Roots & Soul Music Promotions, the company behind the Living Roots Music Festival and a regular purveyor of live music around the greater Fredericton area, have recognized a dire need in the city. There’s an unslakable thirst for nostalgia in Fredericton and Roots & Soul are prepared to capitalize on it, all in the name of charity. The promotion company have just announced a monthly series of tribute shows, starting with Tom Waits.
The series will be inviting multiple musicians from around New Brunswick to participate and play a few songs from the catalogues of the artist they are paying tribute to.
Organizer Eddie Young says that he fielded the idea of a Tom Waits show along with suggestions of Townes van Zandt, and Waits garnered the loudest response. “And I never see anyone doing Waits,” adds Young.
Other tribute shows Young says they’re hoping to host throughout the year include Townes Van Zandt, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Stevie Nix.
The lineup of musicians joining the bill already includes Colin Fowlie (Art of the Possible), Keegan Dobbelsteyn, Don Flatt (The Sticky Bandits) and The Cullen Brothers, with more expected to be confirmed in the near future.
The concerts will also be used as a means to raise funds for local charities, with each show splitting the proceeds between a different charitable organization and the Living Roots Music Festival.
“I’m not sure where the idea came from,” says Young. “It’s been there in my head for a while. At Grimross, the tribute shows go really well. I think it is the age demographic and nostalgia combination. People really respond to the tribute shows and I want to bring more to them, while at the same time providing some needed resources to charities in need.”
“I think it will also be a great opportunity for different artists to come together and collaborate.”
Young says that they’re open to suggestions for which charities they’ll be contributing to but wants to start with funding for music programs in local schools.
The first of the series will be taking place at Grimross Brewing Co. in Fredericton on November 30th, 2018, at 8:00pm.