Home Routes volunteer and Sunset Ridge residents Gretchen Albers and Peter Fortna are opening up their home to bring some of the top musicians from around the country to perform for the Town of Cochrane, starting with Twins Peaks performing tonight at 7 p.m. "This is obviously part of the Home Routes concert series that is taking place across the country and they have different tours. We're a stop on the Heartland Ramble series," said Fortna. "How we got involved was through a friend in Fort McMurray who used to do these shows and we had a lot of fun at them so I inquired about doing them here in Cochrane and we were able to so that worked out well. In terms of people coming out so far, we've gotten 20 to 25 people but are looking to up that number to around 40 people because we've got enough space in our house, we've just started out small." "We already have a babysitter for those who want to bring their kids. With Cochrane being such a young community with so many kids in it, we thought it be a good way to offer people, especially in our neighbourhood a way to come over, enjoy the night and not have to worry about their kids." With their sweet and smoky roots music from Northern British Columbia, Western Canadian Music Award winning roots duo Twin Peaks have an undeniably disarming presence. Their harmonies and hooks are as magnetic, bold and welcoming as the atmosphere their live show emanates, Naomi Shore and Lindsay Pratt are collectively radiant in song and in style. You are sure to leave their show in a fond and familiar spirit. Their heartfelt songs open a door and invite you in to take a glimpse at what it might be like to live and love in their remote Northern home of Fort St. John, BC, and to imagine the adventures you could have touring tirelessly back and forth across the country. Dreamy melodies and mighty choruses flow seamlessly throughout their graceful ballads and persuasive grooves; each one casting a charmingly subtle golden-age-of-country and classic-pop afterglow. Perhaps what makes it all so welcoming is the duo’s unpretentious wit and refreshingly honest stage banter. They make you feel like you’ve finally been reunited with a long-lost friend. From the Vancouver Island Music Fest to the Winnipeg Folk Festival and at a countless array of festivals, clubs and other venues in between, Twin Peaks continue to steal fans’ hearts everywhere they go. In 2012, they earned a top-10 spot on CBC Radio 3s Tracks on Tracks contest, and in 2014 the group rose to the national finals in the CBC Searchlight contest. They’ve taken home a Vancouver Island Music Award for BC Wide Artist of the Year, and both of their albums have been nominated for Western Canadian Music Awards. In 2015, their album Trouble won the Western Canadian Music Award for Roots Duo/Group Recording of the Year. Home Routes was initiated by the founders of the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the West End Cultural Centre, Mitch Podolak and Ava Kobrinsky in collaboration with Tim Osmond and with the support of a nationally based volunteer Board of Directors. It was incorporated as a not-for-profit arts organization in February of 2007 to create new performance opportunities for French and English speaking musicians and audiences in rural, remote and urban, communities across Canada, hosted by volunteers in their homes and other community venues. There will be a show each month with the exception of December and January as a result of Christmas and New Years. Fortna believes the home concert series could have a positive impact on the community by giving people a chance to experience new music at a venue other than a pub, bar or arena. "I think one of the biggest things is it really benefits the artists and keeps the costs down for them. We house the artists overnight, feed them when they're on their tour and then they take the majority of the money. With the modern landscape of music, it's hard for groups to make money anymore so this gives them the opportunity to see parts of the country they maybe haven't seen while also meeting new people and introducing their music to those who attend," Fortna said. "For Cochrane itself, it gives people an opportunity to meet the artists and experience a live acoustic show. One of the reasons we're excited as well is we're really happy to expose Gretchen's son and my stepson, Patrick, to a bunch of different types of music to see what it's all about. It gives people a chance to see music in a little bit different space." Tickets for each individual show are priced for $20 per person, with the next show taking place on Feb. 12 with Aleksi Campagne coming to town. To get in contact with either Gretchen or Peter, those interested can either call at 403-918-0480 or visit their www.facebook.com/homeroutescochrane.
