Rosie and the Riveters are bringing their good, clean fun to Fernie, playing at the Arts Station on Apr. 7.
The Saskatoon-based quartet is known for playing upbeat, happy songs with a definite vintage flair. All four members dress in 1940’s fashion, complete with curls and red lipstick.
“We call it vintage inspired folk music and we take the inspiration from a variety of places,” said Alexis Normand, a member of the group. “Not only is our sound vintage inspired but our look is from the 40s - victory rolls and red lipstick and vintage style dresses.”
Normand says Rosie and the Riveters is a mix of soul and gospel music, with some added sweetness and joy. This mix is the inspiration behind their latest album Good Clean Fun.
“The object of the band is to uplift people and bring joy and smiles, which is why the album is called Good Clean Fun and why all of the songs are kind of happy. People are digging this, people are loving it, so we are succeeding in our mission,” said Normand.
The band has been heavily rotated on CBC Radio 2, which has helped with ticket sales.
“As a result, we have also been selling out shows across the country, in cities we have never been, like London, Ontario. Our last two shows in Edmonton were sold out, our last show in Calgary was sold out, so people are really responding to this music and it’s awesome,” Normand said.
The group started in 2011 out of the aspiration to break traditional stereotypes about women and how they work together.
“The band started as a desire for women to come together, collaborate and do something positive - a project where we could contribute all of our talents and learn from each other,” said Normand, who added this inspiration also influenced their band name.
“We had started working on our music already, before we came up with the band name. By that point, our sound was already a bit vintage,” she said. “It kind of fell into this 40s inspired thing, so when we were thinking about what could be evocated in a band name that could kind of throw people back to this era, we thought of Rosie the Riveter who was the icon of the feminist movement, the movement of women into the workforce. In that spirit of women coming together for the community and doing something positive, that is sort of what inspires us to come together and play music for people.”
Normand, along with the other three Riveters – Allyson Reigh, Melissa Nygren and Farideh Olsen – are performing two 45-minute sets at the Arts Station on Apr. 7, taking the stage at 8 p.m.