When The Pack A.D. arrives in Penticton next Saturday, it’s going to be to talk, not to blow the audience away with one of their explosive live performances.
Fresh off tours in Europe and the U.S., the all-female garage punk duo is coming to Penticton as the next featured artist in the CFUZ Listen Up! speakers series created by Peach City Radio.
The talk, entitled Your band can be on the radio takes place on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Mondo Creation, 221 Main St. The free public talk is open to anyone interested in what it’s like to be a working band in Canada.
Related: CFUZ awarded grant for speaker series
“The Pack A.D. may not be a household name, but they have been performing and recording since 2006. They credit some of their success to being played on local radio stations in and around Vancouver,” said CFUZ programming chair Dave Del Rizzo. “With these presentations, we’re hoping to learn how to best support our own local music scene by hearing from a group that has been through it all: promotion, recording, and touring.”
Singer/guitarist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller are compared to the likes of The White Stripes and The Black Keys. They credit their love of science fiction and horror films as inspiration for much of their songwriting and music videos. The Pack A.D. has released seven albums and toured extensively since they formed in 2006.
In addition to the public talk, musicians are invited to sign up for a free workshop called How to be a band or lose your mind trying. The workshop will be a chance for in-depth discussion on navigating the world of contracts, labels, agents and the business of being a professional musician. The workshop takes place April 28 at 1 p.m. and attendees must register by emailing listenup@peachcityradio.org.
The CFUZ Listen Up! speaker series aims to inspire community members into learning about and participating in community radio. The Pack A.D’s Maya Miller and Becky Black are the fifth event in the series which has also included Rosemary Thomson, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra; Chad Saunders, Bell Studio/National Music Centre; Janet Rogers, Mohawk radio host, documentary producer and poet and Katie Jensen, podcast producer.
Related: Listen Up to Katie Jensen
There are two more events scheduled in the series. On May 5, Listen Up! features a trio of community radion experts. Victoria King, Glen Ingram and Myke Atkinson will be in town for Let’s Talk Radio, which will be broadcast live from the CFUZ studio in the Cannery., with a workshop the following day.
The final event in the series is going to be something extra special. Holger Petersen, host of CBC Radio’s Saturday Night Blues and one of Canada’s longest-running radio personalities will be here to talk about his career in radio and the many blues musicians he has interviewed over a career spanning more than four decades. This event will be hosted at Dream Café, and Holger will be joined on stage by Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne for the evening.
The other Listen Up! events have been free, but in this case, there will be a charge to cover venue costs. Tickets can be booked through the Dream Café’s website. Prices are $25 for the premium seats and $15 for the wings, but members of the Peach City Community Radio Society can get a special price of $10 for wing seats, by booking directly at 250-490-9012 and mentioning that you are a CFUZ member.
Peach City Radio is a not-for-profit society with an online radio stream at cfuz.ca, working towards the establishment of an FM community radio service in Penticton. Volunteers and voices are always welcome – contact info@peachcityradio.org or visit cfuz.ca for information.
Steve Kidd
Senior reporter, Penticton Western News
Email me or message me on Facebook
