It was a homecoming of sorts for CIVILIANA at Fernandosa国际传媒檚 Pub on Saturday night.

sa国际传媒淒id we say how good it is to be back?sa国际传媒� asked the bandsa国际传媒檚 lead vocalist and drummer Calen Trentini to the pub packed with family and friends. sa国际传媒淏ecause itsa国际传媒檚 really good to be back.sa国际传媒�

The members of alt-rock group CIVILIANA all grew up and found their musical roots in Kelowna before starting the band in Vancouver in 2015. Saturdaysa国际传媒檚 show at Fernandosa国际传媒檚 marked the first time the group was able to come back and rock their hometown crowd.

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sa国际传媒淧laying a place where yousa国际传媒檙e from, you definitely get a warmer crowd,sa国际传媒� guitarist Adam Wilson said. sa国际传媒淎 place like Fernandosa国际传媒檚 isnsa国际传媒檛 a big venue, so you fill it with your friends and family and it just ends up being a big party.sa国际传媒�

Trentini added, sa国际传媒渋t feels a bit different in Kelowna. In Vancouver, we grind away, we market our shows hard and try to pull in as many people as we can. We come to play here and itsa国际传媒檚 kind of like an exhale moment. Like, sa国际传媒榣etsa国际传媒檚 just play in front of these people that we grew up with and have a bit of fun with it.sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒�

The band is formed by Trentini and Wilson, alongside bassist Spencer Daley and guitarist Daniel Ponich, who all met while attending school in Kelowna. Trentini met Daley in Grade 7 music class and starting a band was sa国际传媒渙bvioussa国际传媒� for the two rhythm section members. Trentini and Daley played several shows in Kelowna as a bass/drum-duo before being introduced to Wilson who rounded out the band then known as Civilian with some guitars.

The friends all went their separate ways after high school and reunited once they all eventually ended up in Vancouver. It was there that Ponich and the sa国际传媒楢sa国际传媒� at the end of the bandsa国际传媒檚 name were added and CIVILIANA was born. In the four years since they started playing together again, the group has taken a more synth-based approach to its classic rock inspired riffssa国际传媒攇iving CIVILIANA its own modern twist on a guitar-driven sound.

sa国际传媒淭he city and the esthetic of being in a big city makes you less just want to play straight ahead rock and roll and instead incorporate something like maybe a synthesizer; something thatsa国际传媒檚 a bit more widely accessible by somebody who would live in Vancouver,sa国际传媒� Trentini said.

sa国际传媒淚 donsa国际传媒檛 think that was the primary driver of why we started incorporating a ton of electronic stuff into our music, but when I look at Vancouver, I think our music now is more represented by it than our older stuff.sa国际传媒�

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The group has been going strong for the past three years, releasing its first EP Out the Window in 2016 and following it up with singles Carry a Light and Void this year. The singles outline the story of navigating a relationship throughout your twenties, which Trentini says hesa国际传媒檚 well-versed in.

sa国际传媒淲hen we went into the lyrical meanings for the song they did kind of take on a connected meaning,sa国际传媒� Trentini said. sa国际传媒淰ery much, I was writing about what I knew. While it mightsa国际传媒檝e changed now, what I was going through was relationships and the messiness and different things that come with those.sa国际传媒�

Trentini describes the narrative of the songs by placing Void first, symbolizing the loss of sa国际传媒渄irection and meaning as the result of a relationship,sa国际传媒� which then moves into Carry a Light, which describes the post-breakup phase of sa国际传媒渓onging for what you once had and not being ready to do anything else.sa国际传媒�

The third release in the narrative is Melt, a yet-to-be-released song about being ready to move on.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 the gooey centre,sa国际传媒� Wilson said.

sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 the fun part,sa国际传媒� added Trentini. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 when yousa国际传媒檙e ready to move on and yousa国际传媒檙e looking for those new connections. And the messiness and trickiness that comes along with it.sa国际传媒�

CIVILIANA doesnsa国际传媒檛 have any future show dates set yet, but be sure to keep an eye on its to find any other information and see where the hometown boys end up next.

michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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