Local musician touring with rising star makes pit stop in the Okanagan
Penticton country musician Beamer Wigley is co-headlining his first Alberta-B.C. tour with another rising star, Brayden King.
The two have been on the road with their Bad Night to be a Beer tour since May 16, when it began in Lethbridge. Stops on the 10-city tour followed in Red Deer, Calgary, Edmonton, Grand Prairie, Sicamous and Kamloops.
They swing into the Okanagan tonight (May 26) for a date at Slackwater Brewing Co. in Penticton, head to Kelowna’s OK Corral on Saturday and then conclude the tour Sunday at The Roxy in Vancouver.
“I met Brayden at the CCMAs (Canadian Country Music Awards) and we were jamming in the lobby jam which starts at midnight and goes to around 4 a.m.,” Wigley said in a phone interview on a rare day off. “Hearing his voice, it clicked right away. I then met his guitar player separately, I didn’t know he played with Brayden and then we all thought, we’re going to do something together.”
Backed by King’s four-piece band, each musician plays a full set. It’s not a case of one opening for the other, Wigley said. King, who is better known in Alberta, plays second in the shows there with Wigley switching spots once the tour moved into B.C. Along the way they expect to join one another on stage for a few songs.
King, who stands 6’9, is a commanding presence. He hails originally from Weyburn, Sask. Wigley describes him as “an amazing artist who you’re going to love.”
“It’s been awesome, performing six times in six days which is fun,” Wigley said. “It’s been a lot of travel, a lot of late nights. I was expecting it to be more of an adjustment period, but it hasn’t. Getting on the road… I’ve been doing this for a long time.”
Wigley’s summer is booked solid. He’s switching his emphasis from writing and recording to touring and playing as many concerts as possible.
“I’m working on a new record, but I’m playing everywhere I can, as many shows as I can. I want to be out on the road. I’m not homesick. Once I get home, I’m going to be roadsick.”
Tickets for the May 26 show, which begins at 8 p.m., are available for $10 in advance from Slackwater Brewing Co. or $15 at the door. General admission tickets for Saturday’s date at the OK Corral are $12 and can be purchased in advance from Eventbrite.ca. Doors open at 6 p.m. for that show.