CANORA - Most will agree that music played a major role in the appeal of the Canora Live & Play Street Festival on Aug. 20.
The first performers hit the stage around noon during the Talent Show outside the CN Station House Museum. The three musicians, all local, were: Cassandra Danyluk, Erika Sweeney, and Robbie Taylor.
Danyluk was first on stage, and showed why she has been a popular entertainer around the region over the past few years, including at the Yorkton Fair earlier this summer. The songs during her set list, which showed a definite country flavour, included: Red High Heels by Kellie Pickler, Navajo Rug by Ian Tyson, and Fishin’ in the Dark by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Erika Sweeney, a student at Canora Composite School, was the second performer to grace the stage. She admitted that “I’ve never done this before and I’m a bit nervous,” but confidently performed a number of hits from the past, such as: Yellow by Cold Play, Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers, and “One of my mom’s favourites” The Moody Blues classic, Nights in White Satin.
The final talent show performer was Robbie Taylor, who quickly observed, “Those girls are really good.” But Taylor showed his unique musical talent while singing a number of classics, including Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, and a song made popular by Darius Rucker, Wagon Wheel.
Following the Talent Show, The Zayshley Band took over the stage with their popular brand of toe-tapping country music. Well known around the area, they showed an easy back-and-forth conversational style with the audience. Their performance included the songs Maple Sugar and Let’s Have a Party.
One of the musical highlights was the Saturday evening cabaret, headlined by The Crawdaddy’s with their unique blend of classic and new rock, country, and fiddle music, including a standout performance by fiddler Scott Cornelius. Songs included: Mountain Music by Alabama, and Keith Urban’s Somebody Like You.
