ANTIGONISH – Jakki Rogue will stretch her vocal cords – and her style – at an upcoming fundraiser for Festival Antigonish.
The Pictou County woman, who has mainly focused on folk music over the past few years, will perform at Roots of Rock next week.
Artistic producer Ed Thomason announced a different approach to the highly successful concert fundraisers, which have become a March tradition for Festival Antigonish in recent years.
“Instead of spotlighting a songwriter like Bob Dylan, we’ve chosen an era,” he said in an interview this week. “The show is called Roots of Rock – Volume 1 – 1949 to 1960. So we’re talking about legendary hits by artists including Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, to name but a few, and a whole variety of styles from blues through doo wop to country and folk.”
Thomason readily admits to a nostalgic fondness for this music.
“Sure, it’s the soundtrack of my childhood, but let’s face it, it’s achieved classic status – these artists are still being enjoyed and rediscovered by listeners of all ages,” he said.
Rogue will be one of the artists featured at the performance, where she’ll sing Love Potion No. 9.
Rogue performed with Molly Thomason, who will also hit the stage next week, at a Roots For Youth fundraiser last month. The two hit it off during the finale for that fundraiser, where all the artists appeared on stage together to perform a song Rogue wrote for the evening.
“I think Ed Thomason liked the way that went, and I wanted to branch out a little bit from the county,” Rogue said.
The rock and roll portion of the show will be a fun divergence for Rogue, who is just wrapping up work on her new folk album, due out by this summer.
“I’m going to do the opening song and Love Potion Number Nine, just before the finale,” she said. “I’ve played this stuff over the years with the bands I’ve been in, it’s a different genre than what I promote myself as, but I’ve been growing and trying new things. It’s just a fun thing to do, and I really like being part of the community.”
Roots of Rock will play for three nights at the Bauer Theatre and feature Rogue, Greg and Jess Favaro, Dan Mason, and Thomason.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling 867-3333.
