Cello. What was your entertainment choice on the first Friday night of April? For wife Elaine and me, we chose to hang out with a bunch of familiar faces who we’ve never met, don’t know any of their names, and possibly have absolutely nothing in common with. Sounds crazy, but this group has a way of stirring our emotions and putting a dash of allegro in our stride. This group would be none other than the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO)…
Them three boys sure make a lot of dark, progressive-rock noise. That was my sophomoric takeaway after spending the last Monday in March watching The Tea Party perform at Kelowna Community Theatre. The Tea Party (TTP), comprised of Jeff Martin, (lead vocals and guitar), Stuart Chatwood (bass guitar and keyboard), and Jeff Burrows (percussion), are a long-standing Canadian rock band with blues, Celtic, and Middle Eastern influences sprinkled in. Some in the media have dubbed their sound as “Moroccan roll.”…
Based on global events garnering outrageous headlines, perhaps a more accurate name of Friday night’s show at Kelowna Community Theatre might have been “From Russia with Love.” I mean that in a positive way. The only operatives peddling influence on this delightful evening were the musical tacticians in the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO). Led by Music Director Rosemary Thomson, the OSO presented its “Masterworks IV – Colours of Russia” showcase to a sold-out house. The orchestral compositions were mostly upbeat…
Have you ever had the experience of watching a movie or television drama and saying to yourself “I’m not really following the plot but like what I’m seeing?” That was me exactly on the first Tuesday night of March at Kelowna Community Theatre. In town for a one-night floor routine was the Alonzo King LINES Ballet from San Francisco. Based on this touring group’s reputation and global rave reviews, wife Elaine and I viewed this opportunity as a chance to…
On Super Bowl LI Sunday, February 5, 2017, there was an annual gathering of an ancient and athletic species known as Softballus Protectorus. Translation – the boys of many California softball summers, The Protectors, stepped into the batter’s box at the palatial Woodland Hills home of Jim and Mary Dearing. Nobody whiffed. It was an afternoon of hugs, how ya beens, and dammit, who has the best numbers and squares. Truthfully, it was more of a gut check…..as in who…
Now that was entertainment at its highest and twangiest form. On the first Sunday of March, nobody at Kelowna Community Theatre delivered the wrong envelope or read the wrong name. The headliners on this memorable night were two talented technicians – Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt. As advertised, these premier American singer-songwriters joined forces for an acoustic evening backed by nothing but their high-octane voices, incredible guitar playing, and friendly banter between songs that came off as unrehearsed as two chums sitting…
Can someone recommend a good audiologist in the Central Okanagan? On Monday, January 30th, Kelowna Community Theatre put its revamped sound system to a three-hour test with a rock-and-roll double bill that put the amp in amplifier and tinn in tinnitus. The headliners on this loud-and-proud evening were platinum-selling rock blasters Big Wreck. This four-person crew was touring to support the release of “Grace Street” – the group’s fifth full-length studio album. Ascot Royals were the special guests and mild-by-comparison…
“Roll over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the News.” Remember that lyric from a 1956 Chuck Berry song that was also covered by the Beatles and Electric Light Orchestra?! Berry penned that line in reference to how classical composers would “roll over in their graves” upon hearing that classical music had given way to rock-and-roll. There wasn’t a hint of Led Zeppelin or anybody rolling over on Friday, January 20th at the first concert of 2017 at Kelowna Community Theatre. Instead,…
Thank You scheduler Hal for having faith, trust, and confidence in a border-crossing whistler from the Lower 48. There I was at Kelowna’s Immaculata Regional High School on Wednesday, September 23rd for three school-ball volleyball matches starting at 5:00 PM. It was A/AA/AAA girls on Court 1. Hal, the boss, had scheduled himself to work with me during my Canadian debut. He was the teacher – I was the student that hadn’t been between the VB lines since October 2013….
Almost everybody remembers their first. Mine was on Wednesday, August 5, 2015. I parked on Doyle, walked to Ellis, and climbed the stairs to the second floor of a downtown Kelowna office building. It was 2:00 PM on the dot. I was about to embark on my first official job interview in the Okanagan, a fact-finding face-to-face where a full-time position was on the line, with Jim Csek (pronounced check) at Csek Creative. Geraldine greeted me at front reception…