Growing up in the Salmon Arm isn’t exactly down in the bayou, but as local haunts go, it’s got a reputation for fostering musical talent like New Orleans to dixie.
And yet, if you ask Dan Bremnes what spurred his interest in the guitar, he doesn’t say anything about the Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival and the 30,000-plus people and phenomenal talent it brings to the area—hometown or not.
He’s talking about the band Jars of Clay, and specifically, a song from their first album called Like a Child, taught to him by youth pastor Tyler Woods.
“Jars of Clay is kind of the reason I started writing music, so it’s sort a dream come true to open for them,” he says in a phone call to announce he’ll be the first one on stage when the three-time Grammy Award winning band hits Kelowna Community Theatre.
Considered a rising star on the Christian music scene himself, Bremnes says he’s blown away by the chance to open for an act whose simple melodies won his heart from the first chord; although, he’s had a few starstruck moments of late.
When he spoke with the Capital News last October, he was just launching his full-time music career, having left a job at Eastside Mario’s on Harvey Avenue to start touring and playing as a main gig. The fall tour took him and his wife on an impressive journey, culminating in a performance at the Canadian Gospel Music Awards, where he encountered Six Pence None the Richer and lunched with New York Christian music producer and filmmaker Stephen Taylor.
“The best piece of advice he gave us artists was not to change the music to fit the industry,” said Bremnes. “Be true to your work and the art, otherwise it’s just a job.”
The point clearly stuck and one can imagine Bremnes will have plenty of material to back it up with once he hits the stage with his idols.
After achieving cross-over status for their hit Flood, Jars of Clay managed to build a 17-year career staying true to their art, despite opportunities to go beyond the genre and even a small Christian backlash for playing with artists like Matchbox Twenty and Sting.
It’s a track record Bremnes love to see just a taste of and he’s hoping he’ll get a chance for some one-on-one guidance come showtime.
“They’re probably still one of the biggest names in Christian music,” he said. “So I would like to know if they have any advice.”
For now he and his wife, Brittney, who runs Bremnes Photography in town, are touring the Dominican Republic learning more about the charity he’s chosen to support—Compassion International.
Dan Bremnes opens for Jars of Clay at the Kelowna Community Theatre Jan. 28, doors at 7:30 p.m.. Tickets are $38.64 and available through Select Your Tickets (www.selectyourtickets.com) or (250) 762-5050.
jsmith@kelownacapnews.com
