Author Archives: kelownalivemusic

Constantines frontman, Bry Webb @ Fernandos, June 16th

Bry Webb premieres Free Will 
Additional tour dates across Canada announced 

Constantines frontman, Bry Webb, premieres his second full-length solo album, Free Will today, via CBCMusic.ca and Exclaim.ca. Free Will is releasing on May 20, 2014 via Toronto-based imprint Idée Fixe Records.

Bry Webb begins his Canadian tour in Toronto at Massey Hall on May 31, with Coeur de Pirate. The acclaimed songwriter performs across Canada this summer including recently announced stops in Kelowna, Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Kingston andSudbury (Full tour dates available below). In addition to his solo dates, Webb returns to the stage for the highly-anticipated reunion of the Constantines in celebration of the 11th anniversary of their seminal album Shine A Light.

  Webb wrote many of the songs on Free Will for his son, Asa, who was two when the album was being made. It is a record about will and responsibility, love and desire, art and work. On “Fletcher” he questions what habits and ideals his son will learn. With “Let’s Get Through Today” he captures the emotions and worries of being a new father, singing “Go to the places where I can’t protect you / I will keep trying / To know what you’re going through.” Webb describes the album as having “less idealism than Provider…But the heart of the whole thing is a hope that will (or the idea of will) can help us move through all of this conflict and ambiguity.”

Free Will was recorded and produced at 6 Nassau in Kensington Market in Toronto with longtime associate Jeff McMurrich (Constantines, Jennifer Castle, Owen Pallett.) Bry Webb co-produced the record. Rich Burnett (lap steel, guitar, vocals), Aaron Goldstein (pedal steel), Anna Ruddick (bass, vocals) and Nathan Lawr(drums) make up “The Providers” on the album. Special guests include singer Jennifer Castle, Constantines’ band mate Will Kidman, pianist Thomas Hammerton, and experimental hurdy-gurdy player Ben Grossman.

Free Will is available now for pre-order on CD and vinyl via www.ideefixerecords.com.

Bry Webb Tour Dates

May 14 – BOSTON, MA – TT The Bear’s w/ Chad VanGaalen

May 15 – BROOKLYN, NY –  The Bell House w/ Chad VanGaalen
May 16 – PHILADELPHIA, PA – Milkboy w/ Chad VanGaalen
May 17 – WASHINGTON, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Chad VanGaalen
May 18 – PITTSBURGH, PA  – Brillobox w/ Chad VanGaalen
May 19 – CINCINNATI, OH – MOTR Pub w/ Chad VanGaalen
May 20 – COLUMBUS, OH – The Basement w/ Chad VanGaalen
May 21 – INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Do317 Lounge w/ Chad VanGaalen
May 22 – CHICAGO, IL – Empty Bottle w/ Chad VanGaalen
May 31 – TORONTO, ON – Massey Hall w/Coeur de Pirate
June 7 – HAMILTON, ON – Hamilton Blues & Roots Festival
June 16 – KELOWNA, BC – Fernando’s
June 17 – VICTORIA, BC – Copper Owl
June 18 – VANCOUVER, BC – The Biltmore
June 20 – CALGARY, AB – Sled Island
June 21 – MONTRÉAL, QC – Montréal Folk Festival on the Canal
July 9 – SASKATOON, SK – Amigo’s
July 10 – REGINA, SK – The Exchange
July 11-13 – WINNIPEG, MB – Winnipeg Folk Festival
July 18 – SUDBURY, ON – River & Sky Festival
July 19-20 – LONDON, ON – Home County Music and Art Festival
July 26-27 – GUELPH, ON – Hillside Festival
Aug 1-3 – SACKVILLE, NB – Sappyfest
Aug 8 – OWEN SOUND, ON – Mudtown Music & Arts Festival
Aug 9 – KINGSTON, ON – Wolfe Island Festival

Constantines Tour Dates

June 7-8 – TORONTO, ON – Fort York (Field Trip)

Aug 3 – SACKVILLE, NB – Sappyfest
Aug 22 – PETERBOROUGH, ON – Peterborough Folk Festival
Aug 23 – OTTAWA, ON – Arboretum Festival

What’s On Kelowna: May 30th and 31st

Friday, May 30th, 2014 venue
Bad Uncle, Crowd The Joanna and The Manual Scavengers Grateful Fed
Aviator Shades Fernandos Pub
Curtis Nowosad Quartet w/ Urbanbirds Streaming Café
Gordon James Turtle Bay Pub
Joshua Smith Minstrel Cafe
Live Jazz Vintner’s Poolside Grill
Piano Lounge with Tricia Dalgleish Rotary Centre for the Arts
Poppa Dawg Kelowna Lake City Casino 
Project Partycat Habitat
Radio Lifeline O’Flannigans Pub
Raygun Cowboys Doc Willoughby’s Pub
the Zamboni Brothers The Blue Gator

Saturday, May 31st, 2014 venue
Aaron Halliday Kelowna Lake City Casino 
Andrew and Zachari Smith Minstrel Cafe
Jazz & Blues Dinner party Grateful Fed
Live Music Neighbors Pub
Live music Vintner’s Poolside Grill
Radio Lifeline O’Flannigans Pub
Shannon Lyon Streaming Café
Sherman Doucette Mission Tap House
Slamdogs Riley’s Pub
the Zamboni Brothers The Blue Gator
Young Uns Cabana Bar and Grille

 

Wet Ape and KBAAD present: Gay Nineties and The Wet Secrets May 29th at Doc Willoughby’s

Two of Western Canada’s standout Rock n’ Rollers, Gay Nineties and The Wet Secrets, have teamed up for their next cross-Canada tour, beginning in two days, with an official appearance in Toronto for NXNE. The 4 week trek begins May 29th at Doc Willoughby’s in Kelowna, British Columbia, and ends in Ottawa, Ontario on June 21 at Zaphod Beeblebrox (see itinerary below).

Produced by Gay Nineties themselves along with Scott Ternan (54-40, Sam Roberts) and Mixer, Steve Bays (Hot Hot Heat, Mounties), the first single off their upcoming full length record (to be released in the fall), Letterman received The Shore FM 104.3 ‘Best of BC’ top prize, and has taken commercial Alternative Rock radio by storm, garnering coast-to-coast airplay and landing Top 15 on the charts in short order!

The official music video for Letterman, directed by Stefan Berrill of Brass Tracks Film (Hedley, No Sinner, Fur Trade, Bear Mountain) and funded by a Public Records and Telus grant, will be screened at their NXNE Showcase on June 19 at the Rivoli, presented by CO.PILOT Artist Management.

The 1890′s era, also known as The Gay Nineties was a memorable time and experience characterized by societal scandal, suffragette movements, and decadent art. ‘Gay Nineties’, the band are no different, delivering an explosive live performance showcasing their clear musical sensibility and style, inspired by multiple decades of artistic influences.

Gay Nineties found themselves in the Top 20 of the Peak Performance Project BC, playing showcases in CMW, New York City, and Montreal and are quickly finding a home at commercial radio in Canada. Their EP ‘Coming Together’ (released on First Love Records) has garnered critical acclaim and been distributed throughout North America and beyond.

The Wet Secrets will celebrate their long-awaited third album Free Candy with their first co-headlining tour. Released in February, CBC Music listed Free Candy as one of the “Top 10 Most Anticipated Canadian Releases of 2014”. The official music video for single Floating in the Sky, funded by Public Records and Telus, will also be screened at the June 19 NXNE Showcase.

Formed on a dare by Lyle Bell, Trevor Anderson and Kim Rackel, the bass and horn heavy quintet burst onto the scene with 2006’s A Whale of a Cow CD. Written and recorded within one week of the band’s formation, it was a clarion call to anyone within earshot that The Wet Secrets had arrived.

2007 saw the release of the fuzzed-up Rock Fantasy full-length. CBC Radio 3’s fervent support of the track “Secret March” landed the song at the #2 slot on the national CBC charts, won the band a Bucky, and brought on international acclaim. Festival touring soon followed, including mandatory stops at Austin’s SXSW and CMJ in New York, and the opening slot at Edmonton’s inaugural Sonic Boom festival. After a four-year hiatus spent focusing on other projects (Bell with Shout Out Out Out Out and Anderson withDirt City Films), the band has reconvened and crafted this deceptively sunny new album, Free Candy.

GAY NINETIES, THE WET SECRETS CO-HEADLINE TOUR DATES

May 29: Kelowna @ Doc Willoughby’s

May 30: Golden @ Rockwater

June 1: Calgary @ Palomino

June 2: Edmonton @ Pawn Shop

June 4: Lethbridge @ The Slice

June 5: Red Deer @ Beer Haus

June 6: Regina @ Sound Exchange

June 7: Saskatoon @ Vangelis

June 8: Winnipeg @ Pyramid

June 10: Kenora @ Bijou Steakhouse

June 13: Barrie @ Clarkson Pub

June 14: Hamilton @ Club Absinthe

June 19: Toronto (NXNE) @ Rivoli

June 21: Ottawa @ Zaphod Beeblebrox

Vancouver’s Five Alarm Funk at Sapphire on June 20

Vancouver party funk band Five Alarm Funk are set to release ‘Abandon Earth’, the band’s fifth studio album, on Tuesday, June 10th and will celebrate with an Album Release Party at The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on June 7th. The concept album, describing the destruction of planet Earth by a giant robot, is the culmination of 10 years of relentless touring and the 10 musicians’ love for high octane, delirium-inducing dance music. And Five Alarm Funk plan to keep it going! They’ll spend Summer 2014 touring Canada coast to coast and playing a number of shows in the United States in support of ‘Abandon Earth’. For a full listing of summer tour dates, see below.
‘Abandon Earth’ was recorded at the Farm Studios in Vancouver, BC. The album was produced by Ben Kaplan, whose recent credits include fellow Vancouverites Mother Mother and UK superstars Biffy Clyro. On their fifth album, Five Alarm Funk use gruff funk vocals, psychedelic rock guitars, Balkan-inspired horns, intricate arrangements, and a few well-timed explosions to tell the tale of a technological behemoth rising from the center of the Earth and unleashing a torrent of natural disasters and monsters on humanity. Although to some, the idea of doing a concept album may seem daunting, Five Alarm Funk fully embraced the challenge.
“We wanted to try out a new writing process where it wasn’t us all in the rehearsal space kind of jamming stuff out but we had a whole master plan to work with”, explains vocalist Tayo Branston. “We wanted to make the music tell a story, to create images in people’s heads. Once the whole concept of the album was formed we saw the different parts that we had to write music for. So then, for example, we had to come up with a way to musically represent a robot rising from the center of the Earth, bursting through to the surface, and people being terrified. Those images are what inspired the writing of ‘Horrible Sound.’“
Five Alarm Funk’s critically acclaimed fourth album, ‘Rock the Sky’, was released in May 2012 and was nominated for ‘Instrumental Album of the Year’ at the 2013 Juno Awards and ‘Instrumental Recording of the Year’ at the 2013 WCMAs. The band released the video for the ‘Abandon Earth’ track ‘ We All Scream’ in June 2013 and it quickly became an online hit with over 23K views to date. In November 2013, Five Alarm Funk celebrated its 10-year anniversary as a band with two sold-out shows at The Imperial in Vancouver, BC.
On stage, Five Alarm Funk is an unstoppable orgy of energy. Ten musicians perform intricate and airtight arrangements with delirious dance moves and full-on head banging. Choreographed arm movements coincide with melodic climaxes, while the four percussionists create a true spectacle, not to be missed. This horn powered, percussion fuelled sonic and visual assault has brought their relentless and unforgettable live show to clubs and major festivals across Canada and the United States for over a decade. Touring around in their trusty 15-passenger van numerous times, they have built their fan base from the ground up with over 500 shows under their belt. Some upcoming highlights this summer include stops at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, Saskatoon Jazz Festival, Sunfest in London, Ontario, North Country Fair in Alberta, and Summer Meltdown in Washington State.
Don’t miss out on the dance party! Be sure to catch Five Alarm Funk at The Commodore Ballroom onJune 7th in Vancouver and on the road across Canada all summer long. Look for Five Alarm Funk’s 5th album ‘Abandon Earth’ on iTunes & all other digital retailers on Tuesday, June 10th. For the most up-to-date tour schedule, please visit: www.fivealarmfunk.com.
FIVE ALARM FUNK – ABANDON EARTH
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 10th, 2014 (Independent)
1.  We All Scream
2.  Newscast 1
3.  Journey To The Center Of The Earth
4.  Robot
5.  Horrible Sound
6.  Erupt
7.  Newscast 2
8.  ATTAAACK!!
9.  Higgs Boson
10. Prest-O Chang-O
FIVE ALARM FUNK UPCOMING TOUR DATES
June 7 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
June 20 – Kelowna, BC – Sapphire
June 21-22 – Driftpile, AB – North Country Fair
June 24th – Banff, AB – Wild Bill’s
June 25th – Calgary, AB  – Dickens Pub
June 26th – Edmonton, AB – Pawn Shop
June 27th – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Jazz Fest
June 28th – Saskatoon, SK – Sask Jazz Fest
June 29th – Saskatoon, SK – Sask Jazz Fest
June 30 / July 1 – Winnipeg, MB – The Pyramid
July 2 – Thunder Bay, ON – Crock’s
July 4 – Sarnia, ON – Paddy Flaherty’s
July 5-6 – London, ON – SUNFEST
July 31st – Revelstoke, BC – The Traverse
Aug 1-3 – Penticton, BC – Boonstock

BMBSHL will be playing May 29 in Kelowna @ Fernando’s

Edmonton’s BMBSHL, is the brainchild of songwriter and producer Brenna MacQuarrie.  Infusing lush cinematic overtones with downtempo electronica, BMBSHL brings forth a vision of heartbreak and disillusionment through sound.  The music reminds me of early Sarah McLachlan and Delerium.

The “Recover” music video is hauntingly beautiful and visually intricate.  http://youtu.be/ujMxMw7_SbI

“Strike”, also filmed in Havana, Cuba and Calgary “Strike” Music Video: http://youtu.be/YK1d6tLNRHw

Curtis Nowosad – Streaming Café on Friday, May 30th

Curtis Nowosad will be performing at the Streaming Café in Kelowna on Friday, May 30th, 2014 (with opening act Urbanbirds), and at the Vernon Jazz Club on Saturday, May 31st, 2014, as part of a Western Canada Tour, in support of my debut album, The Skeptic & the Cynic, which was released in late 2012. The album showcases original compositions alongside an eclectic mix of covers of songs by Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, 2pac, and Black Star. For this recording, he enlisted a world-class band: Jimmy Greene on tenor saxophone, Derrick Gardner on trumpet, and Steve Kirby on bass, alongside homegrown musicians Will Bonness on piano, Julian Bradford on bass, and Laurent Roy on guitar. Pianist Taylor Eigsti, a two-time Grammy nominee, guests on one track, Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine.”

Kelowna Live Music – May 23rd and 24th

Friday, May 23rd, 2014 venue
Dylan Stone band Grateful Fed
Jimmy Leguilloux Band O’Flannigans Pub
Jo & the Soul Minstrel Cafe
Johanna Olson Marmalade Cat Cafe
Live Jazz Vintner’s Poolside Grill
Mike Mueller Kelowna Lake City Casino 
Moni Funk The Blue Gator
Pigeon Park and the Wild! Doc Willoughby’s Pub

Saturday, May 24th, 2014 venue
Cara Luft Streaming Café
Powder Blues Kelowna Mountain
DJ Invizible Doc Willoughby’s Pub
Jimmy Leguilloux Band O’Flannigans Pub
Live Music Neighbors Pub
Live music Vintner’s Poolside Grill
Mike Mueller Kelowna Lake City Casino 
Moni Funk The Blue Gator
Slamdogs Riley’s Pub
The Regals Minstrel Cafe