What happens when you put three national park wardens together and add superb musicianship, haunting harmonies and chilling tales from men who’ve spent their lives protecting and conserving the most rugged of places - the wilderness of Canada’s mountain national parks?
You get the critically acclaimed Banff folk/roots trio The Wardens. And they’re hitting the road for a string of tour dates throughout Alberta and B.C. this fall, including a stop at Port Alberni’s Char’s Landing.
With performances equal to the mastery of the ranger trade, The Wardens’ mountain music – blending folk, roots and western styles – is a piece of Canadiana reflecting the pristine wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. The trio has released two full-length albums and one EP to-date. The most recent is their album Sleeping Buffalo, released in 2017, which features 12 tales of mountain legends, tragedy, the regeneration of a species and the landscape of love. Produced by Leeroy Stagger at Rebeltone Ranch Studio, the album boasts renowned musicians Calvin Vollrath (fiddle) and Gideon Freudmann (cello).
Since the release of Sleeping Buffalo, The Wardens have been touring and working on new songs and stories for their next album expected to be released in 2020.
“This fall we’re excited to get on the road and perform some of the new material we’ve been working on for our new album,” said vocalist/bassist Ray Schmidt in a press release. “We love the process of bringing songs to our audiences before we go into the studio so we can really get a feel for them. A song always sounds different outside of the rehearsal space and playing them live lets us know if we’re on the right track.”
The Wardens are known for their captivating live show and have performed as far away as Alaska and California, at Folk Alliance International, on the Canmore Folk Festival’s main stage, and have headlined the San Diego Folk Club. This fall, The Wardens will also be adding video to their live shows.
Look for The Wardens at Char’s Landing on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). Tickets are available for $20 in advance by phone (778-421-2427), at the Rollin Art Centre and Gayle’s Fashions (cash only) and online.