Musical veteran remembers Kelowna
Ian Thomas has fond memories of playing in Kelowna some 40 years ago
Even though it was back in the 1970s, Canadian singer, songwriter, actor and author Ian Thomas still has fond memories of the last time he performed in the Okanagan.
“I played Kelowna in the ’70s. It was in the middle of this tour, I think, with the Stampeders actually. The Ian Thomas Band and the Stampeders,” he recalled during a recent phone interview from his Ontario home.
“It was an oasis. We were at this very nice hotel and it had a swimming pool in a quadrangle at the back. So I have fond memories of Kelowna. It’s so beautiful. It was two days for me that was just a glorious breather, and then it was back to long trips and gigs.”
So Thomas is looking forward to returning to the valley, this time as part of Lunch with Allen’s, the folk/pop combo involving other songwriting heavyweights Murray McLauchlan, Cindy Church and Marc Jordan.
The four chart-topping musical veterans have collectively been involved in the sales of a staggering 25 million CDs, both as solo or band artists or as songwriters for stars like Chicago, Josh Groban, Bonnie Raitt, America, Santana, Cher and Rod Stewart.
Their 7:30 p.m. performance on June 19 at Kelowna Community Theatre coincides with the June 16 release of their new studio album, If It Feels Right.
Their self-produced fifth album features 12 original tracks, alternately written and performed by the four of them.
“Singing and playing on each other’s songs is part of the joy of LAA,”Thomas said. “Murray got the ball rolling and booked us in for bed tracks at Toronto’s Kensington Sound, which is where we rehearsed for the first Lunch At Allen’s tour. This one felt a little more adventurous. We ended up convening at my studio in Dundas with everyone contributing various harmonies and instrument solos.”
The name Lunch at Allen’s is from a legendary restaurant and scotch bar in Toronto’s East End frequented by band members.
As for enjoying his time in Kelowna this trip, Thomas, who performs the album’s title track, has a wait-and-see attitude.
“I don’t think the routing is real bad this time. So hopefully, we can get some early check-ins before sound-checks because from sound-checks on, it’s pretty much work, dinner, work, then load (equipment) in and get to your bed beat. That’s the nature of touring. Fortunately, we’ve been down that road.”
The 19-stop tour includes a show at Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on June 18.
“I’m looking forward to gettin’ out of Dodge and doing these dates with my friends,” said Thomas.
“It’s just so much fun. We do it in stretches. We did Winnipeg to Saskatoon in October. So we’re doing B.C. in June and this coming October, we’re doing the Maritimes. We basically try to cross the country once a year. I just love Canada. At this age too (he turns 67 on July 23), with some of our favourite spots, it all depends on where the good restaurants are.”
Pictou, N.S., for instance, had the Stonehouse Restaurant with “the singular best fish chowder in the Maritimes” several years ago, Thomas said with a laugh. The band is planning to return there and he hopes the new owners “still have this thing going on. That’s the only thing I’m looking forward to.”
He has evolved from his rock-and-roll roots to become a CBC producer, to portraying the character Dougie Franklin on the Canadian comedy series The Red Green Show, to performing with Darcy Hepner and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (recording with them for an upcoming CD), and composing music for about a dozen films and television shows.
“It’s really about making a living in Canada. If you want to stay in Canada, you have to do a number of things and fortunately for me, most of them have been creative. The film scores pretty much made me a studio dweeb for quite a few years.
“Actually, it was Murray — almost 15 years ago when we started doing this Lunch at Allen’s thing — that sort of dragged me kicking and screaming out of the studio. ‘Come on, let’s go tilt the boards, and do some pickin’ and grinnin’.’
“I’m really grateful to him because it sort of stimulated everything. I love playing again. I think it’s been stimulating for everybody creatively. We’re all busy doing other things creatively, everybody has solo projects, as well as this Lunch at Allen’s thing. So it’s been a real nurturing little oasis. It doesn’t get much better than going out and pickin’ and grinnin’ with some of your best friends.”
As a studio composer and musician, “I’ve always got some songs on the go. I haven’t done a film for a couple of years but I think there’s a couple coming down the pipe my way. It all depends. I’m at a point now where I’m picking and choosing the things that I want to do. I’m just too old to do everything. Consequently, I don’t think studio work will be as intense as it has been.”
And his family life got much more complicated after Jan. 7 when his son was involved in a snowmobiling accident and became a paraplegic.
“I’ve been pretty much zeroing in on that. This is the real stuff. We’re just trying to deal with all of these avenues right now.
The family needs a lot of help. We’re getting our cottage fitted with ramps, just trying to incorporate our son’s new situation into our lives. He’s 44 and he’s got four kids. It’s been a real killer, just a real killer to us. It’s hard enough on his mother and I.
And I just can’t imagine where he is right now.”
However, “he’s a strong soul and he’s got a good solid creative sense. And actually, he was out directing a film shoot today even with the pain he’s in right now. He’s got neurogenic pain that’s just through the roof. Even with that, he’s starting to work again. I’d love to take credit for that but his mother is in there for sure,” Thomas said with a laugh.
Tickets for the Kelowna show are $41.50 and available through Select Your Tickets. Tickets for the Vernon show are available through Ticket Seller.