The lineup outside Night Shift on Fifth at 10 p.m. on opening night, Sept. 9, 2022.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

Back in the day, live musicians would tour the countryside making a living playing shows six nights a week, but over the years, the live music industry and culture around it has drastically changed.

“In the 80s and 90s you would have a choice of what band and venue you wanted to see, there was tons of entertainment going on all the time,” said Stephen Roberts, a guitarist with a Vancouver metal band that performs in Kamloops. “Now there’s a new generation and it’s completely different.”

Some musicians in Kamloops and beyond recently speculated on why the turnouts to live shows are not what they used to be and fear the live music industry could become a thing of the past.

Generational shifts, the internet, cell phones, and a lack of quality venues are a few possible factors.

Pup Johnston owns two nightclubs in Kamloops and has been in the live music industry for decades, starting as a bouncer in a live music bar in Alberta when he was 17.

“Back in the day, bands played five or six nights a week, Sunday was a travel day for bands. The scene used to be bigger by far, I always say, when drinking and driving was a sport,” he said.

Johnston worked at clubs in Vancouver and Kamloops in the nineties where the scene was vibrant and live bands played four nights per week. He took ownership of the Blue Grotto in 2017 and then the Nightshift on Fifth in 2022.

A band called Noble Crew vs. 2 is pictured playing at The Blue Grotto Nightclub in Kamloops before the pandemic.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Facebook/ The Blue Grotto Nightclub

These days he’s hosting an average of three live performances every week with lots of bands from Kamloops and the Okanagan ready to play, but following a surge after COVID, not as many patrons showing up to watch.

“Night clubs are not as busy as they used to be, it's almost the same thing as stripper bars,” he said. “They went away because it fell out of fashion. I’m breaking my back bringing shows in. There is a ton of live music out there but I really need to see bigger crowds.

“Generations have changed, the millennials are more concerned about their market share, getting housed and getting their kids going. It’s more about being successful now than going out and meeting people.”

Roberts is a multi-instrumentalist with the pop/metal band Evereal, which plays at venues in Vancouver and Kamloops. The band combines female vocals and strings with heavy metal.

He said people aren’t coming out in high numbers like they used to. Mostly middle-aged rockers come out to his shows with younger people only coming out occasionally.

“A new generation has evolved. Everyone can sit at home, watch YouTube and stream whatever they want,” he said. “I ask young people what music is to them and they say, it’s free,” he said. “I click on what I want, why would I pay for anything when it’s free. It’s a new mentality.”

Johnston echoed the statement.

“I think what’s catching up to us is the cell phone generation, people get their entertainment at their fingertips,” he said. “You don’t have to leave the house for entertainment or to meet a girl or guy. While you’re watching your phone you can chat with your friends, pour wine and sit at home." 

The Mule was the only nightclub in Penticton before it closed for good in August 2018.

(DAN WALTON / iNFOnews.ca)

The writing on the wall for the death of live band performances and other forms of nightlife entertainment has been visible for years.

The city of Penticton doesn’t attract the massive amounts of wild partiers it once did. From the 50s to the 70s, anyone cruising down Main Street would find themselves under a sea of neon lights, and in the next two decades the nightlife included discotheques, pool halls and hotel bars.

But the nightlife scene started to change in the 90s.

“Maybe ’89 to ’93 or ’94 were the intense years,” said former journalist John Moorhouse in a previous interview with iNFOnews.ca. “It would be wall-to-wall people on Main Street on weekends in the summer. ”It was a different generation – a generation that was into the street parties.”

READ MORE: Kelowna's only traditional English restaurant closes its doors

In 2015, Kelowna couple Dan and Colleen McCullough started hosting house concerts in an effort to keep the live music scene going after some local music venues closed down.

They host a few concerts every year to help fill the live music gaps and provide opportunities for independent musicians to perform. 

“It’s not the answer but it’s a whole different model now, just like the acquisition of music," Dan said in a previous interview with iNFOnews.ca 

Dan McCullough wanted more live music in his life so he created The Outback along with his wife Colleen.

(DAN WALTON / iNFOnews.ca)

In 2014 a popular place for live music in Vernon, the Talkin’ Donkey closed due to financial strain after an eight-year run. Not only was the non-profit coffee house one of the first in Vernon to serve certified fair-trade coffee, it was a favourite venue among local bands where some local musicians got their starts in the industry.

READ MORE: Capitalizing on a trend, Kelowna's first sober bar prepares to open

“It was one of those places you didn’t have to front a bunch of money to put on a show,” local musician Luke Mortenson said in an interview with iNFOnews.ca at the time. “It was an awesome place for all ages. You’d get seniors and high school students in the same room—that doesn’t happen very often.”

Just over a decade ago the nightlife scene in Kamloops and the Okanagan shifted when a number of strip clubs closed down. In an interview with iNFOnews.ca in 2013, then exotic dancer from Kelowna, Mandy Powers weighed in on the reasons why.

"It's really a dying industry," she said. "They're all closing. People don't want to spend the money. I think the Internet kind of ruined it for a lot of people. They're like 'screw this, I'll get a six-pack and watch porn on the Internet.'"

READ MORE: Christmas trees in March? Peachland ready for filming of new Hallmark movie

Roberts said it's hard on musicians to perform with so many quality venues closing down in recent years and the cost of motels and gas going up.

“Most of what is left aren’t attractive, quality venues,” he said. “In the '90s, venues had full PA systems, stage, lights, a soundman and light tech. Now some places aren’t supplying anything, sometimes not even a stage.”

Roger Pynn, who plays in a rock band in Kamloops, pointed to the lifestyle changes brought on COVID and inflation for possible reasons for the drop in audience numbers.

“Since the reopening of bars and nightclubs it’s been a slow uphill battle to get people back into nightlife of live music,” he said. “People are not drinking as much as they once did, maybe that’s a bit of our aging population, not sure. People don’t have disposable money like they did a few years ago, the cost of living has increased."

READ MORE: Folk-rock band Cowboy Junkies coming to Penticton this summer

Despite what appears to be a grim view on the live music industry, Johnston maintains a positive outlook and said the industry is here to stay.

“I disagree the industry has been killed, it’s still there, people love it,” he said. “You go to a nightclub because it's live entertainment and a chance you might meet someone, it’s safer than dating apps and you can see from across the room if you’re attracted to someone. I think there might be some socio-economic problems but I don’t think our economy is that bad.”

Johnston said Kamloops is a hot bed for live music and some unbelievably good bands are coming out.

Pynn agreed.

“I do believe it will hopefully come back around again this year, there are a couple more options coming up in town for people to see live music these days. Right now musicians are banding together here in Kamloops and getting out as much as we can to keep this thing alive and support local talent.”

READ MORE: Big Sugar stopping in Kelowna, Kamloops on Western Canada tour

Last month Creative Okanagan released a music venue database that acts as a hub for the public to access venues there.

Last year the organization started compiling data from music venues that regularly host music events. Users can find information on things like venue capacity, stage and audio specifications and food and beverage availability.

The goal is to support high-quality, thriving music spaces that are safe and inclusive in the region.

Go here to explore the database.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2024