Barriere punk duo Let’s Go is almost ready for its upcoming show at the Barriere Motor Inn, which takes place on Nov. 17 with opening acts Patrick McNeice and Michelle Ruschke.
“We’re pretty excited and hoping for a good turn out; we’re going to have two different Barriere acts opening up and it’s free,” said vocalist Tyler Hall, who rounds out the line up with drummer Dustin Doherty.
Hall added Let’s Go’s sound ranges from melodic punk rock, to metal to traditional rock and roll, offering a high energy live show further emphasized by his enthusiastic behavior on stage.
This often has the crowd stopping to simply watch the band’s antics, but not to Hall’s discouragement in the slightest.
“People seem into the playing; they watch us pretty intently and whenever I look up from singing—I’m quite animated and goofy—they seem to be looking at me and laughing,” said Hall, laughing himself as he recalls the experiences.
“I’ll take it.”
Hall and Doherty started Let’s Go after performing in cover bands together, which Hall said were fairly successful, having played fundraisers and performances in places like Kamloops, but eventually they disbanded and the members went their separate ways.
After that the pair decided they preferred writing and performing original music, and with just the two of them, there was less stress and drama, which can come with having more opinions and people to organize in larger bands.
“We had cover bands in Barriere and those were pretty big bands—like four, five and six person bands and it’s pretty hectic, even just to organize a practice with five people and getting everyone’s schedules to line up, so that’s one of the benefits of having a small band; it’s easier to get everything done,” said Hall.
Having formed in spring of this year, Let’s Go already released a four-song EP called Almost Ready and it’s available on all major streaming services like iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play, but now plan to release single tracks online each month going forward.
They’ve also filmed a music video for the song Aliens Dream About you, which was shot by Michael Paul Wright and is available to watch on Youtube.
Hall said full albums are becoming less common and releasing smaller amounts of material on a more regular basis helps keep things fresh.
“You see a lot of bands just releasing singles and EPs and I like the idea of the consistency in being able to release something new 12 times, as opposed to release one album once with 12 songs,” he said.
“It keeps interest going and consistent with the releases.”
This approach is made more convenient given the fact Hall and Doherty live together with an onsite jam space and home studio.
Apart from drumming duty Doherty also serves as Let’s Go’s producer and engineer, with Hall playing guitar, bass and keyboards for the recording sessions.
The latter three instruments are then run through the P.A. system for live shows so Hall can keep his hands free for all the onstage shenanigans that keep the audience laughing and entertained.
“You’ll be hearing a whole band—guitars, bass and keyboards, but I’ll just be singing and the reason I chose to do that is because this way I’m not tied to a microphone stand,” Hall said.
“If I had a guitar and was singing I’d have to stand in front of the microphone the whole time; this way I can keep my hands free and run, jump around and interact with the audience while gesturing wildly.”
Let’s Go’s future plans are to branch out and play more shows in the B.C. Interior before trying to go further abroad.
“I wouldn’t mind just getting some weekend trips to some nearby markets and eventually more of Canada, then the world.”
Those who want to catch Let’s Go before they start dominating the rest of the globe can catch them on Saturday at the Barriere Motor Inn. Doors open at 8 p.m. and bands start at 9 p.m.
