Get ready to dance – The Wilds are coming to town!
Think Joni Mitchell meets Bon Scott of AC/DC and you get an idea of what the music The Wilds produce is about.
It is an unlikely combination, but one that bears rich sounds, high energy, and a unique musical perspective. The dance on Friday, March 2 at the Elks Hall is a fundraiser for the Shuswap Outdoor Learning Foundation.
Coming from Vancouver, The Wilds are led by singer-songwriters Holly Arntzen on vocals, dulcimer, and piano, and Kevin Wright on vocals, percussion, and sax.
They describe their sound as “Folk Pop to Rock Your World” – the folk/blues of Holly’s slide dulcimer mixed with Kevin’s hard-hitting Cajun and congas, and lit up by rich vocal harmonies, solid backbone bass by Owen Owen Owen, and Tim Porter’s virtuoso guitar playing.
Arntzen and Wright are the core members of the Artist Response Team (ART), which produces a steady stream of Voices of Nature School Music Programs and community concerts throughout Western Canada and beyond.
They are joined in the schools by throngs of young people singing out about various environmental issues from watersheds to salmon. During the week before the dance, ART will be working with Bastion Elementary students to produce a “Rock the Salish Sea” show.
All funds raised at the March 2 event will go to support the work of the Shuswap Outdoor Learning Foundation, which provides summer camping experiences for young people and outdoor school programs that connect students meaningfully with the natural world. Since this organization was established in 2013, the number of programs has grown exponentially.
Doors open for the dance at 7:30 p.m. and The Wilds begin playing at 8 p.m.
Tickets are available at Acorn Music, 832-8669.