An Alberta band's signature blend of country, gospel and blues is coming to Diamond Valley.
The Hello Darlins will be headlining Beneath the Arch, Diamond Valley's non-profit concert series, on Saturday, Jan. 11.
The group blends a variety of genres, said lead singer Candace Lacina.
"The style is in the genre of Americana, which covers the basis of gospel and roots and blues, and of course a bit of country, with a singer-songwriter folk twist," she said. "All of these kinds of music that we love and that we've worked in the industry of for a long, long time."
Since the group's inception, it's amassed millions of streams and three Canadian Folk Music Awards nominations.
Lacina will be joined on stage by keyboardist Mike Little, drummer Adam Dowling, bassist Brett Ashton and guitarist Kyle Mosiuk.
"It's really heartfelt, we have a lot of laughs" she said of the group's live performances. "It's focused on harmony and very singable melodies, and it's also a show with a lot of musical firepower... being on stage with this calibre of musicianship is always an exciting show."
The Hello Darlins will perform both originals and covers, said Lacina, who cites the likes of The Eagles, Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt as influences.
"We do have a lot of upbeat and and heartfelt originals, but we love to take kind of a twist on a few other classic covers too," she said.
The Hello Darlins have only been touring since 2022, but in that short time they've performed sold-out shows across the world.
The band spent a whopping 187 days on the road in 2023, making their international debut at UK Americana Music Week at the start of the year and touring across Europe.
In Canada, they've performed in some of the biggest and most prestigious venues the country has to offer, including Massey Hall in Toronto and the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary.
While the band will be returning to Europe in the near future, Lacina is happy to be in her home province for shows like Beneath the Arch.
"Playing close to home is actually kind of a neat opportunity for us," she said. "It's exciting and it goes back to our very early days, cause one of our first shows ever was in Calgary, so it's going to feel awesome to come back and play a more home-based show."
The show will be held at the Flare n' Derrick Community Hall on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.mTickets can be purchased online here or in-person at the Bluerock Gallery and Sheep River Library.
Beneath the Arch presents seven shows annually, and revenue goes towards initiatives such as the young performing artists' bursary.
The next instalment in the monthly concert series will feature The Moulettes, a British art rock band on their first Western Canadian tour, on Saturday, Feb. 15. The full concert lineup is available here.
