Our set went well and they liked us enough to book us for next year before we even got off the stage.
There was a serious accident on the highway which took the lives of several people. Because of this, one of us couldn’t get to Smithers for the event and the rest of us couldn’t get home afterwards. Our hearts go out to the families of those who were lost, especially to our own Laurette and her family.
Good times!
The loving couple arranged to have their dance in the pub at the Lakeland Hotel and arranged for our rooms in the same establishment. The place is a bit older and the rooms aren’t fancy but they’re clean. The bed was certainly comfortable enough, which is about all that matters after a late night when you’re no longer a youthful party animal. 😉 It’s certainly a plus for the rooms to be at the same location as the gig.
The stage in the pub isn’t very big but we made it work. The staff were friendly and helpful. We played, people sang along, people danced, people cheered, plenty of fun was had. There was only one fight, as far as I could tell. It stopped when some really big guy put the aggressor in a bear hug until he calmed down.
We had a small but vocal audience for our set at the Kispiox Valley Music Festival, small in number but loud in going “Woo!”. 😉
Funny how we generally draw more people at non-festival events than at music festivals. Hmm.
We played okay at the Smithers Midsummer festival. However, we were on stage 3 opposite a very popular headliner on the main stage, Compadres (James Keelaghan and Oscar Lopez), whom I’d hoped to see myself. Our audience was very small but they clapped and cheered and whistled. Thanks and thumbs up to everyone who came to see us instead of the guys I would have gone to see if I hadn’t been otherwise engaged. 😉
We played at Relay for Life in Smithers last night (Saturday, June 8). Thanks again to Lauri Deveau and the rest of the organizers for having us there. It was a privilege. Apparently, they raised more than $52,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
This was our third or fourth time (we’re musicians, not calendars, Jim!) playing for this annual event. This year, it meant more to us and especially to me. Just a few days ago, my wife, Sylvia, had her final chemotherapy treatment and was informed that she is now officially a cancer survivor.
The entertainment ran from noon to just before midnight and we were the final act. Some people were dancing and we could see some shadowy figures watching out there despite the stage lights obscuring our view. This was the first time Laurette Tesla appeared with Axes of Ego. She was a member of The BRB, an extinct band that included several members of AoE. She’s been practising with us for a little while and we hope to have her doing some lead vocals the next time we play.
– Brad
Last weekend, we played a dance for the Houston Oldtimers Hockey tournament in Houston, BC, hosted by the Houston Beer Pigs, and it was probably our best gig yet. What made the difference was the audience: they were there to have a good time and they didn’t need two or three sets to start getting into the mood to dance. No, these folks were up on the dance floor almost right from the start of the first set and they didn’t quit. That makes it more fun for us, which makes for a better show, which means more fun for the crowd, which makes it more fun for us…
The Houston Community Hall is quite good, too. It seems to have been built with some acoustic considerations in mind and the stage isn’t too small. Some halls are deep and narrow but this one is not too deep and it’s nice and wide. I think that makes for a better dance floor dynamic and you can see more of what’s going on when you’re on the stage.
Would we play there again? You bet!