I arrived in the Yukon 20 years ago, shy and nerdy, fresh out of music school. I honed my banjo chops around many campfires, and found myself on stage with increasing regularity, thanks to this nurturing and vibrant music scene. Twenty years later, look: I wrote a pile of songs and recorded Humminah, Gingerbread, luckyburden, and Champ; I’ve toured all over Canada countless times and played some of the biggest festivals and grandest stages. I’ve toured in Europe and Australia, and been nominated for several Western Canadian Music Awards and the Junos, twice! I have played and toured with many of my heroes, and just generally had a great time playing music. I truly doubt that any of this would have happened in quite the same way without the support and opportunities I was given here in this crazy, brilliant northern town.
Now it’s time to go back to my other home, and on October 1 I’m getting in the car with husband and babies and driving back to Nova Scotia where I came from. It’s not an easy decision, which is why I guess it took so long to make the move. I know I will miss you all horribly. So I’d like to bring you a show, a retrospective, and re-visit the old songs, introduce some new ones, and share a night with you beloved Yukoners; especially those of you who have been such great friends and fans, who send CDs as gifts to people Outside, who come to shows and tell others about them when I’m on the road. I don’t know if I can really thank you enough. Sunday night, Sept. 29, me and my awesome backup band will make some beautiful music for you.
Andrea McColeman, Dave Haddock, Lonnie Powell, Micah Smith and Helene Beaulieu are the band. They have all been with me on various points in the adventures, and are fantastic, stalwart musicians. It is great to know they’ve got your back when you’re on stage, sweating under the lights. Special guests include low-down beer-suckin’ Kim Beggs, Natalie Edelson (remember the Ladies Auxiliary?), Bob Hamilton and Daniel Janke. As a special treat, Besty Sims and Martha Scott Stey are coming up from Juneau, Alaska to play a few of the hits from our old band the Glacial Erratics.
I’m excited to play at the Yukon Arts Centre one more time, and I hope you can come! It’s going to be a little bit nostalgic, and a whole bunch of good music.
http://yukonartscentre.com/calendar/event/kim_barlow_send_off_concert/