Canadian band to play at The Belfry

Sisters Folk Festival will host Kacy and Clayton in concert on Wednesday, March 18 at seven p.m. at The Belfry. Hailing from Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan, the pair is touring with a four-piece band configuration.

The event will be an opportunity for concert-goers to get a sneak peek at the 2020 poster image, which is an original painting by renowned Sisters artist and author Dennis McGregor. Advance tickets to the event are $10 plus fees; if available, tickets will be $15 at the door.

The music Kacy and Clayton make is inextricable from where they grew up. They sing about the kind of people you’d find in Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan (population very few). The hills, barns and remoteness of the area are in these songs, with a bittersweet acknowledgement that this music has taken them far from home.

“We were raised on cattle ranches where we learned how to play traditional country music because that’s what everyone wanted to hear,” they say.

Kacy Anderson and Clayton Linthicum’s new album, “Carrying On,” follows the international acclaim for their previous records “Strange Country” (which Q magazine called, “A beautiful album that nudges a classic past into a brave future.”) and 2017’s “The Siren’s Song” (described by Uncut as “Ageless and beguiling. A classic record for this or any other time.”)

Their sound is equal parts homespun, coming from a family and community where playing music is an ever-present part of social gatherings, and the rare country, blues and English folk rock these second cousins obsess over and collect.

Having toured almost nonstop for the last two years, Carrying On was conceived and honed on the road and recorded immediately after a jaunt across Western Canada, mostly as live takes with the minimum of overdubs — the songs having been tried and tested before audiences each night.

The album was produced once again by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo fame, at his Loft studio in Chicago. The result is a sharpening of what Mojo magazine summed up as “A beautiful mix of Kacy’s crystalline vocals and Clayton’s inventive, deep-groove country guitar.”

The record highlights a greater attention to detail in their songwriting, with narrative tales of loss, regret and yearning alongside vivid portraits of the Northern Great Plains and its isolated inhabitants.

This event will also showcase the brand-new original painting by Dennis McGregor for the 2020 Sisters Folk Festival. Since 2000, McGregor has been the poster artist for the festival, creating lasting images that perfectly capture the feel of the event.

“Early on Dennis was committed to the festival getting off the ground and making sure it has a big presence in Sisters and Central Oregon,” said Brad Tisdel, creative director. “Over the past 20 years, he has helped shape the culture, energy and aesthetic of the organization while being very involved — performing numerous times at the festival, helping with merchandise design and serving on the talent committee. We give him lots of room to interpret our community, our society and our growth to develop images that represent the best in folk music, Sisters and community-building through the festival.”

Tickets can be purchased at Sisters Folk Festival Tickets. Doors open at 6 p.m .; show starts 7.