IN THE PHOTO: Alberta siblings Ryland and Gillian Moranz are taking their folk music on the road for the first time, with a stop at the Art We Are, 246 Victoria St., on Saturday night. The show starts at 7 p.m.
Ryland and Gillian Moranz are heading west this week.
It’s a new venture for the siblings — both singer-songwriters, they’ve performed together a few times, but never on a tour.
“It’s been so fun,” Ryland said of the gigs in their stomping grounds of southern Alberta. “So, we decided to take it out on the road.”
That includes a stop in Kamloops on Saturday, for a show at The Art We Are, 246 Victoria St.
With five shows in six days, sibling solidarity might be taxed but, Ryland said, “we’re good friends and good travelling buddies, a good pairing. So, this is like a test drive for us.”
He’s confident, however, it will be six days of nothing but fun and music.
The pair grew up in Fort MacLeod, home of the South County Fair — and the stage for plenty of performances through the years.
“We were festival kids,” Ryland said.
Their parents were also musicians, but the kids stayed out of the way until they figured out what they wanted to do.
Each found folk their particular genre, but their take on music is decidedly different, with Gillian — who performs under the name Little Jill — crafting lyrics that come from her sombre side, while Ryland’s tend to be more upbeat.
He’s also been performing longer than his younger sister, with about a decade of music and storytelling and performing with acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica, piano, mandolin, banjo and accordion.
Gillian has stepped out on her own after having been artistic director for the hometown fair and working at the Waterton Lakes Opera House, a job she continues with today.
The other difference is one Ryland said will serve them well as they head out on tour — he described himself as a laidback kind of person who can get lost in the details while Gilliam is very detail-oriented.
“She’ll get us to the venues,” he said, “and I’ll make sure she gets fed.”
The Kamloops show starts at 7 p.m.
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