Saturday, April 21, 2012

Spotlight: The Prairie Travellers

 
 
Webpage:
Location: Halbrite, Saskatchewan, Canada
Description: Our sound gets it's creative inspiration from artists like Don Williams, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
Biography: We are a four piece band from the Halbrite, Weyburn & Esterhazy Saskatchewan areas and have been performing for 15 years for various types of groups and functions. We are: Kelly Gill, who plays lead guitar, keyboards and does vocals. Neil Atkinson, who plays bass guitar, rhythm guitar, banjo and mandolin. Wayne Honig, who plays hammond organ, piano, keyboards and does vocals and Garry Hughes who plays steel and rhythm guitars. Our style of music includes classic rock, country, classic country, old time, original country compositions and a touch of bluegrass. We have played for weddings, anniversaries, dance clubs, casinos, concerts, nightclubs, fairs and will travel almost anywhere when hired to play. Over the years we have released two albums. They are entitled "Here's Hopin'" and "Summertime On The Prairies."
Press Release:
The Prairie Travellers

The Prairie Travellers is a four-member band from Halbrite, Weyburn & Esterhazy Saskatchewan areas. They have been performing for 15 years for various types of functions from weddings, casinos, nightclubs, fairs etc.. Band members include Kelly Gill (lead guitar/keyboard/vocals), Neil Atkinson (bass guitar/rhythm guitar/banjo/mandolin), Wayne Honig (Hammond organ/piano/keyboard/vocals, and Garry Hughes (steel and rhythm guitars). Although their music is mostly a mixture of classic rock and country western, they are currently mastering a unique western style of writing that I have not heard until now.

The Prairie Travellers are proud to announce the release of their second CD titled“Summertime on the Prairies” with single “The Stranger” leading the way. The single tells a tale that is set in the old west where a sheriff who was shot in the back by a killer gunfighter comes back from the dead for revenge. The tale begins to be told that depicts a mysterious scene on the dusty road of a western town. The storyline was written like a movie script and was given life through an extraordinary signature western style of writing. The drums maintain that heartbeat and a 5-chord progression on guitar carries the tune right up to the end. It is delivered with such suspense and excitement; I pictured myself with a tub of popcorn sitting at the edge of my seat. The rendition of this single that is on this CD was an example of a song that was molded and re-molded over and over until it took on a life of its own.

This style of storytelling is one of many common threads you will experience in their music. It is the ‘western style of telling stories’ and no one does it better. One unique application is the use of a 5-chord progression with minors thrown in. Johnny Cash used this style of play. You can expect every song in their repertoire to reflect this very creative and adventurous sound. “Summertime on the Prairies” is available in its physical format. You can listen to and/or purchase songs from either their previous CD “Here’s Hopin” or “Summertime on the Prairies” by logging onto the following websites along with other digital storefronts:

http://www.reverbnation.com/theprairietravellers

http://www.prairietravellers.com

 

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