LAC LA BICHE - The second concert of the 2025 Music in the Forest series at Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park will feature the folk and roots rock sound of Edmonton-based artist Lindsey Walker.
Walker will kick off the summer season of Music in the Forest with a performance at the park campground amphitheatre on May 17.
Those who attend the show will get to hear tracks from Walker’s album, ‘This desolate bliss’, which was released in 2017 and was nominated for four Edmonton Music Awards, winning one for ‘Indie Rock Recording of the Year.’
“It was shortlisted for the Edmonton Music Prize, and it charted on multiple campus and community radio stations,” Walker told Lakeland This Week.
As for where the name ‘This desolate bliss’ originated, Walker explained that she came up with the title while thinking of the greater throughline of the songs on that album and that people can find beauty and hope in the most dark and bleak places.
“The songs I write tend to explore somewhat dark themes, but also have glimmers of hope interlaced throughout,” she stated.
As for the biggest songs on the album, Walker said there are two, ‘Window’, which was the focus track that allowed her to win an Edmonton Music Award, as well as ‘St. Petersburg’, a song based on the true story of a man in the 1970s who owned an animal attraction exhibit in St. Petersburg, Florida, featuring reptiles and amphibians.
Walker described how every time she performs the song and tells the accompanying story behind it, she gets many follow-up questions.
“I love that a song about an event that happened so long ago still brings up feelings and conversations today,” she said.
Walker is currently working on a three-song EP that she will be releasing this fall. She will be playing those songs at the May long weekend show and is excited to share them.
“The songs are a bit more anthemic, but still my signature mixing of hope in times of despair.”
When asked to describe her musical style, Walker said it is a “true confluence,” explaining that she grew up listening to classic rock, musical theatre, and hip hop, and later, studied jazz at MacEwan University. Recently, Walker’s sound has been evolving, moving from a folk/roots sound to more of a soulful rock sound.
“When I perform with my band, the rock sound is full force. For many touring shows (including Lac La Biche) it will be pared down, and although the rock influence shines through, it will be a bit more laid back,” she explained.
This year, with the anticipated release of her new EP, Walker has some shorter tours planned for Western Canada. In addition to the Lac La Biche gig on May 17, the indie musician will also be playing some dates in southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“I am trying to stay closer to home and really connect with audiences in my backyard as opposed to travelling beyond,” she said.
For more information about the concert, contact the Alberta Parks Lakeland District Office at (780) 623-7189.
