On Oct. 6 the Baker Street Blues Band will be performing in Kimberley as part of their Turn up the Heat CD release tour.
The band started their tour last weekend in Kaslow and this will be their first time playing in Kimberley.
“We’ve been playing together for a few years now,” said band member Phil Nelson. “We’re a well experienced group of mature musicians; we probably have 3,000 shows under our belts separately.”
The band applied to the Columbia Basin Trust for a grant to help fund the tour. They received the grant and with that, they are responsible for booking all of the facilities, putting on and setting up the show themselves and paying for travel and accommodations etc.
“We’ve got six confirmed dates with five or six more in negotiation,” explained Nelson. “We’re playing at theatres, pubs, clubs and halls. We want to promote our new CD. We feel very fortunate to be able to do this. Receiving the grant means we [the band] have to book everything ourselves from gigs to hotels. It’s a lot of work and effort but it’s worth it.”
The group describes themselves as a four piece rockin’ blues dance band.
“Dancing is inevitable at our shows, so we try to set up our spaces to allow people to dance and move, or even just wiggle in their seats,” said Nelson.
Nelson says he is looking forward to meeting new people and playing for new audiences.
“I’m looking forward to playing for new folks. It’s a lot of fun to play for new audiences and the different reactions you get,” Nelson said. “It’s addicting; we’re music addicts. I’m sure we’ll be playing together when we are 104 years old on the seniors circuit one day.”
The show at Studio 64 starts at 7p.m. and goes until 10p.m.. Tickets are $16 and are available at Centre 64 or online at eastkootenay.snapd.com. For more information on the Baker Street Blues band visit reverberation.com/bakerstreetblues.
