Leeroy Stagger and his band will be performing the Pepsi Main Stage at the High Notes fest on March 18th. Photo submitted
By James Rose
Special to The Pioneer
Nietzsche once said that without music, life would be a mistake. With that in mind, dont make the mistake of missing Panorama Mountain Resorts High Notes Music Festival the weekend of March 17th. The spotlight this week (part three of The Pioneers four-part series on who festival goers can look forward to hearing) is on Leeroy Stagger, Shred Kelly, and Speed Control three acts that each have their own unique and distinctive style.
This will be our first show of 2017, said alt-country artist Leeroy Stagger. And we have a new album out in April, so we will likely be playing a lot of material off the new album. Weve been rehearsing the show a lot so far and it has been a blast, I think the crowd will dig it.
Mr. Stagger and his band will be performing on the Pepsi Main Stage (in the Ski Tip Lodges Great Hall) on Saturday evening along with Jim Byrnes and Barney Bentall. But before that, he will be performing Friday night at the T-Bar and Grill along with Elk Run & Riot.
Born in Victoria and raised on a little island on the coast, Mr. Stagger spent most of his youth with his grandparents who exposed him to the world of country music. Developing his musical drive early on, Stagger formed his first punk rock band while still a teenager. Songwriting came shortly after, and not long was it before he collaborated with one of his icons, Danny Michel, with whom Stagger found commercial success in a song that was featured twice on the TV hit, Greys Anatomy.
Preceding Mr. Staggers Friday night T-Bar show are performances on the Pepsi Main Stage by Speed Control and Shred Kelly (and Lion Bear Fox, whos been previously featured).
Straight out of -40 C in the Yukon Territory, Graeme Peters, brother Jody Peters and Ian March make up the power trio Speed Control. The three members all come from a jazz and classical background but have turned to their true passion heavy hitting rock n roll.
We are high energy, hard-hitting power trip from the Yukon ready to giver with everything we got all the time, said Mr. Peters.
Along with the bands high octane brand of rock n roll, they also pride themselves on being the buffest band in Canada because we all workout a bunch, said Mr. Peters with a laugh.
One time we were playing at a bar in Calgary and the bartender said to me, You guys arent from here, I can tell because youre all jacked!
For Saturday, the band will join Small Town Dirtbags for a late night show at the T-Bar.
As for the Fernie-based band Shred Kelly, the five-piece band has through the years amplified the traditional sound of folk music with a more contemporary approach to create a sound that they like to call stoke folk. Pushing the boundaries of the genre, they have incorporated a wide range of influences to create a dynamic, high-energy and engaging live show that leaves no dance floor vacant.
The Fernie rockers have performed at some of Canadas premier festivals, and received a growing list of awards and recognition. Recently, the band won Album of the Year and Best Live Act at the 2015 Kootenay Music Awards. We are very excited to be one of the acts to play at High Notes, said band member Sage McBride. We all are avid skiers and snowboarders, so we love a festival that combines music and outdoor adventures.
For more information on the High Notes Music Festival set list, schedule of performances, and ticket prices, visit www.panoramaresort.com/High-Notes/.
