The Memorial Cup tournament brings the best major junior hockey teams in Canada to Kamloops.
Off the ice, there is plenty happening, including daily concerts at Molson Canadian Hockey House behind Sandman Centre from May 25 to June 4. The Glorious Sons’ concert on May 25 is the only show that requires paid admission and tickets are available at ticketweb.ca. All other concerts are free and below is the schedule.
GLORIOUS SONS
Thursday, May 25, 7:30 p.m.
The Glorious Sons are Brett Emmons (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keys), Jay Emmons (guitar, vocals), Chris Koster (guitar, vocals), Adam Paquette (drums, vocals) and Josh Hewson (piano, guitar).
Founded in 2011 in Kingston, the Glorious Sons immediately caused a commotion with their indelible brand of 21st-century rock ‘n’ roll, born of classic elements, but made fresh through the band’s spirited musical slant and raw-boned songwriting.
The band proved as imaginative as they were motivated, recording and touring near non-stop to drive their music ever further.
The Glorious Sons kicked off 2020 ready to wrap up what had proven an extraordinary first decade with their biggest-ever North American tour. The global pandemic changed all that, but allowed the band a rare chance to finally step back and take a well-deserved breather.
“To be honest, it was a bit of a blessing in disguise for us,” Emmons said. “We’d been touring so heavily, we were really tired and worn down by that point. There was a little bit of a sigh of relief, in the sense that we probably wouldn’t have actually allowed ourselves to take a break without something happening beyond our control.”
By pandemic’s end, The Glorious Sons had built up a cache of more than 40 unreleased songs, evincing the band’s immeasurable drive and ever-growing desire to push themselves towards something original and all their own.
Tickets to the show can be purchased by going online to ticketweb.ca and searching “The Glorious Sons.”
THE DECOYS
Friday, May 26
Matt Stanley and the Decoys were originally formed to support guitarist and vocalist Matt Stanley’s solo EP, The Life & Times, in 2008.
They have since developed into one of Western Canada’s most active independent rock ‘n’ roll bands — The Decoys.
Composed of members Stanley on guitar/vocals, Sean Poissant on drums, Kris Ruston on guitar/keys and Jeff Dineley on Bass, the Kamloops-based band delivers raw and honest tunes influenced by the spirit of Neil Young, Rolling Stones, Tom Petty and Led Zeppelin.
The 2011 debut album. Stripped, Bare, And On Display, co-produced by Henry Small (Prism, Scrubbaloe Caine, John Entwistle Band), garnered much support from Western Canadian radio for the singles I Know and Modern Disaster. This was followed by the sophomore effort, 2016’s In Our Blood, which saw the singles Don’t Hesitate, The Underdog and the title track gain radio play nationally and receive positive reviews.
With that support and a growing fan base, The Decoys released the explosive single Until The Sun in September 2018, followed by the new EP, Damaged Goods. Recorded in 2017 in Vancouver and Kelowna, Damaged Goods showcases The Decoys’ continuing evolution and maturity as songwriters, touching on influences ranging from hard rock and alternative to southern and country rock.
The video for Until The Sun was filmed just outside of Winnipeg with James Rewucki of Absurd Machine Films.
LOOPS/SHATTERED BLUE
Saturday, May 27
LooPS, consisting of lead singer Kevin Roy and instrumentalist/vocalist Jon Fennell, are quickly establishing themselves as a top up-and-coming duo in Canada.
Their acoustic-pop debut LP, LooPS, was released in spring 2022. Recorded with B.C. Music Hall of Famer/Juno-nominated producer Doug Cox, LooPS is a throwback to the classic albums, full of upbeat radio friendly jams and soulful story-driven ballads.
As singer/songwriters, Roy and Fennell write and compose all their material.
The two have that rare connection in music where one is the yin to the other’s yang. And it’s that connection — more than even their talent or opportunities — that drives them to achieve their goals and find success.
• Shattered Blue is a high energy rock band from Kamloops that features Renea Denis (lead vocals), Nicole Clay (vocals), Corey Yamaoka (bass), Jody Paton (keys), Craig Jones (guitar) and Darrell Hanna (drums).
Shattered Blue is a local favourite, as they cover a wide range of songs from the classics (Queen) to more modern selections (The Killers).
The members of the band have performed extensively throughout B.C. and have been a regular at the Blue Grotto and Music in The Park. They have opened for Honeymoon Suite, Platinum Blonde and Jimmy Bowskill and have performed to enthusiastic crowds at Sun Peaks Resort, Hot Nite in the City, Ribfest, New Year’s parties and many other private and community events.
FORUM
Sunday, May 28
Forum is a five-piece rock, country and alternative rock band from Kamloops.
Members are Steve Chicoine (guitar), Cory Evans (drums), Blaine Alexandre (lead vocals), Daryl Ouillette (bass) and Erik Scholefield (guitar).
COALMINE’S BASEMENT
Monday, May 29
Coalmine’s Basement is a four-piece jam band with a huge catalogue of folk, classic rock, ‘90s, and original music.
Members are Dave Coalmine, Jordan Danger, Simon Findlay and Ron Corea.
PAUL FILEK
Tuesday, May 30
Paul Filek is a talented singer-songwriter from Vancouver.
He has been active in the music industry since 2006 and has released three full-length albums and one EP.
Filek gained national recognition as a Top 40 Canadian Idol finalist in 2007, where he placed in the Top 20 for male contestants.
DJ SHUB
Wednesday, May 31
DJ Shub has pioneered a growing genre of electronic music. Born Dan General, he is a Mohawk, turtle clan of the Six Nations of the Grand River, located in Ontario.
DJ Shub won the 2022 Juno Award for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year.
War Club, the album, blends traditional Indigenous drums with modern-day electronic beats and hip hop sensibility. Each song is a master course in technical skill and DJ turntablism, bringing a message of protest and power.
Filled with heavy hitters, the album intends to provoke thought and shed light on the many ways artists are fighting back in today’s political climate.
DUSTIN BENTALL
Thursday, June 1
Dustin Bentall is what you would call a rustic troubadour, a counter-culture cowboy and a purveyor in the finest of cosmic Canadiana.
For years, he has honed his rebel songwriting craft in every dive bar, club and honky tonk across Canada.
Hailing from Vancouver and spinning songs by Neil Young, The Band, Bob Dylan, John Prine, Tom T. Hall, The Beatles, Wilco and Steve Earle, Bentall has found the heart of that music and placed it under his own landscapes.
Besides penning his own songs, Bentall has co-written with some of Nashville’s finest songwriters, including Mother Mother’s Ryan Guldemond, Vancouver troubadour Cameron Latimer and Ridley Bent.
One of his songs with Bent, Nine Inch Nails — a rollicking tale of love lost and a mix-up of albums as the lovers go their separate ways — was in 2008 named Country Song of the Year with the Independent Music Awards of North America.
GORD BAMFORD
THURSDAY, JUNE 1
Gord Bamford is one of Canada’s most decorated country artists, with 26 Canadian Country Music Association awards and multiple Juno nominations.
A successful Canadian country artist born in Australia, Bamford moved to the open spaces of Lacombe, Alta., as a small child. He was encouraged to pursue music by his mother, who was a country singer. His first taste of success came in 1995, when he won the Nornet Radio Search for the Stars talent competition.
MOTHER SON/
FRIDAY, JUNE 2
Mother Sun creates warmth with their music.
Combining deliberate psych-pop and rock arrangement with a measured amount of absurdity and experimentation, the four-piece group produces thought-provoking songs that weave melodic, contemplative vocals through colourful tones and jazz-inspired grooves.
Mother Sun is Jared Doherty (guitar, vocals), Emilio Pagnotta (guitar, vocals), Alex Ward (organ, bass, keys), and Jared Wilman (drums, percussion, vocals).
DEAR ROUGE/BLONDE DIAMOND
Saturday, June 3
• Secluded away from the busy cityscapes, Drew and Danielle McTaggart — who make up Dear Rouge — took up residence in a lakeside cabin shortly after the release of Phases, their stellar sophomore record.
Phases reflects on the paradox of their success in music while the ones closest to them weathered the storms of life. On Phases, the duo wrote in studios all across North America with some of the most elite names in music.
This time, the pair found themselves spending their days alone together and Spirit began to take form over the winter months.
“I had this epiphany, that we needed to come back to ourselves and the joy and comfort we found in each other when we began writing music together,” Danielle said.
On Spirit, Dear Rouge turned to the ones that had been there all along: their bassist Jordan Kern, longtime collaborator Ryan Worsley (GUS, Mathew V), Broken Social Scene founder Brendan Canning and close friend and drummer Daniel Klenner
Spirit is a different avenue of sound for Dear Rouge. Along with raw individual reflections, the duo strove for a more grassroots approach to the instrumentation.
Acoustic guitars from the tracks’ demo stages remain audible. Songs written on piano are kept to their instrument of origin, instead of being replaced by synthesizers.
Rather than opening a computer, Dear Rouge and Thomas D’arcy utilized Hammond organs, strings and glockenspiels to create atmospheric elements.
It’s all still distinctly Dear Rouge, but more personal, more vulnerable and more intimate.
Spirit is a call to live a freer, more courageous life. It’s a battle cry and the cover art reflects the traces of the fight on Danielle’s face. Spirit is an inspiration to its listeners to be bold and brave, to foster, to create, to encourage and to celebrate ourselves and others.
• Vancouver’s Blonde Diamond brings listeners music the 1960s thought the future would sound like. Their album, Magnetic Strangers, presents a psychedelic, boundary-tensing work that poses as many questions in its lyrics as it does in its compositions.
ANGIE HEINZE BAND/LOOPS
Sunday, June 4
• The Angie Heinze Band commands a dance floor and will keep it packed and lively all night long with covers of many songs.
• LooPS will also be playing on the final day of the Memorial Cup.
