The second annual Concert Jam is coming up in only a matter of a couple weeks. Hosted by Weyburn and District United Way, the community concert event is scheduled to have seven bands performing throughout the day. These musicians will gather from a variety of different places in the province to entertain the crowd with multiple genres of music. Each band has their own style and story.
Rugged Little Thing is a duet group of husband and wife, Ryan and Jille Shotton. Their music career began when they started to sing while sitting at a camp fire together in Northern Saskatchewan. From there they went on to perform at festivals. In fact, Jille proposed to Ryan while they were performing at the Northern Lights Blue Grass and Old Time Music Festival and then later the two married on the grounds.
The duo describes their music as blue grass, old time, and folk. They are an acoustic band; playing banjo, guitar, and mandolin who stay true to the traditional music from the Appalachian Mountains. As well covering songs, the pair writes and orchestrates their own music.
Some of their biggest accomplishments include recording two albums in which Ryan did all the recording, mixing, and mastering. They also participated in the CBC funded Youtube series, The Empty Room. On the show they did two live music videos.
The couple recently bought a house, so that is taking up a lot of their time, but with their new studio Ryan has been able to record albums for other artists. Come winter time, the Shotton’s hope to have another album recorded.
Jille performed at the Concert Jam last year and said that she enjoyed listening and meeting with the other bands and recalled a memory of all the bands jamming out together in the Hotel Lobby they were all staying at. This year, she is excited to return and to have Ryan with her this time. She makes a note that she use to do fundraising and organize events like this, so she tips her hat off to the organizers on the Concert Jam as it is a “huge project.”
The Cugnet Centre will hold the event Saturday, August 25th from 1-10 p.m. Advance tickets cost $20, otherwise it's $30 at the door. Tickets are available at Music Craft, Old Fashioned Foods, and Weyburn Review/Weyburn This Week.
