Rob Lutes

On his seventh album, acclaimed Canadian songwriter Rob Lutes does what he has done for years: kicks up a little dust, wades into some deep waters and tackles the realities of the world with depth, humour and a unique musical style. Situated at the intersection of the blues, folk, Americana and contemporarysinger-songwriter genres, Walk in the Dark is an exquisite collection of songs that highlight Lutes's unmistakable voice and literarywriting style. Co-produced with celebrated Montrealproducer and Cirque de Soleil collaborator Rob Heaney, the album features a group of Canada's finest roots and blues players, including guitarist Rob MacDonald and keyboardist Bob Stagg along with noted artists lan Kelly, Guy B6langer and Joe Grass. lt finds i-utes, a Kerrville New Folk winner, Maple Blues and Canadian Folk Music Awards nominee, exploring a wide range of subjects and paying homage to some heroes: James Cotton (on There's No Way to Tell You That Tonight) and guitarist Joseph Spence (on the instrumental Spence).

The Associates – Dan Legault, Alec McElcheran & Alan Springer: For more than 20 years, The Associates have played in different bands together. The members have played with, recorded with and written with a lot of people on Quebec’s blues scene including: Angel Forrest, Jonas Tomalty, Florence K, Freddie James, Carolyn Fe, Dawn Tyler Watson, Rob Lutes, Jim Zeller, Carl Tremblay, Guy Belanger and Suzie Vinnick to name a few. On any given night, you’ll see one of them playing with all the usual suspects at hotel gigs in Morroco and Asia, festival gigs from Vancouver to Halifax, opening slots for major recording acts, wedding gigs and back porches.