      The Whitehawk Arts Council welcomed the Travelling Mabels in concert at the Sturgis Community Hall on February 25. This was the second concert of the season in the Stars for Saskatchewan series.
           Miles Russell welcomed the packed audience asking the crowd to sit back and enjoy the evening of great music. Dianne Pollock had a visual arts display of her quilts. Refreshments and socializing with the group concluded the evening.
The Travelling Mabels, voted the ACMA 2011 Group of the Year, is a folk country female trio full of spirit, spunk and laughter, says their promotional material.
           Collectively, their songs bring a wealth of life experience to the stage. Singularly, each woman can vocally stand alone, but once one hears the combined harmony blend, they know why these three women came together. The beauty of the Mabels is that they represent three generations of women. This has opened the door to a dynamic energy, both musically and in the rapport with the audiences that most wouldn't experience every day. Their musical influences range from Dolly Parton, The Eagles and Bob Dylan to Cheryl Crow, and their comedic, yet often heart-felt, take on life means they more than meet a wide range of audience expectations whenever they perform.
           Group members include: Eva Levesque, Lana Floen and Suzanne Levesque.
           Eva Levesque, started her professional musical career in 1990. She formed the Levesque family band in 1991, which created a huge following during its 14-year run.
           Eva is a free spirit and her wit and charm is sure to entertain audiences of all ages. Her first solo album was released in 1999 consisting of all self-penned original songs. Evaʼs on stage performance is truly brilliant and captivating. She is sure to take her audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions with her raw, real energy and soul felt vocals.
           “Lana Floen began her professional music career at the age of 26. This was the start of Kickstart, a top notch band that has been active in the corporate scene and country music scene for 15-plus years. Lana has had the pleasure of performing with and or opening for some of Canadaʼs finest artists such as: Ian Tyson, Tom Jackson, Jason McCoy, and American singer/ songwriter Chely Wright. In 1998 Lana won a Sing with Shania contest, which put her on stage, singing lead to one of Shaniaʼs hits to a sold out crowd of 20,000 at Calgaryʼs Saddledome, For that performance, Shania provided backup vocals.
           “Suzanne Levesque started performing with her mother, Eva Levesque, and the Levesque family band at the young age of 12. It was during this time that she found her great voice and developed her own style on bass guitar. It didn’t take long for audiences to realize Suzanne had superstar qualities. After touring extensively with bands throughout Western Canada, she was offered a full time position with Canadian country recording artist Gord Bamford. Suzanne is a highly sought after harmony vocalist for various artists’ studio.
           “Keith Floen is the band leader and keyboard player for the Travelling Mabels. Nominated CCMA 2012 Keyboard Player of the Year, he helps to provide the musical backbone for the group. In addition, he has produced and co engineered both Travelling Mabels’ CDs. He also fills the role of road manager, and does live sound and lighting when needed. A veteran professional musician for 30 years, Keith has had the pleasure of working with many great artists, including: Johnny Reid, Shania Twain, Charlie Major, Jim Cuddy, Carolynn Dawn Johnson, Susan Aglukark, Patricia Conroy, Ian Tyson, Tom Jackson, Paul Brandt, Farmers Daughter and Lisa Brokop.
