Author Archives: kelownalivemusic

Win tickets to Hawklsey Workman in Kelowna!!

Kelowna Live Music blog and Live Nation present a contest to win a pair of tickets to the March 7th show at the Kelowna Community Theatre

Here’s the contest…
Hawksley Workman has been busy in recent years producing many up-and-coming Canadian artists.  Send me a list of the bands/artists that Hawksley has produced.
jason.gonephishinatgmaildotcom

The person who send me a list of the most artists, wins the pairt of tickets.  The winner will be announced and contacted via email on March 5th.

Kelowna’s Yukon Blonde fires off retro rock

 Yukon Blonde fires off retro rock
By LISA WILTON – QMI Agency

It doesn’t matter how good your band is or how great your songs are, if you call yourself Alphababy people just aren’t going to take you seriously.

Brandon Scott figured this out the hard way when a venue in Toronto changed his group’s name to Alphababy on the marquee.

“They thought our name was so ridiculous, so they changed it,” he recalls.

It didn’t help that tourmate Jon-Rae Fletcher also hated the name and encouraged the band to find a slightly cooler moniker.

“I think some people wouldn’t come see us because they didn’t think we were very cool … So we finally went, ‘F— this. Let’s just change this name.’ We had also lost a few members and we wanted to start fresh.”

Now known as Yukon Blonde, the trio — guitarist-vocalist Jeff Innes, drummer Graham Jones and Scott on vocals and guitar — is generating plenty of buzz for its self-titled debut album.

The Vancouver-based band’s music is painted with retro shades of Supertramp and The Beatles, often coming across like an indie rock Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Scott says the current interest in Yukon Blonde is hard to wrap his head around considering the three musicians started playing gigs in their native Kelowna almost five years ago.

“It’s definitely strange because we’ve been a band for so long,” he says.

“But it’s really exciting that things are finally happening for us. It’s cool to see. We’re all pretty pumped.”

While the album is layered with different instruments such as keyboards, the live version of the band is more stripped down and harder-edged, according to Scott.

“We don’t have the keys in a live setting, which is unfortunate,” he explains.

“But we make up for it with lots of energy. And we have a new guy on bass playing with us. He’s a great singer. It’s going to sound a lot heavier for sure. We’re excited to see what people think.” The group plays Broken City on Friday before heading eastward.

Scott is also looking forward to playing U.S. dates later in the year, specifically Philadelphia, where he hopes to take in a Flyers hockey game.

Not that it’s his favourite team. Scott’s cousin just happens to be Flyers’ captain Mike Richards. “I was sitting with his family at the Olympics, but we couldn’t get to see him because security was so pumped. I got a message later wondering where we were, he wanted to party with us. So hopefully we’ll see him in Philly.”

Kelowna's Yukon Blonde fires off retro rock

 Yukon Blonde fires off retro rock
By LISA WILTON – QMI Agency

It doesn’t matter how good your band is or how great your songs are, if you call yourself Alphababy people just aren’t going to take you seriously.

Brandon Scott figured this out the hard way when a venue in Toronto changed his group’s name to Alphababy on the marquee.

“They thought our name was so ridiculous, so they changed it,” he recalls.

It didn’t help that tourmate Jon-Rae Fletcher also hated the name and encouraged the band to find a slightly cooler moniker.

“I think some people wouldn’t come see us because they didn’t think we were very cool … So we finally went, ‘F— this. Let’s just change this name.’ We had also lost a few members and we wanted to start fresh.”

Now known as Yukon Blonde, the trio — guitarist-vocalist Jeff Innes, drummer Graham Jones and Scott on vocals and guitar — is generating plenty of buzz for its self-titled debut album.

The Vancouver-based band’s music is painted with retro shades of Supertramp and The Beatles, often coming across like an indie rock Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Scott says the current interest in Yukon Blonde is hard to wrap his head around considering the three musicians started playing gigs in their native Kelowna almost five years ago.

“It’s definitely strange because we’ve been a band for so long,” he says.

“But it’s really exciting that things are finally happening for us. It’s cool to see. We’re all pretty pumped.”

While the album is layered with different instruments such as keyboards, the live version of the band is more stripped down and harder-edged, according to Scott.

“We don’t have the keys in a live setting, which is unfortunate,” he explains.

“But we make up for it with lots of energy. And we have a new guy on bass playing with us. He’s a great singer. It’s going to sound a lot heavier for sure. We’re excited to see what people think.” The group plays Broken City on Friday before heading eastward.

Scott is also looking forward to playing U.S. dates later in the year, specifically Philadelphia, where he hopes to take in a Flyers hockey game.

Not that it’s his favourite team. Scott’s cousin just happens to be Flyers’ captain Mike Richards. “I was sitting with his family at the Olympics, but we couldn’t get to see him because security was so pumped. I got a message later wondering where we were, he wanted to party with us. So hopefully we’ll see him in Philly.”

Hawksley Workman Wants You To Roll Around In The Snow

by Kate Harper
There comes a certain point in life when one becomes less keen on making snow angels. When you’re an adult the idea of plonking oneself down on one’s back, waving ones arms and legs around in freezing snow becomes less appealing then when you were seven.

Hawksley Workman figures that type of thinking is bullshit. It’s time for you to get outside, roll around in the snow and make snow angels, dammit.

Workman is holding a contest to find the best snow angel to celebrate the release of “Snow Angel” from his upcoming Milk album. It’s the latest track — along with “Google Jesus” — from the disc to be digitally released as a single, following “We Dance To Yesterday.”

Workman originally wanted to get some friends together and make snow angels in Toronto, but Toronto was without a blanket of snow, which thwarted his plans. (There’s snow outside now, so there’s no excuse, Hawksley! You better send us a photo of your very best snow angel, stat. We’ll, um, do a story about it.)

As a result, Workman would like you to send a photo of your best snow angel to fire@sixshooterrecords.com by Saturday (Feb. 6). The winner gets a set of tickets to the Workman show closest to their city and a signed copy of Meat, Workman’s most recent release.

We can’t help but wonder if there are bonus points for including things like beer cans or hockey and lacrosse sticks with your snow angels. That’d make it even more Canadian. We all know Workman loves hockey.

You can see Workman here (but first, get outside and make a snow angel!):

Feb. 5 Toronto, ON @ Criminal Records (in-store, 6 p.m.)
Feb. 6 Guelph, ON @ Sleeman Centre (Hillside Inside)
Feb. 16 Whistler, BC @ Whistler Village w/ Jenn Grant (2010 Olympic Winter Games)
Feb. 17 Richmond, BC @ Richmond O-Zone (2010 Olympic Winter Games)
March 5 Courtenay, BC @ Sid Williams Theatre
March 6 Victoria, BC @ Alix Goolden Theatre
March 7 Kelowna, BC @ Community Theatre
March 8 Trail, BC @ Charles Bailey Theatre
March 10 Red Deer, AB @ Memorial Centre Theatre
March 12 Banff, AB @ Eric Harvie Theatre
March 14 Edmonton, AB @ Winspear Centre
March 17 Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Hall
March 18 Saskatoon, SK @ Odeon Events Centre
March 19 Regina, SK @ Darke Hall at the University Of Regina
March 20 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
April 7 Saint John, NB @ The Blue Olive
April 8 Fredericton, NB @ Playhouse Theatre
April 9 Halifax, NS @ Rebecca Cohn Theatre at Dalhousie University
April 10 St. John’s, NL @ Holy Heart Auditorium
April 12 Charlottetown, PEI @ The Guild
April 15 Quebec City, QC @ Le Cercle
April 16 Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe
April 17 Ottawa, ON @ Bronson Centre
April 20 St. Catharines, ON @ Centre For The Arts at Brock University
April 21 London, ON @ London Music Hall
April 24 Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall