On Thursday January 23 I attended The Royal Canadian Legion’s open mic night. It was well attended and there were plenty of musicians on hand. The genres of music covered were country, rock, roots & blues and folk. There were solo acts and a few duos and a trio or two. Most of the musicians were familiar with each other and occasionally paired up. The evening began early. Ross played guitar and sang. His set contained mostly country songs with a pop song or two mixed in. I guess I’m a sucker for old train songs as I really enjoyed The Wreck of the Old 97 and Wabash Cannonball. He got a singalong happening when he played the Ian and Sylvia classic Four Strong Winds.

Next up was Stewart. He did a fine cover of Folsom Prison Blues and a couple of originals about his adventures in Mexico.

The talented David Kneeshaw had a couple of appearances. He played guitar, yodeled and sang some rootsy songs like Did She Mention My Name and Walkin’ In The Alabama Rain.
Maybe my favourite moment of the night was when David and Doc played the John Prine classic Please Don’t Bury Me. The mix of humour and pathos in that song always gets me. This duo played it very well!

The first trio of the night included Chris, Brian and Rod. They all skillfully played guitar and sang. Highlights were Gimme A Ride To Heaven and California Stars.

Rick, on guitar and vocals, was a fine addition to the evening with his set that included Heartaches By The Number, the Creedence Clearwater hit Lodi, Darius Rucker’s Wagon Wheel (Hey mama, rock me). Doc joined him on fiddle for a couple of songs and joined a number of other groups later, too. It was nice to hear some strings incorporated into these tunes.

Later, Chris on guitar and vocals was joined by vocalist Gila. This proved to be an excellent pairing. I really enjoyed their versions of You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away and Who Stopped the Rain. Gila hit some notes that the men hadn’t approached on this evening. They were later joined by Doc for Long May You Run.

I really had a good time at The Legion. The mature audience enjoyed themselves, the musicians were very friendly and accommodating. The staff were friendly, the beer cold and the food good. What more can you ask for on a cold, Kamloops night. The Royal Canadian Legion hosts Open Mic on Thursday’s from 7:00 until it’s time to go. There is also a bluegrass jam session on Sunday nights at 6:00 PM. Check The Legion for details.