Good things are often shared, which is why representing hometown roots isn’t hard to achieve for folk powerhouse pair, The Small Glories. With a stunning repertoire of work, the duo from Winnipeg, MB released their debut studio record, Wondrous Traveler, on February 19. Comprised of Cara Luft & JD Edwards, The Small Glories deliver unique live acoustic performances, from the sonic technicality of sweeping riffs and brilliant banjo strums, to the diverse visuals of this tour de force. At first glance, they are a study in contrasts – Cara, an ebullient and engaging earth mother, and JD, a cross between a biker and long-haul trucker, complete with a scruffy beard, ball cap and jean jacket. Whether wholesome or burly, neither of the two are intimidating, but rather inviting through the power of their artistry. Produced by 50-40 frontman, Neil Osborne, Wondrous Traveler is abundant with tight harmonies, authenticity and a blend of traditional and contemporary elements that define this creative partnership. Love, life and transitions are driving themes of the album, supported by a diverse band of background instrumentalists. It’s audible in the progressive Had I Paid, to the graceful choir presence in Home and nostalgic lyricism of 1000 Stars. From the traditional country folk elements of Time Wanders On to the anthemic, upbeat Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key, The Small Glories prove they are veterans of a familiar scene, while ever-evolving and versatile for an international audience. The Small Glories recently gave the UK a taste of the Prairies on their tour of England and Scotland, including a performance at the prestigious Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. Their Canadian tour wrapped up this past spring and before they head back across the pond this time to play shows in Europe, they'll take time to hit a few festival stages this summer including the Folk Fest stage under the beautiful canopy of trees on the south east corner of the Keystone Centre grounds. Their set starts at 8:55pm on Saturday, July 23rd. Pictured L - R Cara Luft & JD Edwards, The Small Glories. (Photo submitted). Prior to their folk fest set this weekend we caught up with this dynamic folk music duo for a round of 20 questions. Here's our exclusive interview for BDNMB.ca 20 Questions Featuring The Small Glories FM: First off I should let you know that I'm writing these questions while I listen to your debut album Wondrous Traveller, it's an enjoyable "go to" technique I use whenever my interviews are done through correspondence. Feel free to share in answering these or alternating answers. "Had I Paid" really impressed me. The tune rolls along with reckless abandon. Your voices blend nicely and the harmonies you create are intense! How long have you been singing together? SGs: The Small Glories have been singing together for about 2.5 years. FM: How long have The Small Glories been active on the music scene? A: The Small Glories have been singing, performing and recording music for the last 2.5 years. FM: So the band was born from the first time you sang together? Interesting! You each had your own thing going prior to the Small Glories. How did you hook up and decide to get the Small Glories going? A: The West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg was having its 25th anniversary a few years back. The artistic director, Jason Hooper, invited a number of different Manitoban artists together to help celebrate the life and times of the theatre. He paired different artists up, usually artists who had never sung together before or who were from different genres. Everyone was paired off a month before the show and each group was asked to sing two songs written by other Manitoban artists. We chose a song from Neil Young and one from Greg Mcpherson. We performed our songs at the show and the audience loved it. We loved it! So we decided to pursue this duo project which later became The Small Glories. FM: Your sound strikes me as quite folkie with a nifty celtic twist. Sort of what the Lumineers might sound like if they came from Canada's East coast. What other sort of comparisons have people made from your music? A: We have had some great comparisons but one we like a lot is Ian and Sylvia Tyson. People also say we're the Canadian version of The Civil Wars. Cara and JD aka The Small Glories have been compared to Ian and Sylvia Tyson. Out of all comparisons the band has drawn, the aforementioned is their favorite. Cara — a Juno award winner and co-founder of folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys — has earned a solid reputation as an exciting live performer, accomplished guitarist, clawhammer banjo player and insightful songwriter. JD is not only an energetic performer and prolific singer songwriter, he’s got a distinctive and powerful voice to boot. Fronting the JD Edwards Band since 2006, JD’s songwriting style flows from country and blues to folk and rock. (photo submitted) FM: And now it's time for one of my famous four part questions! How is the songwriting split up? Does someone bring a song to the table finished and you both flesh it out? What inspires the lyrics? Do you keep a notebook? A: We each write songs and bring them to the duo. Sometimes they are completely finished, sometimes we finish them together. We are always keeping physical or/and digital notebooks on hand for ideas. It's important to write ideas or lyrics down as soon as we get them so we can go back later and sort them out for songs. We also love to do collaborations with other artists. We have both attended songwriter retreats and writing sessions all over the world. FM: We're looking forward to having you take the stage here in B-Town! I'm sure your experience at the Brandon Folk Music and Arts Festival will be a positive and memorable one. Where else is this tour taking you? A: The Small Glories are just coming out to Brandon for the festival. FM: Do you have many other festival gigs on the calendar this year? A: The Small Glories will be performing this summer at Trout Forest Folk Festival in Ear Falls, ON, Summerfolk in Owen Sound, ON, and Sisters Folk Festival in Oregon, USA. We will be heading to the UK and Europe in November. FM: How do you prepare for a big gig like the Folk Festival? A: We check out what stages we'll be playing and if there are any workshops we'll be taking part in. We try to think of songs that will complement the theme of the workshop. FM: What's the coolest thing about playing an out door festival show, or did I just answer my own question? A: the festival set is very special. There is so much great energy at a festival stage and crowds are usually incredibly attentive and encouraging. There is nothing better then playing to a crowd on a sunny or even a rainy day and having them enjoy every moment! FM: How many shows have you done in the past year? A: We have done over 100 shows. FM: Which do you prefer, large venues or small venues? A: It's not the size that matters. It's the quality of our audience. We have done shows for thousands and some for just a few, but it's the connections we make with our audience that really make us feel good. FM: What was the best gig you ever played? A: oh there are quite a few! Recently we'd say performing at this year's Vancouver Island Musicfest where we had the great honour of singing with our producer's band, 5440. It was so great! FM: What was the worst gig you ever played? A: We played a famous coffee house in LA with some friends of ours. There were three acts on stage and we were last in the rotation. There was a beautiful introduction for us and then we were to play. We were going to start with this great Dirk Powel cover, "Waterbound". It begins with an A cappella section and then our instruments come in. We counted in and began but the note that came out of JD's mouth was wrong. We tried again, then again and again! JD just couldn't find the right note. It was so embarrassing! We ended up scrapping the tune and singing a different one. JD hid behind his hat for the rest of the evening. FM: What the weirdest experience you ever had while playing a show that involved interaction from a fan? A: This past April we were playing a sold-out CD release concert in Calgary, Alberta at a great venue called the Ironwood Stage and Grill. During our Woody Guthrie song "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" Cara does a little dance on stage and one of our super fans jumped up on stage and started dancing! He kept dancing and dancing and dancing, and then he came up and started singing on the microphone with us. It was a little odd and a bit weird…. We had never experienced that before! We kept looking at each other wondering what we should do but we just went with it :-) FM: I just finished listening to Way Over Yonder In a Minor Key (Originally by Woody githrie), nice job on that one by the way. It sounds like you were having lots of fun on that one! Was that one of the first cover song you ever chose to do? A: Yes, it was one of the first. However the Small Glories have arranged our own version of this great classic tune. FM: What is your favourite cover song to play? A: Waterbound is a favourite of ours. The words and music work so well together and it fits our style perfectly. FM: Are there any surprising covers you like to throw into the set at last minute or do you usually just stick to the set list. A: We usually stick to the set list, but we predict that in the future we will have more tunes to work with and perhaps a song from the audience will get called and we'll slip in another tune. FM: Your originals are very strong compositions by the way. Have you always performed original material or did you start out like most acts and do covers? A: We had a handful original songs when we started out but we needed more tunes to fill a night of music. We have played many covers over the years. FM: What sort of a show can folks expect at the Folk Fest in Brandon this Saturday night? A: Folks can expect strong harmonies and original songs, some true and funny stories and perhaps a silly dance. We try to bring as much joy to the stage as we can. FM: Do you have any advice for other up-and-coming musicians? A: Practice practice practice! WONDROUS TRAVELER TRACKLISITNG 1. Had I Paid 2. Holding On 3. Home 4. Something To Hold Onto 5. Fast Turning World 6. 1000 Stars 7. Old Garage 8. Time Wanders On 9. Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key 10. Wondrous Traveler 2016 SCHEDULE Friday – Host: 2 Dope Boys in a Cadillac 7:00 Intro 7:20 Richard Inman 7:55 Dust Rhinos 8:40 Allison Brown & “Uncle” Dan Henshell 8:55 Scott Nolan 9:35 Bicycle Face 9:50 Jess Rae Ayre 10:35 Festival Poem 10:45 Ron Sexsmith Saturday Daytime 12:00 Duos The Small Glories,The New Customs, Allison Brown & Dan “Uncle” Dan Henshell 1:00 New Canadian Songbook Young Pixels, Allison Brown & Dan “Uncle” Dan Henshell, Richard Inman, Kev Corbett 2:00 Chuck Copenace/Bicycle Face/Sol James 3:00 Who wants to play with Leonard Podolak? The New Customs, The Small Glories, Kev Corbett, Dust Rhinos, Sol James 4:30 Poems Musicians Make John K. Sampson, Scott Nolan, 2 Dope Boys In a Cadillac 5:30 Logan Jax Oxenham Saturday – Host: Kev Corbett 6:00 Young Pixels 6:40 Matt Zimmerman 6:55 Sol James 7:40 Logan Jax Oxenham 8:10 Mitchell Mozdzen 8:25 Shelley-Lynne Hardinge 8:55 The Small Glories 9:45 Leonard Podolak 10:00 Dirty Catfish Brass Band 10:45 Kev Corbett 11:00 Little Miss Higgins and the Winnipeg Five Sunday Daytime 12:00 Dearly Departed Dirty Catfish Brass Band, Kev Corbett, Richard Inman, The New Customs, Simon Davis, Dale Brown, Leonard Podolak 1:00 Songs For The Land The Small Glories, Bicycle face, Scott Nolan, Jess Rae Ayre, Mitchell Mozdzen 2:00 Dust Rhinos/Dirty Catfish Brass Band 3:15 Mixed Tape The Slightly Dirty Catfish Brass Band, The New Customs, Dust Rhinos, Sol James, Jess Rae Ayre, Kev Corbett, Allison&Dan, DPH 4:25 Local Showcase Matt Zimmerman, Mitchell Mozdzen, The 204 5:25 Little Miss Higgins/Leonard Podolak/Allison Brown & “Uncle” Dan Henshell Sunday – Host: Daniel Peloquin-Hopfner 6:00 Chuck Copenance Band 6:45 Jess Rae Ayre 7:00 The New Customs 7:45 Daniel Peloquin-Hopfner 8:00 John K Samson and the Winter Wheat Subject to Change and we will post changes and additions as we confirm them Please note each of the evening’s closing acts are performing concert length sets!      

The 32nd annual Brandon Folk, Music, & Art Festival is just around the corner and this year it promises to have a little bit of something for everyone. The event which is scheduled for July 22-24th will once again take place in the North-East corner of the Keystone Centre Grounds – Under the Trees! This years music headliner on Friday night is Ron Sexsmith, a singer/songwriter from St. Catherines, Ontario. Closing Saturday night will be Little Miss Higgins and the Winnipeg Five while John K Samson and the Winter Wheat will close the weekends festivities on Sunday. Other artists performing this weekend include the likes of the Dust Rhinos, Kev Corbett, Jess Rae Ayre and the Dirty Catfish Brass band. For a complete breakdown of the weekends schedule you can click here. In addition to the music there will be also be a community marketplace where artists, craft-makers, and not for profit organizations will be selling their wares and showing demonstrating their work with the audience and other artists. If you find yourself getting hungry there will be plenty of food vendors on site with a little variety for everyone. Festival goers will be able to select from everything from fish tacos to a bannock taco and from perogies to sushi platters. Tickets are available now through their web site at http://brandonfolkfestival.ca/tickets/.

Ridley Bent is back with his latest release Wildcard the anticipated follow up of Rabbit on My Wheel showcasing the Western Canada based Country artist's keen fascination for characters whose life on the straight and narrow rarely lasts past the nearest exit to a short, crooked road. Ridley Bent continues to weave tales of wisdom and intrigue with titles such as 'Fill Yer Boots' about a truck driving card player, and 'Crooked and Loaded' written about a shootout with a posse of outlaws. Produced by the John MacArthur Ellis and supported by an all star band of country musics finest Wildcard will take your mind away and get your toes tapping as Ridley Bent does what he does best..! On Wildcard the 2009 CCMA nominee and 7-time BCCMA winner's storytelling and songwriting chops are sharper than ever. Although the tales are still as tall as they come, and the characters as large as life or larger, the cast of hard-drinking, fast-driving characters Ridley unleashes on Wildcard tend to be a shade less hell-bent on self-destruction than they are with keeping their lives between the lines and out of the ditch. Channeling the high-energy performance ethic of artists like Dwight Yoakum and Little Feat, Ridley and his band tear a deep strip off the joint with tracks like 'Brooklyn Texas'. Of course these are love stories told the way only Ridley can; tracks that run the gamut from hard and bitter to hardly better, including a beautifully rendered, deliberately down-tempo take on the classic Tom Petty song , 'You Got Lucky' While much of Ridley's new material is drawn from real life experiences he's gathered up on the road, Wildcard still has its share of shady characters, jackknifing tractor-trailers and whiskey-fuelled bar fights. And for those who identify strongly with Ridley's less reasonable characters - the ones who tend to prefer to stir things up with a pistol in one hand and a bottle in the other - there's 'The Blood Trilogy'. A companion EP recorded during the same sessions and co-written with Dunn - a highly satisfying three-song western epic of violence and vengeance informed by Ridley's ongoing fascination with the bleak worlds of writers like John Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy. Catch alt country artist Ridley Bent live in concert at Princess Park in downtown Brandon this Thursday night. It’s the second concert in the Summer Lights Concert Series. Show starts at 7pm admission is free!

Brandon's local music scene is about to get a much beeded shot in the arm as fans, friends and supporters of Westman's music scene will have two opportunities to check out four great local bands in one night this weekend at the 40. Plus one lucky local group will win a spot on the roster for this event! Initially the line up was to be 4 X 4 taking the stage at 9pm followed by the Invisible Men, The Junk and Tremendous Dynamite. However due to an unforseen mishap which unconfirmed reports lead us to believe was a horrific gardening accident involving their drummer, The Invisible Men will not be able to make it out for this local rock soire. Event coordinators have decided that one band's loss can be another local act's gain. Aspiring local acts are to submit their band for a drawing to be held at 7pm Thursday. We will announce the winning group right here on www.BDNMB.ca. The lucky band will perform a 45 minute set on the 40 stage from 9pm - 9:45pm this Friday and Saturday nights (July 15th & 16th). If you or anyone you know has been working away on tunes in the basement or garage, here is your chance to hit an actual stage and do your thing in front of a crowd! Submit band names and contact info to FM1PR1@gmail.com Please put 4 band Extravaganza in the subject line. Entry deadline is 5pm Thursday, July 14. Local heavy rock quartette "The Junk" are one of the bands slated to play this weekend at The 40 during the 4 band Extravaganza. The affable rockers describe themselves and their sound this way: "10 years ago 4 shotgun hobo types drifted together to make music their way, the only way! Loud and nasty! For God's sake don't invite them in!! your very souls will be at risk! and your hearing!! All hail the junk!!" Show starts at 9pm cover charge is $5.00 both nights. This event will be video taped by WCG then aired on WCG Channel 12. Air date has yet to be determined. This is an 18+ event. All members of each band that enters must be of legal age.

Looking for a fun and exciting way to spend a Saturday night in Brandon this summer? Why not head down to Rideau Park for an outdoor screening of the popular Walt Disney movie Zootopia courtesy of Fountain Tire and their 60th anniversary celebrations. To help celebrate their 60th anniversary Fountain Tire has partnered with Westman Dreams for Kids in Brandon for a movie night on Saturday, July the 23rd with the movie set to start at 9:30 pm. Doors will open at 6:00 pm and included in the festivities this night will be face painting, door prizes, a food truck and games. This is a free event for the whole family and guests are encouraged to provide a donation to the Westman Dreams for Kids. Rideau Park is located at 305 Park Street in Brandon, MB and year round plays host to a variety of different recreational activities including an adventure playground, the Kinsmen Pool, a water spray park, paved walking paths, and a snowboard and toboggan hill.