Who: Still Smokin’
Where: Pemberton Hotel
When: Saturday, June 7
It's not every day you get a ski run named after your band but Whistler-Pemberton classic rockers Still Smokin' have achieved the dream.
Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops now has a third mountain to master, known as Mt Morrissey, and one of its intermediate runs has been called Still Smokin' and the band is more than a bit chuffed.
"It's a real honour. We love Sun Peaks and have played there for years now," said Don Murray, a.k.a. Big Daddy, who mans the five string bass in the band.
So what’s it like to ski Still Smokin’?
"It's a good time, just like us. It starts off a bit scary like Upper Franz and Jolly Green and then finishes into something more gentle and easy. It's great," Murray enthused.
Still Smokin' still play on a semi-regular basis around the Sea to Sky region, especially the Pemberton Hotel, where they will be playing next Saturday night, June 7. If you've never ventured past Alpine Meadows, we recommend a trip out to Pemberton for a night at the famous Pem Ho. Expect a rockin' good crowd of locals who pride themselves on making it a fun and friendly place to be. The hotel has accommodation upstairs so you need not worry about the drive home after the gig.
"It's a great venue, the Pem Ho. It's got a lot of charm, a lot of history and you can still be wild and crazy there with a real diverse crowd," said Murray.
Still Smokin' is one of Pemberton and Whistler's old school signature bands displaying that laid back country charisma that the rest of the world finds so endearing. The fact they are damn good musicians with more than five years under their belt as a touring unit, just adds to their marketability. Apart from Murray, the band members are Sue Stearns as the lead vocalist, who also plays rhythm guitar on Taylor and Martin acoustics, Rickenbacker 12-string or the Fender Strat. The lead guitar duties fall on Gary The G-Man Yoshida who can rip out a mean riff on his Fender Strat. And then there's Wild Man Brad White on drums.
All of the band’s members have full time jobs in Whistler and Pemberton to support their rock ’n’ roll habit. White's a golf pro, Yoshida works for W-B, while Stearns and Murray work for a company that designs ski resorts.
"The band is a hobby for us really with fortnightly gigs on average, although with that said we'd love more gigs in Whistler if anyone wants us," said Murray.
While Still Smokin’ have a stack of their own original tunes on offer, they predominantly play to the party people with all the popular classic rock, blues and contemporary rock you can poke a stick at. The classic rock ’n’ roll songs range from Eric Clapton to the Rolling Stones, Blondie to ZZ Top. Modern material includes Sheryl Crow, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Collective Soul, 3 Doors Down and Avril Lavigne. They also play a medley of surf songs.
