If Northern BC has a particular “sound,” I would argue that it’s a cross pollination of acoustic folk music with punk rock.
It feels like the further you get into the back woods, the more punk rock it becomes. I’m not sure what it is, but the Cariboo’s punk scene has always been very lyrically driven (maybe exemplified by the late great Rebel Spell).
And more often than not, folk artists from this neck of the woods have a distinct streak of punk rock in their style (ie. Sober Becky, Jesse LeBourdais, Power Duo; the list goes on). In the words of Prince George songwiter Raghu Lokanathan, “she’s not nice, but she’s real.”
It was only natural that the Cariboo would welcome Kevin and Natassja Honeyman into the neighborhood with open arms when they moved up around a year ago. I heard rumours that the pair of somewhat legendary Kootenay punks were moving to Williams Lake, and almost instantly they assembled a new band and started winning the hearts of Williams Lakers.
Bush Party is the latest Cariboo punk rock sensation, with Kevin and Natassja, as well as Kent Bernadet and Devon Lee. When we started putting together the Sunday Biscuits brunch music series at the Bean Counter, I knew we had to work these guys into the equation somehow. I wasn’t too keen on blasting the eardrums of the casual Sunday morning crowd with drums and huge guitar amps, and luckily Kevin already had a plan up his sleeve for just such an occasion.
Gypsy Salami is the acoustic folk-punk spin-off of Bush Party, featuring Kevin and Natassja Honeyman.
Joining Gypsy Salami in a supporting role is fellow Bush Party band member Devon Lee. This Sunday morning at the Bean Counter, expect a mix of solo and collaborative tunes from GS and Devon. We’ll have three sets of original and cover tunes, starting at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 12:30 p.m.
As usual it’s a suggested donation of $5 for music. Brunch (including veggie options) is served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This is already our second to last Sunday Biscuits session, so I hope to see you there!