Cal's Journal

I stood in the rafters of Prospera Place in downtown Kelowna and surveyed the scene below. The chains dangled while the motors climbed them and the speakers were assembled. It was a satisfying feeling seeing the rigging turn into a stage. Cauldrons were rolled onto the stage and the lights were lifted to the ceiling of the arena. A setup that has been done in dozens of venues across North America was completed. And I was a part of it. Read more…

The late Calvin Barr, or so I am known as… I try not to be, but life seems to conspire against me regularly. So many things in life are out of my control, why does it seem like shit happens to make me late?  Like losing my keys… Or having a dead battery. Or waiting for a truck to pick up a shipment. I know what you are thinking, losing my keys is 100 percent my fault. The rest not Read more…

The sound resembled a freight train rushing by at 100 km per hour. But this was not a freight train. It was a rain storm that poured down upon the roof of the cabin we were staying in.  Good thing my brother put away the chairs the day before. He must have known something that I didn’t.  We were at a perfect spot in the woods of the Slocan Valley. It was in a beautiful campground off the beaten path Read more…

My sleep felt strange, was I dreaming? In the depths of my consciousness, I felt an itch, a soreness inside. My throat tingled with a pain that woke my senses. I must be dreaming, how could I be sick? I felt great when I went to sleep. It must be a dream. Until I opened my eyes and there it was – that feeling again. This time I knew it was real, it was an ache in my throat, a Read more…

Music bounced into the blistering heat of a Sunday afternoon. The parking lot at Prospera Place in Kelowna was filled with people sweating in the sunshine and grooving to the tunes. Rock The Lake was back. Rock the parking lot is what they should call it – Okanagan Lake is two blocks away. Semantics don’t matter when music is the ultimate goal. And the music echoed throughout downtown Kelowna on that sweltering afternoon. I never planned on attending the show, Read more…

“Hey, good morning!” Cooksters voice greeted Barrman on the phone. Cookster seemed to have a mixture of surprise and excitement to it. “Good morning buddy, I hope to be able to leave early. I just have to do a quick repair on my boat.” Barrman said to his friend on the phone. It was 8:30 am and they were going to ride to Big White. It looked like they were going to be able to leave earlier than expected as Read more…

We walked into the South Okanagan Event Centre and the air was filled with energy and excitement. The flow of people mingled toward their seats and loud booming rock thundered all around. After two cancelations and two years of hesitation, another rock concert was lifting off in the sleepy city of Penticton. There was very little sleep taking place in the areas near the event centre. We were filled with a sense of excitement as the first act Aryen Jones Read more…

Heat simmered off the asphalt and enveloped his body like a warm demonic hug. People walked by in various stages of undress, the extreme temperatures showered them like a sauna where only the tiniest bits of fabric were required.  Young women of various shapes and sizes flaunted their bosoms and their buns, little was left to the imagination. Barrman parked his motorcycle and dismounted, careful not to be too distracted by the carnival-like atmosphere. He was at the waterfront parking Read more…