Rotary Dragon Boat Festival and Centric Music Festival offer the most entertainment this week

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Festival season is in full swing  in Lethbridge, with two big events happening this week.The Chevelles will be a highlight of The Rotary Dragon Boat Festival this week. Photo by Richard Amery
 But first, tonight Gabriel Thaine’s High Level Variety show returns to the slice tonight with hosts Jolene Draper and the Inquisitive Few plus performances by Gabe Thaine and Derrick Grey. The show begins at 8:30 p.m. Admission is by donation. Thaine has a busy week as he will also be backing Keith Catfish Woodrow at the Slice, June 22 with his band, High Level Blues.


 The biggest event of the week is the annual Rotary Dragon Boat festival, which takes over Henderson Lake park, June  21-23. As usual, there is a good slate, if not familial looking, schedule of performers, providing the soundtrack to  the races.
 Things begin on Friday, June 21 at 5 p.m. with country musician Dusty Dee Litchfield, who will be followed by the opening ceremonies at 6 p.m. , at 6:30 the Chinook High School Rock & Pop program, led by Scott Davidson will be performing followed by The Desert Wind Belly Dancers at 8:45. p.m. and the popular classic rockers the Chevelles  at 9:15.
 Things start early at 11 a.m., June 22 with local doctor band DNR starting things off they will be followed by the rose ceremony at noon,blues rock band CODA at 12:30, then  Coda Blues by Global drums at 1:30 p.m. ,. Dory Rossiter’s band Horizon are playing the hits at  2 p.m. followed by LCI Arts Academy Dance  at 3 p.m., the LCI Jazz band at 3:30 p.m. , Expressions Dance at  4 p.m., new classic rock and country band Lawless Murphy at 4:30 p.m., aKoustic Harmony at 5:30 p.m.  featuring Kelliane Litchfield, classic rock band Old School at 6:30 and Alyssa McQuid and Coyote Junction close off Saturday night playing all the country and pop hits you want from 8:30-10:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 24 begins at 11 a.m. with the E-Free band followed by Karen Romanchuk at noon. Between Skies are on at 12:30 p.m. followed by Steve Keenan band playing blues and blues rock at  1:30  p.m. The Steve Keenan Band have a busy weekend as they are also playing Casino Lethbridge, Friday and Saturday night.
Urban beat are  on at 2:30 p.m. followed by more classic rock  from Suite 33 at 3 p.m. taking you to the closing ceremonies at 4 p.m.
 As usual, the Rotary Dragon bat Festival is a free, family friendly event.


 If you love classical music, the Centric Music festival is back with concerts  every day beginning Wednesday, mostly at St. Augustine’s Anglican church.
 The first concert is June 19 at 7:30 p.m. featuring pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin performing Chopin, Debussey, Enescu, Mendelssohn and Rachmoniov.
The second concert , is June 20 at 7:30 p.m. features members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Trio de Moda and pianist Alison Kilgannon performing the music of Beethoven,Schubert and Schumann.
 Lethbridge’s jamani percussion and flute duo (Jodi and Matt Groenheide) perform the dance of the drums, featuring musical styles from all over the world. beginning at 7:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s  Anglican Church.
 The fourth concert also features local performers as soprano Madison Craig and Zain Solinski celebrate the female Muse and the reclamation of poetry by the female voice. They will perform works by Purcell, Messian, Strauss, Szmanowski and Previn beginning at 7:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s  Anglican church.
The Centric Festival winds up at Casa at 2:30 p.m with a best of, farewell collaborative concert, June 23.
 Tickets for are shows are $30  and $25 for under 30.

For yet another festival,  Lethbridge celebrates the Sled island  festival happening in Calgary this week, with Shed Island, a special show presented by U of L based community radio station CKXU at Theoretically Brewing, Tuesday, June 18. The event features Montreal bands Lovelet, LAPS, Andy And The Dannys and Winona Forever, Winnipeg’s Lev Snowe, Vancouver’ Garbage Dreams and Energy Slime, local bands Body Lens and J Blissette and, coming all the way from Berlin, Energy Boost.
 Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. The music begins at 7 p.m.

  Theoretically Brewing also has an experimental rock show on Sunday, June 23 with  Psychic Pollution and An Ant and an Atom. They begin at 7 p.m. Admission is pay what you can though there is a suggested $10 donation.

The Smokehouse features a big hip hop show, Friday, June 21 as Wes Paul brings his Far From over tour featuring Wes Paul, Stratum 403, Screweye, Ty The Aboriginal, J Doses, Crisko, Yung Warlxrd with Kylke Sanford the Drummer. Admisison is $10 for the show, which begins at 8 p.m.
The Slice is a busy place as usual this week. Vancouver blues and roots and folk musicians Ivan Hartle and Matt Storm join local talent Tyson Ray Borsboom at the Slice, Wednesday, June 19, stopping by on their “June Bloom Tour.” Admission is $10. The Slice  features local rock band  21st Avenue.


 Down the road, June 19, The Owl Acoustic Lounge goes jazz with  the Malleus Trio featuring Dominic Conway on tenor sax, Ben Brown on kit and Geordie Hart on upright bass.
The weekend is hopping as usual. The Owl Acoustic Lounge presents local rock band Biloxi Parish with jazz/ alternative rock band Chasing Illusions, Off Gold and Localgirlinyour area beginning at 9 p.m. Admission is by donation.


One of my favourite new bands, Fawns return to the Owl Acoustic Lounge,  June 23 with local alternative rock band MTBC. Admission is by donation.
 If you’re in the mood for some blues, Papa King and keyboardist TJ Waltho are at the Watertower Grill Friday and Saturday night. Also in the blues vein, the Steve Keenan band returns to CasinoLethbridge Friday and Saturday. The fun doesn’t end there as alternative pop duo Big Little Lions , featuring Vancouver‘s  Hellen Austin and  Cincinnati musician Paul Otten, return to the Owl Acoustic Lounge on Tuesday, June 25.
 And get ready to get sweaty on the dance floor with Vancouver jazz/rock/ R and B octet Five Alarm Funk, who make a long awaited return to thee Slice, June 25. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

— By Richard Amery, L.A Beat Editor

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