Juno award winning singer-songwriter-musician Cara Luft is that rare artist steeped in folk and traditional roots music almost from birth, yet willing to alter the fabric, stretch the boundaries and fearlessly bend genres and styles. A founding member of Canadian folk super-group The Wailin' Jennys and the brainchild behind Winnipeg's acclaimed powerhouse duo The Small Glories, Luft deserves her solid reputation as one of Canada’s finest live performers, armed with amazing tenacity, vision, energy and a contagious hilarity. To quote the roots magazine No Depression, “Luft has a rich tradition in folk music – it’s safe to assume that she knows her stuff – and upon listening it becomes quite clear that she is indeed a formidable songwriter and performer... [The] lovely Ms. Luft sets the bar for the talented few who’ll follow in her footsteps.”
Cara has a spirit that drives her to connect with people, and for this she is loved everywhere she goes. Reviewers of her live shows talk about her compelling vocals, superb musicianship, humorous anecdotes, accomplished songwriting, ability to switch between styles and the charm of her stage presence. Cara’s the real deal, there’s nothing pretentious about her. And that sense of honesty, integrity, personality and spontaneity permeates both her music and her live shows. “Long may she reign!” (Lonesome Highway)
Special Guests:
The Doggone Brothers
This Kootenay-based band is Clayton Parsons (The Good ‘Ol Goats, The Parsons) on banjo, guitar and dobro, and Michael Hepher (Craig Young Band, RedGirl, As The Crow Flies) on mandolin, octave mandolin, and guitar.
Russ Rosen
Russ and Cara go way back and though Russ has his full time job curating shows at Bez, he also has a dozen albums and many Canadian and international tours in his not too distant memory.
Workshops with Cara
We are delighted to have Cara with us for 2 days. Join us for one or both of her workshops and receive a discount on you concert ticket.
Thursday Sept 19 6pm - 7-pm
(just before Open Mic)
Live Performance, Stage Presence and Preparing Your Songs
Make the most out of your live performance! We’ll discuss how to prepare your songs and how to prepare yourself for a live performance. We’ll look at technical things like gear and stage set up, engaging your audience, creating a strong set list, tuning (and talking at the same time!), communicating with your band members, how to ask for what you need from the stage and sound crew, learning how to use a microphone, how to use monitors, and so much more! And we'll go a bit deep with non-technical things like asking yourself why you’ve chosen the songs you have and “serving the song.” Students are encouraged to come prepared to share a song with the class, with questions they may have around arrangement and performance.
Friday Sept 20, 5pm - 6pm
Harmony Singing
Come experience the fun and unique qualities of singing with others in harmony and learn how to capture the essence of a song with your voice. We will explore listening techniques, how to sing better lines while picking up some vocal techniques and exercises along the way. Join us for a fun and empowering experience! Everything is taught by ear and learned as a group.