By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
A “one-off” performance turned into a seven-year collaboration for a Canadian musical duo, who will perform in Sitka Friday.
“We were partnered together, not of our choosing,” said Cara Luft, who forms one-half of The Small Glories. “When we started working on material our vocals worked so well together. ...”
The successful performance at the West End Cultural Center in Winnepeg, Canada, led to seven years of songwriting, recordings, concerts and tours, bringing them finally to Sitka.
The Small Glories show – 7 p.m. Friday at the Performing Arts Center – will feature original folk music. It’s presented by the Sitka Fine Arts Camp.
JD Edwards and Cara Luft of the band Small Glories will be on stage in Sitka 7 p.m. Friday
at the Performing Arts Center. (Photo provided)
Luft, who was once a member of the Wailin’ Jennys, described the unusual festival that paired up musicians and challenged them to write new music to perform at the festival. Luft was a solo performer at the time and found herself paired with JD Edwards.
“I’ve struck gold only a few times in my life with vocal connectivity,” Luft said. “It went so well that we decided to start a duo.”
Sitka is the first stop on an Alaska tour with performances also in Ketchikan, Petersburg, Talkeetna, Fairbanks, Valdez, Kodiak and Cordova.
The two are known for their original music, relateable themes and tight harmonies. They play a number of instruments between them, including clawhammer banjo, guitar and harmonica.
Their last album, “Assiniboine & the Red,” has themes of place and home. Luft said it’s been a challenging two years, after “starting, stopping, starting, stopping.”
“We’re just so looking forward to playing in front of people again,” she said. “It feels like we’re coming alive again, waking up after a long troubled sleep. Nothing takes the place of a live show.”
The Small Glories have received glowing reviews for both their recorded music and their concerts, with Mojo Magazine citing their harmonies as “second to none.” An NPR Music reviewer noted Luft’s “to die for” performance on banjo, and said Edwards’ “guitar and vocal harmonies deepen and enrich the duo’s sound.”
Tickets are $20 at fineartscamp.org.
