Soul, Funk, and R and B Foregrounded at This Year’s Festival of the Arts

The 44th Harrison Festival of the Arts, running from July 7-16 in Harrison Hot Springs, will feature a lot of music that draws on the well of African American soul, funk, and R and B to create new sounds and expressions. 

While the festival this year presents a huge diversity of music from guitar-based folk to traditionally influenced sounds from Italy, Mongolia, and Newfoundland, the soulful styles of 1960s and 70s African American popular culture run through the program as a sub-theme. This element of the program will be framed by the opening film on July 7, Summer of Soul, which is a documentary on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival that featured black artists from Sly and the Family Stone to Stevie Wonder. 

Capturing some of the vibe of Sly is Curtis Clearsky and the Constellationz, who perform their own brand of “indigifunk” that also draws on hip hop and rock. They will be on the outdoor Beach Stage on July 8 at 5pm. Another Beach Stage act who is influenced by urban funk and hip hop is Ruby Singh and the Future Ancestors (July 16 at 5pm), featuring some of Vancouver’s most stellar musicians including guitarist Gord Grdina and vocalist Khari Wendell Mclelland alongside rapper and composer Ruby Singh. Also coming to the beach stage is Maple Blues award winning vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Angelique Francis, whose music is clearly influenced by the greatest African American vocalists from Bessie Smith to Aretha Franklin (July 13 and 14). 

In the Memorial Hall, much beloved blues and soul singer Celeigh Cardinal will hit the stage on Wednesday July 12 at 8:30pm with her band. A hit at festivals across Canada, Cardinal has won a lot of fans regionally through her past performances at the Mission Folk Festival. With festival closing act The Soul Motivators (Sunday July 16, 7:30) fronted by powerhouse singer Shahi Teruko, it is clear there is no shortage of outstanding, soulful female vocalists at this year’s festival. The final show promises to be a super funky dance party! 
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Tickets for the festival, along with full lineup and schedule, are now on sale at www.harrisonfestival.com