Bassist Tom Hooper (right) and guitarist Kevin Kane (left)
(JULIE WHITTET / iNFOnews.ca)
August 29, 2013 - 8:52 AM
KELOWNA – Fans, tourists and those looking for a little bit of entertainment last night found their way to Waterfront Park to hear Okanagan musicians The Grapes of Wrath.
Born and raised in Kelowna, the folk rock trio Kevin Kane, Tom and Chris Hooper played their first show in 21 years in the town where they first debuted. Last night's free homecoming concert was also a chance for locals to hear songs from their new 2013 album High Road - a tribute to the Kelowna street where they grew up.
An old friend of the musicians, Judy Johnson was heading over to Waterfront Park last night.
“I taught the two Hooper boys in elementary,” she says, as their former homeroom teacher back in the 1970s.
“They were pretty creative - great kids.”
She wasn't sure what to expect from their homecoming show, but admits she's got all their albums.
Another friend in the crowd said it's been 30 years since he last saw them perform in Kelowna, but remembers being a big fan back in the day.
“They've kinda got their own music, I wouldn't call it rock,” he says.
Before the band hit the stage at 8 p.m. Kelowna mayor Walter Gray presented the band with a plaque.
“I have a little bit of a gift here... a letter to reflect on some of our personal knowledge of them over the years, it names some of the awards they've won and it's something they can put on the wall,” Gray says.
The mayor also picked out parents of the band members seated in the audience.
“Tonight hopefully will tell you it was worth listening to all that banging in the basement all those years.”
To contact the reporter for this story, email Julie Whittet at jwhittet@infotelnews.ca or call (250)718-0428.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013