If you thought 2015 rocked, you ain’t seen nothing yet. There are already some amazing shows scheduled for 2016. Casino Lethbridge has talent scheduled until April and both the Geomatic Attic and The Lethbridge Folk Club have scheduled some pretty amazing shows. Honker’s Pub features great local talent on Friday nights instead of the open mic they have been running for the past year. Their popular Saturday open mics will continue with local talent hosting from 3-7 p.m.
The next Lethbridge Folk Club show will be bluegrass band Go Ask Earl, who will be playing the Lethbridge College Cave on Jan. 16 with Cathy Hawley opening.
The Geomatic Attic will be back on Jan. 20 with Grammy award winning Latin songwriter Alex Cuba on Jan. 20.
The Geomatic Attic brings the Devin Cuddy band back to the Geomatic Attic on Jan. 27.
And they are doing some unusual unplugged shows featuring some pretty big names at the Southminster United Church with 54 40 playing unplugged on Feb. 2 and the Trews unplugged, Feb. 24.
Later on, they will be featuring Hippodrome, March 5 for their community cabaret, Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar on March 8 and The Matt Patershuk band on March 20.
The Lethbridge Folk Club features roots of blues and roots music for Spring with popular roots/ old school country band Ol’ Boots and the Hoots on Feb. 6 and Jim McLennan playing Feb. 19 and John Rutherford and the Blues Trio playing the Cave March 5.
Later on former Lethbridge musician Andrew Scott returns to play the Folk Club on March 18. Folk trio the Fates return to Lethbridge to play the Lethbridge Folk Cub at the Lethbridge College Cave on April 23.
The Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra also has a collaboration of Hansel and Gretel with the U of L Opera workshop at the Southminster United Church, Jan. 29 and 30.
There are also some excellent comedy shows including regular open mics at the Owl Acoustic Lounge as well as at Casino Lethbridge, Jan. 29. Also on Jan. 29, the Snowed In comedy tour returns to the Yates Theatre with Dan Quinn, Pete Zedlacher, Craig Campbell and Paul Myrehaug.
Average Joes has their first big country show of the year as George Canyon brings his Jekyll and Nothing To Hide to town, Feb. 22.
They also get into the unplugged spirit by presenting Ed Kowalczyk of ’90s rockers Live, who is bringing the Throwing Copper 20th Anniversary tour to Average Joes, March 7.
The Enmax Centre has some pretty big shows scheduled as well.
They feature So You Think You Can Dance, Jan. 13 to begin with.
They go country on Feb. 13 with Johnny Reid, fiddle virtuoso Natalie McMaster plus Aaron Goovin and JJ Shiplett.
But they have a big rock show the next day, Feb. 14 with Disturbed, St. Asonia and Age of Days. And the one I’m looking forward to most is ZZ Top on March 31.
In a similar vein, Celtic folk singer John McDermott returns to Lethbridge to play the Yates on May 12.
The Enmax Centre also features rocker turned country musician Dallas Smith, March 3. There is another big country show in April with Gord Bamford and Joe Nichols with MacKenzie Porter, April 9.
For something completely different, The Enmax Centre hosts dance pop rockers the Marianas Trench with Walk off the Earth, March 29. They have an interesting bill, May 10 with rockers Hedley performing with pop siren Carley Rae Jepson.
There are some excellent indie rock shows already booked with Yukon Blonde returning to Lethbridge to play Average Joes, Feb. 11. Said the Whale return to Lethbridge next year as well with a show at Studio 54 on May 1.
Elliott Brood return to Lethbridge to play Studio 54 with the Dearly Departed Cite Des Prairies, Feb. 12. And accordion playing punk Geoff Berner returns to the Slice, Feb. 5.
The Electric Eye Music Festival returns in 2016 with their first show featuring the Freak Heat Waves, Internet Love and the Postnamers visiting the Slice, Jan. 30.
There are also a couple of big rap and hip hop shows scheduled for 2016. Onyx (Sticky Fingers and Fredo Star) visits Inferno with Ghost, Jan. 30.
And Classified is also scheduled to return to Studio 54 with Sonreal, March 2.
That’s just a few of next year’s highlights. I’m sure there will be many more to come.
— by Richard Amery, l.A. Beat Editor
