Media Centre

Bachman & Turner Rock Prairie Scene

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

“Their voices have withstood the test of time, and the pounding guitar and catchy hooks are still in place. Bachman & Turner are back, and ready to rock… Bachman & Turner is an instant classic.”

— MelodicRockConcerts.com

OTTAWA, ON — The National Arts Centre (NAC) is thrilled to announce that Canadian rock and roll legends Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, reunited after 20 years as Bachman & Turner, will close Prairie Scene with a performance in the NAC’s Southam Hall at 8 p.m. on May 8, 2011.

Prairie Scene is an eclectic, multi-disciplinary arts festival featuring 500 of the best established and emerging artists from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Prairie Scene will present 80 different events in music, theatre, dance, visual and media arts, literature, film and culinary arts in more than 30 venues in Ottawa-Gatineau from April 26 to May 8, 2011.

When the two stars went their separate ways in 1977, Randy Bachman continued to pursue his unwavering love for music as a solo artist, as well as being part of the much-celebrated The Guess Who reunion, then Bachman-Cummings, and subsequently establishing himself as a jazz artist and host of the CBC/Sirius radio show, "Vinyl Tap." Meanwhile, Fred Turner carried on with the other members of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, before retiring from music at the end of the '90s to indulge his passion for cars.

But the two had lingering feelings, which persisted for over a decade, that they weren't done just yet. Then last year, Bachman was working on a solo album, for which he wanted to invite different vocalists to contribute. He first asked Turner to sing on a track called "Rock 'n' Roll is the Only Way Out." "It was perfect for his gritty, refrigerator-sized voice," explains Bachman. "It turned out so incredible that I asked if he wanted to sing on a few more. He sent me some of his original material, and from that it morphed into a Bachman & Turner project."

Since then the duo hasn’t looked back, hitting the studio to record a new album, making their performance debut at the Sweden Rock Festival, and hitting the road on tour with their top-notch band, most recently rocking the crowd at the halftime show for the 98th Grey Cup in Edmonton.

The Ottawa tour date will give local fans a chance to hear Bachman & Turner performing their vast catalogue of hits such as “Takin' Care of Business”, “You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet”, “Roll on Down the Highway”, “Hey You”, “Let It Ride”, “Blue Collar”, “Rock is my Life”, “Looking Out for #1”, and “Four Wheel Drive”, and playing a selection of new songs from the well-received album.

The performance by Bachman & Turner is made through the generous support of Margaret and David Fountain of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Tickets for Bachman & Turner at Prairie Scene go on sale December 4, 2010. Prices start at $64.50 and can be purchased at www.prairiescene.ca , in person at the NAC Box Office or through Ticketmaster at (613) 755-1111.

Prairie Scene

Prairie Scene is the fifth in a series of national festivals produced by the NAC showcasing the wealth of arts and culture in different regions of the country. The Scene festivals introduce artists to new audiences and national media exposure, but the Scenes also help boost careers by introducing young artists to presenters from all over the world.

Since 2003 the NAC has invited 314 presenters from 27 countries to travel to the Scene festivals to discover and book new talent, which has resulted in over 275 performance bookings and more than $1 million in fees for artists. More than 50 national and international agents, presenters and talent scouts will be at Prairie Scene to see Prairie talent in action. Their sole mission is to find new artists for their audiences across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Prairie Scene launched in Regina on Nov. 18 and in Winnipeg on Nov. 19, with a lineup that includes some of the finest performing artists from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Singer/songstress Buffy Sainte-Marie and internationally acclaimed violinist Erika Raum will appear at the festival, as will the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra with virtuoso James Ehnes. Persephone Theatre will present Kenneth Williams’ smash hit Gordon Winter; Saskatchewan playwright Gilles Poulin Denis’ Rearview brings Fransaskois culture to the Nation’s Capital, and Winnipeg Jewish Theatre’s Talk will get tongues wagging. Installations curated and/or presented by the Dunlop Art Gallery, Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art and many others provide a fascinating look at the Prairie visual arts landscape; and Saskatchewan’s Shawn Hounsell choreographs the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, while Robin Poitras and Rouge-gorge shed light on new dance creation. Music at the Scene includes appearances by Alexis Normand, Daniel ROA, eight-piece pop collective Library Voices, the Wailin’Jennys, and much, much more.

Further programming details in every discipline represented at Prairie Scene will be announced in February 2011.

Prairie Scene Partners

Prairie Scene would like to thank the Government of Canada, the Government of Manitoba and the Government of Saskatchewan for their generous support of this event.

The National Arts Centre and National Arts Centre Foundation gratefully acknowledge the support of Presenting Partner MTS Allstream, Major Partner Enbridge Inc and Programming Partner The Mosaic Company. Prairie Scene Media Partners include Major Partner CBC/Radio-Canada, and Partners National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Winnipeg Free Press, Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix. For their commitment to supporting Prairie arts and artists, we give special thanks to Gail Asper and Michael Paterson, the John and Bonnie Buhler Foundation, Adrian Burns and Gregory Kane, Q.C., Ian and Kiki Delaney, David and Margaret Fountain, Susan Glass and Arni Thorsteinson, Peter Herrndorf and Eva Czigler, Doris and Charles Knight, Craig and Pamela Lothian, Stefan and Magdalena Opalski, as well as Harriet and Isadore Wolfe.

The NAC Foundation also extends a warm thank you to the Prairie Scene Council, a committed group of individuals whose leadership, support and guidance are key to the success of Prairie Scene. The Prairie Scene Council is led by Manitoba Honorary Chairs John and Bonnie Buhler, Saskatchewan Honorary Chair Tami Wall, Manitoba Chair Gail Asper and Saskatchewan Chair Craig Lothian. Members include Adrian Burns, Catherine A. (Kiki) Delaney, Leslie Gales, Susan Glass and Arni Thorsteinson, Wayne Goranson and Heather Quale, Lynda Haverstock and Harley Olsen, Charles and Doris Knight, D’Arcy Levesque, Brian and Gail Saunders, Pamela Wallin, and Harriett Wolfe.

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For more information please contact:

Laura Denker
LOF Communications
(613) 747-5949
Cell: (613) 299-8844
laura@lofcomm.com

Carl Martin
Communications Advisor
National Arts Centre
(613) 947-7000, ext. 560
Cell: (613)291-8880
cmartin@nac-cna.ca

Rosemary Thompson
Director of Public Affairs
National Arts Centre
(613) 947-7000, ext. 260
Cell : (613) 762-4118
rthompson@nac-cna.ca

Media Contacts

Laura Denker
LOF Communications
(613) 299-8844
(613) 747-5949
laura@lofcomm.com

Carl Martin
Communications, NAC
(613) 947-7000, ext. 560
Cell : (613) 291-8880
cmartin@nac-cna.ca