The Rotary Dragon Boat festival is the unofficial kick off to summer in Lethbridge, being the first big festival of the season.
This year, the dragon boat festival had 84 teams competing — a record number of teams in the popular three day festival held every June in Henderson Lake Park.
A lot of the fun in addition to the races themselves is the live music. I always discover someone new or just someone I heard of but who I actually haven’t heard.
I missed Friday, June 21 due to other commitments and inclement weather, so I didn't catch Dusty Dee Litchfield, Jamie Medicine Crane, the Lethbridge Taiko Association or Uncovered, whose set got hailed on.
But I arrived early n Saturday, mostly to catch emcee Dory Rossiter and her band Horizon, got there in time to be pleasantly surprised by country musician Winnie Brave and her husband Brad playing baritone guitar doubling on playing a snare drum with his feet.
They were in the middle of tried. and true cover “Wagon Wheel,” but rolled away from that to play a solid set of heartfelt originals and classic Texas style country music including plenty of Waylon Jennings.
An original highlight was a song inspired Winnie’s grandfather who played steel guitar in South Texas.
They added a few covers including an excellent Version of Harper Valley OPTA and Four Non blonde’s “ What’s Going On.”
Horizon played a set of country and rock favourites, opening with a few bars of “Old Town Road,” before segueing into Genesis’ “ I Can’t Dance.”
Rossiter sat perched on a stool on stage, mic in hand and reading lyrics from an iPad.
They moved into a solid, groove laden version of Alison Krauss and Robert plant’s “ Can’t Let Go.”They looked back for the Boxtops’ 1967 smash “The Letter.” and stayed in the ’60s for CCRs “ Green River.”
They moved to a more country mode for Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow your Arrow, and “Just Passing Through.”
The band wound up their set with a laid back version of Ricky Martin’s “ Living La Vida Loca.”
Horizon will be playing Canada Day Shows at Galt Gardens as well as in Henderson lake park.”
Luke James Bruce played a strong solo set of mostly original music, but opened with Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love A Rainy Night” and followed it up with Luke Combs’ “ When it Rains it Pours,” which would have been apt on Friday, but was just a relief on Saturday.
He played a couple brand new originals including “One Bar Town,” and stuck to that theme with David Lee Murphy’s country hit “Dust On the Bottle,” before winding up his set with crowd pleaser the Nitty Gritty Dirt band’s “Fishing in the Dark.”
Just 2 aka brothers Adrian and Jamie Kaufmann play periodically at the Ten Ten and Spectrum, but I hadn’t caught them until their Dragon Boat set.
They were all about stripped down music and stunning vocal harmonies, tackling a variety of songs from Supertramp plus Simon and Garfunkel’s “Cecilia,” and Buddy Holly’s “Everyday.”
I wasn't able to stay for Rebel Angels or Coyote Junction who closed off Saturday.
I made a point of catching The Chevelles first closing set on Sunday.
I was wondering if they would have an audience as people are usually busy packing up and getting ready to go home by the end of the festival, but they had a massive crowd sitting in the sweltering sun for the show.
The Chevelles, Lethbridge’s best jukebox band, made the most of their last outdoor show before they retire at the end of the year.
They have always been top notch musicians and singers, plus charismatic performers, so they all got to sing lead on note perfect versions of often played classic rock radio hits.
Seamus Chevelle aka Joe Brewster, opened the show by bringing out the bagpipes and blasting out the thunderous hair raising wailing bagpipe riff of AC DC’s “Long Way To The Top ( If You Want to Rock And Roll),” with muli-instrumentalist Scott Kanashiro taking up bass duties.
After that, Kanashiro aka Woody Chevelle returned Brewster’s bass, trading it for acoustic guitar as he sang lead on Chilliwack’s “Fly By Night.”
Brewster sang Queen’s “I Want to Break Free.”
Frontman Tim ( Buck Chevelle) Carter followed it up with Trooper’s crowd favourite “Here For A Good Time, (Not a Long Time) after giving a shout of to some of the other acts playing on thew weekend especially Rebel Angels.
He lead the band through the Beatles “Ob La Di Ob La Da.”
Kanashiro picked up mandolin as Brewster sang Steve Earle’s hit “Copperhead Road.” Brewster’s thundering bass overpowered the band and resonated throughout the park throughout their set, but Carter’s voice cut through it on a couple of other crowd favourites including Dire Straits’ “ Walk of life and got some of the audience singing along with “Country Roads.”
Drummer TT Chevelle aka Don Pletell wound up the band’s first set by belting out “ Spirit In The Sky ” from behind his drum kit as the band took a break for. the awards ceremony.
— by Richard Amery, L.A. beat Editor
