The Owl Acoustic Lounge featured a laid back Boxing Day featuring local jazz  trio DMV, who I had never heard before.

They played to the background of a screen showing Star Wars animation. The trio played some sweet keyboards, saxophone and drums, melding together, experimenting and adding a few bars of familiar hits.

I only caught a about half of all of the New Year’s Eve gigs ringing in the new year  on Dec. 31 all over Lethbridge. Pretty much all of the best cover bands in the city get booked for new years, so this was my chance to see a few I haven’t seen for a while, yet I still missed a lot of them.

 I always seem to miss former Claresholm residents Shane Chisholm, who is now based in Red Deer, so Coyote Joes was my first  stop. It was also my first chance to check out the renamed and renovated former Scores. They installed a big new stage front and centre in the room, facing a brand new dance floor, bordered by skinny railings on which to lean or place your drink.

While I missed the first set from local rock band the Raw Dogs I caught the first set from Chisholm. Both bands were playing two sets apiece.
 I was hoping to see Chisholm’s home made gas tank bass and some of the rockabilly trucks and sparks he does on it, but he saved that of his second set.

 Instead Chisholm played an array of modern country but added a few of his own including  the Celtic flavoured “ If Jesus Was Canadian” and a revamped, groovy version of Allan Jackson’s “Chatahoochie,” which he prefaced with an unnecessary apology to Allan Jackson. After calling for one of may “sociables,” he played the always popular “ Wagon Wheel” as well. His trio including lead guitarist Nathan and drummer Curtis Schultz. Chisholm held down the rhythm on six string bass.

 He covered several songs from modern country  artists like Keith Urban and wound down  his set with his cover of Big Sugar’s “All Hell For a Basement,” which is on his “Hitchhiking Buddha” CD. He officially ended his first set with the Nitty Gritty Dirt band’s “ Fishing in The Dark,” which has the new dance floor full.

 Over at Bo Diddly’s,  local grunge/ ’90s rock band  Bottom’s Up took a small but enthusiastic audience back to the ’90s.
 While I missed their first set, arriving in the middle of a long break.
 I caught some of their second set.

 The detuned and tight quartet began with Alice in Chains’ “ Them Bones,” tackled the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Suck My Kiss” and played some Stone Temple Pilots and tried a couple of newer rock songs after that. They drew enthusiastic cheers of support after each song.
Down the road at the Moose Hall, an older crowd enjoyed The Mark Hall Band playing a tight set of country music. They had a few two steppers dancing to newer country music like Aaron Pritchett’s “ My Way,” and classics like “Six Days on the Road.”

New Year’s Eve got a lot funky at the packed Owl Acoustic Lounge where dozens of merrymakers stood shoulder to shoulder battling for  dance floor space and space at the bar.

 The talented local trio Adequate, switched instruments among themselves as they played lots of toe tapping pop and R and B classics including “Dance to The Music,” before  counting down the new year.

Over at the Ten Ten Pub, Band Of  Brothers, trimmed down to a trio,  rang in the new year with a whole lot of classic rock.

 Their post midnight set began with a cover of CCR‘’s “Green River” then they jumped ahead 40 some year for a cover of Green Day’s “When I Come Around.” 

They got the crowd moving with a little “Hippy Hippy Shake.” A tambourine joined them for add extra percussion as they jumped back 30 some years for the Rolling Stones‘  “Miss You” which included the frontman wandering into the audience for a solo.

Lethbridge bluesman Papa King Cole has released his long awaited new CD “Gutted to the Studs” which showcases a lot of the local talent he has played with over the years.
“The oldest song on it was recorded 10 years ago,” said Cole, reminiscing about a recent jam over Christmas break with long time band mate Daryll Düus  who moved to B.C. a year ago.
 Düus and one time band mates Earl McAuley and bassist Doug Freeman are on that oldest track — the blues classic “Hesitation Blues.”

King has been balancing music with a good career as along haul trucker, so he hasn’t done a lot of promotion for the CD. He released it to a packed house at the Owl Acoustic Lounge on Nov. 7.
 He did all of the recording and mastering at his downtown studio, then sent it away to Pittsburgh for further mastering, but unfortunately had a few technical issues with DAT tape.
“It just showed up one day before the CD release party,” he observed, noting he was impressed with DHL Trucking company who had the CDs from Pittsburgh to the Coutts border in a day.
“And all I had to do was pay the duty,” he said.

 The CD is available exclusively at Blueprint Records in Lethbridge.
“It feels pretty good. It’s been a life changing experience,” said Cole, a notorious perfectionist who had the luxury of time thanks to having his own studio so he could tweak things as much as he needed to.
“I’ve been getting some good feedback on it from peers and people who don’t know me,” he said
 While he has been chipping away at the project for 10 years including doing three different versions of crowd favourite “Beale Street Boogie,”  the project came together quickly when he got talented local guitarists Scott Mezei and Steve Keenan in the studio.
“I did four songs with them and it all just fell into place. I’ve already written half of my next album,” he continued, adding he wrote 30 songs for this CD and had to choose a dozen of them for the CD including the three covers. The next one won’t be completed until 2017.

“I remember Scott and Steve were in the studio playing with their eyes closed. I was in the booth laughing my ass off. I couldn’t even communicate with them,” he said, eagerly anticipating his New Year’s Eve gig at the Rum Runner in Coleman with Steve Keenan and Megan Brown.
 Former band mates Düus and Evan Uschenko, who have since moved from Lethbridge, play on several tracks on the CD including the highlight “ 500 Horses,” written abut the experience of long distance trucking while in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Calgary songwriter Carter Felker is  excited to return to Lethbridge to play the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Jan. 8 as part of his “Beardos and Weirdos” tour with  Peter Gardner of  Victoria band Hawk and Steel.
Felker has played Lethbridge several times with steel guitarist Danny  “Skinny” Dyck, Tin and the Toad and his own band.
“Me and my girlfriend are really good friends with Shaela Miller and Danny Dyck, so I like to come down there every couple months or so,” said Felker, finishing his new CD to be released March 4.
He is looking forward to playing Lethbridge and Twin Butte on the Beardo and Weirdos Tour with Peter Gardner.
“I’d probably be the weirdo. We both have beards, but his is nicer and mine is weirder,” Felker chuckled. They play Calgary twice, then head down south to Lethbridge and Twin Butte on Jan. 9 before finishing the tour in Edmonton on Jan. 10.

“ I write about everyday life. I even have a song called ‘Every Day Life.’   I write abut small towns. Peter’s band Hawk and Wind play more Bruce Springsteen type rock. I like to call it story rock,” he described.

“ My set will be more medium paced and mostly sad songs, but I will pick it up,” he said.

Felker was runner up  in the Calgary Folk Festival’s Best Up and Coming Songwriter contest.
“ I’m just trying to get better at writing songs and getting better at my instrument,” he said.
 He is focusing on completing his first album.