"Dala," winner of Canadian music award
MARQUETTE -- They aren't what you might picture when you think of folk music. "Dala," a young Canadian acoustic folk duo, will be leaving their mark in Marquette Saturday.
Organizers of Northern Michigan's International Performing Arts Series have a tough job every year, putting together a concert series that can compete with other campus activities and draw in crowds.
A last-minute cancellation of a March performer made things even more difficult, but with a quick look to Canada, organizer Dan Truckey says a solution became clear.
It's not just any group. Female acoustic-folk duo "Dala" is the 2010 winner of the Canadian Folk Music Award for vocal group of the year and is currently nominated for a Juno award, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys.
"This is a group who, frankly, we might not be able to afford in five years," says Truckey. "We wanted to grab them while we could."
It's Women's History month on campus, and Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine, fit that theme as ambitious women. They've got four records and eight years of touring experience, yet both are only in their 20s.
Truckey says there's a huge folk music audience in the U.P., ideal for the duo's sound.
"They fit perfectly with that," Truckey says. "You know, their songs deal a lot with their lives and the issues they're going through, just like any person."
Dala will be performing at Northern Michigan University's Forest Roberts Theatre at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday. Click here for more information.
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