Brandon Isaak and Keith Picot perform next Wednesday at Elks Hall as the Silver Screen Scoundrels. (Publicity photo)
Blues fans are in for a treat next Wednesday, March 21 when the Silver Screen Scoundrels return to the Elks Hall for a concert.
The duo consists of Brandon Isaak, who was recently nominated for a 2018 Juno Award, and Keith Picot.
But the show is more than music. The two make old-style silent movies – hence the “Silver Screen” in their name – which they project in a multimedia performance during their concerts.
“They have this interplay between themselves,” said Earl Krushelnicki, who organizes the popular Music at the Elks concerts. “I’ve seen them a lot of times and there’s never been a show that’s been identical. The videos are the same, but the repartee between the two of them you just never know where it’s going to go… The two of them have amazing charisma on stage.”
Isaak plays several instruments – guitar, harmonica, drums, kazoo and piano. He’s also the lead singer and songwriter.
As well as performing with the Silver Screen Scoundrels, he also performs solo and has recorded an album as a trio with Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne and Tim Williams.
It’s that album – Big City, Back Country Blues – that’s been nominated as Blues Album of the Year for the 2018 Juno Awards, which take place on March 25, the Sunday following the Silver Screen Scoundrels’ show in Osoyoos.
Picot plays upright bass and is recognized as one of the best blues bass players in Canada.
Krushelnicki said attendance at the Music at the Elks concerts has tended to be higher when people know the performers, but he says often less well-known performers are also high calibre.
“The difficulty with blues is most award winners are in Eastern Canada or they have toured extensively in Canada,” he said. “When you get new performers or performers who haven’t won or been nominated for these awards, it doesn’t mean they’re not quality performers.”
He gives the example of Kelowna musician Sherman Doucette, who will be performing April 18, and is a “terrific” harmonica player who is entertaining to watch, but who doesn’t tour and stays in the Okanagan.
The final show of the season, on May 2, Jack De Keyzer, is a two-time Juno Award winner who has also been nominated for other awards. He’ll be playing at the Osoyoos Elks Hall before playing at the Dream Café in Penticton the following day.
Tickets for the Silver Screen Scoundrels are $20 and are available at Mills Office Productivity or from Ken at 250-495-3936. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and music starts at 8 p.m.
When they performed in Osoyoos a year ago, the show was a sellout, Krushelnicki said.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
