The Newmarket Folk Society is kicking off its 2023 season with Canadian roots veteran Rick Fines on Jan. 28.
Fines will be joined on stage by the talented Roly Platt on harmonica and Alec Fraser on bass, the society said in a news release.
Fines has had a long and storied career as one of the country’s hardest working musicians.
He has toured across Canada countless times solo, as a duo or with a full band and has recorded more than 14 albums and has been a guest on many others.
Fines crafts a unique blend of warm-hearted blues, juke joint folk, and dockside soul that both embraces and defies the genres that influence him.
As a veteran of the North American blues and folk circuits, he engages audiences with captivating songs, diverse guitar styling and his signature vocal growl.
Fines’ newest release, Solar Powered Too, was released during the pandemic, with the bulk of the songs recorded in a little gazebo in the North Kawartha woods, with solar power. You can hear the crickets and cicadas if you listen carefully.
Platt has enjoyed a long and rewarding career as both a live and studio harmonica player in the Canadian scene for the past 45 years. He has toured and recording with many greats in the business, including Ronnie Hawkins, Matt Minglewood, David Clayton-Thomas, Dutch Mason, Susan Aglukark and Suzie Vinnick.
Fraser has played bass with international artists such as Bo Diddley, The Drifters, and Kim Wilson, as well as Canadian artists like Jeff Healey, David Wilcox and Ron Hynes. These credits have helped earn him the 2004 and 2009 Maple Blues Bassist of the Year award.
The concert starts at 8 p.m. at the Newmarket Legion, 707 Srigley St. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online at newmarketfolk.com or by calling 705-431-7182 (leave a message).
