Yeah. There’s something in the water here in Vernon.
Besides producing some major talent on the ski slopes and the hockey rink, just check out what’s on the concert stage.
On Wednesday, three of the city’s major talents took to Powerhouse Theatre’s cozy confines to entertain a full house with a lighted-hearted Old Fashioned Christmas performance with proceeds going to the Canadian Diabetes Association.
Jodi Pederson, Raquel Warchol and Windmills have quite a few local fans, including fellow Vernon recording artist and hitmaker Andrew Allen, as well as gold medal Paralympic curling champion Sonja Gaudet, who could be seen enjoying the performance out in the audience.
Pederson and Warchol originally met each other playing Canada Day and other music events in Vernon’s Polson Park and have gone on to forge their own careers in the music world.
Pederson, a Kal Secondary grad, scored a recording career and a few hits of her own, including her holiday single, Christmas with You, and is currently working on her second album in Vancouver, while Warchol, a VSS grad, has been spending her time in Nashville working with major producers and honing her songwriting skills.
It was good to have them home.
While Pederson performed a mostly solo set on piano and guitar, Warchol was joined by a band that included guitarist Jon Buller, a Vernon-based recording artist, as well as bassist Aaron French and his brother, drummer Nathan French.
The women also performed a number of duets and were joined by Windmills (Cory Myraas) for a few numbers.
A one-man band who uses drum, guitar, vocals and a loop pedal to make his original sounds, Windmills also opened the show with a 20-minute set.
He is up for an Okanagan Arts Award for music, so expect to hear a lot more from this guy.
And in some holiday cheer, the artists were joined on the stage by Santa himself and were happy to pose for pictures.
Let’s hope this becomes a Christmas tradition for years to come.
