Sponsored by Folk on the Rocks
Folk on the Rocks kicks off proceedings this Thursday the 16th with Rock The Folks, a Battle of the Bands event for young musicians and performers in Yellowknife, held at Somba K’e Civic Plaza from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The concert will showcase up-and-coming YK talent and gives young artists the chance to hone their performances on a public stage, in front of a crowd. The winner of the event will then perform on the CBC stage at Folk on the Rocks, on Saturday, July 18th!
The line-up this year is as follows:
Jessica Blake
Archer Collinson
Nara Dapilos
Kyle Mercer
Beverley Rockwell
Blaire Russell
Grace Clark
Autumn Beemer
This year, we have a line-up of musicians who come from very diverse music backgrounds. At Rock The Folks, you’ll hear musicians play stripped-down versions of 70’s classics and popular pop-songs. A number of the performers have written original songs that have won awards on both territorial and provincial levels.
The event is free-of-charge and more information can be found at the Facebook event here.
We talked to Danielle Pacunayen, the volunteer team captain this year for the event about what it means to young people in Yellowknife:
“Originally, the purpose of Rock the Folks was to create a space for crowds under 19 to experience a Folk on the Rocks concert without being left out of the Beer Gardens. Over time, the event has redefined itself and now it’s primary focus is to give the younger generation a chance to make themselves known to the Yellowknife music community. The open mic at Javaroma is a great first step into the music world for young people, and allows them to network with other musicians. Rock the Folks takes it two steps further – when you consider that we showcase this kind of talent at Northern Canada’s biggest music festival. Events that draw younger audiences keep the momentum and energy at Folk high. It also gives middle-school and high-school students a great reason to attend these festivals. We want to encourage young Yellowknife artists to stick with their passion and share it with us. Then maybe one day, if performing and song-writing becomes part of their career, we’ll see them grow from the CBC stage to the main stage at Folk.”
So come down to Somba K’e on Thursday, support our local young musicians and get the Folk party started!
