The Flood
Friday morning I woke up at 6am to strategize my detour from Rossland to Kamloops, as the word was out that a few small interior BC towns were under severe flood warnings. By the time It was 8am Highway 3 had been closed off and 2800 people from Grand Forks were evacuated from their homes. Meanwhile, I was stuck in a gridlock, stand still traffic, trying to make it through Grand Forks, as downtown was literally flooding, it was one of the craziest sights I've ever seen.
The police guided us through waist deep water, as traffic crawled through the heart of downtown with caution as the water was peaking and soon the road was to be shut down. I was lucky I made it through. I can only imagine what it must have felt like that morning for some of the local business's and homeowners who overnight were drenched and destroyed by mother nature's punnishing and mighty force. As i travelled onwards to Kamloops it felt like I was in another time, I was witnessing something of incredible strength. Men, women and children were stacking sandbags along the side's of the highways. Farmers were bringing in dirt and building support walls with their tractors. People were packing up their family vehicle's and driving off, preparing for the worst. Everyone sweating in the blistering sun, trying to keep the water from breaking their walls, flooding their homes. It just goes to show how catastrophic mother nature is, and it's all over us, everyday, turning in a heartbeat.
I made it to Kamloops early that evening, feeling overwhelmed and tired from the shocking and surreal day. After checking into my hotel, and having a refreshing swim I headed out to my new friend Geoff's house for dinner. Geoff, along with John and Drew are business partners who've all been in and out of the music industry and have now come together as a team to fortify Kamloop's music scene. They were all very lovely and highly enjoyed my show and looks like we will be working more together. Great Vibes, and the best show I've ever had in Kamloops.
Kelowna was Saturday night. Fernando's Pub, a place I've played before with Amelia Curran, this time around it was a bizzare show. I love the venue and the staff, and Orrist the sound man, they were very accommodating. However, the crowd was wild, rowdy and perhaps had one too many happy hour drinks. It is fascinating to me how a city can change in a flicker, from day to night, like a light switch. This was the case for Kelowna to me, soon as the sun went down it turned into a whole different place. Clubby and smokey, dark and dehydrated, the beer fest was blaring around the corner, bridal parties scavenger hunts were stumbling down the sidewalks and I was serenading the chaos. Loose and rigid, it felt like a crack in the pavement from too much wear and tear.
Sunday night I played such a cool little paradise called Tractorgrease on the outskirts of Chilliwack, it was a quiet Mother's Day evening, and an attentive audience compared to the night before. Jeff Bonner who runs this gem of a joint is one of the coolest dudes and I was grateful to return with my little blue guitar. This Wednesday night he's got Colin Linden playing, I'm going to go on my night off and see the guy who produced my last two records in Nashville.
Last night I played Guilt and Co. In Vancouver, it was a killer show. I played the early slot 8 - 9pm, many familiar faces made their way into the dungeon-esque basement, as well as many new fans I met after my set. Got me feeling uplifted and full of spirit and lyrics.
Today is a day off, I plan to explore, not sure where yet, but I am pointing the van Northeast and am going to see where it takes me.
Joe
