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pne summer night concerts: colin james plus 6 other can't-miss shows
canadian blues rock guitar hero releases new album on aug. 23 on stony plain records
aug 15 2024
6 minute read
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burton cummings with colin james
when
: aug. 17, 8 p.m.
where
: pacific coliseum
tickets and info
: included with pne fair admission at
ticketleader
colin james releases chasing the sun on stony plain records on aug. 23. the eight-time juno award-winning musician can hardly believe that it’s album no. 21.
chasing the sun is the 21st album by canadian blues rocker colin james and is out on stony plain records in aug. 2024
stony plain records
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sun
since exploding onto the canadian blues scene in the mid-1980s, the vancouver-based blues rocker has explored new territory on each recording. and chasing the sun is no different.
the 11 new tunes range from the lead-off single devilment, featuring legendary harmonica ace charlie musselwhite, to the opening track protection, with a vocal turn by alt-country star lucinda williams. the rhythm section of bassist darryl jones, who recently played b.c. place with the rolling stones, and former johnny cash and keith richards drummer charley drayton keep everything swinging.
“every record is another story that is always interesting to pursue, and i still love the creative process because you never know where it’s going to go,” said james. “the process was a bit crazy as i had just gotten off tour and then headed straight to nashville and into the studio with colin linden producing. i walked into his pinhead recorders studio to find darryl jones and charlie drayton there and away we went.”
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linden has worked on six albums with james. the two have known each other since james was a teen. linden, who contributed to the recording on a number of different instruments, noted the two have become adept at finishing one another’s musical sentences over the years. clearly the creative relationship is one that delivers for both musicians.
“it just got better every time we dug in deeper, which is not always the way it is,” said linden. “there are some places on the record where i can’t tell if it’s me or him playing guitar, even though we play differently. there is this blending of styles indicative of the vibe of serving the music.”
that vibe is in keeping with the flow of more recent james’ records, such as his back-to-back top 10 blues charts-topping blue highways and miles to go than the raucous guitar-flash of his breakout early work.
but fans of that six string-slinging style needn’t worry that james is completely mellowing out. from the searing boogie of this song kills hate to the psychedelic textures of the closer open your mind, this is as guitar heavy as it comes.
not having worked with an artist like williams on previous records, james is particularly proud of how protection came out.
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“i was just going to cover one of her songs, having met her through colin a few times over the years backstage at shows,” he said. “originally, i was just going to cover one of her songs, but she and her husband came over and i kind of flailed playing it for them and she helpfully made some suggestions. she was super excited to have that backing band and just came in and laid it down and what a rush that was hearing her doing one of her songs in that way.”
with the release of the new album, james is making yet another trip to the pne to kick-off the summer night concerts with canadian rock legend burton cummings and his band.
it’s just one of many different kinds of concerts he’ll be playing over the next tour cycle. he laughs about the range of gigs going from new york city’s iridium ballroom to a session for the popular live from daryl’s house youtube series and the venerable pacific coliseum.
“it’s come to the point with me and my four different bands — the trio, the quartet, the quintet and the little big band — and i do change the sets remarkably between those units,” he said. “sometimes, you want to get out and rock, other times it’s cool to do the trio thing which is more intimate with more talking which is a helluva lot of fun. this thing i’ve carved out for myself, moving from a small show at a jazz club to playing for 5,000 people at the budweiser stage is pretty cool.”
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noting that the landscape has changed so much in the music biz since he began his career, james stresses that he’s humbled and happy to still be able to do what he loves for audiences wherever they want to see him.
“it’s a bit daunting and a bit scary sometimes to play these places that you might not have been to before, or after a long break,” he said. “but i’m always open to doing something new. the blues cruises i’ve been doing are a perfect example of unique ways to connect to the audience and a whole lot of fun.”
6 pne summer night concerts to see
there are many draws to the annual pacific national exhibition. without question, one is the budget-priced live music summer night concerts performances. tickets are at pne.ca .
blending a mix of classic rock, pop, country and comedy names with additional theme tours and an occasional rising youngster, the series runs from aug. 17 to sept. 2 in the pacific coliseum, 8 p.m. tickets include admission to the rest of the fair, so you can be sure to have some deep fried foods prior to the show.
here are five picks for this year’s series and why you should see them.
read more: pne returns with sautéed onions, superdogs and a thundervolt of excitement
john fogerty, aug. 22
tickets : ticketleader
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few classic rockers can claim a legacy of long-lived hits like john fogerty. the writer behind brilliant roots rock classics such as bad moon rising, run through the jungle, fortunate son and green river also had a career resurgence in the 1980s with great tunes like put me in coach and rocking’ all over the world. he continues to rock hard and is a really underrated guitar player.
brad paisley, aug. 23
tickets : ticketleader
one of the biggest name stars of contemporary country music is a headliner at major festivals and arenas. catching him in the relatively smaller pacific coliseum should give fans a chance to appreciate the talent of the voice behind songs such as sons of the mountains.
charlotte cardin, aug. 25
tickets : ticketleader
a true star from montreal, charlotte cardin has been wow-ing fans with her pop-tastic tunes since dropping big boy in 2016. she dropped a string of utterly addictive hits on her breakout album 99 nights, including the ridiculously hooky confetti. her juno performance this year was a highlight of the broadcast.
blue rodeo, aug. 29
tickets : ticketleader
could it be the pne summer night concerts without blue rodeo? the seminal ontario roots rock act has become something of a fair house band with its frequent performances and why not? blessed with two distinctive songwriters in jim cuddy and greg keelor and a body of work that covers all the bases, the band remains a guaranteed live draw.
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ludacris, aug. 30
tickets : ticketleader
one of the leading lights of the whole dirty south rap scene in the 1990s, ludacris blew up with classic tracks such as what’s your fantasy and southern hospitality, as well as guest spots on songs such as justin bieber’s baby. he’s still bringing his brand of humorous flow to fans, who can now introduce their teens to the soundtrack of 90’s youth.
i love the 90’s tour, sept. 2
tickets : ticketleader
a celebration of the tunes that topped the charts two-plus decades ago featuring some truly iconic names. among those, rapper vanilla ice, vocal crew all-4-one and the hip-hop crossover genius rob base, who with dj ez rock gave the world the brilliant debut album and title single it takes two. the spot to be for all the ice ice baby(s).
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