Pentictonsa国际传媒檚 Peach Festival was just 33 years old when the Powder Bluessa国际传媒� Uncut sa国际传媒� on vinyl, no less sa国际传媒� hit the shelves.

Now, as of bringing great, free, entertainment to the city, are on their 39th-anniversary tour, including a stop on Aug. 13 at the festival.

sa国际传媒淲e have played the Peach Festival before but I know it was more than 20 years ago. Itsa国际传媒檚 a really fun time and a great tradition,sa国际传媒� wrote Lavin in an email interview. sa国际传媒淣othing is more enjoyable than playing outside to a happy community crowd of all ages.sa国际传媒�

If yousa国际传媒檙e looking for a high energy, fun show, you donsa国际传媒檛 need to look much further than the Powder Blues. After 39 years of touring and 12 albums, Lavin said the band still loves what they do.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a privilege and a joy to go somewhere and perform for folks, but in the end, we are still playing for ourselves and still love it,sa国际传媒� said Lavin.

Uncut, the bandsa国际传媒檚 1979/80 breakthrough album, remains as listenable today as when it was first pressed, with hits like Doinsa国际传媒� It Right, Boppinsa国际传媒� with the Blues and Whatsa国际传媒檝e I Been Drinkinsa国际传媒� all charting.

But the album was shrugged off by the major labels until the band sold 30,000 copies in a few weeks of their independent release.

sa国际传媒淲hen we recorded Uncut we were simply trying to sound exactly as we did when we played live. We used no fancy recording tricks and some criticized the record for not sounding sa国际传媒榯rendysa国际传媒� at the time,sa国际传媒� said Lavin. Sound, he explained, is a lot like fashion, with certain classic styles withstanding the work of time, like Miles Davissa国际传媒� Kinda Blue.

sa国际传媒�Uncut continues to sell, I think, because it captured the spirit and energy of the band. That rendered it somewhat more timeless,sa国际传媒� said Lavin. sa国际传媒淥ver the intervening years, we have tried to stay true to the formula of recording how we sound live.sa国际传媒�

That doesnsa国际传媒檛 mean the Powder Bluessa国际传媒� music hasnsa国际传媒檛 grown.

sa国际传媒淥苍 BLAZZ! (2004) I used a lot more horns than is practical to travel with because I was interested in hearing what it would sound like to combine Powder Blues with a big band sound,sa国际传媒� said Lavin. sa国际传媒淲e can still perform these tunes as a six-piece (when we travel), but in an ideal world Isa国际传媒檇 bring the extra horns along.sa国际传媒�

The band has matured over the years from their 1978 roots as a club band in Vancouversa国际传媒檚 Gastown.

sa国际传媒淎ll of the folks on the bandstand are career musicians. As a result, their playing becomes more mature, polished and accomplished,sa国际传媒� said Lavin, adding that listening to each othersa国际传媒檚 playing affects the playing and soloing of everyone sharing the stage. sa国际传媒淭ime has made us more comfortable with trading musical ideas on stage. Our sound has evolved in a direction which makes it more uniquely recognizable.sa国际传媒�

The Powder Blues mix of swing, blues, jazz, rock sa国际传媒榥sa国际传媒� roll and R&B appeals to a wide range of people, but through it all, blues is at the core.

sa国际传媒淭he blues is the most direct classic form of North American music. It spawned swing, bop, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, funk and many other styles,sa国际传媒� said Lavin. sa国际传媒淭here is great freedom to improvise and its many forms allow a wide vista of emotional states to explore.sa国际传媒�

Tom Lavin and the Legendary Powder Blues Band perform on Aug. 13 at Peachfest, starting at 8:35 p.m.