Last fall, Vancouver children’s entertainer Will Stroet and his band dropped a new album, the eleventh for the former CBC Kids TV star.
Now, he, Kevin Romain and Elliot Langford are eager to promote it after seeing their gigs booked and cancelled as a result of the pandemic.
Next weekend, Will’s Jam will perform their new tunes from Big Shiny Spoons, as well as classic songs, at Festival du Bois in Coquitlam.
They’re playing in the Children’s Tent on April 2 and 3 at 3 p.m. as part of the francophone fete that starts the night of April 1 in Maillardville.
“We’ve performed at Festival du Bois three or four times in the past,” Stroet told the Tri-City News last week. “I love performing at the festival. The venue is great and I really enjoy watching the other performances as well.”
“The line-up is always exciting,” Stroet said.
In fact, Festival du Bois will officially launch their in-person tour after being cooped up for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Afterward, the band will head north for public and school shows in Quesnel, Vanderhoof, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek. And, after Easter, they’ll travel around the Okanagan for events and workshops in Salmon Arm and Kelowna.
Whistler, Powell River and Ontario are also on the spring program.
“I usually don’t get nervous before performances but this is going to be a big shift,” Stroet said, referring to the live concerts. “Audiences are excited to come back, too.”
He added, “I get emotional thinking about it. With the pandemic, I’ve all spent a lot of time at home; I’m usually on tour 10 days of each month. I’ve missed being out there on the road and having the interaction with the audiences.”
As for Festival du Bois, Stroet plans to bring his kids — ages seven and 11 — who are in French immersion and learning about the French-Canadian and Métis cultures. “It’s a perfect way for them to practise the French language and enjoy the day.”
Tickets for the 33rd annual Festival du Bois, running April 1 to 3, are via festivaldubois.ca.
IN ADVANCE
Meanwhile, you can also catch two pre-shows for free (register online at festivaldubois.ca/pre-festival-2022/):
- Christine Tassan et les Imposteures, a Gypsy jazz band that draws inspiration from poetry and swing (March 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam
- L'Arracheuse de temps by Francis Leclerc, a screening of The Time Thief, a 2021 Canadian period drama and fantasy in French (with English subtitles) about a sick grandmother who uses stories from her youth to try to convince her 11-year-old grandson that death does not exist.
