Word on the Street was the usual celebration of all things related to the written word including music, Sept. 23 outside the Lethbridge Public Library.
I threaded my way through an assortment of tables offering opportunities to create art to get to the stage for local children's band The band Formerly Known as Karen, Lewis and pam aka KLP
The casa clay demonstration was underway and the woodturners guild were hard at work creating objects out of wood.
Local children’s band The band Formerly Known as Karen, Lewis and pam aka KLP, were warming up an enthusiastic crowd of kids and adults alike as I arrived.
They were playing a spirited set of originals and children’s favourites.
I arrived in the middle of their grocery store improv song lead by Ash Thomson, as Jillian Bracken and Gabe Olsen held down the harmonies and music, with Olsen playing keyboards and guitar. Steve Martin and Brad Brouwer held down the rhythm on bass and drums respectively.
They played a Raffi song about beluga whales and broke out puppets for another song, before playing an original song about burgers.
They played their usual fun set. How could it not be otherwise with Ash Thomson pulling out her slide whistle.
Bailey Kate and a trimmed down Starpainter had a busy Word on the Street. They Backed Bailey Kate to open the afternoon, but I missed that set.
I caught a trimmed down Starpainter as Joel Stretch, lead guitarist Joel Gray and Bailey Kate ran though several songs from their latest CD Rattlesnake Dream.
They also had a separate busking stage. Karen Romanchuk was among the local performers playing there.
I stopped by German -Canadian Author Phillip’s Schott’s tent where he was reading the latest in his series of vet/ detective Dr. Bannerman’s latest adventure “ Six Ostriches.”
He read a few excerpts from the book and fielded questions about being a vet and being a German Canadian whose family moved to Winnipeg after the Second World War.
I timed my visit to Word on the Street to see Juno award winning songwriter Tara MacLean, who was also part of pop supergroup Shaye With Kim Stockwood and Dahmnait Doyle about 20 years ago.
She didn't have the audience she deserved, but those who were there were enraptured. MacLean’s new memoir “ Song Of the Sparrow,” became an almost instant best seller since she released it on March. She read from it and played d a few songs, but was being drowned out by DanAlie, whose voices were carrying across the parking lot. She apologized for asking to be turned up, saying “ I don’t want to compete with anybody.
She read from the memoir and talked about turning 50 and about meeting a guy in Britain while on tour recently. She played a new song about that as well as “ Song of the Sparrow.”
She, like many of the presenting authors, had a sign language interpreter for the readings and in MacLean’s case her songs. That worked in conjunction with another volunteer typing a transcript of the discussion.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. beat Editor
