Foothills music lovers’ regular live music treat is coming to an end, but with any luck they will experience it again next season.
A Room Full of Sound concert series, which features southern Albertan musicians performing at the Okotoks United Church, comes to a close Saturday with performances by John Wort Hannam, Magnolia Buckskin and Ruth Purves Smith and the 581.
This was the series’ first season, which not only entertained live audiences, but also those at home. With the hard work of volunteers material from the shows were used for 26 30-minute TV shows broadcast six days a week on Shaw TV.
Concert promoter and access producer Rick Harding said the season was a success and he hopes Shaw will pick up the series again next year, but will likely move forward with season two regardless.
“The vision was to get some exposure for Alberta musicians and that’s all kind of worked out for us,” he said.
Harding said the shows were a little low in attendance before Christmas, but crowds picked up later in the season and he expects organizers broke even. The series was well received by the musical community and word has spread, he added. Harding now receives about six inquiries per week from musicians wanting to perform.
Harding said the idea came to him while videotaping the annual food bank benefit Christmas concert.
“I started thinking it’s pretty amazing the lineup of musicians we have at that Christmas concert,” he said. “It’s pretty phenomenal, actually and they’re all local musicians and I thought why can’t I hear them live in Okotoks any other time of the year?”
Longview area musicians Jim and Lynda McLennan performed at A Room Full of Sound and attended about four other shows.
Jim said the first season was a huge success and he hopes to see it continue. The concert series provided opportunities for the many southern Albertan musicians and local music fans, he explained.
“It provided a really good venue to perform in, a good room with good sound and a really appreciative audience,” he said. “And on the other side of the coin, it provided the people of Okotoks a chance to see what they’ve got around them as far as musicians and musical talent.”
McLennan added there has never been a concert series quite like this in Okotoks and what makes it unique is that it features homegrown talent.
For more information, to purchase tickets for the last show or to view the TV schedule, visit aroomfullofsound.com.
