Winnipeg band to play season's final Beneath the Arch show

Diamond Valley's monthly non-profit concert series is wrapping up another successful season this weekend.

For the final show of the 2023/2024 season, four-piece Leaf Rapids will be bringing its Americana music to the Flare n' Derrick stage.

"There's definitely a roots kind of sound coming from Winnipeg," said Keri Latimer, the band's leader. 

The show will feature music from the band's new album, Velvet Paintings, released on April 19.

"It's got a little bit of kind of country flavour and a little bit of pop and folk," said Latimer, "and the songwriting is probably some of our best.

"It's been a while since we released our last one, probably four or five years now, but I guess lots of people weren't doing much over the pandemic."

The band's last album, Citizen Alien, was released in 2019.

Latimer, who plays guitar and theremin, is joined by husband Devin Latimer, who plays bass, and fellow married couple Chris Dunn, guitarist and vocalist, and Joanna Miller, drummer and vocalist.

"We've been playing together for almost 10 years," said Latimer. "Devin and I started this band as a duo, but in the last five or six years, we've been playing more and more with Chris Dunn and Joanna Miller, and now they're just part of the band."

Latimer and Dunn were both born in Alberta, and are excited to be coming to Diamond Valley.

"We have lots of friends and family to visit there and we're always, always excited to come back there," said Latimer, "especially to play at Beneath the Arch, because last time we had to reschedule because of the pandemic.

"This might be our third time we have tried to play there, because the last time the pandemic hit so it was cancelled, and then we had it rescheduled and then I got COVID, so we had to cancel. It was heartbreaking. So this is our 'third time's the charm.'"

The band is set to take the Flare n' Derrick stage on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available here.