Talent, humour and a love of old-time country music have brought together three Alberta singers.
The Carolines, who perform on the Summer Kick stage this Wednesday, deliver gorgeous harmonies and toe-tapping flair.
From classic tunes by Patsy Cline and Buck Owens to the sassier sounds of the Dixie Chicks and other contemporary performers, the Carolines have been delighting audiences for more than seven years.
Lesley Pelletier, Chloe Albert and Katie Perman all have their own solo CDs and a remarkable ability to execute complex vocal arrangements with thrilling confidence.
Pelletier went to Victoria Performing Arts School and has a degree in music therapy from Vancouver’s Capilano College. She sang in Kokopelli Choir, performed with her own duelling piano show for many years and released her album of original songs in 2013.
Albert has been a staple in the Edmonton music scene since the release of her debut Canadian Folk Music Award winning album Dedicated State in 2008. Her sophomore album, Dreamcatcher, earned her more critical acclaim with a JUNO Award nomination for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year, a Western Canadian Music Award nomination, and multiple Edmonton Music Awards, rooting her as an important figure in the Canadian songwriting landscape.
In the years to follow, Chloe was asked to open for world-class artists like K.D. Lang, Lyle Lovett, and has been a repeat performer at the prestigious Edmonton Folk Music Festival.
Katie Perman has her music degree in vocal performance from Grant MacEwan University and co-owns The Grand Dueling Piano Show.
In 2009 she released her debut album Take This Sound and Make a Picture, and was featured on Edmonton’s 102.3 Now Radio, both gracing the city on many billboards promoting Edmonton’s music scene, and being awarded “Breakout Artist of the Year” through Rawlco Radio.
The Carolines’ six-piece band, featuring the talents of Chris Tabbert on electric guitar, Paul Bergeron on upright bass and Matt Grier on the drums, supplies the driving rhythm and scorching guitar solos that puts the finishing touches on a great show.
Their harmonies are complex but come effortlessly with precision and originality. Theirs is the kind of comfortable collaboration that comes from a wealth of performance experience and musical knowledge, not to mention a decade of singing together.
Their humour is infectious, and when they begin singing, you’ll be tapping your toes and singing along to all the old familiar tunes. With clever arrangements and spine-tingling harmonies, they breathe new life into the old songs, and put an authentic old-time spin on the contemporary tunes. In the band’s seven years together they have become the sweethearts of many Alberta festivals, music venues, folk clubs and house concerts.
“I’m still buzzing from your performance the other night. You guys were fun, funny, and musically incredible,”
Said Edmonton symphony orchestra’s Robert Walsh.
Also for your listening pleasure, this weeks local tweeter act is Katie, Martha and the Other Guys.
See The Carolines at the Kicking Horse Culture’s Summer Kicks program takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Keith King Park.
Check out their music here:https://www.thecarolinesmusic.com/video
