This past year has been a whirlwind for Vernon-based modern Celtic folk-rock band Cod Gone Wild, which performed more than 125 shows across Western Canada in 2013.
Things have not slowed down for the band, as they are planning even more shows and travel this year, with dates booked south of the border as far as San Francisco in June.
The band has also been selected to perform at various summer music festivals all over Western Canada, and following a successful showcase at the Alberta Touring Alliance Showcase in Red Deer in October, have secured a full month-long tour of theatres all across Alberta for January, 2015.
This will all be topped off with an Eastern Canadian tour next spring.
“Things are rolling out according to plan,” said Andrew Mercer, lead singer/guitarist and promoter/manager of the band. “It has been a very busy year for us, but in this business, busy is good.”
The Cods did manage to fit in some time to record and write a new album this winter, Battered and Fried, to be released in conjunction with their annual St. Patrick’s Day shows around the North Okanagan.
The album represents the evolution of the band, says Mercer.
“We are extremely proud of the new record. As a group of musicians playing together for the last three years, we have evolved musically as a group and as individuals. The new album represents just that and we have found our sound, developed our style, and have set the bar a little higher for ourselves and for what is to come in the future.”
This year, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day week and the release of Battered and Fried, Cod Gone Wild will be hosting four theatre-style, family friendly performances in Cherryville, Enderby, Lake Country and Vernon.
“We really wanted to perform in front of a hometown crowd for our St. Patrick’s Day shows and it was important to us that we share the new album: first, with the people that support us the most, in Vernon and the surrounding communities,” said Mercer.
The mini tour will kick off at the Cherryville Community Hall Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at Lumby Health Foods and Frank’s Store in Cherryville. The Cods next play the Enderby Drill Hall March Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets are at the Enderby Chamber of Commerce and The Enderby Museum. The March 16 show at the Creekside Theatre in Lake Country starts at 3 p.m. and tickets are available at Lake Country municipal office, or by calling the box office at 250-766-9309.
The Cods will then round it out with their annual St. Patrick’s Day performance in support of the SunFM Have a Heart Radiothon at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre, March 17 at 7 p.m.
The band has donated approximately $5,000 to the Have a Heart Radiothon to date and hope to add to that total this year in a big way with proceeds from the show.
Tickets are at the Ticket Seller box office, 549-7469, www.ticketseller.ca.
The shows at Creekside Theatre and Vernon Performing Arts Centre will feature the Okanagan Celtic Choir, conducted by Mercer.
Joining the band on-stage for the CD release portion of the show in Vernon will be Andrew Smith on guitars, mandolin and bouzouki.
“Fans can expect to hear brand-new original music and traditional songs with a Cod Gone Wild twist in addition to the classic favourites that go hand in hand with a St. Patrick’s Day celebration,” said Mercer.
For more information about the band, visit www.codgonewild.com.
