The Constantines’ Kensington Heights Tops Associated Press List of Top Rock Albums

Boxing Day show!
Dec. 26th
OK Mission Hall

Jon-Rae Fletcher
w/Ladyhawk, Yukon Blonde (formerly Alphababy), Tiger Cat and Kingdom Cloud

This will be a great show and will definitely sell out.

WHAT: Celebrate the season with extraordinary performances by
Sean Hogan, Steve Fox, Samantha King, and Duane Steele. This special
holiday concert will highlight songs from the artists’ personal careers
combined with a touch of seasonal spirit as the artists join the stage
together to showcase all your favorite Christmas classics. All proceeds
from the concert go directly to the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs.

WHY: Attending this event increases the Boys and Girls Clubs
ability to help young people discover, develop and achieve their potential
through 25 different clubs and service locations in the Okanagan Valley.
Every day over 1,000 young people come through their doors and benefit from
their services. Your support will make the different in the life of an
Okanagan child.

WHEN: Wednesday December 10th 2008
Doors at 6:00pm, Concert at 7:00pm

WHERE: Creekside Theatre, Winfield, BC

TICKETS: $25 Adult, $12 Child (12 years & under)
Call for Tickets: 250-766-9309
http://www.creeksidetheatre.com

Facebook Event

Stalking shadows on the prairies with a compass and set of matches, shaking the mountains loose with howls and footstomps and, settled in meadows, while whispering tales under darkening skies, obsessed with history or historically obsessed, either way, Elliott Brood have a penchant for stories they just can’t shake.

Since their beginnings with their EP, Tin Type, home of the cult hit, “Oh, Alberta!”, to their Juno-nominated, debut full length Ambassador, Elliott Brood have earned the praise of connoisseurs and critics alike. They’ve won over legions of fans with their raw and energetic live shows and their atmospheric, richly crafted records, making a name for themselves worldwide. They’ve carried their tune through seven cross Canada marathons, including the headlining spot on the Exclaim! Magazine sponsored Wood, Wires & Whiskey tour and opening shows for Wilco, Blue Rodeo, Corb Lund and The Sadies. They have completed three European tours, playing Festivals throughout Europe, Great Britian and Scandinavia, including an opening spot in Paris with Broken Social Scene. The Brood have toured through the USA with Do, Make, Say Think and early this year, they made their debut in Australia with the release of Ambassador on ABC Records in the spring of 2008.

Alongside the Juno nomination, Ambassador earned The Brood a Galaxy Rising Star award for Best New Artist 2006, landing them on Best of Lists from The Globe & Mail to CBC Radio 3, a four-star review from British music mag heavy, UNCUT, and kept them on the college radio charts for over 17 weeks.

With the release of their new record, Mountain Meadows, comes a new chapter. It marks the evolution of Elliott Brood from a backwoods character into a timeless figure. Recorded in Town halls, front rooms, back rooms and good old recording studios, the album’s wandering melodies are driven by rusty guitars and aching vocals that waltz around charming piano lines while ukuleles and banjos sway to and fro between a chorus of horns. It’s sunnier the higher you climb the Mountain, but in the Meadows below lay darker themes each with their own lore.

Fingers and Tongues

by Deanne Deschatelets – Story: 43571
Castanet

Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN, have been on a world wind tour with stops in Mexico, South America, USA and Canada.

On Thursday night the “Lights In The Sky” tour made a stop in Kelowna at Prospera Place.

Front man Trent Reznor founded the group in 1988 and he remains the only official member.

This producer, singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist maintains creative control and gathers a backing group of musicians to join him on stage for the live performances.

NIN have released four re-mix albums and eight studio albums with the most recent being “The Slip” which was release in July 2008.

NIN have a sound that can not be pigeon-holed into one music genera but is widely accepted as a industrial rock act. The band has sold millions of albums world wide and has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards. NIN won twice for Best Metal Performance in 1992 and 1995.

With a unique studio sound, that has many processing elements and electronic instrument overlays and rhythms, it is hard to imagine if all that can translate into a live performance.

Any doubts were laid to rest with the extravagant stage show presented to fans in the Okanagan.

NIN utilized impressive visual elements that placed the audience senses in overdrive. It was an optical roller coaster ride that kept the fans looking at the stage in fear of missing anything.

The music was true to the NIN sound that fans have become accustomed to on the albums with the live show adding extra elements that kept thoughts wondering what would be next.

With ages ranging from young teens to the 40 something’s, there was an opportunity for things to go terribly wrong. But the crowd was there for a good time and there was no major incidents.

Though there was a heavy police presence at Prospera Place to curb any lingering thoughts of trouble makers.

The diversity that is Paul Filek extends itself far beyond his Canadian Idol debut. Never to miss an opportunity to play his music live, this hardworking and passionate 26 year-old musician has proven himself as more than just another pretty face with fantastic hair products. In the past five years, Paul Filek has marked his place on the map of up-and-coming stars and has
only just begun to break the surface of talent that lies within.

Paul is the youngest of six boys and comes from a long line of aspiring musicians. Paul began writing and playing music as a joke at parties. This joke quickly turned into a passion realized and there was no stopping him from this point on. True to his night-owl tendencies, Paul found himself creating songs into all hours of the early morning. His guitar has led the way and although his roommates have paid the price, these late night sessions have led Paul to his new found mentor and friend; producer Henry Small ( Prism, The Guess Who, Entwistle). Together they have produced two critically acclaimed albums: Honest Songs from a Dishonest Heart and his sophomore effort Good to Meet You. Both albums deliver his soulful voice and creative lyrics speaking of truth, love and life.

Paul is a born performer. A self-proclaimed addict to the high of the live performance, Paul’s audiences are guaranteed a great show the minute he takes the stage. Once performing, Paul’s voice transcends and his songs are delivered from a place of passion and unquestionable authenticity. Not to mention his wicked sense of humour!

If you’re going to the Nine Inch Nails show Thursday night at Prospera Place, afterwords Zen Media are playing Doc Willoughby’s with Vancouver’s The Hermit.

Yukon Blonde is Jeff Innes, Brandon Scott, Adam Newton, and Graham Jones – a band from the rolling hills of Kelowna, a city that enjoys, and is cursed by it’s own burgeoning scene. Going under the name AlphaBaby from early 2005 until late 2008, the band has conquered their fair city and toured through Canada extensively, playing some 300 shows whilst performing alongside bands such as Ladyhawk, The Constantines, Jon-Rae Fletcher, Magnolia Electric Co, Black Mountain, and Women. As AlphaBaby, (then a quintet) the band also released two EPs: “You Gentle Crustacean”, recorded by Colin Stewart of The Hive Creative Labs in Vancouver BC, and “AlphaBaby Live”, a homebrewed bootleg.

A band that borrows from the best; looking for influence in 60’s rock harmonies, thick yet simple hooks, and depression-era furniture upholstery, they have been compared to Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac, Crosby/Stills/Nash, and America. Yukon Blonde was formed by Innes, Scott, Jones, and Newton out of their love of nostalgic music and a need to make new sound in a screaming town.

After returning from a cross-Canada tour with Jon-Rae Fletcher, Yukon Blonde is settling down to record their debut full length album which is slated to be produced by Shawn Cole who helped Bend Sinister, YSP!WSD!, and Wintermitts. It will be available in most music retailers in North America on Nevado Records.

Two-time Juno Nominees, Sweatshop Union are in the midst of a 90+ North American city tour in support of their fourth album Water Street, which hits the streets Oct 14th. They are rapidly becoming known for their distinctly musical conscious hip hop and a live show far beyond the average rap concert. With tens of thousands of sales of their critically acclaimed albums they have toured relentlessly and performed with the likes of The Roots, Black Eyed Peas, Jurassic 5, Blackalicious, De La Soul, Swollen Members and the Living Legends; building a dedicated following. Sweatshop Union are on the rise.

Since the release of their debut album in 2004, The Sleepless Nights from Halifax have grown from a modest trio into a six-piece wall of sound that equally evokes Eric’ Trip and ELO. With multiple songwriters and vocalists, The Sleepless Nights cover a lot of musical ground while maintaining a coherent sound of dense yet ambient indie-rock. Their third album, Turn Into Vapour, will be released in January and the group will be on the road until their van breaks.