Skip to content

Shred Kelly sings night away with huge audience

Local band performs for all ages and premieres “Sing to the Night” music video.
7687ferniefpIMG_9976
Last Saturday

Tim Newton smiles over his banjo, looking down upon a dozen small faces pressed to the edge of the stage or twirling around, tossing and playing with inflatable balls.

That’s how Shred Kelly celebrates a successful CD launch.

The local band hosted a CD release party for their new album Sing to the Night on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Fernie Community Centre with the night split between an all-ages family-friendly event earlier in the evening followed by a 19+ party that went into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Shred Kelly recently released their single "Sing to the Night." The video was filmed at Fernie Alpine Resort.

When not on stage, band vocalist and keyboard player Sage McBride and several of the other Shred Kelly members work with children in the community at daycares or as youth care workers, making the all-ages event that much more special for the band.

“It was like playing for a second family,” said McBride. “We love doing the family shows because it’s nice to do something for all-ages and it’s great in the winter that there’s something for families with kids to do on a Saturday night.”

The band’s 19+ show resulted in a sell- out crowd with almost 500 locals coming out to the party.

Prior to taking to the stage, the band premiered the music video for their new single, the title track “Sing To the Night.”

McBride said of the premiere, “It was cool because you usually put videos online and you never get a verbal reaction, so it was nice to have an actual audible response instead of just likes or shares.”

In addition to making the crowd jump along to their infectious melodies, the band’s opening act Sidney York — a Calgary-based duo who hit Fernie’s Wapiti stage last summer — also warmed the room up.

McBride said she was grateful to the community for supporting the band’s CD release — their third effort overall that sonically transcribes the band’s journey from their folk-y roots into banjo-based melodies now washed with more layers of synthesizers than ever before.

Physical copies of the album are now available for purchase at Freyja.

For locals who missed the CD release event, Shred Kelly will make their homecoming return on March 28 following a cross-country tour that kicked off in Banff on Monday evening.