A special treat for Sutton en Blues
***The 2021 edition of Sutton en Blues is now sold out! Hence, there will be no tickets available at the door.***
Great news for Blues fans, the restrictions related to the pandemic will not prevent the presentation of the Sutton en Blues in 2021. Although the formula will be shortened, on October 16th, les Productions Kazou and Mont SUTTON will join forces to present what promises to be a memorable evening for fans of this musical genre. An evening with none other than the great lady of the Blues, Annika Chambers!
We recently spoke with Jean Sicotte, from Productions Kazou and organiser of Sutton en Blues, to find out more about what’s next for the festival, but especially about the star of the evening of October 16th.
MS – Jean, the presentation of the Sutton en Blues in its condensed form this season is still a good sign of things to come with the resumption of cultural activities?
JS – Oh boy, yes! The recent announcement by the government that there is a return to certain normalcy for concert venues is obviously very good for our morale. Despite the downturn in activity we have remained hopeful and have worked to present at least one show this year, that of Annika Chambers. We had even hoped to present three or even four shows but we will have to postpone those until next year. So some of the work is done for 2022, but it was hard to say no to them for this year and hopefully they will still be available for next year. Many artists have expressed interest and are looking forward to return to this well-known Canadian event. We now have a nice list of contacts in North America and internationally. Our solid reputation is well known and it becomes easier to convince people to come and perform at Sutton on Blues.
MS – How many years has Les Productions Kazou been presenting the Sutton en Blues?
JS – Our first edition dates back to 2002. This year’s shortened edition represents our 20th year of existence. For a long time we ran the festival at the Auberge des Appalaches where we had a great time, but after the sale of the establishment by the former owners, I went to knock on the door of a place that I had been “eyeing” for a long time… Mont SUTTON. I imagined this large room converted into a cabaret where we could present great shows. In 2019 we produced our first show there, where 300 people came to see the late Brian Lee. It confirmed my vision that Mont SUTTON was the place of choice to showcase these artists and this festival.
MS – We have a special treat with the presence of Annika Chambers, she is a very accomplished and decorated artist?
JS – Annika and her band are people I’ve known for a long time and we’re lucky to have them come to perform in Sutton! The Houston Texas native, who got her start singing in churches, has often received great recognition in her field. You’ll see she has a voice…how shall I put it…a voice that will blow you away, one that some compare to the great Aretha Franklin. This voice has earned her the title of Best Soul Blues Singer at the 2019 Blues Music Awards as well as the Living Blues Award for best album in 2020 for her work, Southern Soul.
MS – There is also a Quebec connection for the American singer.
JS – Fate would have it that in 2018 at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis she met the elite Montreal guitarist, Paul Deslauriers. It would be an electroshock, because soon after they would unite not only their artistic destiny, but also their life destiny to the great joy of all those who have the chance to see them on stage. Through this association with Annika, Paul returned to his Blues roots. His latest album entitled Bounce is the palpable proof of this. It debuted at #1 on the Roots Music Report Blues chart. It will be an extraordinary show. In addition, they will be accompanied on stage by excellent musicians, Alec McElcheran on bass and Bernard “Bingo” Deslauriers on drums. We are spoiled to have Annika, Paul and co. partying with at Mont SUTTON. I can’t wait!
This incredible blues happening is an evening not to be missed!
