ART IS {HOPE} Showcase presents:
‘An Orphans Dream’ Documentary
and LIVE MUSIC by:
Andrew Smith | Norm Strauss | Kim McMechan | Graham Ord
+ Local artisan art sale
7-10 PM | Friday, February 25th
Emmanuel Church – 2600 Hebert Rd. West Kelowna
Doors open 6:30PM | Door Cover $5
http://www.globalcitizenkelowna.org/2011-events/art
On Sunday, the lineup will be announced for the Sasquatch Music Festival at the Gorge Ampitheatre. This is one of my favourite annual events to attend, and I didn’t go last year, so I’m pretty stoked for the lineup announcement. This amazing venue is 5 hours south of Kelowna, and well worth the drive!
By Pyper Geddes – Kelowna Capital News
Published: January 25, 2011 6:00 PM
The Conduit Festival is back, this year bringing us Ecotone; a live showcase featuring over 100 artists from all around the Okanagan. For the second year, Conduit has partnered with En’ Owkin Centre and Okanagan Greens Society to bring us the one-day festival that will take place at the Rotary Centre for the Arts on Saturday, Feb. 5
Ecotone, produced by the Cakewalk Collective, is a zero-waste, all organic festival that features various forms of art such as installation art, graffiti, sculpture, eco-activism, crafts, musical performances, poetry reading, fire spinning, and storytelling. The festival also features local and organic fare including delicious food prepared by Chef Grant Dumontreuil, organic wine from Summerhil Winery, organic beer from Crannog Ales and organic Mead from Meadow Vista.
Live performances will feature an all Okanagan cast including Jodi Pederson, The Capers, Little Jungles ,Yukon Blonde and many more. There will be original art work on display all around the Centre by a number of artists including Don Elzer, Jordan and David Doody, Meghan Wise, Malcolm Eidse and Brittany Falk. Exhibitors will include Curio Designs, Blowfish Glassworks, Leftover Hippies, and again, many more.
This festival has a little bit of everything for everyone. With numbers of artisans and performers filling each corridor, studio, and hall of the Rotary Centre for the Arts, Ecotone is truly a celebration of art and community.
This is the 4th annual festival that the Cakewalk Collective has organized, and was created for the purpose of being a grassroots co-operative community co-venture to support and nurture the Okanagan’s creative business community and burgeoning arts scene.
With so many artists leaving the Okanagan to take part in the flamboyant arts and culture scenes of larger cities, Conduit provides local artists with a support system of sorts. The festival continues to grow and become more successful each year which in turn attracts a larger audience to the festival. The bigger the audience, the more awareness there is for the Okanagan’s local arts and culture scene. Conduit is an integral part of the Okanagan events calendar, as no other event or festival has such a focus on sustainability not only in the arts community but in regards to our environment as well.
So if you only leave your house once a year, I would suggest making it Feb. 5 because this is an event you don’t want to miss. Ecotone will leave you feeling inspired, hopeful, and connected.
Doors open at 4pm with the festival going right until 2am. A minimum donation of $10 at the door is suggested, or whatever you are willing to pay to support the event. All proceeds will go towards the Okanagan Greens Society.
For more information on Ecotone visit www.kelownaconduit.com.
Pyper Geddes is the general manager at Habitat in downtown Kelowna and an A-OK Contributor.
BAND CONTEST ANNOUNCES BC’S TOP 10 TEEN BANDS – VOTE NOW!
(Vancouver, BC) January 10, 2011 – Youthink magazine, Tom Lee Music and 100.5 The Peak FM have announced their Top 10 for BC’s Best Teen Band Contest! Congratulations to the finalists (in alphabetical order):
1) Alexandria Maillot – a pop-indie soul artist from Maple Ridge
2) All The Way – an alt-rock band from Coquitlam
3) The Archers – an alt-indie folk band from Victoria
4) Far From Fiction – an alt-rock band from Vancouver
5) Hailey Morgan – an indie pop-rock artist from Langley
6) Ivory Coast – an alt-indie band from Abbotsford
7) Patrick Kelly – a pop-rock artist from Kelowna
8) Ready Steady Go – a reggae ska-rock band from Burnaby and North Vancouver
9) The Stirs – an alt-rock band from Chilliwack
10) Stoned Optic – a punk-rock band from Victoria
A group of music industry judges selected the Top 10 artists from nearly 50 entries across the province. The bands are now featured on bandcontest.youthink.ca where voters will determine the Top 3, which will be announced on February 8, 2011.
The Top 3 finalists will compete live at Tom Lee Music Hall on April 30, 2011 for the title of BC’s Best Teen Band. A panel of industry judges will determine the winner and the first-place band will receive amazing prizes including:
Youthink, Tom Lee Music and 100.5 The Peak FM launched the second annual BC’s Best Teen Band Contest in October 2010, with over $10,000 in prizes and opportunities up for grabs. The competition gives young bands from across the province a chance to showcase their music, connect with key players in the music industry and educate them on how to advance their music careers.
I picked up nearly 30 new albums this year, the most new music I’ve bought in a long time (mainly from iTunes or at shows)
my top 10 albums are….
10. Said the Whale – Islands Disappear
9. The Pathological Lovers – Calling all Favours
8. Robert Plant – Joy
7. The Besnard lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
6. the Arcade fire – the suburbs
5. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
4. New Pornographers – Together
3. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
2. Foals – Total Life Forever
1. Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown
The rest…
Bahamas – Pink Strat
Belle and Sebastian – Write about love
Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Devil’s Tattoo
Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
Danny Michel – Sunset Sea
Doug Paisley
Jeff Beck – Emotions and Commotion
Jon and Roy – Homes
Josh Ritter – So Runs The World Away
MGMT – Congratulations
Mountains and the Trees
Ra Ra Riot – The Orchard
Sherman Downey – Honey for Bees
Stars – The Five Ghosts
The Black Keys – Brothers
The National – High Violet
The Walkman – Lisbon
Wintersleep – New Inheritors
That reminds me, I have to get the new Band of Horses album and Grinderman 2.
What albums am I missing? Any recommendations?
What a year for local concerts around Kelowna! The Breakout West festival was a highlight for many people I’ve been talking to in the last few months, and many great shows passed through town and made stops at the live music venues here in Kelowna.
I started this in 2007, and continued in 2008 and 2009, so here’s a look at some of my favourite shows from right here in Kelowna.
10. Henry Rollins – Kelowna Community Theatre, Kelowna, BC, May 23, 2010
9. Pavlo, Rik Emmett, Oscar Lopez – Kelowna Community Theatre, Kelowna, BC, March 11th, 2010
8. Rural Alberta Advantage / Pepper Rabbits / Imaginary Cities – Habitat, Kelowna, BC, Nov. 4th 2010
7. Jon & Roy / Windborn – The Habitat, Kelowna, BC, April 16th, 2010
6. Stars / Young Galaxy – Kelowna Community Theatre, Kelowna, BC, Nov. 3rd. 2010
5. Broken Social Scene / The Sea and Cake – Kelowna Community Theatre, Kelowna, BC, Oct. 10th, 2010
4. Grapes of Wrath – Summerhill Winery, Kelowna, BC, July 28, 2010
3. Plants & Animals / Said the Whale / Kingdom Cloud – The Habitat, Kelowna, BC, May 2nd, 2010
2. Dan Mangan / Aidian Knight – The Habitat, Kelowna, BC, February 7th, 2010
1. Break Out West Festival with Said the Whale, Grapes of Wrath, Library Voices, Ryan Donn, Royal Canoe, Corb Lund, etc… various Venues, Kelowna, BC, Oct. 21-23rd, 2010
With the Deadmau5 show at Prospera place tomorrow night, and 18 shows to choose from on New Years Eve, there’s no shortage of live music this week.
Get out an enjoy before you head back to work!
Music recording artist from Vancouver David Vertesi has released the first video from Cardiography. Produced by Jose Miguel Contreras (By Divine Right) and on October 26th, Cardiography is the debut solo album for Hey Ocean! member David Vertesi. David will be taking his new album on the road to Alberta for dates with Victoria’s Aidan Knight.
Watch Mountainside: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcUtKu43eHM
Cardiography Tour Dates with Aidan Knight
Nov 30 – Kelowna, BC @ Benvoulin Church
Dec 01 – Calgary, AB @ The Marquee Room
Dec 02 – Edmonton, AB @ The Haven Social Club
Dec 03 – Lethbridge, AB @ The Slice
Dec 04 – Canmore, AB @ Communitea Cafe
“Cardiography sees David Vertesi poised on the brink of popularity. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better singer-songwriter pop debut from anyone this year.” Nothing Sounds Better
“Cardiography is a way to record the heart; he puts his on display not on his sleeve, but on his album’s. Vertesi’s move is gutsy and successful; his charming baritone also helps. Vertesi’s played his cards right.” Exclaim!
“Vertesi is a man with the talent and genuine spirit to make it all work. He writes wonderfully resonant melodies…and has a subtle cool voice that makes these tunes turn magical. Eleven wonderfully inventive cuts” Baby Sue
“Every year there are a couple albums that catch you off guard, the type of album that when you here it you are instantly impressed. David Vertesi’s debut solo album Cardiography is one such album.” The Broken Speaker
MP3 for “All Night, All Night, All Night”, Media Materials and More Info: http://www.killbeatmusic.com/davidvertesi/
Listen: www.davidvertesi.com
On November 30, Victoria B.C. recording artist Aidan Knight will release a two song EP “Friendly Fires” and will celebrate with a series of shows to round out what has been an amazing year for this emerging artist.
“a talent to keep an eye on” Chromewaves
Friendly Fires MP3 + Media Materials: http://www.killbeatmusic.com/aidanknight/
Aidan Knight’s Friendly Fire’s EP follows his acclaimed debut Versicolour, an 8 song collection of haunted chamber-folk and orchestral pop that saw him turning heads and gaining momentum throughout 2010. The EP leading up to Aidan’s second full-length is comprised of two new songs, Side A’s “Friendly Fires” and Side B’s “Lambics”, and was recorded over 4 days with Knight’s friends and collaborators; Olivier Clements (Flugelhorn, Wurlitzer, Percussion), David Barry (Guitar, Percussion) and Colin Nealis (Viola, Bass) of The O’ Darling and Julia Wakal (Flugelhorn, Omnichord, Glockenspiel).
Where Versicolour shone with Easter Morning trumpets and whooshing noises in between notes; Friendly Fires presents a brief snapshot of his musical ambitions; blurring many of his own musical lines, yet still remaining genuine. The trumpets are still heralding, the noise is still cascading, but what strikes the listener is something subtle and different. Instead of leaving Versicolour’s palette behind, Knight stretches it in his favour both sonically and lyrically. The 24 year old Victoria native has appeared in numerous jacket credits, playing everything from spacey electric mandolin to violent, pounding hardcore drums. Knight’s ability to play with instrumentation is in top form on Friendly Fires’ playful structures and beautiful final notes.
Aidan has recorded and performed with Maurice, Counting Heartbeats, Hannah Georgas, David Vertesi, and The Zolas & shared stages with Patrick Watson, Frank Black (The Pixies), Matthew Barber, The Acorn, Valdy, Bahamas, Tegan & Sara, and Dan Mangan amongst many others. Playing his distinct brand of orchestral folk-pop in theatres, festivals, house concerts and even touring his home province by bicycle, to more and more it’s evident, he is full of potential and we’re waiting for what’s next.
Friendly Fires Tour Dates
Nov 30 – Kelowna, BC @ Benvoulin Church with David Vertesi
Dec 01 – Calgary, AB @ The Marquee Room with David Vertesi
Dec 02 – Edmonton, AB @ The Haven Social Club with David Vertesi
Dec 03 – Lethbridge, AB @ The Slice with David Vertesi
Dec 04 – Canmore, AB @ Communitea Cafe with David Vertesi
Dec 10 – Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue Theatre with Jon and Roy, Damien Jurado
Dec 11 – Victoria, BC @ Alix Goolden Performance Hall with Jon and Roy, Bahamas
Jan 26 – Prince George, BC @ The Artspace – Coldsnap Festival w/ Brasstronaut
Acclaim For Versicolour”
“Versicolour is a wholly treasured harmony” Exclaim!
“Oddly charming and delightfully catchy”Popmatters
“This debut is bookended by two of 2010’s best songs”ChartAttack
print/radio/digital media – killbeat music
www.killbeatmusic.com / 604 683 2124 / http://twitter.com/killbeat
Kelowna Live Music Blog 