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Rocker with Castor ties to kick off tour from town

A rocker with roots in Castor will be using the community to launch his 2022 Canadian tour.
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A rocker with roots in Castor will be using the community to launch his 2022 Canadian tour.

The tour will launch Mar. 4, and Curtis Labelle and his band will be playing over 60 shows in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec between March and the end of June.

According to Labelle, those in the music industry are saying that this is one of the “biggest tours to come out of COVID for a Canadian artist.”

Labelle settled on Castor to launch his tour for several reasons.

First, and foremost, are his ties to the community.

Labelle has been a frequent visitor to the community over the last decade as his father, Rheal Labelle, was the significant other of Helen Christiansen.

According to Labelle, his dad and Christiansen met at a bingo in Forestburg not long after his mother had died and had been together ever since.

“Helen became a new mom for me,” said Labelle.

“She was an angel.”

Labelle’s father passed away two years ago, just as the pandemic was picking up steam.

Christiansen passed away in October.

Another tragedy struck the community in February with the death of firefighter Stephen Rayfield, who died while responding to a fire call.

“For me it was an opportunity,” said Labelle.

“I want to make it a celebration of life for all individuals, and have it serve as a reminder of who Helen and my dad were in the community. I want to make it a time to celebrate, a time to bring healing to everybody and remeber those who have passed.”

Labelle’s “High on Pride” 2022 tour will take him through community halls, bars, legions and a variety of other venues accross the country over the next few months, though he does note that if anyone wants a private backyard concert that can be arranged.

For his Castor show, Labelle and his band will be performing a variety oforiginal songs with a handful of covers mixed in.

Labelle says he has varied musical influences, ranging from Elton John to Amy Winehouse to Adele to Frank Sinatra.

“My music is high impact energetic rock music that is accessible for the whole family,” said Labelle.

Joining him on tour are bass guitarist Matt Dubois, drummer Adrian Johnson and guitarist Mike Sands.

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Kevin Sabo

About the Author: Kevin Sabo

I’m Kevin Sabo. I’ve been a resident of the Castor area for the last 12 years and counting, first coming out here in my previous career as an EMT.
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