The swinging sounds of the 40s will be featured at the Royal Canadian Legion in Swift Current when Rosie & The Riveters perform at a special Remembrance Day concert.
The trio of Allyson Reigh, Alexis Normand, and Farideh Olsen will be on stage to perform their vintage inspired folk songs during the performance which begins at 8 p.m. on November 11. Doors to the Legion open at 7 p.m., where there will be pre-concert performances by the Green Braes Pipes and Drums, along with a silent drill team featuring members of the 605 Tarry Squadron – Air Cadet League of Canada.
Rosie and the Riveters member Allyson Reigh said performing on Remembrance Day is a special opportunity for the group.
“It means a lot to us. We take inspiration from the strong women and men in our lives. My grandmother repaired planes outside of Shellbrook during the wartime. On the other side of my family my grandfather was overseas in Europe during the war in the infantry. So we have a long line of connections to the wartime. So it means a lot for me personally. I know in Saskatchewan we have so many farming families that sacrificed and contributed during the wartime.”
Rosie and the Riveters have performed a series of shows in Swift Current over the years, including playing at senior homes and helping out at other fundraisers. She admits this down to earth way to share their music is reflective of the group’s background.
“I like to think that’s our roots. We’re born and bred in Saskatchewan. And that’s part of living in Saskatchewan is being very relatable and connecting with people. And I think that our music also speaks to that.”
She highlights that Rosie and The Riveters have a vintage feel to their music, but they do not perform songs from the 40s.
“We are not a cover band,” Reigh pointed out. “We write music that’s inspired by the 1940s, but we don’t sing music that was written in the 1940s. So we write all of our own music.”
Their most recent album, Good Clean Fun released in August 2015, helped open a lot of doors for the group.
“We had a lot of success with Good Clean Fun. It helped us win a Saskatchewan Arts Award in the Emerging Artist Category last year. And the album was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award and a Canadian Folk Music Award.”
Those attending the November 11 performance can look forward to hearing that vintage folk song style.
“We try to put together a show that’s really uplifting and really allows people to sort of leave their troubles at home and just come and enjoy some music,” she said.
“We try to really put on a show that is good for all ages, and just allows people to relax and have fun. And we really get a lot out of that ourselves. It’s a joy for us to perform, and I think that comes across as well.”
The trio will also be debuting some of the material which will appear in a new recording which will be released in 2018.
“We’ve got a new album coming out in the spring. That will be a bit of a departure from what we’ve been doing. It’s still very similar in terms of it being vintage inspired folk, but we dig a lot deeper and we talk about some issues that are near and dear to our hearts.”
These new songs are somewhat of a departure from their previous material.
“We started take a look around at the world around us. I think that this new album is going to be really a commentary on what it means to be a woman living during this time. And I think we still have a lot fun, and a lot of interesting musical aspects to the new record. It’s certainly something that we spent a lot of time on. We wrote over 50 songs for this record, and now it’s pared down to 12.”
“We will be debuting some of that new material at the show in Swift Current. I think it’s music that makes people think, and still brings joy and still allows people to have a good time. But an interesting aspect is that we do talk about some deeper issues, and as per usual we always inject it with a little bit of our own humour and charm.”
Reigh also pointed out their support for Kiva.org and making a difference around the world by investing 20 per cent of their merchandise profits into micro financing of women’s projects around the world.
“Women have the ability to make a lot of impact in their own communities. So that’s what really we’re about, we just want want to change communities and we want to help women and girls to rise up.”
So far they have been able to invest over $7,400 in over 151 women’s projects around the world.
NOTE:
Individuals attending the November 11 evening are invited to come in period costumes to add to the atmosphere of the evening. Advance tickets are encouraged and can be purchased at the Legion office (306-773-2766), from AM Delivery (306-773-5241) or from Pharmasave.
In addition, bus transportation will be offered to bring individuals to the evening, and seniors will receive priority service to be returned home. Single time pickup will be at:
6:30 p.m. – Prairie Pioneers Independent Housing
6:35 p.m. – Prairie View Lodge
6:45 p.m. – Heritage Towers
6:55 p.m. – Legion
7:10 p.m. – The Meadows
7:25 p.m. – 360 Cypress Drive
7:30 p.m. – The Bentley
7:40 p.m. – Legion
