After four years on tour, it will be a nice reprieve for Vernon’s Andrew Allen to take the lead on the second annual Global Music Fest at the Laurel Packinghouse this month.

Announced as the headliner on Wednesday, Feb. 1, the active Twitter bug let the odd hint fly via social media prior to the big drum roll with a brief promo plug for the event mid-January.

Either way, the choice should have been obvious according to event founder and organizer Ryan Donn.

“Andrew has always been on the radar,” he said. “He’s the perfect person to headline it. Andrew is a person whose always had a connection with his community, but he’s also our global musician. He’s our ambassador for Canada, so we thought lets bring him back and have him play and bring in that ‘how do you want to engage with the world around you?’ element. As he walks the streets of Nashville, he’s representing Canada.”

“That’s right,” Allen chimed in during a joint interview with the pair. “I have a large Canadian flag tattoo on my body and I walk around naked.”

Characteristically lighthearted, Allen is every bit the ambassador for the event, though he’s been rubbing some pretty highfalutin shoulders of late, opening for big acts like Bruno Mars, The Script, Barenaked Ladies (at the Kentucky Derby) and OneRepublic (in Golden Gate Park).

Following on the heels of last year’s main act Shane Koyczan, Allen gives Global Music Fest some big name pizzazz and the artist himself gets a brief dalliance in the headlining limelight after several years as wingman to some of the biggest names in the business.

Now a full weekend event, Global Music Fest is all about acting locally to have an effect globally and kicks off Global Citizen week in the Okanagan. As such, it draws the non-profit sector together, using artists to attract attention for causes. And Allen appears to be the perfect prototype.

Sporting a Flex Watch, with different wristbands colour-coded to support causes, Allen said he plays a Duncan Africa guitar built in Africa to help support a village (it’s tweaked by a guitar master in the Lower Mainland for fine tuning).

In January, he stopped in Vernon and treated his hometown to a concert, allowing local high school students to get some experience by joining him on stage. He’s a huge believer in the school band program, he said, noting he came through the system himself.

Come Global Music Fest, local singer/songwriters will reap the benefits of this benevolent style. Six songwriters—Dan Oig, Brent Taylor, Leah West, Mark Irving, Jeff Piattelli and Jeff Pike—have all been selected to write a song for six local non-profit organizations. The organizations receive a little publicity and a final product they can use in future marketing initiatives and the artists get a chance to compete on their skills, write a radio-friendly song and fire a few tough questions Allen’s way.

Spins on the radio and media attention are critical in the Canadian music business, Allen said.

“Especially in the Canadian music industry, we need to have heard that somebody is qualified,” he said. “So if you have songs on radio, then all of a sudden people go: oh, okay, he’s alright. We need somebody to tell us it’s good.”

As someone who once offered himself up for living room sessions in an artist-for-hire routine, Allen has blazed the trail from small town B.C. starving artist to gigs opening for big bands like Train and says marketing, connections and, above all else, radio play will ensure a musician makes it to the top of the pile.

What one chooses to do with that success is really the wild card.

Ask Allen where he would like to go and he’s got the layout for his first major headliner show all dialed in.

“It would totally be movements. The show would start off with a big explosive bang and party section and then I love to, in the middle of a set, bring it way down and get very intimate.

“And I know for sure I would have a really cool horn section,” he added, noting he played the saxophone in high school, learned guitar from Vernon’s Neil Fraser and started piano at age five.

Andrew Allen plays Global Music Fest in Kelowna February 24, followed by En Karma, Rococode and Cod Gone Wild Feb. 25 at the Laurel Packinghouse. Tickets are $15 available at Leo’s videos or online.

Tickets available at Select Your Tickets box office and online at www.selectyourtickets.com Friday February 3rd.
Doors  -  6:30 pm
The FLU  -  7:30 pm
Paul Rodgers  -  8:30 pm

Paul Rodgers has sold in excess of 125 million records / CD’s! Writer and vocalist, Paul Rodgers has given us such rock anthems and hits songs as: CAN’T GET ENOUGH, ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY, ALL RIGHT NOW, SHOOTING STAR, FEEL LIKE MAKIN’ LOVE, RUNNIN’ WITH THE PACK, MOVIN’ ON, RADIOACTIVE, SATISFACTION GUARANTEED, GOOD LOVIN GONE BAD, YOUNG BLOOD, READY FOR LOVE, BAD COMPANY…and more.

Worldwide, musicians and critics have dubbed Paul Rodgers “THE VOICE”. Never before has any artist led three bands to international success in addition to creating a successful solo career, until Paul Rodgers. He is undeniably one of music’s most distinctive vocalists. He has written and recorded some of rock’s greatest hits, released 27 C.D.’s and sold 125 million C.D.’s

Prior to his solo career, Rodgers formed supergroup Bad Company, writing and singing smash hits like Grammy nominated “Fell Like Making Love” and “Can’t Get Enough”, “Shooting Star”, “Bad Company”, “Run With The Pack”, the last two featuring Paul on piano as well as vocals, plus “Rock n’ Roll Fantasy” with Paul on guitar and vocals. “Bad Company took off”, recalls Rodgers. “When we started our first U.S. tour, the album was #99 on the charts. Two months later it hit #1”. Bad Company earned six multi-platinum albums. “10 from 6” the group’s greatest hits compilation remains a top seller.

It was his joint billing with Led Zepplin guitarist Jimmy Page on the historic U.S. ARMS tour, including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, that led to forming the Firm with Page. Both Firm world tours were top grossing tours. “The Firm” and Mean Business”, the group’s two albums, also enjoyed international success producing the hits “Radioactive”, “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and “All The King’s Horses”.

Paul Rodgers first shot up the international radio charts and unto the music scene with his rock anthem “All Right Now” with Free. “All Right Now” hit #1 in over 20 territories and was recognized by ASCAO for garnering one million plus radio plays in the U.S. alone. At the time, Free and Led Zeppelin were the biggest grossing British acts. Free release four top five albums and were the leaders of the British blues rock invasion. Their unusual combination of blues, ballads and rock won them worldwide praise and an international following that continues today.

Fri Feb 3

Calum Hughes Collective - The Minstrel Cafe
Damian Brennan - Vintner’s Poolside Grill
Trickster in the Machine – DJ Party – KCT Blackbox Theatre
Young ‘Uns - The Blue Gator
Devon Coyote / Ari Neufeld - Doc Willoughby’s Downtown Pub
Cheeky Monkeys – Dakoda’s Sports Bar & Grill
Donovan Sweet - Pheasant & Quail Pub

Sat Feb 4
In Medias Res - Streaming Cafe
Damian Brennan – Vintner’s Poolside Grill
SHERMAN DOUCETTE BLUES DUET – The Minstrel Cafe
Young ‘Uns - The Blue Gator
One Bad Son w/ Malibu Knights - Doc Willoughby’s Downtown Pub

Corey Doak
Joshua Smith
Jordan Matchett
Glen Koide

Sat Jan 14
Ma Petite with Portage & Main – Streaming Cafe
Sherman Doucette – Pheasant & Quail Pub
Transcending Orbit – Rotary Centre for the Arts
Blue City Trio – The Minstrel Cafe
John Stamos and his Fullhouse – Dakoda’s Sports Bar & Grill
The Dust Covers – 97 Street Pub
Mindil Beach Market – Doc Willoughby’s Downtown Pub
Young ‘Uns – The Blue Gator

And for listings for shows in the North and South Okanagan, check out this great site –http://oook.ca/ (Facebook Page)

Other Info
From the Accelerate Okanagan website

To keep you nourished and refreshed:

* Buffet style culinary delights
* Spirit Bear Martinis from Urban Distilleries
* Wines from include() wine & Kalala Organic Estate Winery
* Local Brews from Tree Brewing
* Free non-alcoholic options

To keep you movin’ groovin’ & having fun:

* Live music from The Ozzy Ozmunds
* Twisted Disco from Code: E & DJ Rich Taylor Esq.
* Poker, Blackjack & Roulette

This is ticket-only event. Tickets MUST be bought by 5pm, Monday January 9th.
Tickets: $25 each (Premium Members: $10 each)
Dress: casual-cocktail.

This is a public event, so please forward this to a friend or colleague.

With the release of his third solo album, Skyscraper Soul, Jim Cuddy announces he will be hitting the road this fall with The Jim Cuddy Band.

In the winter of 2011, following extensive Blue Rodeo touring, Jim Cuddy began to write music to accompany his wife Rena Polley’s comedic short film “Four Sisters.”  It turned out that writing music for the film put him on a creative roll and before long he was on his way to writing a third solo album.

Special guests: Members of Kalamalka Choir & Windmills
Show date: Friday December 23rd
Show time: 8:00pm-10:00pm
Doors open at: 7:30pm
Venue: Powerhouse Theatre
2901 35 AVE, Vernon, BC V1T 2S7 CANADA
Tickets: $15 each or 5/$50