Stage North Association is bringing another season of live music and performing arts to Slave Lake, with seven concerts planned at the Legacy Centre between October and April.
The 2026-27 lineup ranges from a nine-piece Edmonton soul and roots band to East Coast folk, prairie comedy and blues, while Stage North says ticket prices will remain at last year’s levels thanks to continued support from sponsors.
The regular season opens Oct. 16 with Secondhand Dreamcar, an Edmonton-based soul, roots and blues group featuring veteran Alberta musicians.
The nine-piece band is fronted by singer-songwriter Dana Wylie and includes Harry Gregg on bass, Jamie Cooper on drums, Kyle Mosiuk and Chad Murphy on guitar, Rooster Davis on Hammond organ, and a horn section featuring Dave Babcock, Bob Tildesley and Peter Filice.
The group has quickly developed a reputation as a powerful live act. Its debut album, Answer the Call, reached No. 6 on CKUA’s 2024 Top 100 albums list and was nominated for the 2025 JUNO Award for Blues Album of the Year. The band has also performed at the Edmonton Folk Festival and Calgary Blues Festival.
The timing of the Slave Lake show is particularly notable, coming shortly after the Sept. 25 release of Secondhand Dreamcar’s second album, Get Ready.
On Nov. 14, Stage North will hold its Christmas Coffeehouse, a showcase of local talent that is separate from the regular season and is not included with season passes.
Local performers interested in taking part can apply through Stage North’s website. December brings Piano Heist: A Very Merry Heistmas on Dec. 12.
The production combines Christmas music with comedy and audience participation. Piano Heist performers Nico Rhodes and Patrick Courtin put their own spin on familiar holiday music, with the show promising everything from a rock-and-roll version of the Nutcracker Suite to Christmas classics and musical comedy.
Audience members can expect plenty of opportunities to sing along.
On Jan. 23, ANNIKA brings a mixture of country, pop and blues to the Legacy Centre.
The Calgary-raised singer, songwriter and pianist has built an independent music career spanning nearly two decades. Her music draws from country songwriting, soul, pop and blues, while her performances feature piano playing and melodic vocals.
She has accumulated more than one million global streams and two million YouTube views and has collaborated with Canadian country artists including Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Chad Brownlee and Brett Kissel.
Terra Spencer follows Feb. 13 with a folk and roots performance. The Nova Scotia singer-songwriter came to music after working as a funeral director and has developed a reputation for combining strong songwriting with fingerstyle guitar, piano and a distinctly East Coast sense of humour.
Her 2024 album Sunset was named the Penguin Eggs/Roots Music Canada Critics’ Choice Album of the Year and won Music Nova Scotia’s Folk/Roots Recording of the Year. Spencer also contributed to David Francey’s JUNO-winning album The Breath Between.
In 2026, she won the Canadian Folk Music Award for English Songwriter of the Year. The March 27 concert features Lewis & Royal, an Alberta comedy-folk duo whose partnership dates back to 1993.
The pair describe themselves as prairie troubadours, combining acoustic music, storytelling and humour. Their first major project was the musical CHICKENS, which blended blues, bluegrass and old-time rock.
Over more than 25 years, they have performed everywhere from community halls and rodeos to the Calgary Saddledome and Jack Singer Concert Hall.
The season concludes April 16 with Ollee Owens, a Calgary-based blues, soul and rock performer.
Owens returned to music after taking 15 years away to raise a family and has since established herself on the Canadian roots and blues scene.
Her 2024 album Nowhere to Hide was recorded in Nashville and features a combination of blues, rock and soul, with contributions from Nashville session musicians.
The album has also received international attention, while Owens’ powerful vocal style has drawn comparisons to artists including Bonnie Raitt, Etta James and Mavis Staples.
Stage North has been presenting performing arts in Slave Lake since 2011. The organization’s mandate is to promote access to and awareness of a variety of performing arts in the Lesser Slave Lake region. It is a registered Alberta non-profit organization.
All six regular-season concerts are included in Stage North’s 2026-27 season pass. The association is offering a six-show pass for $200 for adults and $175 for seniors, while a flex pass covering any three regular-season shows is $110 for adults and $95 for seniors. Individual gift certificates are $40 for adults and $35 for seniors.
The Christmas Coffeehouse is not included in those passes. The Coffeehouse offers local talent a chance to take the stage at the Legacy Centre and share their music and performances with the community.
Tickets are available online through Stage North and Showpass, as well as locally through Soulshine, Slave Lake Municipal Library and Distractions. Stage North says customers can avoid ticket fees by paying cash at the local outlets.
The concerts are held at the Slave Lake Legacy Centre, 400 6 Ave. N.E., which has a 450-seat theatre.
Stage North’s lineup is supported by a range of local and regional sponsors.
Platinum sponsors for the coming season are the Ferguson Family, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Pembina Pipeline, Super 8 Slave Lake, Whitecap Chevrolet Buick GMC and Stingray – Boom 92.7 FM.
Ferguson Family and Pembina Pipeline are new sponsors this year. Gold sponsors are Broad Bros. Contracting, Canadian Natural, Jaymar Hauling, Lakeside Ford, Lakeview Optometry Clinic, Silverline Coil & Tools and Vanderwell Contractors.
Silver sponsors include Downtown Physiotherapy, Emile Labby Trucking Ltd., Kaft CPA, Lakeview Optometry Clinic, Mathieu Hryniuk LLP, Northwest Harvesting and Royal Purple.
A number of businesses and organizations are also providing in-kind support. Stage North will hold its annual general meeting Sept. 23 at the Legacy Centre.
For more information, tickets or to participate in the Coffeehouse, visit stagenorth.org or contact Ellen at 780-806-4346 or Karen at 780-805-0367.
William Hetherington
Lakeside Leader
