Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
The band Pretty Archie from Cape Breton is a music lover’s match thanks to its mixing of styles and the band is scheduled to play in town next Wednesday.
Pretty Archie will hit the stage at the Norman Ritchie Community Centre on Nov. 28 starting at 7:30 p.m. The band’s music transverses the musical genres of Americana, bluegrass, blues and country, so the band’s music has a little something for everyone.
The concert is the fourth of 10 shows for the Kindersley & District Arts Council’s annual Stars for Saskatchewan series. Pretty Archie is best known for its foot-stomping, high-energy music mixed with poignant four-piece vocal harmonies. The band has been nominated for several East Coast Music Awards.
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Tickets for arts council shows are available at Lela’s Music Centre, LaBelle Boutique and Integra Tire. Tickets are also available online at www.ticketpro.ca or at the door if the show has not already sold out.
With a total of seven concerts remaining in the arts council’s series including the Pretty Archie show, people have the option to purchase a five-pack of tickets to attend five shows. The option saves people money on each ticket. An arts council spokesperson says there are no major changes for the concert next Wednesday.
Colin Gillis, who sings and plays bass and harmonica for Pretty Archie, said the band has been through the prairies before, but has only played in larger centres such as Saskatoon and Regina. He said the guys are enjoying their tour to smaller centres in Saskatchewan.
The Stars for Saskatchewan series is facilitated through the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC) and performers attend an annual showcase in order to be booked for tours through the OSAC program.
Gillis said the band members come from a small town, so playing in smaller centres throughout rural Saskatchewan is right up their alley. The band is touring as a four-piece unit even though they added a fifth member about a year ago. One of the band’s original members is busy at home with a newborn child, he said.
The bassist said the band’s newest member plays the same instruments, mandolin and guitar, as the member back home, so the band is not missing any components. Gillis said it is nice to have the flexibility to tour while short a member.
Gillis said all of the band’s members including its newest member were friends growing up in Cape Breton, so they have played music together for several years even though Pretty Archie only formed in 2012. The band has three full-length albums including its latest release “Sing Alongs & Love Songs” from 2016.
The band is working on a new album that will be released in 2019 and Gillis said the band has just released the first single from the new album. The single is called “This Whole Town” and it was released on Friday, he said.
The name Pretty Archie comes from a local character in Cape Breton that plays music on a two-string guitar outside shopping malls in any weather, and not in any particular key. Gillis said small communities often have a Pretty Archie of their own.
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