The Wardens bring tales from the trail to Empress Theatre

The Wardens are bringing their Western folk harmonies and stories from Canada’s mountain parks to the Empress on Friday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. to kick off the 2022-’23 Centre Stage Series.

The Wardens, based in Alberta’s picturesque Bow Valley, write stories and songs about the very land they’ve protected during their careers as Canadian national park wardens.

Their haunting three-part harmonies and chilling tales combine with their mountain music to make for a fascinating show.

Scott Ward and Ray Schmidt are both veteran national park wardens, working primarily in Banff and Jasper, who joined together to create music based on their unique mountain experiences. They are joined by fiddler Scott Duncan.

Since their self-titled debut in 2013, The Wardens have released three more full-length albums — Bear 66 (2014), Sleeping Buffalo (2017) and Sold Out at the Ironwood (2021).

Their songs tell tales from their decades of experience living, working in and protecting the Canadian wilderness.

There are stories about patrolling the parks on horseback, hiking for days on end, working with rescue dogs, forecasting avalanches and being a part of park fire crews.

Over nearly a decade, the band has performed across western Canada and in the U.S. from Alaska to California.

They’ve shared the stage with Blue Rodeo, Pharis and Jason Romero and Ian Tyson and performed at Folk Alliance International, Canmore Folk Festival’s main stage and for a royal audience in Edmonton.

Tickets are available at www.macleodempress.com, by calling 403-553-4404  or at the Box Office on Main Street.

For more information, contact the Empress Theatre at 403-553-4404 or info@macleodempress.com.

Up-coming Centre Stage Series concerts are:

• Ken Lavigne: Three Knights with a Tenor on Oct.13.
• Irish Mythen on Nov. 10.
• Mocking Shadows on Feb. 24.
• Dave Gunning and JP Cormier on March 16.
• The Lonesome Ace String Band on April 28.