Fresh from her 50 for 50 Tour celebrating her musical career and birthday milestone, Cara Luft came to Bellingham’s New Prospect Theatre (NPT) on a recent evening with a diverse bunch of songs, a delightful and raucous sense of humor, and a seemingly endless supply of banjo jokes.
The daughter of Canadian folk-singing parents, the Calgary-born, Winnipeg-based Juno award winning singer-songwriter started playing dulcimer and autoharp as a child, eventually taking up guitar and clawhammer banjo. Starting her music career in British Columbia, Cara released her first EP, Tragedy of the Commons in 1997. Luft moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1999 to pursue more opportunities as her writing and performing styles developed. In 2000, she released her debut album, Tempting the Storm, to positive reviews (“Cara Luft combines thoughtful lyrics and complex and charged musical arrangements to produce her own unique sound.” Lissa Millar – Editor, Mosaic Arts Magazine).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“What’s the definition of a gentleman? A man who can play banjo…but doesn’t.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In 2002, a well-received chance performance at a Winnipeg guitar shop brought together Cara, Ruth Moody, and Nicky Mehta, and soon led to further collaborations and the folk trio, The Wailin’ Jennys, was born. Although that Winnipeg gig was originally planned as a one-off performance, the trio eventually toured and recorded an EP and full-length album, 40 Days (Red House Records, 2004).
Luft returned to her solo career in 2005, releasing three albums between 2005 and 2012. In 2016, along with JD Edwards she formed The Small Glories, releasing two albums: Wondrous Traveler (self-released, 2016) and Assiniboine & the Red (Red House Records, 2019). But with The Small Glories going on hiatus in 2024, Cara has refocused on her solo career with an album planned for later this year.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“What is an optimist? A banjo player with a business card.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
With a near capacity audience filling NPT’s Lucas Hicks Auditorium on May 15, Luft opened the show with “Sing” from Assiniboine & the Red. Clayton Parsons, Cara’s “chosen younger brother” then joined her for the remainder of the first set. A spirited rendition of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” set the tone for the evening as the obvious musical chemistry between Cara and Clayton quickly became evident. Parsons, an accomplished guitarist, banjo-player, and vocalist, plays with The Parsons but if the night’s performance was any indication, his collaboration with Luft will, and should (!) continue for the foreseeable future.
Watch Cara Luft perform “Something to Hold Onto” live at the 2024 Marsden Americana & Bluegrass Day on YouTube:
A new song, “Find Love,” came next followed by “Alberta” from the second Small Glories album. “Doubt and Belief” and “Garbage Hill,” about living on a landfill, followed with “The Snows” closing out the first set. Many of the songs were new and Cara would later remark that they would be recorded for a new album to come out later in the year.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“I’d forgotten my two banjos in the car and ran back out to get them only to find the windows had been smashed, the car broken into. And seven banjos on the back seat.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Luft’s unique combination of musical influences-rock, Celtic, bluegrass, modern and traditional folk-and her fondness for crossing genre boundaries became clear during the second set. Opening with “Black Water Side,” Cara revealed the rocker inside, introducing the song as “my cover of Jimmy Page’s cover of Burt Jansch’s cover.” That traditional blues piece contrasted against the set closer, 80s teen anthem Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” In between Cara told plenty of stories, joked with Clayton, debuted more new songs, and made a plea for those whose hearts are breaking.
Watch Cara Luft perform “Black Water Side” live at Streaming Cafe on April 28, 2012, via YouTube:
Earlier in the show, Clayton had talked about becoming a father and how life was changing for him, of feeling stuck in that “transitional hallway of life” where one thing is ending and another beginning. For him, art and music have been key in navigating that transition and emerging into the light at the end of the hallway. Later, Cara also talked about transition from the perspective of losing love, of experiencing heartbreak. For many whose hearts are breaking because of national political turmoil, missing the nation we were and dreading what we are becoming, Cara reminded us that the power of song helps us through despair, through that hallway of transition. As people around the globe (and especially in the U.S. and Canada) weather that passage, I couldn’t help but think about Bruce Springsteen calling on the power of art and community a half a world away while in a small theatre in a small corner of Washington state another singer was doing the same.
Listen to Cara Luft’s 2012 release, Darlingford, on Spotify.
The New Prospect Theatre continues to attract stellar musicians from a variety of genres-each show I’ve attended a masterclass in artistic intimacy and musical excellence. Cara and Clayton, with their easy banter, gorgeous harmonies, and audience connection created a space where we could endure heartbreak and instead, at least for a couple of hours, embrace love.
For information on future tour dates and new music, please go to Cara’s website here.
Here are some more photos of Cara Luft and Clayton Parsons at Bellingham’s New Prospect Theatre on May 15, 2025. All photos courtesy of and copyright Mark Caicedo.
