‘Living Roots’ Festival Showcases Area Musicians At Venues Around Fredericton
FREDERICTON— Live music can be heard through the streets of Fredericton again.
Living Roots is running from June 2-6 in venues like The Cap, Grimross, and The Playhouse. This year, it features over 20 artists in a variety of genres.
Tomorrow, Kylie Fox and Catherine Kennedy are playing at The Tipsy Muse.
“Living Roots has become really important to me,” said Fox, alt-folk singer-songwriter from Saint John and a PrixNB breakthrough artist of the year 2020. “I’ve played probably three or four of them now.”
Fox said the founder of Living Roots, Eddie Young, spotted her a few years ago at a rainy show at Folly Fest. The two became friends and he began booking her. In a non-pandemic year, Young also books artists from across the country.
“You start gaining friendships and relationships with songwriters all over, which is really key for when we are touring,” said Fox.
Fox said when you are going somewhere new, it is nice to know artists you can stay with or maybe even share a show with. This Friday, she is excited to share the stage with Catherine Kennedy, with who she has done workshops and collaborations in the past.
“You learn a lot with each other when you play with other musicians,” said Fox. “It’s hard to be competitive because no two songwriters are going to write the same song.”
Fox said that owners of the Muse have done an amazing job providing a venue for music in Fredericton. She said the coffee shop offers a shared experience between performer and viewer.
“That’s why live music is so important,” said Fox. “The people watching the show contribute just as much to the show as the performer.”
Fox has only performed live a handful of times since the beginning of the pandemic, partially due to a broken finger last summer.
“It’s really starting to get exciting again,” said Fox. “Last weekend I played Paddlefest, and it was like the first festival since Covid. Definitely reimagined, but still really wonderful to put the community in one spot again.”
Fox was at a three-week-long songwriting residency in Banff when the pandemic began last year.
“It was a really crazy place to experience Covid,” said Fox. “It happened so fast that in our first week we had a huge public performance and then by our last performance it was just us.”
For Fox, Covid meant having to push her album release and cancel her tour.
“It took a while to get back to my guitar,” said Fox. “I think everyone sort of thought of it as the biggest rest of their lives.”
Fox turned back to her songs because she had an album to release. Green came out in September of 2020 to much critical acclaim. Fox said there is no use thinking about what could have been if the pandemic never happened.
“It is what it is and my career is still on its way,” said Fox.
Her next big gig is opening for the Bahamas at AREA 506 in Saint John this August. She is also playing the Tannery Summer Kickoff with her band on June 27. Fox has been practicing with her band since October, even when the hope of performing again felt fruitless.
“We are very well-rehearsed and we’re ready to play some live music.”
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Rachel Smith is a summer intern for Huddle. Send her story suggestions: [email protected].