The Lethbridge Folk Club opened their season with Tim Isberg at the Lethbridge College Cave, Saturday, Sept.16.
The enraptured audience included 80 people including volunteers and 29 paying attendees, who listened to a heartfelt night of stories and folk music from Fort Macleod born Tim Isberg and guitarist/ mandolinist/ vocalist Marc Ladouceur and bassist Derek Vokins.
I only caught the last half hour or so of the show. Singer/ songwriter soldier Tim Isberg noted he was excited to be back home and told some stories, about southern Alberta History.
Ladouceur was in the middle of a hot mandolin solo, which drew a round of applause as I arrived.
As promised he was playing a lot from his upcoming concept album “ Prairie Fire.”
He told stories in his soothing voice as he plucked tender guitar, but picked up the tempo on a couple more blues influenced songs
Ladouceur and Vokins added harmony vocals.
Ladouceur brought out the twang on his Les Paul Junior for a couple of the more country influenced songs. His guitar solos drew polite applause.
He thanked a couple of relatives of the people he was singing about for being at the show.
Isberg told stories about Treaty 7, which is the inspiration for much of the upcoming CD.
He wound down his set by talking about his experience patrolling the roads in Afghanistan as a soldier and about how he is still apprehensive about mundane items like abandoned propane bottles, which could signify booby traps in Afghanistan, and played “ Tears Along the Road,” to officially close his show.
But the trio got a standing ovation so they came back to play a couple more including an upbeat more bluegrass Vince Gill style number from the upcoming album called “ Better Times Ahead.”
They wound up a pretty serious themed set with a song called “ Don’t Need No Wine.”
Charlie Ewing with bassist Les Kesler and pedal steel and dobro player Ramblin Bb Blair plus opening act Mike Murchison plays the next Lethbridge Folk Club show, Oct. 21 at the Lethbridge College Cave. Tickets are $40 / $35 for members.
—By Richard Amery, L.A. beat editor
