Bring on the rain

Get ready for the 47th annual Rainmaker Rodeo, the biggest party in St. Albert attracting thousands of visitors.

This three-day whoop-de-doo at the Kinsmen Fairgrounds on Riel Drive swings into action with the largest semi-professional rodeo in Alberta, a vibrant midway, an exciting downtown parade, thrilling dog sports and zany clowns from May 27 to 29.

Testing a cowboy's prowess are terrific events such precision horseback riding, wild horse racing, bull riding, ladies' barrel racing and calf roping, to name a few.

For the urban cowboy or cowgirl who shuts down the computer for the weekend and slips on a favourite cowboy hat and designer sunglasses, the spectacular Rainmaker Music Festival features some of Canada's most popular acts.

Themed Under the Big Top, the two-day outdoor concert festival on May 27 and 28, will be hosted in a tent protecting performers and patrons from searing sun, gusts of wind and unexpected rain.

Friday's rock night has a line-up of killer bands featuring Default, Tupelo Honey, Starewell and the Carson Cole Band. Equally exciting is Saturday's country bill with dual headliners Charlie Major and Aaron Pritchett, and openers Six West and the Carson Cole Band.

Traditionally, Saturday's country night is the festival's biggest draw and this year's all-Canadian line-up is loaded with high wattage star power.

Charlie Major, 56, is the epitome of a storytelling cowboy, a singer/songwriter with a socially conscious voice. With a career that spans more than two decades, Major released his debut album, The Other Side in 1993. All six singles went to No. 1 on the country charts.

In his sixth studio album, On the Evening Side, due for release in June, the Juno and CCMA award winner concentrates on topics such as child abuse, personal loss and walking a mile in the other guy's shoes.

In an interview, Major was funny, frank and completely unpretentious, explaining that his musical style has always flirted on the edges of commercial radio.

His socially conscious choices come in part from experience and a strong desire to be true to himself. "A few years ago, the Eagles came out with a new album. When I was younger I was a huge Eagles fan. But here were these 50-year-olds writing 'I need you, I want you' songs. And I thought 'How shallow. My 15-year-old writes deeper songs,'" says Major.

He feels strongly that the social advocacy of his new 10-track is the right choice. "Will it be a hit? Probably not. But when I get up on stage, I will enjoy playing it and mean it."

While Major brings a subtle country charm to the stage, Aaron Pritchett, 40, never fails to rev up to a full-throttle rock and roll sound. His digital release of In the Driver's Seat in November 2010 was highly successful and spawned the Rowdy Boys Tour of Eastern Canada with Gord Bamford.

"Gord is more subdued than I am. But I was jumping on stage doing crazy things. It was infectious and pretty soon he couldn't help but get really crazy," laughs Pritchett who last appeared at the Rainmaker in 2009.

He's also pretty cool with EMI relaunching In the Driver's Seat as a hard CD in June. The 12-track was initially recorded under Pritchett's own Decibel Music label.

The CCMA award winner with five studio albums had previously recorded under various labels. "I wanted to take more control for my career. I wanted to take more responsibility. At the end of the day I wanted to be the person that took full blame or full credit."

The hard-nosed businessman is a sharp contrast to the Hold My Beer and Let's Get Rowdy rocker audiences see. But with tender songs such as I Want to Be With You or the rollicking Wild On, Pritchett just keeps getting stronger.

Opening act Six West, is set to release I Will Wait, a 12-track sophomore album in June. The Calgary-based duo is a country rarity that combines the musical chops of Jason Hastie and Abbey Powell.

The dynamic duo released its first album Beautiful Something in 2009 and was nominated for a Western Canadian Music nomination the following year. "It opened a lot of doors for song submissions. We had upwards 500 submissions from songwriters," says Hastie.

While the first album was fun with a light message, the second album promises a slower, more poignant vibe.

The more seasoned Carson Cole Band, which is also composed of Marty Salloum, formerly of Jefferson Airplane, is the only warm-up act opening both festival nights.

Carson Cole, the band's driving force, has recorded 18 indie albums. With a gospel background, he now mixes country, rock and blues and fans are just as likely to hear songs such as Amazing Grace as Jesus is a Biker Man and She's Riding Me For My Harley. "I believe in the power of music to break down barriers."

Ready to rock

Kicking off the music festival on rock night is Default, a Vancouver-based foursome. Discovered by Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, their debut album The Fallout was an instant success and won a Juno Award in 2003.

Their fourth album was scheduled for release in 2007 until their TVT label declared bankruptcy. After the paperwork was put in order, Comes and Goes was released in 2009. Since then, they've been actively touring and taking part in local gigs such as Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics.

St. Albert's Tupelo Honey has performed with Default on several occasions and the Rainmaker is a new notch in their belts.

Tupelo just released a video for Falling which received about 1,000 hits on its first day, says lead singer Dan Davidson.

The five-piece also received a $5,000 international touring grant from the Alberta Music Association and right after the Rainmaker Music Festival, they're heading down to Los Angeles to play at a few hotspots such as Whiskey A Go-Go, El Cid and a few other places on Sunset Strip. "The cool thing about L.A. is that all the clubs are within 15 minutes of each other," Davidson says.

Not one to pigeonhole themselves, the collaborative writers are also searching for song-writing sessions and publishing contracts.

Opening for them is Starewell, a three-piece hard rock band that started off as an in-your-face garage band 11 years ago. Since then the Calgary-based group has released four albums and played a mix of stadium and bar shows.

With songs such as America, New York Minute and Pass the Buck, they've developed a more socially directed message. "We've done this a long time and we can really play. We're good and we're fun. We get going and we all have a good time."

Designed as a charity event, the Rainmaker has raised over $4.7 million dollars since 1964. Proceeds have gone to 18 groups and projects that include SAIF, STARS Air Ambulance, Canadian Cystic Fibrosis and the Youth Emergency Shelter.

Parking is limited. Free shuttle service is available at St. Albert Centre Transit Station. Visit www.rainmaker.ab.ca for details.