Cover band The Naked Grapes began five years ago after three friends, Jason Atkinson, Jeff Randel, and Dianne Flack, decided to combine their love and talent for music. “We were all friends,” Aktinson said. “We got together in our guitar player’s living room and started doing our favourite acoustic songs and we realized that we could take it a step further.” The Naked Grapes are currently hosting an acoustic open mic every Saturday night in December at Miller’s Pub. “We are a full musical group,” Aktinson said. “We do stripped down versions of all cover tunes and we also do originals.” “Two acoustic guitars and a hand drum,” he added.The idea behind The Naked Grapes came from MTV’s Unplugged, a TV series that features high profile artists playing acoustic sets. “We decided to create a band based around the concept,” Aktinson said. “The naked part was definitely the reference to the overall concept of the music,” he added. The Naked Grapes cover everything from classic rock to newer artists such as Jack Johnson and Robin Thicke. “We will attempt any song, regardless of it is production and take it to our acoustic realm,” Aktinson said. Not be confused with the Naked Grape winery, the Naked Grapes name comes from the idea of stripping down their covers. “We enjoy wine from time to time,” he laughed. “The naked part of it is that without being physically naked, the music is stripped down and raw acoustic Rock N Roll.”The Naked Grapes will be performing on Dec. 28 from 2 – 6 p.m. at Miller’s Pub. For more information on The Naked Grapes e-mail thenakedgrapes@gmail.com

Nanaimo News Bulletin