Vat, will run Jan. 27-28.
“The idea behind Cold Front is similar to what you would see at something like South by Southwest – you can buy a special pass to attend any show at any venue,” explained Brennen Wowk, Bo’s owner.
“The idea is to curate a list of touring artists and local artists to highlight some different kinds of music for everybody. A person can stop at different venues to check out some different acts and maybe see a show you wouldn’t see at the particular venue.
“For instance, at The Velvet Olive we have a hard rock show and we’re doing some folk shows at The Vat. We’re kind of doing some counter-programming for what the venues are known for generally.”
Some of the live artists include Hannah Georgas, Scenic Route to Alaska, Emily Vay, Sweet Barry Wine, A Nobodies Achievement and The Secret Beach.
“January is a pretty slow month for restaurants and venues – touring also levels off in January – so we thought this would be a good way to kick off the year and bring some live music to central Alberta,” said Wowk, adding there will be a 50-50 mix or local and touring artists.
“It was important to bring in artists from elsewhere and at the same time pair them with some great local talent because we have such an amazing and vibrant local music scene.”
The hope is to grow the Cold Front Music Festival moving forward.
“We’re kind of starting it at a smaller scale. The idea is to evolve this every year, and bring more and more spaces into the fold and expand the programming,” he said.
A link to buy single-day or two-day passes for the Cold Front Music Festival can be found on the Bo’s Bar and Stage website at www.bosbar.com.