Canada's Sarah McLachlan will be the feature performer at the 32nd Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival in July. (photo courtesy of SARBF)

By Pete McIntyre

New dates

McLachlan and Marshall headline 2024 Roots and Blues Fest

Mar 11, 2024 | 10:42 AM

Sarah McLachlan has been invited back to this year’s Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival after not being able to perform at the event in 2023.

McLachlan’s show last August — and the event itself — were shut down due to the impact of wildfires in the Shuswap area.

This year, the 32nd annual festival is being held a month earlier from July 26-28, with McLachlan as the headliner.

Kevin Tobin, artistic director, Salmon Arm Folk Music Society, said, he and many others were looking forward to hearing McLachlan’s iconic songs ring through Salmon Arm last summer.

“We’re thrilled that she and so many other incredible artists from across the world are able to come back this year. Our mission has always been to bring world-class and culturally diverse music to Salmon Arm. With the artists we’ve confirmed for the 32nd annual festival so far, I think we’ve done that even better this year,” Tobin said.

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McLachlan is in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and has won three Grammy awards and 12 JUNO awards.

Joining McLachlan on the bill will be fellow Canadian Amanda Marshall. The pop singer from Toronto is known for hits like Let It Rain, Sunday Morning After and Birmingham.

Amanda Marshall will be one of the feature performers at the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival in July. (submitted photo/SARBF)

In between Marshall and McLachlan’s performances, the music event will also feature the energetic dance tracks of festival favourites Five Alarm Funk, Canadian breakout alt-diva Begonia and the pride of Nashville’s new country scene, Miko Marks.

Moontricks, the nationally renowned electric-folk duo hailing from the Kootenays, fills out the first batch of confirmed artists alongside the swinging and soulful jazz blues duo Blue Moon Marquee, Colombian Canadian singer-songwriter Lido Pimienta, JUNO-nominated Oji-Cree singer-songwriter Aysanabee and the godfather of PowWowStep, DJ Shub presents War Club Live.

“There will be more artists, workshops and family activities announced in the coming weeks, including the return of our Indigenous artist highlight on the Plulk’w Place stage,” Tobin said. “With this incredible lineup and more on the horizon, this is shaping up to be a great summer for music in Salmon Arm.”

Festival weekend passes, day passes and camping are available online at rootsandblues.ca or by phone at 250-833-4096.

The Salmon Arm Folk Music Society (SAFMS), the organization that oversees the Roots and Blues Fest, decided to move the event to an earlier date following the challenges caused by the 2023 wildfires, as July typically has better weather with less smoky days.

The 31st event last August was shut down after just one day due to the impact of nearby wildfires and smoke.