The Works Art and Design Festival

Holy Heat Edmonton. We haven’t been this hot since…. Well, last summer. Hallelujah! July 2^nd and we finally got some sun… just in time for a road trip across Canada! At least our new schmick van “Anthony the Brave” has air conditioning. Now we can wear tuques in the summer again. We’re happy.

The Living Daylights Rockin Out.

A festive post Canada Man and his well dressed best friend.

Some of the Tracks on Tracks family.

We opened the stage at The Works Art and Design Festival, and we got some people out after their Canada Day Hangovers. We even met a musical family composed of 3 children and 3 tambourines. They were adorable. The sound there was awesome, and we gave it all we got. We even got to see some of our train family, which always makes any 4:30 am mission from Fernie to Edmonton worth it. John, Michy, Brian and Christina were all there, and we got to hear about their train adventure back to Vancouver. It’s hard to believe 3 weeks has gone by since we left NXNE and the Tracks on Tracks crew.

A few hours outside of Edmonton we realized that we forgot Tim’s spare banjo on stage. Whoops. Did I mention we were up at 4:30 am that day.? Luckily my Uncle Scott was able to come to the rescue and save Tim’s spare banjo Minute Mang from a life of pawn shops. Thanks uncle Scott. Driving through Manitoba we are all eagerly awaiting a home cooked meal, a shower and some beds to sleep in when we get to my Ma and Pa’s in Minaki Ontario.

Oh Canada 2012

Happy Canada 2012. We kicked it old school in Fernie playing the outdoor stage for the Canada Day festivities. Tim and I had the pleasure of helping arrange the musical lineup, so we were really happy to not only get to play alongside really great Fernie musicians like The Runs, Red Girl, The Bickertons, and Kate and Johnny, but also some of really great out of town bands, Cranbrook’s Heather Gemmell and the Peaks and our friends Willhorse from Golden and Redrum Triumph from Lethbridge.

Kate Pollock lookin real good against the Canadian flag and melting our hearts with her incredible voice.

You sure know how to tie one on Fernie. It was a bummer that we couldn’t stay out post fireworks celebrate our nations birthday with you some more… and talk about all of our greatest Canadian memories… but we had to head to Edmonton at 4:30am for The Works Art and Design Festival.

Happy Canada Fernie. We love you guys.

Sweetwater 905 Music Festival

Having never been up to the Fort St. John area before, we were very stoked with how our visit up North went. It seems that Fort St. John is a bit like Fernie. How you ask? It seemed many of the people we met in Fort St. John and Rolla are not actually from the area, but from various parts of Canada and the world. We met some great people on our visit and had one heck of a swell time.

The Sweetwater Festival had some really great musical performances, as well as a good at home country vibe in which you become a part of the festival community during your stay. The Shred Kelly boys got to work helping out Dennis the kitchen cook preparing dinner on Saturday night. And there were many on stage musical collaborations that made this whole experience so unique. Miss Quincy got Picture the Ocean on stage with them and Iyan George one of the festival organizers graced the stage with a few different acts, bringing his banjo musical styling’s to Wax Mannequin’s evening set.

Picture the Ocean

All da boys preparing some bbq'd chicken upon our arrival!

Twin Peaks amazing set. These girls can wail and sing the most beautiful harmonies!

Wax Mannequin

Wax Mannequin all lit up.

The Mystery Cowboy yodeling outside the outhouse.

Rental vans... designed for rooftop parties.

Which way is home?

We took the stage on Saturday night, and the energy of the people there lit us up. We were all so alive playing in the dark with sun still up in parts of the night sky. We danced like it was going out of style and played one of the most energetic shows I think we've ever played.

For our final performance on Sunday we got Iyan up on stage to play Ghost Inside My Head and I Hate Work with us while Timmy played the ukulele. We had also met an incredible yodeler earlier that day, who we got up to yodel “I Hate Work” with us, and a spoons player who joined us on stage. It was one big ho-down up there, and we had the best time!

It was our second music festival of the season, and it is clear that Festival Season was off to a great start. Thank you Sweetwater!!

Tracks on Tracks

A huge thank you to Green Couch Productions for coming up with the concept of Tracks on Tracks, which has changed us forever. Green Couch Productions teamed up with VIA rail and CBC radio 3 to put on the trip of a lifetime for 10 very lucky bands.

After we harassed our fans, friends and family we were one of the lucky bands voted into this adventure of a lifetime.

The night before we headed to Edmonton to catch the train, we played a show in Blairmore Alberta. (which when the clock struck midnight, also became my birthday.) As we loaded the van after our show, to start which I had already boasted would be the best birthday of my life… our van came to a sudden halt at the stop sign beside the Tim Hortons. Immidiatley we put our thinkers on and came up with a plan that no matter what kind of PMS our van was having this time, we would make it to Edmonton to catch that damn train.

Turns out it was the engine (for a second time since we’ve owned Super Dave the van {may he rest in peace})So after chatting with BCAA and the towing company we realized we weren’t going anywhere til 7am, so the five of us cuddled in the van together, with one common goal… catch that damn train.

From there things started looking up. We rented a van and got to Edmonton just on time to catch the train. We were ecstatic. We were greeted at the train station warmly by Green Couch’s Michy Allen and VIA’s Josephine who showed us to our cabins and got us settled in. We mixed a drink right off the bat, to calm our nerves and prepare us for the unknown of what was going on in the other boxcars.

After a drink we made our way through the boxcars of the train until we stumbled upon the Party Car where Topless Gay Love Techno Party was doing their on train set.  They had us dancing and going crazy. I had no idea what to expect and their music and stage presence surpassed any expectations I could’ve mustered up. If you ever have a chance to see a Topless Gay Love Techno Party show, do it! It will knock your socks off.

There we met all of the crew, performers and train go-ers, and from there on in we became a family.  Our adventure really kicked into high gear when we performed in Melville Saskatchewan out of a boxcar to the whole town and even the mayor of Melville. All of the performances were so amazing, the whole experience was so amazing, the friendships we made were so amazing. I think it would be fair to say that we had an amazing time.

When the train arrived in Toronto, sadness kicked in (or was that a 3 day hangover?) But luckily we weren’t away for long. After a party at the Train Station at the Panorama Lounge and then a loft party put on by the Toronto Music Association, we reconviened for a showcase at the Gladstone Hotel on Wednesday June 13^th as part of the NXNE Music Festival.

The showcase was a great experience. It was incredible to see all the bands we’d seen play impromptou shows on and off board the train, really give it in their usual setting.

We would just like to tell all of our blog readers to listen to Adaline, Chris Ho, Portage and Main, The Matinee, JP Maurice, Sidney York, Topless Gay Love Techno Party, Bear Mountain, The Belle Game and Aidan and Zach, we think they are all so incredibly talented and we hope that we can play/dance or collaborate with all of them again soon. They all inspired us so much.

To Green Couch Productions Michy and John. Thank you thank you thank you. (It was also amazing to bump into you guys in Edmonton the other day… it seems train family is everywhere! And we love it!) Thank you to the Green Couch crew, VIA crew, Grant Lawrence and CBC radio 3 crew, and to anyone who came on this adventure just cause… we’re so glad you did, because your energy and enthusiasm lifted us all to perform better and connect with one another. (hey ma! That’s you!) One of my personal highlights was having my mom on board the train with her 10 friends, and getting a hug from my pops at our Minaki Ontario train stop at 2:30 am.

 Here are some of the fabulous folks who made this whole experience happen. While we partied like 17 year olds, they put in 23 hour days of work. They are the most hardworking, dedicated, creative and talented people we've ever met.

 We will talk about this experience for the rest of our lives, and can’t wait to be in a room with all of the Tracks on Tracksers real soon. EVERY NIGHT! EVERY NIGHT! EVERY NIGHT!

On The Road To the Tall Tree Music Festival

On the Road To the Tall Tree Music Festival

We began hearing about an Island band named Quoia in November of 2011.  It seemed everywhere we went, and met anyone who had heard of Quoia they recommended we meet each other and play some rad shows together.

After a rocking night at The Griz Bar in Fernie, a mutual friend of ours and Quoia approached us and reiterated this to us. The next morning I woke up and emailed them a proposition. A two week tour, in our area (The Kootenay’s) and their area (Vancouver Island) where we could all rock out to our respective friends and fans.

Quoia was keen, and so began the planning for The Road To Tall Tree Music Festival tour. A two-week tour with the final hurrah in Port Renfrew BC at The Tall Tree Music Festival of which Quoia members Mike Hann and Mike Roma are two of the organizers.

After many an email, we finally met them in Victoria at the Upstairs Cabaret and immediately fell in love.  To all 6 of them, their music, their Island spirit and uplifting tunes. After two weeks of plenty of driving, music, dancing, debauchery, and run-ins with the law, we parted ways, with tears in our eyes.  

Finally we met up with them again at the much anticipated TALL TREE MUSIC FESTIVAL. This was such a magical festival. We arrived to a rainstorm and a mud pit, and were frightened that our 6:00 time slot could be rained out. But as we got the go ahead to take the stage, the rain stopped and the clouds parted and we rocked out to some of the happiest, muddiest people we’ve ever seen. They weathered the storm and embraced the mud and danced their hearts out. A few hours later, Quoia took the stage and although we’ve seen them rock out before, we’d never seen them rock like this. This was them in their absolute prime. All of their hard work of putting the festival together, working their asses off, finally paid off in one phenomenal stage show, and our highlight of the weekend. All of us Shreddies stood embraced at the front of the stage, singing along like proud parents. And as the sun came up, our buddy and keyboardist phenomenon Hugh drove our muddy, stumbly selves to a warm bed… or was it a cold floor…..?

Made it Into The Top 10!

 

Yahoo Friends. We made it to the Top 10 for Green Couch Productions "Tracks on Tracks" competition. We're so close we can taste it. We've gone from a list of 200 to a list of 10. All we need are a few more votes! We are up against some really amazing Western Canadian artists and bands. So to win this we'll need some extra love. Thank you friends and fans for all of you continuous support. Let's get us on that train. WOOT WOOT.

VOTE HERE

Ottawa Bluesfest

Ottawa Bluesfest Lineup Announced... and we are PLAYING.
Sunday July 8th at 2:00pm on The Claridge Homes Stage.
It's going to be a magical day. There are 3 other acts playing that day on that stage, and I've created a sequence of videos to show you what the day will be like on July 8th at The Claridge Homes Stage.
Check out the line up HERE
 

Walk Off The Earth




The Wooden Sky

 and finally closing off the night is Seal!! Say what?! All of my Space Jam dreams are coming true.





 See you July 8th Ottawa!

Tracks on Tracks Top 50!

Oooooooooooooooh YES! Because of you awesome people we've moved on to the next round of Green Couch Sessions and CBC Radio 3's 'Tracks on Tracks' Rock n' Roll Train Contest taking bands on a train ride adventure a la Festival Express from Vancouver to NXNE in Toronto sliding us into the TOP 50!! Now we need you to keep voting to get us into the TOP 25 which is announced this Wednesday. DO IT DO IT DO It!! We will give you back rubs times infinity forever. er...something.

Here is the new link to vote us to the Top 25! http://cbc.polldaddy.com/s/new-survey-3?pop=10

Tracks on Tracks!

Remember last fall when we went to Vancouver and did a Green Couch Sessions video under a gazebo in English Bay? (no? view it HERE) WELL... As it turns out, the amazing people at Green Couch Sessions and the rad people at CBC Radio 3 and the legendary people at Via Rail have all gotten together and planned this unreal train trip from Vancouver to Toronto, where a hand full of bands get to rock their way East playing shows in various cities eventually getting to NXNE Music Festival in Toronto. Green Couch will film the whole ordeal which PROMISES to breed good times.

Here is where it gets even better. Green Couch Sessions have already hand picked most of the bands to go. BUT there is room for THREE MORE BANDS and YOU GET TO PICK THEM.

Here is the deal....We really really really want to go on this train. We've already been put on the long list to go. Now there are a bunch of voting rounds that will eventually get us on that train if we get enough votes per round.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE US ON THIS TRAIN THEN PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO TO THE FOLLOWING LINK AND CLICK ON OUR NAME. http://cbc.polldaddy.com/s/new-survey-3?pop=10

We will love you forever and promise to rock that train harder than FESTIVAL EXPRESS.

Gig Announcement: BC Tour with QUOIA !

So over the last year we've been very busy playing shows. Lot's and lot's and lot's of shows. From Seattle to Ottawa we've covered some ground and besides losing the alternator, rear differential, and transmission on Super Dave, it's been a blast.

Every once in a while we will play a show somewhere and a member from the audience will tell us afterwards that we need to pair up with the very amazing band QUOIA from Victoria for some shows. After hearing this a few times, we decided to see if such an event could possibly transpire. And presto banjo, as it turns out, the guys in Quoia are rad and are down to share the stage with us for a two week tour of BC. BOOM! Like a perfect folk rock storm, the Island meets the Koots, West meets East, stoke meets stoke, this tour is going to be off the hook and we can't wait. Check out Quioa here. and the show dates below:

17 May 2012 Upstairs Cabaret, Victoria, BC, CANADA
18 May 2012 The Waverly, Cumberland, BC, CANADA
20 May 2012 Beaver Point Hall, Salt Spring Island, BC, CANADA
30 May 2012 The Northern, Fernie, BC, CANADA
31 May 2012 The Canmore Hotel, Canmore, AB, CANADA
1 June 2012 The Rockwater Bar and Grill, Golden, BC, CANADA
2 June 2012 The Royal on Baker, Nelson, BC, CANADA

See you soon glorious glorious Ocean!
-Tim

Thanks Kootenays!!

The Kootenay Music Awards happened this past week in Nelson, BC and thanks to all of our AWESOME fans we won Artist of the Year and Best Folk/Country band of the Year. Unfortunately we were in Ontario at Canadian Music Week during the awards so we couldn't be there, but we sent an acceptance speech to Nelson ahead of time. I think it's totally going to go viral.

New Album begins.....

Hey Friends! Well we are back in Fernie after a great time at Canadian Music Week. Our showcase was great and after taking in some good music including a BC showcase and a surprise show by Dan Mangan, we set off for a week long Southern Ontario mini tour. We were too cheap to rent a van after landing in the 25 degree heat of Southern Ontario so we borrowed my mom's Subaru (my folks live in Richmond Hill), and like sweaty sardines crammed in a can, we treked around the lower half of the province playing our hearts out in some great venues including the legendary Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield, QC.

But now that we're back in wintery Fernie, BC, I'm not strappin'on the board and hitting the hills that I've been craving the last two weeks...no, I'm on the couch with my banjo, writing the last of the future foot stomper's that will appear on the NEW SHRED KELLY ALBUM. That's right, just as we settle back into mountain life, in three weeks we are flying back to Toronto to begin recording our 2nd album at Green Door Studios. We are more than stoked to work with Producer John Critchley who has worked with some of our hero's. So stay tuned for many more blog updates of the album making process.
-Tim

The Casbah in Hamilton

So not having very high expectations for a Tuesday night show (we've had our fair share of really dead Tuesday night shows, and as a result, Tuesday has not proven itself to be the best gigging night of the week.) But boy, you can imagine our surprise when we stumbled into the Casbah in Hamilton last night.
There were two local bands playing. 1st was Golden Horseshoe Revival, a bluegrass group from Hamilton who just killed it. They had the most beautiful harmonies I've ever heard, and I'm a sucker for a group all sharing one mic. It creates such a great stage dynamic!
Also from Hamilton was a fantastic group called The Great Lake Survival. They had such great stage energy and musicianship, and it was a pleasure to get to play with them.
Then to our immense surprise was a band from Austin Texas, who are killing it right now by the way. They are called Bright Light Social Hour, and I'll try to find a video to show you a little bit of how they knocked our socks off. I've never had my jaw drop so hard in a live performance EVER. They are all ridiculously good at what they do. The keyboard player was a keyboard ninja. I don't even know what he was doing! In all laws of music the way he mashed that keyboard should've sounded like garbage, but it sounded like a little box of honey covered magic. I remain mystified.
I hope this video in some way shows what we experienced last night.

Canadian Music Week in Toronto

After a few days to recover from CMW, we are able to reflect on the awesomeness that occurred.
In our showcase alone there were some pretty amazing bands, and that was happening in every venue around Toronto. Amazing experience.
Huge shout out to Paula and Karol who we had the opportunity to meet at our CMW showcase. This group from Poland is not only uber talented, but they are also the most fantastic people. They are tempting me to get a 1 way ticket to Poland.
Check them out!


Thank you so much CMW, Toronto, and all the amazing bands and artists we saw and met there.

Kootenay Music Awards

We have been nominated for 4 Kootenay Music Awards. Thank you to our friends and fans for the nominations. It is an honor to be nominated alongside so many other great Kootenay BC artists.

We have been nominated for:
Artist of The Year
Album of the Year
Song of the Year
and
Best Folk/Country.

The winners are based on fans choice so follow this link to vote for us!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

As always we appreciate all your love and support!

SK