DAMN!!! We are exhausted! We played a great show at the Riverfront Pub on Saturday night, with our good friends Lefty and Gorgeous Priceless, and some newcomers all the way from Vancouver, The Rights!! The sound was awesome that night, as was the almost capacity crowd! Then it was off to be a bunch of do-gooders the next day! We set up in City Park in Kelowna for the Great Strides event. All the performers that day, The Unknown Culprits, The Rights, and Drunk and Pretending rocked the park. Unfortunately Lefty and 3rd Gear got rained out, but a big group of die-hards stuck through the weather to help make the event a success. We are all proud to say we helped raise about $5000.00 for Cystic Fibrosis research and awareness on Sunday!! Not bad for a day's work! Thanks to all the organizers, and all the other bands who donated their time and talents for the cause!

You may have noticed on our newest gig poster that the Fed is starting to charge cover! I went to a Helcion show the other night, and was surprised to learn that I had to shell out $5 to see my favorite band. Confused, I asked my good friend Ryan, the proprietor of this fine venue, what was going on. He explained it like this...." I'm getting sick of seeing all these awesome bands come out to play, lugging gear around, practicing for weeks, and leaving here with $10 to show for it.If there's anyone who doesn't want to give up a measly $5 cover to see these great bands; I don't want them in here anyways!"
So now Ryan is paying all the door to the bands, helping us all pay for sticks, strings, gas, etc. Please don't think he is trying to stiff you, or that he will keep any of the money. I know him to be an honest man, and a HUGE asset to Kelowna's music scene. We hope you think we're worth the $5, and we'll rock that much harder to make it up to you!!!

 

Thanks,

Chad

 

We just laid down a bunch of sweet drum tracks (if I do say so myself), giving Dale the kindling and matches to build a roaring inferno of a NEW ALBUM! He will be laying his guitar tracks Thursday, then we are all back in on Saturday to let Rusty administer a beatdown on the bass before we raise our evil voices in the vocal booth, conjuring unholy......uh.....whoa, gettin' a little carried away there...So ya, that's your update! We'll get back 'atcha when I'm a little less excited. K?...k.

Thanks to all who bore the color of the Emerald Isle and came out to rock with us on St. Patrick's Day!! It was a night of firsts all around!! We have been trying to get a gig lined up with our friends in Gorgeous Priceless for months, and finally we got to play with them (1st #1)....We have also never played with Chitty Chitty and the Bang Bangs(1st #2)....it was CC and the BB's first ever show(1st #3)....we debuted a new song that night called "All In Time"(1st #4) as well as 2 other songs that we have never played at that venue(1st #5)and last but not least, it was the first anniversary of the Grateful Fed since they re-opened last year!(1st #6!) We are so lucky to have a haven for original music of all forms in a town that is so desperately lacking CULTURE!!!! Ryan and his crew at the Fed have brought local music to the people, braving scrutiny from the City Council and the media, all in the name of artistic integrity. The next time you see Ryan, give him a hug (but not if you haven't showered!!) and thank him for his generosity not only to bands, but to fans of good, live music! The Fed was more packed than I think I've ever seen it, and all 3 bands had a rowdy, appreciative crowd that made our night!! Haven't had that much fun in a long time! Thanks to Helcion for coming out to support the troops, thanks to the Kelly O's crew, Ang and Mark and company, Gomez, Doodle, Cyn, Leanne,Ivan, Tyler, Rikka and White Delight, GP (and their sound man, who made us better than we are!)Chitty Chitty, and the countless others who turned up to party with us!!! Next on the agenda?......The Kokanee Free Ride Concert Series at Big White!! Our good friends in Lefty have invited us to back 'em up when they storm the stage at Raakal's Ridge Pub on the hill this coming Saturday!! If you're gonna be on the mountain, come check us out! Also, Lefty have an amazing new track on their page, give it a listen and tell them what you think!!Well kids, that's enough rambling from me for one evening...isn't it past your bedtime anyways? Wait til' I tell your mother about this!!!!

We had a great time playing in the Rock Showcase last night, and I couldn't believe the turnout of fans!!! We had members of Lefty, Radio Flyer, Gorgeous Priceless, and even Jess from Helcion came all the way from Summerland to show support! Not only were a ton of our friends there, but we had compliments from random strangers too!! I think we may have gained a few new fans last night while we were up there having fun! I can't say thanks enough to all who came out last night! Thanks also go out to Brad Krauza for organizing the show(and selecting us to play) and Don from Wentworth for letting me play his juicy Pearl drumkit! All in all, after a whole lotta sweat, a couple O' free beer, and very lively crowd, now we wait and see who wins this frickin' contest!!!!

So I heard our name in the strangest place yesterday...THE RADIO!!! Power 104 is one of the sponsors for the 2nd annual Rock Showcase at Rose's, and they gave us "the big mention" yesterday afternoon!! We are stoked that this event is so well advertised! Now we've just got to have some of our people show up to scream and help us win!!! See you there!

 

Well, the new year is upon us, and it's time to get back at it! We just found out that we've been selected to compete in the 2nd annual Rock Showcase at Roses Pub in Kelowna! It's a battle of the bands once a month for 3 months, with the winner playing a paid set at The Funtastic tournament in Vernon next summer. The contest also raises money for a local charity called "Building Healthy Families."For more details on the show, go to Roses website at http://www.rosespub.com/thursrock.html or check our upcoming gigs listing. This contest is being judged on several criteria, but the most important one is CROWD REACTION, so please come out to rock with us Jan 25th, we need you now like never before!!! Happy New Year!

Sometimes you meet people who just rub you the wrong way, y'know? You try your best to turn the other cheek, and give them the benefit of the doubt, but it keeps coming back to bite you in the ass!! I am not about to slander anyone, and I don't mean to bitch, but some people's children just need a smack, man!! We played a great set at Boomers Saturday night, and there were a few P.A. issues before the show. There were several people willing to make sacrifices to make the show go on, but this one group(who shall remain nameless,) whined about their sound not being perfect, held up the show, and then walked out, leaving us high and dry! Now remember, this gig was for charity!!! They wouldn't even play, and they were the only band on the bill that was being paid!! This was the second time I had personally seen this particular band screw over the people dedicating themselves to providing a good time for music lovers, and it made me sick! Everyone else playing that night, 3rd Gear, Lefty, etc, pulled together FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC and we ended up having a killer show. A huge thanks goes out to Cold Driven for stepping in on to not only play, but provide much needed P.A. gear at a moments notice!!They had only half of their regular stage gear, a few members were sick, and they hadn't played in a while, but they rocked that much harder for it! It was strange seeing a band walk away from an oppourtunity to entertain the fans who PAID to see them, and at the same time see another bunch of bands pull together just to rock out!! Thanks also go to Dave and the guys from Shattered Tone, who arranged for a P.A. on Sunday. Nice to see there are still people in this game for the right reasons!!

Dec 8th, it all begins.....We attack the Fed again with the help of none other than the truly badass band from Summerland, Helcion! Saturday  night, Dec 9th, brings a change of scenery as Lefty lets loose with the Gear in Vernon at Boomers, and the seige doesn't stop until we blow the minds of a bunch of Vernon teens on Dec 10th, Sunday afternoon!!!! "But, won't you be tired? Exhausted, starving and wiped out, you ask?" To this, the mighty 3rd Gear says only....................LET THERE BE ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!