This letter was submitted to the sa国际传媒 by a local musician who wishes to remain anonymous.

To Kelownasa国际传媒檚 music fans:

Frankly, Isa国际传媒檓 not sure how to start this. Isa国际传媒檓 sad, and angry, and disappointed, and have utterly lost hope in Kelownasa国际传媒檚 cultural identity.

Isa国际传媒檓 sure by now that many of you may have heard that one of Kelownasa国际传媒檚 cultural touchstones, Fernandosa国际传媒檚 Pub, has announced that it is shutting down at the end of the month. Itsa国际传媒檚 another in a growing list of music venues in the city that have been struggling pre-and-post pandemic, though sa国际传媒減ost-pandemicsa国际传媒� is yet to be seen. This served as home for art for a decade. I am deeply distressed at what is happening to our arts culture in Kelowna.

I would like to put it to you, citizens of Kelowna, that your artists and the homes for your artists are in desperate need of you right now, and although they may not say as much sa国际传媒� they sa国际传媒� WE sa国际传媒� need you right now.

Isa国际传媒檒l keep this as short as I can.

In the ten short years that I have called this town my home, I have watched the music and art scene grow in leaps and bounds, and in the last two, I have watched it shrink to something smaller than it was when I had arrived. I donsa国际传媒檛 mean the artists, for there are roughly the same amount of artists as there always have been. The Okanagan has been a landing pad for artists from all over the world. Thatsa国际传媒檚 not the point of this sa国际传媒� the point is that wesa国际传媒檙e watching beautiful, important and courageous venues fall through the cracks, thus erasing the places for these artists to perform and deliver their craft.

Yes, there are sa国际传媒渧enuessa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� but the art is always a second thought in these venues. Yes, as artists, wesa国际传媒檙e grateful that these venues exist, but they are not for the performance. The performance is secondary to the food or beer that is on offer, which is fine. That is a model that works in the low-profit-margin world of hospitality, and it is one way to do it. But it is not where many of these world-class artists belong, nor do they actively search to bring touring artists off the road and into our community.

I ask you sa国际传媒� why are we losing all the courageous venues that boldly wave the artistssa国际传媒� banner, take chances on touring artists, highlight alternative music styles, and do it all unflinchingly in the face of a myriad of difficulties? Where have they gone in the last 3 or 4 years?

Last year there was a group of artists, managers, promoters and big-wigs in the Kelowna scene that got together to discuss the Okanagan Music Industry. A consulting firm was hired to survey music fans, artists and pros alike sa国际传媒� and eventually results were presented. It showed a number of things, equally surprising and unsurprising. One of the things it showed was you, as a populace, sa国际传媒渨ant to see more live shows,sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒渨ould go to more live shows in the future,sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒渨ish there were more venues in Kelowna,sa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒渨ould attend more shows if the parking wasnsa国际传媒檛 so bad.sa国际传媒� All of this, among other things. Great information, great research sa国际传媒� itsa国际传媒檚 actually really good stuff, and anyone whosa国际传媒檚 keen on making a meaningful impact in the local community should read it.

But it all came to a head with discussions and meetings about these things, with industry professionals and experts telling big stories about how they will sa国际传媒渃hangesa国际传媒� the industry, how they will sa国际传媒渞evitalizesa国际传媒� the scene, and sa国际传媒渋njectsa国际传媒� culture into this town.

Not once did I hear about what we can do to support our existing scene sa国际传媒� artists and venues alike. Not once was there meaningful discussion on how we can support our existing venues.

You and I, dear reader, have watched venue after venue shut down in the downtown core that meant more to me than most will understand. And no one has batted an eye. These were those courageous venues that put original art at the forefront of their business plan, and have suffered as a result. No help from the city or arts groups to help keep them afloat, or in many cases sa国际传媒� no willingness to collaborate.

The Grateful Fed was a cultural touchstone that served as an integral space for bands, artists and all types of troubadour types to hone their skills, collaborate, and commiserate. Itsa国际传媒檚 gone.

Muninnsa国际传媒檚 Post was a cultural touchstone that hosted touring artists and live music ranging from free jazz to black metal. They were a safe space that served great grub at reasonable prices. Itsa国际传媒檚 gone.

Milkcrate Records was a cultural touchstone that worked tirelessly hosting indoor & outdoor shows, selling records, providing rehearsal & rentable space, and providing a safe space for people from all walks of life. Itsa国际传媒檚 gone.

The NAC (New Arts Collective) was a cultural touchstone that served as part artist-collective, part studio space, and part showroom for small shows. Their leading principle was always sa国际传媒渕eaningful experiences.sa国际传媒� Itsa国际传媒檚 gone.

The Habitat. A cultural touchstone that provided a much-needed all-ages space for amateurs to professionals, employed sound techs, musicians, lighting techs, and was a hub for Music BC. Itsa国际传媒檚 gone.

Doc Willoughbysa国际传媒檚 used to serve up a home for punk rock, hard rock, and music that doesnsa国际传媒檛 always have a home in the Okanagan. They have put shows on hold for an indeterminate amount of time, and this author is skeptical that theysa国际传媒檙e going to be providing the home for bands like DOA in the future.

And Fernandosa国际传媒檚 Pub. The glue that held it all together. The place that this author believes was the fearless-banner-bearer of the proud Kelowna Music Scene. The home that brought touring artists off of Highway 1 and into our region, that brought well-known artists like William Prince, Terra Lightfoot and We Hunt Buffalo in. It was part of what caught the eye of BreakOut West. It provided early homes and jump-off gigs for our exports like The Wild, Yukon Blonde, and Tiger Moon, among others. Well Kelowna, as of the end of the month itsa国际传媒檚 gone.

And all we can do is talk about sa国际传媒淣ew Venues,sa国际传媒� and make empty promises about going to shows in the future? Itsa国际传媒檚 a shame. This is a loss felt by the entire music community, and our love goes to all of the passion-players that were with all of these venues, especially Fernandosa国际传媒檚.

Itsa国际传媒檚 not all doom and gloom. Before I sign off, I put this to you. There are a pair of courageous music venues that are providing a home for meaningful experiences. If you want to see more shows, then this is the time to do it sa国际传媒� and they provide a safe environment for you to do so in our currently Covid reality.

Red Bird Brewing. Shows Thursdays and Saturdays. Wanna know what shows are gonna be up there? Follow them on their socials, or follow .

The Curious. Wednesday to Friday they host dinner shows. Follow them on their socials for show updates, or follow EiKelowna.

There are talks about other venues doing live music, and there are other venues hosting cover bands all the time. But if you want artists to thrive in this region, and if you want venues to continue to exist, then itsa国际传媒檚 time now to go to a real venue that waves that banner of courage. Pay cover. Book a ticket, and heck, buy another one for a friend. Go for the show, primarily. Support someone you donsa国际传媒檛 even know. Eat the food, enjoy the drinks, take photos and take in the whole experience.

Because if you donsa国际传媒檛 sa国际传媒� no one else will, and our artists are going to move.

Anonymous

Kelowna, B.C.