Tour's End

The cross-western-Canada tour has come to an end and Oli and I are settling into our little temporary home on Denman Island BC. The tour and the trip were a lot of fun, and definitely a huge learning experience.
Last I left off we were about to play a set and host the open mic at the Henotic Lounge in Lethbridge. That was great and was probably our favorite night of the tour. Not only was out audience fantastic and appreciative, but also full of other talented musicians who followed our set during the open mic. We met many fantastic people and got to hang out with our friends Mel and Tyler and hear them play music again. It was fabulous.

Next up was our two-night stint in Fernie. We met a few really nice people and played for a pretty busy venue. The Brickhouse had excellent food and very competent staff, I just have to say. Fernie is a pretty town. It was exciting driving back into the mountains after 4 years away.
The Blue Belle Bistro in Kaslo was nostalgic as we’d been there a few times before to eat and see shows. The food there was also excellent, awesome staff and really nice and interesting patrons who were fun audience members.

It was crazy to be back in Nelson. We stayed for a week and caught up with several old friends as well as Oli’s sister, Anna. We played a show at The Royal, a bar that we probably spent a little too much time in when we lived in Nelson. We’d both played at The Royal before. Everything about that place has changed. It’s being upgraded. It’s not the seedy drinking hole we remembered. They are making it classy. Pretty crazy.
We spent a few days with some friends in Summerland, and them played a show in Kelowna at The Minstrel Café. A very fancy venue. I had to upgrade myself for that one. It was a small crowd, but some good friends were right there in the front.
We ended up having a last-minute Vancouver show. Oli’s cousin, Christine, set up a concert at The Lynn Valley United Church. All proceeds went to Haiti. The concert raised $515.oo for Haiti, so that was a nice success. It was a little bit odd playing in a church – quite different from a bar. The people were very appreciative though. I was a little concerned about my potty mouth, but I was able to keep it under control. One elderly lady in the front kept nodding out during the show. Her neck was limp and her head falling in to her chest for the majority of it. It was such a typical church sight. I can’t imagine her sitting through an entire service.

So now were on the island planning our next move. Hoping to meet some people who will tell us where to play. Also trying to stay dry and sane in our 7x7 cabin.