Two familiar faces are returning to Fernie Stoke Fest this year.
Clayton and Joelle Parsons, previously members of The Good Ol’ Goats, are ready to take the stage in April under their new duo name, The Parsons.
Clayton and Joelle first met through The Good Ol’ Goats in 2013, and played at Stoke Fest not long after.
Five years later, the two band members married and continued to play music together.
Through the soft sounds of folk and old-time bluegrass, the singer-songwriter duo love to tell stories of the area that they hope will inspire listeners.
They explained that their lyrics, complemented by honey-sweet harmonies, focus on finding joy in the simple things and profundity in what many of us take for granted.
“There’s a lot of references to our surroundings and also just stories that are relatable to people,” said Clayton.
“The goal is connecting people to the feel of that song and that they can sort of insert their own stories into our songs. So it’s not just about us, it’s about trying to include the audience in (our songs) as much as possible.”
The talent of the two newlyweds has not gone unnoticed.
Their debut release in 2016 was named Album of the Year at the Kootenay Music Awards.
The Cranbrook duo has previously performed numerous times in Fernie, including shows at The Loaf, Infinitea and The Arts Station. They also kicked off the weekend at Gillbilly 2018.
The Parsons will be taking the stage at Fernie Stoke Fest on April 6 at 8:50 p.m.
“We’re stoked, it’s going to be awesome,” said Clayton.
“Opening up the night with some more mellow songs to warm people up, is always super fun. We’re pumped to come play. It’s going to be fun.”
The Parsons are long-time friends with organizer and headlining band, Shred Kelly.
The duo is grateful to be playing earlier in the night, so that they can dance along to Shred Kelly later in the evening.
Clayton expressed what a pleasure it is to play with Shred Kelly and what a great performance they put on ever year at Stoke Fest.
“They’re such good people,” he said.
“The thing I love about those guys is that they’re so humble for who they are. I feel like a band like that could easily fall into the rockstar mentality when they have people praising them every night. And that can quickly go to someone’s head. But they maintain such a down-to-earth, humble (mindset).
“I love those guys, they’re fun to be around and fun to play with.”
To hear music from The Parsons before their performance at Stoke Fest, visit Soundcloud.com/claytonparsons.