Heather Adamson
When Damn Fools agreed to perform at Serenity Performing Arts Centre on June 13 with only two weeks notice, the entire Serenity team had to pinch themselves.
The band that had been originally booked for the date was not able to make it, and cancelling the show was not an option.
The night was intended to be a celebration concert for venue owner Shirley de Vooght’s officially being in remission after five months of chemotherapy following her leukaemia diagnosis this past December. She never dreamed one of her favourite bands (who are on the lineup for the Harvest Music Festival in September) would come all this way for one show.
But they did, and they did with an enormous amount of respect, heart and humility. It was no small feat to arrange their various schedules in such a short amount of time.
Damn Fools is a rock band based out of Vancouver, and I don’t use the term ‘rock band’ loosely. Imagine a 60s-70s era garage band right before they become platinum record selling headliners.
With talent burgeoning from every angle, and dreamy looks that make audiences swoon, this six-piece band is aimed at making their mark in Canadian rock and roll.
Not that I would ever remotely hint at rock and roll being dead, but at times it can be harder to find.
Watching Damn Fools lay it out on the stage like they did was like a punch in the gut to say, “Do you feel that?”
I spent the majority of time chatting with Andrew and Mike Twining after the show, the songwriters and brothers who are very much at the core of this band.
Five out of the six band members have known each other since childhood, with some of them playing together previously on a different music project before it dissolved and Mike and Andrew began to write music that was inspired by the sounds their father raised them on.
Their parents even made the trip for this show from their home near Penticton. It is always special when artists bring family or friends with them.
Known as a band to see live, the Damn Fools’ debut album “Off The Floor” is as close to an auditory replica of their live show as you are going to get.
A huge thank you to Damn Fools for making the effort to be here and for completely rocking it out for our appreciative crowd.
If you want to see this band up close and personal (which you do, believe me you do), join us for the Harvest Music Festival Sept. 11-13 at Serenity.
Damn Fools are on the lineup and they will be camping out on the acreage. Visit www.serenitymusic.ca or call 250-676-9456 for details.
